Anna Magdalena Bach, J.S. Bach's second wife, was a professional singer employed by the prince of Anhalt-Köthen and descended from distinguished musicians.
Composition History
The 'notebooks' for Anna Magdalena Bach are compilations of solo keyboard pieces, vocal works, and pedagogical material given by J.S. Bach to his wife in the early years of their marriage.
Historical Context
The 1725 notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, which bears her initials in gold, offers insight into music-making by women in pre-Enlightenment Germany.
Interpretation
The instruments were tuned by Miles Hellon according to theories by the 18th-century theorist Johann Georg Neidhardt, and François Couperin's 'Les bergeries' was recorded on clavichord to explore performance possibilities.
Compositional Technique
The keyboard pieces in Anna Magdalena Bach's notebook are a mix of short movements by J.S. Bach, family friends, and his teenage sons, including Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and possibly Johann Christian Bach.
Recording & Production
Two instruments were used for this recording: a clavichord by Peter Bavington based on a Johann Heinrich Silbermann instrument, and a single-manual harpsichord by Miles Hellon based on Michael Mietke instruments.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The sacred vocal and keyboard works in the collection are deeply concerned with themes of contentment and inner peace, embodying musical and literary messages between spouses.
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