Eric Lewin Altschuler loves lists. At the back of this book, and referred to throughout the text, are lists of his top ten preludes and fugues, and even his top ten subjects and episodes. This self-confessed "disk jockey for Bach" can't help trivializing the music with his tone of forced jocularity and "delightfully irreverent" analogies to such subjects as football games, sex and horror movies. It's not all bad, however. The essays could provide an entry point for those nervous of getting to know this wonderful music alone. The basic analysis is good, and the summaries of form are an easy way of following what's going on in the fugues. Grown up alternatives? Donald Tovey's short analysis pieces are still the best. Cecil Gray's book on the 48, although grumpy and quirky like the author, is interesting. Both are hard to get hold of, though. Altschuler's book can be found in second hand stores - just look out for the gaudy cover.

The Well Tempered Clavier is a refreshing book which enlightened me to many details of Bach's compositons. Helpful observations on Bach's fugues made reading the Well Tempered Clavier as enjoyable as having a great conversation with a passionate music lover. Alstschuler had a lot of interesting details on compositon and music history. As a songwriter myself, the insights into many of the techniques Bach employed to keep the listener enthralled were especially valuable. It seemed every page was filled with at least one extremely interesting observation. This very good book was a very pleasant reading experience.

Of course you must have a full score of the St Matthew. But beware: while some more recent editions have made it readable to the modern amateur musician, this edition still uses clefs you might find difficult: the soprano clef, the tenor (not viola) clef ... and the clarity of printing leaves something to be desired. However, all the notes are there and much more legible than a pocket score.

First, a knock about Dover's cover and title page: the catalogue number of the "St. Matthew" is BWV 244, not 232 (which is the "Mass in B Minor")! That said, Dover has published a good-quality miniature score of this work from the "Bach-Gesellschaft" (19th century complete works) edition. I bought Dover's reprint as a replacement for a miniature score by another publisher (which also reprinted Bach-Gesellschaft), a particularly nasty piece of work with blotchy print, nearly illegible at many points--especially in the figured bass!--and much smaller than the present reprint. Dover does the job as it should be done, and up to its usual standard.

It is true, as another reviewer has noted, that the format of the "BG" score is somewhat antiquated, particularly with regard to the old-style clefs (i.e., soprano and tenor clefs rather than treble clefs) in the vocal parts. And since this score was originally published nearly a century and a half ago, no doubt there have been strides in Bach scholarship since that time which are not reflected in this volume. Nevertheless, this is a reliable and useful reproduction of what is unquestionably a significant and valuable edition.

One would be hard pressed to find a better subject for a literary biography than Goethe. Not only is he a major literary figure, one of those few who could be said to have truly shaped their national culture, not only is his enormous oeuvre is little read outside his home country, not only is he so marginal in the minds of English readers that his name is perpetually mispronounced and his most significant work, Faust, is continually assumed to be identical to other works of the same name, but--perhaps not so incredibly considering all else I have mentioned--there is absolutely no competition in the market for biographies of this amazing man. Which makes Nicholas Boyle's work all the more unfortunate, I'm afraid.

There can be no question that Boyle is well-familiar with Goethe's work, and the context of his long life. However, he communicates neither very well. A few bright moments poke through in the text, such as the fine description of the household in which Goethe grew up, but the reader generally finds himself at a loss when attempting to picture the type of life which Goethe lived. Esoteric religious concerns and theories about the effect of the German political situation on the souls of its people cloud what could have been a fascinating look at another time and place with distracting, and ultimately useless, complexities. Even worse is Boyle's approach to Goethe's work. One should have perhaps been warned by the author's decision to regiment "life" and "work" into alternate chapters that the work would be subjected to, and ultimately consumed by, a light but continual barrage of literary theory which, while it does not reach the absurd heights of which academia is often capable, manages to render the power of Goethe's poetry and fiction effectively lifeless. That is a formidable achievement indeed, and one which literary biographers, as a whole, should strive to avoid.

I am still waiting for a biography of Goethe worthy of him, a man whose literary relevance is unquestionable--Pushkin, Hugo and Shakespeare, perhaps, are the only others who can match him, and whoever writes the story of his life should attempt to show this truth, rather than obscure it unnecessarily, as Boyle has done.

Two stars, one for the minimum, and one for what it might have been.

If a person enjoys a scholarly biography with a lot of esoteric detail, this is a biography for him. However,If a person finds scholarly biographies tough going,he will be bored by this book.

Boyle's Goethe supasses just about anything available--including what one can find in German (i. e. Conrady). Granted, it is not easy going. Boyle offers extensive contextualisation of his subject and thereby provides something of an introduction to such figures as Herder for the uninitiated. If you want the latest word on Goethe, this is it.

I guess it makes a difference what you are looking for, but if you are looking for a book to play an instrument to, then this is not it. Words only! Words are in German and English.

