J.S. Bach and his family lived in Leipzig from 1723 to 1750.

Leipzig was a thriving city with a population of 30,000.

What did people eat, drink, and wear? How did they bathe and cook?

What did they burn to heat and light their homes?

How many weekly church services were there, and how many taverns?


The Little Bach Book

This richly-illustrated description of daily life in Germany in the 1730s was written by a master storyteller and acclaimed Bach performer.

After four decades of singing Bachs music around the world and lecturing to concert audiences, distinguished American tenor and Bach specialist David Gordon has compiled this personal assortment of historical anecdotes, scholarly explanations, bits of pathos, gritty descriptions of everyday life, and colorful glimpses of Bach and his world.

It's the only book about J.S. Bach that presents vignettes of his career as a middle-class salaried professional musician within the context of German life in the early 1700s.

There are 85 vintage illustrations plus maps, timelines, bibliography, and even a few authentic 18th-Century recipes! View sample pages here.

The book doesn't analyze Bachs music, and no musical knowledge is needed to enjoy the contents. The focus is on history and real life, people and stories.

For the newcomer to Bach, for the experienced Bach aficionado, and for the general history buff, this book is meant to be entertaining, moving, and surprising.

LOOK INSIDE

View the Table of Contents and Sample Pages

David's Online Introduction

WHERE TO BUY

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“Thank you so much for adding hugely to my understanding of what his life was actually like. A wonderful read based on much academic research and written in such a reader-friendly way. Superb.”

~ Amazon.com review from a reader in the UK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

(The links below lead to pages on David Gordon’ s website www.spiritsound.com)

David Gordon

Described by the Washington Post as “a model of style and charm, and an irresistible performer,” tenor David Gordon has forged an international classical music career as singer, author, lecturer, teacher, and recording artist.

David is particularly known for his vivid performances of the music of J. S. Bach on recordings and in hundreds of concerts in North America, Europe, and Japan. The Chicago Tribune described him as “one of the world’ s great Bach tenors” and in 2017 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called him “one of the great interpreters of the Evangelist of our time.” For more than three decades David was a popular and central figure at the Carmel Bach Festival in California, where he served as tenor soloist, lecturer, Dramaturge, Master Class Director, and member of the artistic leadership.

In a wide range of repertoire David has appeared as tenor soloist with virtually every major North American symphony and opera company, and with prestigious orchestras, operas, and music festivals on four continents. Details here...

He appears on 15 Classical CDs for Decca, London, RCA, Telarc, and other major labels.

David lives with his wife, Ginna Gordon, in Pacific Grove, California. In 2012 they created Lucky Valley Press, and since then they have designed and produced nearly 100 books for 60 independent authors.

MORE LINKS

David's Website    :    Media Page    :    Facebook

View other books produced by Lucky Valley Press