Did JS Bach write operas

Answer 1

The operas of Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) are - Artaserse

Catone in Utica

Alessandro nell'Indie

Orione o sia Diana vendicata

Zanaida

Adriano in Siria

Carattaco

The Fairy Favour Masque

Temistocle

Lucio Silla

La Clemenza di Scipione

Amadis de Gaule / Amadis des Gaules

Answer 2

Bach was always a choirmaster- and a church-music man. it is within his span that he may have written Oratorios, or Sacred operas. These are , like stage operas, entirely sung ( good for choir practice, pun intended)- but unlike Opera there is no stage acting- the action is essentially imagined- I would concede the Saint Matthew Passion ( the Passion- last days and crucifixion of Christ) would fit into that category. They had a sort of Passion-Play (mini-opera) when I was a kid that had an unusual quirk. The morbid story line was built up entirely- or almost entirely on one song- if you can call it that- the Stabat mater ( rougly Standing Mother)- nothing to do with stabbing. It starts out on a down incline and gets precipitously more purple. the opening lne was ( With his bleeding arms suspended...) Each verse had Four lines, sort of like a quatrain, I never could see why this was so popular ( on Stations of the Cross devotionals)- I do not know if Bach did anything like this. the Stabat Mater was credited to Palestrina. For some odd reason, the S.M was extremely popular with Women who liked to sing along in the purple poetry. It takes all kinds.

Answer 3

If your question is regarding J. S. Bach -

Noone knows for sure. There is no doubt that he would have excelled at the time if he had done so. But I will expand a little to show a possible reason.

Bach was greatly moved by music especially when it was offered in Thanksgiving to God [church music etc]. His pupils were fond of recalling that their teacher often quoted Gerhardt Niedt - "The sole purpose of harmony is the Glory of God and all other use is but idle jingling of Satan."

Perhaps, just perhaps there lies the answer.

However if your question is regarding J. C. Bach -

He wrote

Artaserse

Catone in Utica

Alessandro nell'Indie

Orione, ossia Diana vendicata

Zanaida

Adriano in Siria

The Fairy Favour

Carattaco

Endimione

Temistocle

Amor vincitore

Lucio Silla

La clemenza di Scipione

Amadis de Gaule

Thanks to the above contributor for giving props to the great Johann Christian Bach! Just wanted to add a couple of ideas to an interesting question. Opera was a pretty tough business--just ask Handel, who was arguably the best of his generation and still went broke. Bach would have to go to one of the big cities, such as Dresden or Berlin, or go abroad as Handel and Hasse did. He would have needed to make trips to Italy to recruit singers and catch up on trends. I don't think this was in his nature--though he was independent and sometimes bull-headed, I don't think he was a go-for-broke person. He took church music postions like stepping stones, gradually moving up, as other people in his family had done. He stayed in jobs when he was unhappy with them. Maybe having all those children to feed made him more conservative in his choices. The church would always be there, an opera company might not.

Not to take away from the previous contributor's thoughts, though--I agree, the evidence shows that he was a deeply religious man, and his heart was in church music though he did wonderful secular work as well.

Answer 4

Yes, 19 of them.

Answer 5

no

Answer 6

He did not.