Transcript Man of the Year Lin.. - Bulletin Boards for the Music Classroom

Unfortunately, we’ve lost the
video feed from our studio.
The Bach press conference will
be brought to you through
computer images.
Good evening from ABC
news. We have just
learned that the famous
composer of the Baroque
era, Johann Sebastian
Bach, has suddenly
appeared at an
elementary school in New
York. It’s not clear how he
has come from the 1700s
to the year 2010. He is
holding a press conference
with members of the press
from all over the world.
ABC news:
Welcome to the United
States. Have you come to
give a concert?
If I’m invited to play, I
would be glad to. I would
also like to attend as many
concerts of your music as
possible so I can get ideas
for my own music.
ABC news:
What type of concert
would you most like to
play?
That’s a good question. In
my day, I was known as an
accomplished organist. I
would be honored to play
a piece that has become
one of my most famous,
Toccata and Fugue in D
minor.
The Sun Journal:
In addition to organ
pieces, what other types
of music did you compose?
I wrote a great deal of
music used in church
services. A popular form
was called cantata. In this
type of music, there was a
lead singer and a chorus
accompanied by an
orchestra. During my
lifetime, I wrote hundreds
of these.
News and Observer:
Why was this style of
music so popular in your
day?
In those days, a church
service could last 5 hours
or more! People
depended on the cantata
music to keep them
interested and awake.
News and Observer:
Was the church your only
employer?
No. I worked in the courts
of several members of
royalty. In fact, when I
tried to leave one and
move to a friendlier court,
the first threw me in jail!
After a month, I was
released and went to work
in another court where I
wrote a lot of instrumental
and keyboard music.
Wall Street Journal:
When and where
were you born?
In Eisenach, Germany in
1685
Chicago Tribune: What
language do you mainly
speak?
German is my first
language, but I’m doing my
best to speak English to
you today.
New York Times: Is it true
that you were an expert at
making complicated
Baroque pieces sound
natural and pleasing?
I’ve heard that. I didn’t
invent the style, but I
developed it into a form
that many people thought
was great.
CBS news: Is it true that
you came from very
musical family?
Yes. More than 70 of my
relatives were involved
with music. There were so
many of us that the name
“Bach” meant almost the
same as “musician”. At
family reunions, we had a
great time playing our
favorite music and making
up funny songs together.
CNN: Is that how you got
your start in music?
Yes. My father was a town
musician and taught me to
play the violin while
introducing me to many
other instruments. I was 9
years old when my parents
died and I went to live
with my brother. He taught
me to play the
harpsichord and organ.
With him, I also learned to
tune and fix organs.
IHT: Is it true that you
traveled quite a bit during
your life?
Very true. At 15, I left my
brother’s home and
walked 200 miles to attend
school and join a church
choir. I moved around
always looking for better
jobs. Some of them had
additional duties like
cleaning slop from the
kitchen!
Once, I went on a very
long trip to see an
accomplished and famous
organ player named
Dietrich Buxtehude. He
was getting ready to retire
from a very good job as an
organist, and I wanted the
job. Part of the deal
included agreeing to marry
his oldest daughter, so I
had to turn down the
offer!
La Monde:
How did you begin to get
more musical positions?
My ability to play the
organ and compose church
music became more
widely known and it was
easier for me to find better
jobs. It was at one of
these positions where I
met and married my first
wife, Maria Barbara Bach.
She was happy to travel
with me as we raised our
family together.
Miami Herald: Where did
you go then?
After I was released from
my experience in jail, I
worked for 6 wonderful
years in the court of Prince
Leopold. Unfortunately,
several sad things
happened at the end of
that time. First, my wife
died. Then the prince got
married and his new wife
did not like music at all.
When the prince lost
interest in my work, I
decided to move on.
London Times: What did
you do then?
In 1723, I accepted a position as
director of music in Leipzig,
Germany. This ended up being
one of the busiest times of my
career-composing and directing
music for 4 churches, a school
choir, a university choir and any
music the city might need for a
special event. Two years earlier,
I married my second wife, Anna
Magdalena. Together, we had 13
children to add to the 4 children I
already had.
The Boston Globe: It must
have been difficult having
a large family and such a
demanding job.
Fortunately, my wife helped out
with the time-consuming and
boring job of writing down all
the music I composed every
week. Sometimes, my children
helped out too. She was a
wonderful mother and I always
made sure I had time with my
family too.
USA Today: Did your
children like music too?
I loved all my children and saw to
it that they got good grades in
school and helped out around
the house. It was also my
pleasure to teach them about
music. I can proudly say that 5 of
my sons went on to be famous
composers and musicians.
Dallas Morning News:
How long did you stay in
Leipzig?
We spent 29 years in Leipzig
where I was able to write the
Goldberg Variations for keyboard
and many instrumental pieces.
Los Angeles Times:
Were you famous
toward the end of your life
too?
Musical tastes began to change.
People said they were tired of
the big, complicated Baroque
sounds. While I heard a lot of
this new music being played and
knew times were changing, I
preferred to stick with my own
style. I was criticized for being
old-fashioned and was given a
hard time by my many bosses.
Most of them knew very little
about music!
It became difficult getting money
for music equipment. I was even
accused of directing the choir
poorly! Usually, I was able to
ignore these silly complaints and
stand up for my rights.
Baltimore Sun: Is it true
that you had some health
problems toward the end
of your life?
Yes it is. In my last year, I began
to go blind. Doctors tried a
surgery , but it was not
successful and I lost my sight
completely. However, I did not
stop composing. My music
students were able to help me by
writing down music I dictated to
them.
The Guardian: What year
did you die?
It was 1750 and I was 65 years
old.
National Geographic:
What period of
music came after that?
The next period of music was
called the “Classical” era.
Music was more simple and
followed definite patterns or
formulas.
Time Magazine: How
would you describe your
music?
Music of the Baroque era was
grand, fancy and decorative. It
was often filled with many
different instruments and voiceseach performing a different
melody.
Rolling Stone: Have you
heard any modern
American music on the
radio here? If you have,
what did you think?
Hmmm, what do you think?
You have just heard a news
conference with famous
composer of the Baroque
era, Johann Sebastian
Bach. We hope you
enjoyed this unique
experience and now return
you to your regularly
scheduled program.
Good day from ABC news.
This Power Point was based on a concept shared by a
member of the Music K-8.com Mailing list.
Unfortunately, I do not know the name of the person
to whom credit should be given.
Linda Abbott-December 2009