Review Of Bach And The Meanings Of Counterpoint By D. Yearsley

This fascinating study explores the significance of Johann Sebastian Bach\u27s learned counterpoint. Offering close readings of key examples from the Bach repertory, Yearsley includes chapters on the Lutheran art of dying ; on alchemy, galant aesthetics, political power; and on the Bach image in the 19th and 20th centuries. Bach\u27s counterpoint here appears not at all abstract, if what is meant by this is devoid of broader meaning. Yearsley\u27s book nicely complements Laurence Dreyfus\u27s important but needlessly difficult-to-read Bach and the Patterns of Invention (CH, Jun\u2797), and it arguably corrects certain interpretive leaps or lapses in the work of Christoph Wolff (e.g., Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician, CH, Sep\u2700). Yearsley\u27s clear and unpretentious writing style and his command of a remarkably wide range of historical and cultural material make this study a great read not only for musicians but also for dedicated general audiences. A significant new voice in Bach studies. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; public collections