The point of this published dissertation was to translate the German text to English so English-speaking people could better understand the chorales. How is one supposed to register, interpret, and convey the music meaningfully if there is no knowledge of one of the most important aspects of the chorale melodies - the TEXT! This is a very useful book in providing textural nuance to the music.

A wonderful reference not just for organists but for all musicians interested in the study of the Lutheran chorale preludes. Dr. Bighley's literal translations from German to English without the use of rhyme give more meaning to the chorale text for affections, proper organ registrations and a proper baroque performace.
exp: Dies sind die heil'gen zehn Gebot'
"These are the holy Ten Commandments which our Lord God gave to us through Moses, his true servant, high on Mount Sinai. Kyrie eleison."

This is my first Goethe reading, and I was very unimpressed. I was turned on to Goethe after reading a couple insightful quotes used in articles, but found the book to be incredibly dry and uninspiring...not to mention below expectations for one of the most highly regarded German writers of all times. Puzzled, I found the quote that encouraged me to read Goethe in the first place...

"No one is more hopelessly enslaved, than the person who falsely believes he is free."

Not bad, right? Right...but this translation was from the *article* I read, not the book/translation being reviewed. In the book/translation being reviewed, the quote read as follows...

"No one is more a slave that the one who thinks he is free without being free."

Wow! Just flows off the tongue. Don't we think that a master of the German language would use stronger language? Wouldn't we expect verbage more similar to the former rather than the latter example? Wouldn't we expect one of the greatest writers of all time to paint a gripping visual rather than dribble out some wisdom?

I think so. I'm going to go out on a limb and trust centuries of readers and critics. 300 years can't be wrong.

The stark difference b/w the two examples leads me to believe that the translation we are reviewing is either very poor, or very literal. I am by no means a German authority (I have enough trouble with English) and I haven't researched this enough to draw any other conclusions, but I HAVE to give Goethe the benefit of the doubt. I think a different translation may be more moving.

I was very disappointed in the quality of this book; I guess it goes to show that genius in other fields of literature and art do not necessarilly translate into writing effective aphorisms.

Many of Goethe's reflections included here lack any punch--there is nothing unexpected in them, no new way of seeing things or flash of insight. Many of the statements that he seemed proud of seemed to be obvious or uninteresting to me. Many others concerned Goethe's peculiar (and incorrect) view of science. As an ex-scientist I found these, in general, to more exasperating than enlightening. Many of the reflections were rather long and rambling, lacking the tightness and economy that characterizes the best aphorisms. As a final complaint, many of the maxims are not really individual thoughts at all. Instead Goethe simply broke up longer arguments into individual sentences and gave them each their seperate number as if they were stand-alone maxims.

Overall, I found little that was memorable or stimulating in this book. Perhaps the lack is in me ("When a book and a head collide and a hollow sound ensues, must it always come from the book?"--Anton Kuh); maybe I simply don't have an affinity for Goethe's thought. But I wouldn't recommend this book. Instead pick up a work by one of the true masters of the form: Nietzsche, Lichtenberg, and La Rochefoucauld.

I say this is essential reading, but this is more true for someone familiar with Goethe. This is not to say that the casual reader will not find something of value, but 'Maxims and Reflections' is as much a reflection of Goethe and what he held true and interesting, as it is a collection of "wise sayings."

I think it would be helpful to a potential reader to review here some of the Maxims and Reflections, with comments.

Some are simplistic: "Behaviour is a mirror in which everyone shows his image."

Some are interesting, and one will see the truth in them upon some reflection. These may not really educate, but they are interesting in themselves: "There is something horrifying about a man of outstanding excellence of whom stupid people are proud."

Some are statements of what most of us would agree with easily, but they are important because they shed light upon the man and his concerns. For example, we often see how concerned he is with certain kinds of people being dangerous: "Fools and intelligent people are equally undamaging. Half-fools and half-sages, these are the most dangerous of all."

Some are incomprehensible: "Work makes the journeyman."

Some are enigmatic, at least to me: "Wisdom is to be found only in truth."

Some are observations that are not too profound but which will serve as food for thought: "Human nature needs to be numbed from time to time, but without being put to sleep; hence smoking, spirits, opiates."

Some are simply personal beliefs, and we need to know that Goethe beleived such-and-such a thing: "Painting and tattooing the body is a return to animality."

Some are profound truths or observations, and will serve as food for a lot of thought: "Time is itself an element." "Mysteries do not as yet amount to miracles." "Truth is contrary to our nature, not so error, and this for a very simple reason: truth demands that we should recognize ourselves as limited, error flatters us that, in one way or another, we are unlimited." In this last one, for example, we get an idea about the kind of simple, pragmatic reasoning the great man often employed.

