The title Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (German: Notenbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach) refers to either of two manuscript notebooks that the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach presented to his second wife, Anna Magdalena. Keyboard music (minuets, rondeaux, polonaises, chorales, sonatas, preludes, musettes, marches, gavottes) makes up most of both notebooks, and a few pieces for voice (songs, and arias) are included.
The Notebooks provide a glimpse into the domestic music of the 18th century and the musical tastes of the Bach family. The second notebook contains a mixture of pieces known to be by J. S. Bach, pieces known to be by others, and pieces whose authorship is unknown or debated.
Contents
History
The two notebooks are known by their title page dates of 1722 and 1725. The title "Anna Magdalena Notebook" is commonly used to refer to the latter. The primary difference between the two collections is that the 1722 notebook contains works only by Johann Sebastian Bach (including most of the French Suites), while the 1725 notebook is a compilation of music by both Bach and other composers of the era.
The 1722 notebook: French Suites and miscellany
This notebook contains 25 unbound sheets (including two blank pages), which is estimated to be approximately a third of the original size. It is not known what happened to the other pages. The back and the corners are decorated with brown leather; greenish paper is used for the cover. The title page is inscribed Clavier-Büchlein vor Anna Magdalena Bachin ANNO 1722 in Anna Magdalena's hand (using the feminine version of her last name). For a reason so far unknown to researchers, Johann Sebastian wrote the titles of three books by theologian August Pfeiffer (died 1698) in the lower right corner of the title page:
Ante Calvinismus is a shortened and misspelled title of Anti-Calvinismus, oder Unterredungen von der Reformierten Religion (Anti-Calvinism, or Conversations about the reformed religion).
"Christen Schule item" refers to Pfeiffer's Evangelische Christen Schule ("Evangelical Christian School").
AntiMelancholicus refers to Anti-melancholicus, oder Melancholey-Vertreiber (Anti-melancholy, or [something or someone] to drive out the melancholy).
The notebook contains the following works, most in Johann Sebastian's hand:
Five keyboard suites. The first three are fragments of the pieces that are now known as the first three French Suites, BWV 812–814. The next two are complete suites, French Suites Nos. 4 and 5, BWV 815–816. The minuets of suites 2 and 3 are separated from the rest of their respective suites and were most probably added at a later date by Anna Magdalena Bach (they are almost certainly in her hand), some time before 1725.
Fantasia pro organo, unfinished, BWV 573. A short organ piece, 12 complete bars and the beginning notes of the 13th bar.
Air with variations in C minor, unfinished, BWV 991. The first 10 bars feature coherent two-part writing, but the remaining 35 bars only have one voice written out.
The 1725 notebook
The 1725 notebook is larger than the 1722 one, and more richly decorated. Light green paper is used for the front cover. Anna Magdalena's initials and the year number "1725" are printed in gold. The later annotations [A]nna [M]agdal [B]ach were added by her stepson C. P. E. Bach when he inherited it. All pages feature gilt edging. Most of the entries in the 1725 notebook were made by Anna Magdalena herself, with others written in the hand of Johann Sebastian, some by sons Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Emanuel, and a few by family friends such as Johann Gottfried Bernhard and Johann Gottfried Heinrich.
The 1725 notebook contains works composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and also pieces by many other composers. The authorship of several pieces is identified in the notebook itself, while that of others was established by researchers. The composers of still others, including several popular songs of the time, remain unknown.
Here is a complete list of the pieces included, in order of appearance in the notebook:
Keyboard partita in A minor, BWV 827. This is the third partita from Bach's set of Partitas for keyboard BWV 825–830, which was published in 1731 as the first volume of Clavier-Übung.
Keyboard partita in E minor, BWV 830. This is the sixth partita from Bach's set of Partitas for keyboard BWV 825–830.
Minuet in F major, BWV Anh. 113.
Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 114. Usually attributed to Christian Petzold.
Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115. Usually attributed to Christian Petzold.
Rondeau in B♭ major, BWV Anh. 183. This piece is by François Couperin and is best known under the original title: Les Bergeries (6e Ordre).
Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 116
Compositions
The Notebooks contain instrumental as well as vocal musical compositions. These notebooks serve more as collections of sheet music and other compositions rather than what notebooks are traditionally used for.
Recitative and Aria from Cantata Ich habe genug, BWV 82
The recitative "Ich habe genug" and the aria "Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen", the second and third movements of the second version of Cantata Ich habe genug, BWV 82, appear in the 1725 Notebook.
Four-part chorale "Dir, dir, Jehova, will ich singen", BWV 299
The four-part chorale "Dir, dir, Jehova, will ich singen", BWV 299, also appears in a two-part setting in Schemellis Musicalisches Gesang-Buch (BWV 452).
Songs and arias, BWV 508–518
The second Notebook contains a number of songs and arias set for voice and continuo.
"Bist du bei mir", BWV 508, is an arrangement of an aria of the opera Diomedes by Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel.
"Gedenke doch, mein Geist, zurücke", BWV 509 is an aria contained in the second notebook.
The sacred songs BWV 510–512 are three settings of "Gib dich zufrieden und sei stille" for voice and continuo.
The sacred song "O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort", BWV 513, No. 42 in the second Notebook, is a setting of the chorale melody with the same name, for voice and continuo:
BWV 397 is the four-part realisation of this song.
"Schaffs mit mir, Gott", BWV 514, is a sacred song for voice and continuo.
The aria "So oft ich meine Tobackspfeife" appears in two versions, BWV 515 and 515a, the second a fourth higher than the first.
The aria "Warum betrübst du dich", BWV 516, is a setting for voice and continuo.
"Wie wohl ist mir, o Freund der Seelen", BWV 517, is a sacred song for voice and continuo.
The authenticity of "Willst du dein Herz mir schenken", BWV 518, also known as "Aria di G[i]ovannini", is doubted.
For organ
The first Notebook contains two compositions for organ. The chorale prelude Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten is No. 11 in the second Notebook.
The Fantasia in C major for organ, BWV 573, is a fragment contained in the 1722 Notebook.
The chorale prelude "Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten", BWV 691, also appears in the Kirnberger Collection.
The chorale setting Jesus, meine Zuversicht, BWV 728, is ranged among Bach's chorale preludes for organ.
For keyboard
The keyboard pieces are the largest group of compositions in both Notebooks.
The first Notebook contains early versions of the first five French Suites, BWV 812–816. the first and the second French Suite also appear in the second Notebook.
The second Notebook starts with the third Partita, BWV 827, from Clavier-Übung I, followed by the sixth Partita, BWV 830, from that opus.
The Minuet in G major, BWV 841, is also contained in the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.
The prelude of Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 846, from The Well-Tempered Clavier appears in a short version in the second Notebook.
No. 26 in the second Notebook is the aria with which the Goldberg Variations start:
The Air with variations in C minor, BWV 991, is a fragment contained in the first Notebook.
The Minuet in F major, BWV Anh. 113, is No. 3 in the second Notebook. Its attribution to J. S. Bach is considered doubtful, and for that reason it is included in Anhang (Anh.) II of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis.
Start of Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 114:
The two Minuets in G major and G minor, Nos. 4–5 in the second Notebook, BWV Anh. 114 and 115, were composed by Christian Petzold. Because their former attribution to Bach is spurious they appear in Anh. III of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis.
Seven pieces with a doubtful attribution to J. S. Bach:
Anh. II 116 – No. 7: Minuet in G major