Bach: a detailed informative biography
巴赫的一生：人在魏玛（三）
By  Michael and Lawrence Sartorius
「
魏玛
I1708-1717
」
Weimar was quite a small town with only 5000 inhabitants; yet Bach was to meet some very cultured people here. Not least was his employer, the Duke of Sachsen-Weimar, one of the most distinguished and cultured nobles of his time.Bach's two-fold position as member of the chamber orchestra and as Organist to the Court offered him many opportunities for improvement.
魏玛是个仅有5000居民的小镇，然而巴赫将在这里结识一些非常有文化的人。最值得一提的便是他的雇主，萨克森魏玛公爵，他是当时最声名卓著而又富有教养的贵族之一。巴赫既是室内乐团的成员，又是宫廷管风琴师，双重职责给他带来了许多进步的机会。
The Court Orchestra consisted of about 22 players: a compact string ensemble, a bassoon player, 6 or 7 trumpeters and a timpanist. Bach's function in the orchestra was mainly as a violinist, however he also played the harpsichord and occasionally wrote or arranged some of the music. As was the custom in most 18th century Courts, the musicians also spent some of their time employed in household and domestic duties.
宫廷乐团由大约22名乐手组成：一个小型弦乐组，一个巴松管手，六七个小号手和一个定音鼓手。在乐团里他主要担任小提琴手一职，但他也演奏羽管键琴，偶尔作曲或编曲。按照大多数18世纪宫廷的惯例，乐手还要花时间在王室家宴上履职演奏。
In 1714 Bach became the leader of the orchestra, and was now second only to the old and frail Capellmeister Johann Samuel Drese, whose duties he was gradually taking over.As Court Organist, Bach had succeeded Johann Effler, a musician of some standing. The organ was new and not quite as large as the one at Arnstadt. After a few years, Bach declared that it was inadequate and should be rebuilt. It was in fact rebuilt at great expense according to his plans: proof of the high regard the Court had for his capabilities as organist and expert on organ construction.
1714年巴赫成为乐团首席，地位仅次于年迈体虚的乐长约翰·萨穆埃尔·德雷斯，而后者的职责正被巴赫逐步接管。巴赫接替了颇有声望的约翰·伊斯顿而成为宫廷管风琴师。管风琴很新，却没有安斯达特的那台大。数年之后，巴赫宣称它水准不足，需要重建。而实际上，这台管风琴也确实按照他的规划耗费巨资得以重建，这表明宫廷方面十分器重他作为管风琴师和管风琴建造专家的能力。
During this period he wrote profusely for the organ, and he was rapidly becoming known throughout the country as one of the greatest German organists. Organ pupils came to him from far and wide, and he was asked to test or dedicate many organs in various towns. His tests were extremely thorough and critical. He used to say for fun 'Above all I must know whether the organ has a good lung', and, pulling out all the stops he produced the largest sound possible, often making the organ builders go pale with fright. He would usually complete his trial by improvising a prelude and fugue: the prelude to test the organ's power, the fugue to test its clarity for counterpoint. 
在这一时期里，他创作了大量管风琴曲，并马上作为最杰出的德国管风琴师之一闻名整个地区。各地的管风琴学生前来造访，他还被邀请到许多城镇去验收管风琴或参加管风琴的落成仪式。他的检验全面而严谨。他常开玩笑说“最重要的是我得知道管风琴是不是有个好的肺”，然后拉下所有音栓，让管风琴尽可能发出最大声响，这常常把那些管风琴建造师吓得脸色煞白。他通常以即兴演奏一首前奏曲与赋格结束他的检验：前奏曲测试的是管风琴的音量，赋格则考验对位表现的清晰程度。
Constantin Bellermann describes his playing (during a visit to Kassel) in these words: 'His feet seemed to fly across the pedals as if they were winged, and mighty sounds filled the church'. Mizler's 'Nekrolog' states: 'His fingers were all of equal strength, all equally able to play with the finest precision. He had invented so comfortable a fingering that he could master the most difficult parts with perfect ease (using 5 fingers instead of the then normal 3). He was able to accomplish passages on the pedals with his feet which would have given trouble to the fingers of many a clever player on the keyboard'.
康斯坦丁·贝乐曼（译者注：歌剧与清唱剧作曲家，精通琉特琴演奏）在拜访卡塞尔期间用以下文字描述了他的一次演奏：“他的双脚仿佛生出翅膀一般在踏板上飞舞，有力的乐音充满了教堂。”米兹勒·冯·科洛夫出版的巴赫讣告如此描绘道：“他的手指都是同等的有力，都能以最高超的精准度演奏。他首创的演奏指法如此轻松自如（动用五根手指，而不是当时惯用的三根），使他能够毫不费力地掌控最有难度的片段。难住了许多其他灵巧的键盘演奏者的音乐段落，他却能用双脚在踏板上完美演奏。”
（译者注：洛伦兹·克里斯多夫·米兹勒·冯·科洛夫，德国学者、作曲家，1738年创立音乐学通讯学会，旨在促进音乐文献在学会成员之间交流传播。由艾力娅斯·哥特罗布·豪斯曼绘制的巴赫肖像即为巴赫1747年加入该学会时要求所作。米兹勒于1736-1754年出版的《音乐图书馆》为研究德国巴洛克音乐的重要文献之一，由巴赫次子卡尔·菲利普·埃马努埃尔·巴赫和巴赫学生及女婿约翰·弗里德里希·阿格里科拉撰写的巴赫讣告刊登于1754年出版的最后一册。）
On a visit to Halle in 1713, during which he gave a trial cantata (probably BWV 21), he was invited to become organist in succession to Zachau, a composer well-known, and celebrated as Handel's early teacher. However, the conditions and salary were not sufficient for his growing family, so he was obliged to refuse the post.
巴赫于1713年造访哈勒，其间试演了一部康塔塔（可能是BWV21）。在那里，他受邀继任弗里德里希·威廉·蔡豪成为当地管风琴师，后者是有名的作曲家，作为亨德尔的早期老师为人称道。不过哈勒给出的条件与薪水都不足以支撑他日益壮大的家庭，因此他不得不拒绝这一职位。
On a visit to Dresden, Bach was invited to compete in a contest with the visiting French organist, Louis Marchand, considered to be one of the best in Europe. But, on the day appointed for the contest, Marchand decided to withdraw discreetly by taking the fastest coach available back to France. And so Bach gave an impressive solo performance before the assembled audience and referees, establishing himself as the finest organist of the day.
在德累斯顿的一次访问时，巴赫受邀与被视为欧洲最好的管风琴师之一的法国管风琴师路易斯·马尚同台竞技。然而，就在选定作为比赛的那一天，马尚决定明哲保身，乘坐最快的马车回到了法国。于是乎巴赫就在济济一堂的观众和裁判面前献上了一场令人印象深刻的独奏表演，为自己确立了当时最优秀的管风琴师的地位。
Bach made some very good friends at Weimar, among whom was the eminent philologist and scholar Johann Matthias Gesner, who expressed with great eloquence his admiration for the composer's genius. Bach was also a frequent visitor to the nearby 'Rote Schloß', the home of the former Duke's widow and her two music-loving sons. Here the interest was in the new Italian style of music which was then becoming the rage of Europe, one of the chief exponents being the Venetian composer Vivaldi. Bach and his cousin Johann Georg Walther transcribed some of the Italian instrumental concertos for keyboard instruments.
巴赫在魏玛结交了三五知己，其中有杰出的语言学者约翰·马提亚斯·盖斯内，他用高谈雄辩盛赞了作曲家的天才。巴赫也是附近的魏玛红堡（Rote Schloß）的常客，那里是前公爵遗孀及其两个爱好音乐的儿子的住处。在这里，最受关注的是后来风靡整个欧洲的新颖的意大利风格音乐，威尼斯作曲家维瓦尔第便是这一风格之领袖。巴赫与其表兄约翰·哥特弗里德·瓦尔特（根据各种材料来看中间名应当为Gottfried，原文有误）将一些意大利器乐协奏曲改编成了键盘作品。
（译者注：Johann Gottfried Walther巴赫表兄，音乐学者，作曲家，编纂了第一部德语音乐词典Musicalisches Lexicon。他对阿尔比诺尼、托雷利、维瓦尔第、泰勒曼等人创作的共14部作品的改编后来为巴赫所效仿。）

During 1717 a feud broke out between the Duke of Weimar at the 'Wilhelmsburg' household and his nephew Ernst August at the 'Rote Schloß'. Consequently musicians of the first household were forbidden to fraternize with those of the second. Bach did his best to ignore what was, after all, merely an extension of a private quarrel. But the atmosphere was no longer so pleasant. Added to this, the ancient Capellmeister then died, and Bach was passed over for the post in favor of the late Capellmeister's mediocre son. At this, Bach was bitterly disappointed, for he had lately been doing most of the Capellmeister's work, and had confidently expected to be given the post.
1717年，威廉斯堡的魏玛公爵威廉·恩斯特与他住在红堡的侄子奥古斯特之间的积怨终于爆发。其结果便是威廉斯堡家的乐手被禁止与红堡往来。巴赫对此尽量无视，毕竟这不过是私人恩怨的延伸。但是两家之间的气氛不再愉快。更雪上加霜的是，老乐长约翰·塞缪尔·德雷斯雷去世后，其乐长的职位却越过巴赫被他资质平庸的儿子接任。巴赫对此极端失望，因为在此之前他承担了几乎全部乐长的职责，并非常自信地期待着继任乐长之位。
（译者注：魏玛公爵威廉·恩斯特与奥古斯特叔侄。威廉·恩斯特为萨克森-魏玛公爵Johann Ernst II长子，父亲于1683年去世后与弟弟约翰·恩斯特三世共同继承爵位。约翰·恩斯特三世由于嗜酒成瘾，成了有名无实的公爵，而威廉·恩斯特则独揽大权。约翰·恩斯特三世于1707年去世后，侄子奥古斯特成为继任的联合公爵Mitherr，两人摩擦即发生于此后10年。）
Through the help of Duke Ernst August, Bach was introduced to the Court of Anhalt-Cöthen, and as a result he was offered the post of Capellmeister, which he accepted. This infuriated the Duke of Weimar, so that when Bach put in a polite request for his release, he was arrested and put in the local jail. However, after a month, he was released and given reluctant permission to resign his office. During this enforced rest, Bach typically used his time productively, and prepared a cycle of organ chorale preludes for the whole year, published later as the 'Orgelbüchlein'.
在Ernst August公爵的帮助下，巴赫被引荐给安哈尔特-克滕宫廷，并因此受邀担任宫廷乐长一职。巴赫接受了邀请，却激怒了魏玛公爵，所以当他提交了一份得体的辞呈时，他遭到逮捕并被囚禁在当地的监狱。不过，他在一个月之后被释放，并得到了极不情愿的离职批准。在受到羁押的日子里，他仍然充分利用了自己的时间，着手创作一部可供全年演奏的管风琴众赞歌前奏曲，后来以《管风琴小书》（Orgelbüchlein）出版。
（译者注：管风琴小书：巴赫原计划为全年的宗教仪式创作共计164首管风琴众赞歌前奏曲，每首均以新教圣歌或众赞歌的旋律为基础。但他最终只完成46首，BWV599-644，并以管风琴小书为名集结出版。）
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