Some are statements by others, in other languages, and it is an interesting exercise to try and see why the great man included these in the Maxims and Reflections: " L'amour est un vrai recommenceur. [Love is truly a new beginning.] "

Some are classic maxims, which are oft-quoted, even today: "There is nothing more dreadful than active ignorance." This example also serves to show that the translation is really bad in places: that phrase *really* deserves to be translated "ignorance in action".

And some are difficult to comprehend - but when makes the effort, they turn out to be absolute gems: "The first and last thing demanded of genius is love of truth."

wolfgang is an interesting author. many of his poems and essays are about romance and love. if you like reading abstract poetry and getting into sweet and very interesting storites you will love Wolfgang!

This piece is beautiful. Regardless of whether you're a fan of Romanticism, you will like this book, for it appeals to all perspectives and preferences. What is wonderful is that Goethe, (as Romantic as he was) was only defined during this period for his superficial criticism and defnition of the self in the traditionally romantic isolated fashion. He is however, as one reads him would come to know, highly an Enlightened thinker and realizes the inadequacy of Romanticism. You'll love this one.

The book is a wonderful example of Goethe's writting and gives one an insight to his mind. However, it isn't like Faust and is easily set aside. I't good, but don't read it if your not a Romantic, a Germanspeaker, a Goethe Fan, or all three. Try Volume I of this collection, Selected Poems, if your not (You'll wish you were).

On pain of death, I beg you not to save a few bucks by buying this translation of Goethe's masterpiece. This dusty, Victorian--era translation is opaque, humorless, and turgid. I can think of no greater disservice to a great writer. Obviously Dover picked this translation because it is in the public domain, and they did not have to pay for it. This is a great stratagem for holding down consumer costs, but it comes at a high price in terms of enjoyment. The absence of critical apparatus also detracts. There are much better translations available, especially the one from Princeton University Press. That one costs more but is well worth it in the long run. In short, though, you should buy anything BUT this boring miscarriage.

I once read that many people prefer this version of Faust over Christopher Marlowe's. I can not really understand why. To be sure, there are powerful moments in this version. There are also dramatic passages and memorable moments. Perhaps I would have rated this better if I had not read Marlowe's version. The problem is that this lacks Marlowe's superb orginization, harsh realities, dramatic irony, and chilling terror. Don't get me wrong. This book is certainly worth looking at, but I suggest you read this version before you read Marlowe's.

This is the definitive book from which all Faust or books relating to the Faust storyline are based. Much is lost in the translation from its original German form, however, the story is timeless no matter what language it is in. Goethe writes a gripping tale from which many lessons can be learned. Anyone who loves great classic literature should make this a must read.

Though this book (and the series from which it comes) seem editorially sound, they are totally useless as working piano scores. They are small hardback books with print so small they would only be good for notation.

This is a tiny hardcover book which is not designed for playing purposes. It says Music Scores in the title, which makes it pretty clear. The English and French Suits are also available in large formats from Könemann Music. Of course, you can also buy this book and make enlarged photocopies. Könemann Music publishes complete editions from composers, including Bach, and these can only be regarded as positive comparing the outlook and price with other editions.

Though this book (and the series from which it comes) seem editorially sound, they are totally useless as working piano scores. They are small hardback books with print so small they would only be good for notation.

This book is not supposed to be for playing. All of the Piano Exercises I-IV are available in large formats. This is a tiny book, the content of which consists of four big books for playing. It is not intended for playing purposes, and thus any negative feedback in this sense is inappropriate and misleading. Otherwise there are no problems with this book. Könemann Music publishes complete editions from composers, including Bach, and these can only be regarded as positive comparing the outlook and price with other editions.

I cannot understand the praise for this book.Pelikan's comments on Faust are facile and often wrongheaded and his theological commentary is superficial and pseudo intellectual.Even worse he writes in a turgid style that can serve as a potent sedative for those who have trouble sleeping. A major disappointment and a disaster from a scholr whose works I usually admire.

This book is a beautifully written masterpiece, detailing the theological implications of Goethe's Faust. The book offers reflections on Goethe's statement that he was a pantheist when it came to science, a polytheist in art and a monotheist in ethics. For the first time, the author uses this statement in the analysis of Faust's development as a theologian, showing this masterpiece in a surprising and totally original way. The analysis begins with a discussion on Faust's role as a natural scientist or pantheist. Faust's mistrust of traditional knowledge is examined and his interests in geology, oceanography and optics are considered. The analysis also includes his perception of nature as a realm inspirited throughout by a single, unifying Power. After the analysis in concluded, the author follows Faust on his journeys to the two Walpurgis Nights. It is here that Faust delights in the polytheistic extravaganzas of Germanic and most especially Greek mythology. In conclusion, the author describes the operatic finale of the book, when Faust's spirit in drawn upward to salvation by the Eternal Feminine. This event marks Faust's evolution into moral philosopher and monotheist. This analysis reveals thematic unities and a dialectical development of Faust's characters that has gone unnoticed until now.