152: Bach’s Obituary (1754)

One of the most important documents we posses about J.S. Bach— indeed the first biographical writing— is his obituary, written by his son, C.P.E., and his student, Agricola. Also referred to as the ‘Nekrolog,’ the obituary appeared in Mizler’s (yes, the Society of Musical Sciences gentleman) publication, Musikalische Bibliothek, in its very last installment. In this brief portrait of the greatest composer, we are struck by the renown of his family tree, the unanimous admiration of all those who heard Bach, but ultimately by the humility of his spirit despite his towering achievements. Write That Fugue! The obituary is also important because it contains Bach’s ‘first list of works.’ The five cantata cycles and five passions mentioned in the list are addressed in this article on Bach’s missing works: We Rely Exclusively on Paid Subscriptions! Help WTF Bach endure:Join at WTFBach.comYou can also make a one-time donation here:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbach A new Telegram group is slowly forming! Singing through chorales and doing other cool Bachian things. Join here: https://t.me/+86a_lET5XKdmYTk0 Spotify Listeners: New AI software has unjustly removed episodes. They are deaf to appeals. Stick it to the robot by listening on the Substack app.Thank you for your support! Get full access to W.T.F. Bach? at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe