Johann Sebastian Bach - booksnow.scholarsportal.info

156 JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH.At that time it was the custom to put opus-numbers toinstrumental works onl3^ The "Ciavierübung" is, however,universally regarded as the first work published byBach ; the Mühlhaus " Rathswechsel-Cantate," of 1708, wasprinted but had not yet come out.^''° The fact that Bachonly began to publish his compositions at the age of fortyoneyears, does not mean, of course, that he had hithertobeen in any way averse to letting them become known. Atthat time German music was most widely disseminated bymeans of transcribed copies. Long before 1726 Bach hadbecome widely known as a composer; even in 1716, inHamburg, Mattheson spoke with admiration of his compositionsfor the church and also for the clavier.^'^^ Evenlater, and indeed until the beginning of the nineteenthcentury, the chief part of his works were only known tothe musical world in a manuscript form. Besides the fourparts of the "Ciavierübung," only three other works byBach appeared in his lifetime ; he died as he was preparinga fourth for publication.The name " German suites " has been given to the sixsuites of the " Ciavierübung " in order to distinguish themfrom the French and English suites.^" And not without) good reason. Bach's employment of the name "Partita"implies more than a mere imitation of Kuhnau ; for theform bore this name in Germany at the end of theseventeenth century, before the influence of the Frenchhad become authoritative, and Bach's returning to itshowed that although he fully recognised the servicesrendered by French and Italian musicians to German artthe groundwork was still German. The suite is a Germanform of art, although foreign nations have done much^^5 See Vol. I., p. 344.2'ßSee Vol. I., p. 393.2" Verzeichniss aller . . . Musikalien . . . welche zu Berlin beim . . , J.C. F.Rellstab zu haben sind (1790), p. 67: " Bach, J. S., 6 Partite ou Suites fran-9oises, 4 Thlr.6 dito Tedesche 6 Thlr. 12 gr.— — 6 dito Anglaises 5 Thlr. 12 gr."(For this information I am indebted to the kindness of Herr G. Nottebohmof Vienna.)