The Notebooks provide a glimpse into the domestic music of the 18th century and the musical tastes of the Bach family.
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.[1][2]
The 1722 notebook: French Suites and miscellany
Title page of the first (1722) Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach. Note the titles of the three Pfeiffer books written by Bach in the lower right corner.
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 [de] (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 keyboardsuites. 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.
"Jesus, meine Zuversicht", chorale prelude, BWV 728. A brief (9 bars) piece in three voices, features two sections with repeats for each.
Minuet in G major, BWV 841 (not to be confused with Petzold's Minuet in G Major in the 1725 notebook). A short dance with simplistic two-part writing and two sections with repeats for each.
The 1725 notebook
Cover of the second (1725) Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach
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 annotations A[nna] M[agdal] B[ach] 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.
Although the 1725 notebook does contain work composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, it also includes works 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.
Keyboard aria in G major, BWV 988/1. Another well-known piece, this is the aria of the Goldberg Variations, BWV 988. Christoph Wolff has suggested that this Aria was entered into the two blank pages of this book by Anna Magdalena later, in 1740.
Solo per il cembalo in E-flat major, BWV Anh. 129. A harpsichord piece by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.
Polonaise in G major, BWV Anh. 130. Possibly composed by Johann Adolph Hasse.
Prelude in C major, BWV 846/1. This is the first prelude from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, with bars 16–20 omitted, most likely in order to make the piece fit in two pages.
Keyboard suite in D minor, BWV 812. This is the first French Suite.
Keyboard suite in C minor, BWV 813. This is an incomplete version of the second French Suite.
Movement in F major, BWV Anh. 131. The handwriting looks like that of a child, and apparently the piece is an attempt to create a bass line for a given melody.
Aria "Warum betrübst du dich", BWV 516
Recitative "Ich habe genug" and aria "Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen" (solo), BWV 82/2,3
Chorale setting "Schaff's mit mir, Gott", BWV 514
Minuet in D minor, BWV Anh. 132
Aria "Willst du dein Herz mir schenken" (subtitled "Aria di Giovannini"), BWV 518
Aria "Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen", unfinished, BWV 82/3
Chorale setting "Dir, dir Jehova, will ich singen" (version for choir), BWV 299 Chorale setting "Dir, dir Jehova, will ich singen" (solo), BWV 299
Song "Wie wohl ist mir, o Freund der Seelen", BWV 517
Aria "Gedenke doch, mein Geist, zurücke", BWV 509
Chorale "O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort", BWV 513
Compositions
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2016)
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.[7]
Four-part chorale "Dir, dir, Jehova, will ich singen", BWV 299
"Gedenke doch, mein Geist, zurücke", BWV 509 is an aria contained in the second notebook.[12]
Three settings of "Gib dich zufrieden", BWV 510–512
The sacred songs BWV 510–512 are three settings of "Gib dich zufrieden und sei stille" for voice and continuo.[13]
Sacred song "O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort", BWV 513
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:[14]
BWV 397 is the four-part realisation of this song.
Sacred song "Schaffs mit mir, Gott", BWV 514
"Schaffs mit mir, Gott", BWV 514, is a sacred song for voice and continuo.[15]
Aria "So oft ich meine Tobackspfeife", BWV 515–515a
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.[23]
Third and sixth partita from Clavier-Übung I, BWV 827 and 830
The Air with variations in C minor, BWV 991, is a fragment contained in the first Notebook.[28]
Minuet in F major, BWV Anh. 113
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.[29][30]
Two Minuets by Christian Petzold, BWV Anh. 114–115
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.[32]
Four Minuets and three Polonaises, BWV Anh. 116–121
Opening bars of Solo per il cembalo, BWV Anh. 129, by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, piece No. 27 from the 1725 Notebook:[46]
Anh. III 129 – No. 27: Solo per il cembalo in E-flat major by C. P. E. Bach (early version of the keyboard sonata Wq 65.7 / H 16).[32]
Polonaise in G major by Johann Adolph Hasse, BWV Anh. 130
Anh. III 130 – No. 28: Polonaise in G major by Johann Adolph Hasse, i.e. "Polonoise secondo", originally in F major, from his keyboard sonata in F major.[32][47]
Piece in F major by Johann Christian Bach, BWV Anh. 131
Untitled movement in F major, BWV Anh. 131, piece No. 32 from the 1725 Notebook:[32]
Anh. III 131 – No. 32: [March] in F major attributed to Johann Christian Bach (W A22), formerly also attributed to Gottfried Heinrich Bach[48]
Anh. III 183 – No. 6: Rondeau in B-flat major by François Couperin, "Les Bergeries, Rondeau", sixth piece of the Sixième ordre, published in Paris in 1717 (Second Livre de pièces de Clavecin)[32][50][51]
"Menuet fait par Mons. Böhm"
No. 21 of the second Notebook, "Menuet fait par Mons. Böhm" (Minuet by Mr. Böhm), in G major, was never assigned a number in the BWV catalogue. It is however included in both the Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe (BGA) and the New Bach Edition (Neue Bach-Ausgabe, NBA) of the Notebooks. There is some doubt which composer by the name Böhm may have been intended, Georg Böhm being the best known among them.[2][52][53][54]
You may hear selections from Bach's Anna Magdalena Notebook as performed by Gustav Leonhardt 
