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diff --git a/43650-0.txt b/43650-0.txt index 7733f63..2894ff4 100644 --- a/43650-0.txt +++ b/43650-0.txt @@ -1,37 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Bach, by Charles Francis Abdy Williams - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Bach - - -Author: Charles Francis Abdy Williams - - - -Release Date: September 5, 2013 [eBook #43650] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BACH*** - - -E-text prepared by Henry Flower and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive/American Libraries (http://archive.org/details/americana) - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43650 *** Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original pictorial and @@ -8199,362 +8166,4 @@ Schallmey and Schalmei Thomasschule and Thomas-schule - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BACH*** - - -******* This file should be named 43650-0.txt or 43650-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/3/6/5/43650 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Bach - - -Author: Charles Francis Abdy Williams - - - -Release Date: September 5, 2013 [eBook #43650] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BACH*** - - -E-text prepared by Henry Flower and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive/American Libraries (http://archive.org/details/americana) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original pictorial and - musical illustrations. - See 43650-h.htm or 43650-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43650/43650-h/43650-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43650/43650-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - http://archive.org/details/bach00will - - -Transcriber's Note - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - Text enclosed by tilde characters is in bold face (~bold~). - - - - - -BACH - -by - -C. F. ABDY WILLIAMS - - - * * * * * * - - The Master Musicians - EDITED BY - FREDERICK J. CROWEST. - - [Illustration: Bach] - - -The Master Musicians - -Edited by - -FREDERICK J. CROWEST - -_LIST OF VOLUMES._ - - - BACH. By C. F. ABDY WILLIAMS. - [_Fourth Edition._ - - BEETHOVEN. By F. J. CROWEST. - [_Eighth Edition._ - - BRAHMS. By J. LAWRENCE ERB. - [_Second Edition._ - - CHOPIN. By J. CUTHBERT HADDEN. - [_Fourth Edition._ - - HANDEL. By C. F. ABDY WILLIAMS. - [_Third Edition._ - - HAYDN. By J. CUTHBERT HADDEN. - [_Second Edition._ - - MENDELSSOHN. By STEPHEN S. STRATTON. - [_Fifth Edition._ - - MOZART. By E. J. BREAKSPEARE. - [_Third Edition._ - - SCHUBERT. By E. DUNCAN. - [_Second Edition._ - - SCHUMANN By ANNIE W. PATTERSON. - [_Second Edition._ - - TCHAIKOVSKY. By EDWIN EVANS. - [_Second Edition._ - - WAGNER. By C. A. LIDGEY. - [_Fourth Edition._ - - -_All rights reserved_ - - * * * * * * - - -[Illustration: _Published with the permission of the proprietors of the -original engraving Breitkopf and Härtel in Leipsic._ - -Joh. Seb. Bach.] - - -BACH - -by - -C. F. ABDY WILLIAMS - -M.A. Cantab.; Mus. Bac., Oxon. et Cantab. - -With Illustrations and Portraits - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - -London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. -New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. -1921 - -First Published 1900 -Reprinted 1903, 1906, 1921 - - - - -Preface - - -The position of Johann Sebastian Bach as one of a numerous family -of musicians is unique. Of no other composer can it be said that -his forefathers, contemporary relations, and descendants were all -musicians, and not only musicians, but holders of very important -offices as such. All his biographers have therefore given some account -of his family antecedents before proceeding to the history of his -life; and I have found myself obliged to follow the same course. -In other respects I have adopted the plan made use of by the older -biographers, of keeping the account of his life distinct from that of -his compositions. - -Every biography is necessarily based on that written by his two sons, -four years after his death, published by Mizler, and the one published -in 1802 by Forkel, who was intimate with the sons. Hilgenfeldt's -account follows these, and in later years further information has been -acquired from the searches into archives, and other ancient documents, -by C. H. Bitter and Philipp Spitta. Any details concerning the life -and works of this remarkable man are interesting; and it is probable -that researches will be continued for some time to come. Thus, last -year (1898) a "celebration" took place at Ohrdruf in memory of Bach's -school career there; and Dr Friedrich Thomas took the opportunity of -publishing some details of the Bach family which had escaped Spitta. - -The name of Bach is reverenced by Thuringian organists, and I this -year had interesting conversations with his successors at Arnstadt and -Mühlhausen, Herr Kellermann and Herr Möller. But the chief music-seller -at Arnstadt told me that "Bach's music is out of date; no one has now -any interest in such old-fashioned compositions." - -The two recent important accounts of Bach's life are those of C. H. -Bitter, 1865, 2 vols.; second edition 1880, 4 vols.; and Philipp -Spitta, 2 vols, a translation of which by Mrs Clara Bell and Mr -Fuller-Maitland was published by Messrs Novello in 1884. With regard -to the last, I have to thank Messrs Novello for kindly allowing me the -use of the book at a time when it was out of print. I understand that a -second edition has since been published. - -References to Spitta apply to the first edition of the translation; all -others to the original German. - - C. F. ABDY WILLIAMS. - - BRADFIELD, - _December 1899_. - - - - -Contents - - - PAGE - - PREFACE v - - - CHAPTER I - - The Bachs of Thuringia--Veit Bach, the ancestor of John Sebastian--His - sons and descendants--A breach of promise of marriage--J. Christoph - Bach of Arnstadt--His cantata "Es erhob sich ein Streit"--John - Michael Bach of Gehren--His character--His compositions--J. - Christoph Bach of Ohrdruf and his descendants--The sons of John - Sebastian Bach--The clan feeling--A sixteenth century _quodlibet_ 1 - - - CHAPTER II - - Bach's attitude towards art--His birth--The death of his father--Moves - to Ohrdruf--Performances in the Ohrdruf choir--Removal to Lüneburg--His - industry as a boy--Expeditions to Hamburg and Celle--Joins - the Court Orchestra at Weimar--Is appointed organist at - Arnstadt--Troubles with the church authorities--Successfully competes - for a new post 20 - - - CHAPTER III - - Bach's salary--He borrows a cart from the Consistory for his - furniture--The agreement is made verbally--Bach's first marriage--His - duties at St Blasius--The festival compositions--Repairs to the - organ--Difficulties with the Pietists--He resigns his post--Is appointed - chamber-musician at Weimar--His duties there--His relations with - Walther--Studies instrumental music--His journeys--His competition - with Marchand 34 - - - CHAPTER IV - - Bach becomes capellmeister to the Duke of Cöthen--His Weimar - pupils--His new duties--Death of his wife--Journey to Hamburg--He - competes for an organistship there--The post is sold--Disgust of - Matheson at the transaction--Bach endeavours to meet Handel--His - second marriage--Is obliged to leave Cöthen 48 - - - CHAPTER V - - The position and duties of the Cantor of St Thomas' School at - Leipsic--The condition of the school in 1722--Kuhnau's death-- - Competition and election of two cantors in succession--Bach offers - himself--Is elected--Difficulties with the authorities--The Council - make irritating regulations--Bach endeavours to leave Leipsic--Election - of a new Rector, and temporary disappearance of Bach's troubles 59 - - - CHAPTER VI - - Home life at Leipsic--Personal details--Music in the family circle-- - Bach's intolerance of incompetence--He throws his wig at Görner--His - preference for the clavichord--Bach as an examiner--His sons and - pupils--His general knowledge of musical matters--Visit from - Hurlebusch--His able management of money--His books and instruments-- - The Dresden Opera--A new Rector, and further troubles--Bach complains - to the Council 77 - - - CHAPTER VII - - Bach obtains a title from the Saxon Court--Plays the organ at Dresden-- - Attacked by Scheibe--Mizler founds a musical society--Further - disputes--Bach's successor chosen during his lifetime--Visit to - Frederick the Great--Bach's sight fails--Final illness and death-- - Notice in the _Leipsic Chronicle_--The Council--Fate of the widow and - daughter 84 - - - CHAPTER VIII - - The Cantatas and the Chorale 91 - - - CHAPTER IX - - The Matthew Passion and B Minor Mass 114 - - - CHAPTER X - - The Wohltemperirte Clavier--The Art of Fugue--The Musical Offering-- - Bach as a teacher--Bach's works in England 131 - - - CHAPTER XI - - The Christmas Oratorio--The Magnificat--The lost works--Instrumental - works--Bach's playing--The Manieren or grace notes 144 - - - CHAPTER XII - - Innovations in the fingering and use of keyed and stringed - instruments 152 - - - CHAPTER XIII - - The organs in Leipsic churches--Bach's method of accompanying--The - pitch of organs 160 - - - CHAPTER XIV - - Bach as "Familien-Vater"--As a choirmaster--His eagerness to learn all - that was new and of value in music--He finds time to conduct public - concerts--His self-criticism--Bach was never a poor man--His reputation - was gained by his playing rather than compositions--Portraits--Public - monuments 170 - - CATALOGUE OF VOCAL WORKS 177 - - CATALOGUE OF INSTRUMENTAL WORKS 191 - - BIBLIOGRAPHY 202 - - GLOSSARY 205 - - - - -List of Illustrations - - - PORTRAIT OF BACH, BY HAUSMANN (PHOTOGRAVURE) _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - - THE HOUSE AT EISENACH IN WHICH J. S. - BACH WAS BORN _To face_ 21 - - ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH, OHRDRUF, WITH THE - LYCEUM, NOW THE BURGERSCHULE " 22 - - THE KEYBOARD OF BACH'S ARNSTADT ORGAN, - NOW IN THE RATHHAUS " 27 - - THE THOMASSCHULE AT LEIPSIC " 59 - - ST THOMAS' CHURCH, LEIPSIC: THE THOMASSCHULE - IS ON THE RIGHT " 68 - - ST JOHN'S CHURCH, LEIPSIC " 89 - - FACSIMILE OF MUSIC " 132 - - THE PERFORMANCE OF A CHURCH CANTATA, - FROM WALTHER'S LEXICON, LEIPSIC, 1732 " 204 - - - - -Chapter I - - The Bachs of Thuringia--Veit Bach, the ancestor of John - Sebastian--His sons and descendants--A breach of promise of - marriage--J. Christoph Bach of Arnstadt--His cantata "Es erhob - sich ein Streit"--John Michael Bach of Gehren--His character--His - compositions--Joh. Christoph Bach of Ohrdruf, and his - descendants--The sons of Joh. Sebastian Bach--The clan feeling--A - sixteenth century _quodlibet_. - - -John Sebastian Bach came of a large family of Thuringian musicians, -whose members have been traced back to the first decade of the -sixteenth century. The name frequently occurs in the sixteenth and -seventeenth centuries among the inhabitants of Arnstadt, Erfurt, -Gräfenrode, Molsdorf, Rockhausen and other villages; and that it has -not yet disappeared is shown by the fact that the Erfurt Directory for -1899 contains the addresses of no less than thirteen Bachs. - -[Sidenote: _The Founder of the Family_] - -The subject of this biography considered that the founder of his family -was Veit Bach, who had settled at Presburg in Hungary as a baker and -miller. Owing to religious persecution, however, he sold what he could -of his property, returned to Thuringia with the proceeds, and settled -at the village of Wechmar near Gotha. Here he recommenced his trade, -and occupied his leisure with the cithara, or cither, even taking -it to the mill, where he played it to the rhythmical tapping of the -wheels. "He must," says John Sebastian, "at any rate have learned -time in this way." The date of his birth is unknown. He died 1619 and -left two sons, Hans and Johannes. All his descendants, to the number -of sixty, were, with only two or three exceptions, musicians. Hans -Bach, the great-grandfather of John Sebastian, was a weaver by trade -as well as a musician. His father, Veit, sent him to Gotha to study -music under a relative, Caspar Bach, the "town piper." In his capacity -of "Spielmann" or "Player" Hans travelled about to different towns in -Thuringia to take part in the "town music" with his violin, and as he -was also very humorous he became popular, and twice had his portrait -painted. He died of the plague in 1626. He seems to have left several -children, of whom three were musicians-- - - JOHANN, 1604-1673. - CHRISTOPH, 1613-1661. - HEINRICH, 1615-1692. - -The following genealogy will enable the reader to distinguish the -various members of this remarkable family. The names of sons only are -given, as the daughters do not appear to have distinguished themselves. -The list of nearly sixty names is not, however, by any means -exhaustive. Spitta gives many more, and there were of course a great -number whose names are entirely lost, for a peasant and artisan family -is not usually careful to keep its genealogical tables in order. - - - - -Genealogy - -THE BACH FAMILY. - -(From Hilgenfeldt.) - - - 1. VEIT BACH, 155---161--, the Founder. - - _Sons of_ Veit. - - 2. HANS d. 1626. 3. JOHANNES ... - - _Sons of_ Hans. - - 4. JOHANN, 1604-1673. 5. CHRISTOPH, 1613-1661. 6. HEINRICH, - 1615-1692. - - _Sons of_ Johann (No. 4). - - 7. JOHANN CHRISTIAN, 1640-1682. 8. JOHANN ÆGIDIUS, 1645-1717. 9. - JOHANN NICOLAUS, 1653-1682. - - _Sons of_ Christoph (No. 5). - - 10. GEORG CHRISTOPH, 1642-1697. 11. JOH. AMBROSIUS, 1645-1695. 12. - JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1645-1694. - - _Sons of_ Heinrich (No. 6). - - 13. JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1643-1703. 14. JOH. MICHAEL ... 15. JOH. - GÜNTHER ... - - _Sons of_ Joh. Christian (No. 7). - - 16. JOH. JACOB, 1668-1692. 17. JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1673-1727. - - _Sons of_ Joh. Ægidius (No. 8). - - 18. JOH. BERNHARD, 1676-1749. 19. JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1685-174--. - - _Son of_ Joh. Nicolaus (No. 9). - - 20. JOH. NICOLAUS, 1682-174--. - - _Sons of_ Georg Christoph (No. 10). - - 21. JOH. VALENTIN, 1669-1720. 22. JOH. CHRISTIAN, 1679-1707. - - 23. JOH. GEORG, 16-----17----. - - _Sons of_ Joh. Ambrosius (No. 11). - - 24. JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1671-1721. 25. JOH. JACOB, 1682-171--. 26. - JOHANN SEBASTIAN, 1685-1750. - - _Sons of_ Joh. Christoph (No. 12). - - 27. JOH. ERNST, 1683-173--. 28. JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1689-1736. - - _Sons of_ Joh. Christoph (No. 13). - - 29. JOH. NICOLAUS, 1669-1740. 30. JOH. CHRISTOPH ... 31. JOH. - FRIEDRICH ... 32. JOH. MICHAEL ... - - _Children of_ Joh. Michael (No. 14). - - 33. JOH. LUDWIG 1677-1730. MARIA BARBARA (first wife of Joh. - Sebastian). - - _Sons of_ Joh Christoph (No. 17). - - 34. JOH. SAMUEL, 1694 ... 35. JOH. CHRISTIAN, 1696 ... - - 36. JOH. GÜNTHER ... - - _Son of_ Joh. Bernhard (No. 18). - - 37. JOH. ERNST, 1722-1781. - - _Sons of_ Joh. Christoph (No. 19). - - 38. JOH. FRIEDRICH, 1703 ... 39. JOH. AUGUST, 17 ... - - 40. WILHELM HIERONYMUS, 17 ... - - _Sons of_ Joh. Valentin (No. 21). - - 41. JOH. LORENZ, 1695 ... 42. JOH. ELIAS, 1705-1755. 43. JOH. - HEINRICH ... - - _Sons of_ Joh. Christoph (No. 24). - - 44. JOH. FRIEDRICH, 1695 ... 45. JOH. BERNHARD, 1700-1742(?) 46. - JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1702-1756. 47. JOH. HEINRICH, 1707 ... 48. JOH. - ANDREAS, 1713-175--. - - _Sons of_ Joh. Sebastian (No. 26). - - 49. WILHELM FRIEDEMANN, 1710-1784. 50. JOH. CHRISTOPH and a twin - brother, 1713 + same year. 51. CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL, 1714-1788. 52. - JOH. GOTTFRIED BERNHARD, 1715-1739. 53. LEOPOLD AUGUST, 1718-1719. - 54. GOTTFRIED HEINRICH, 1724-1736(?). 55. CHRISTIAN GOTTLIEB, - 1725-1728. 56. ERNST ANDREAS, 1727 + same year. 57. JOH. CHRISTOPH - FRIEDRICH, 1732-1795. 58. JOH. AUG. ABRAHAM, 1733-1734. 59. JOH. - CHRISTIAN, 1735-1782. 60. (8 daughters). - -[Sidenote: Music and War] - -Johann (No. 4) was born at Wechmar. He was apprenticed to the town -piper of Suhl and became organist at Schweinfurt. In 1635 he married -the daughter of his former master, and became director of the town -musicians at Erfurt. During the time he was there the city was -suffering terribly from the effects of pillage and quartering of -soldiers, poverty and disorder; yet Johann Bach managed to found -a family which multiplied rapidly, and soon filled all the town -musicians' places, so that for some century and a half, and long after -no more of the family lived in the place, the town musicians were known -as "The Bachs." - -He married twice, his second wife being Hedwig Lämmerhirt. - -He was organist of the Prediger Kirche at Erfurt, and was called by -his contemporaries an "illustrious musician," and he in a kind of way -forestalled John Sebastian in being skilful in both sacred and secular, -vocal and instrumental music. - -The three towns of Erfurt, Arnstadt and Eisenach, now became the chief -centres of the Bach family. - -Christoph Bach (No. 5), the grandfather of Sebastian, born at Wechmar, -entered the service of the Grand Duke of Weimar as lackey and musician. -In 1642 he was a member of the Guild of Musicians at Erfurt, and in -1654 was Court and Town musician at Arnstadt, where his younger brother -Heinrich was living. He does not seem ever to have been an organist, -but a "Kunstpfeifer." - -[Sidenote: _The Thirty Years' War_] - -During the Thirty Years' War the town pipers and musicians had sunk -very low in public estimation, and about the middle of the seventeenth -century a strong effort was made by their various guilds to raise -themselves to a more dignified position, in keeping with the worthiness -of their calling. To this end they combined in drawing up a code of -statutes, which was ratified by the Emperor Ferdinand III.;[1] the Bach -family seem, however, to have kept aloof from this combination, and -there is no doubt that they were better educated than the majority of -town musicians. - -Heinrich (No. 6) was appointed organist of the Franciscan Church at -Arnstadt in 1641, which office he filled for fifty years. He suffered -severely from the war, which disorganised everything, and his salary, -like that of every one else, got into arrears. Moreover there were war -taxes to be paid, and the soldiery seem to have robbed and plundered -at their will. He petitioned the Count of Schwarzburg for his salary -as he "knew not where to find bread for himself and his young family." -The Count ordered his salary to be paid, but the keeper of the funds -immediately resigned. It is supposed that Bach managed to eke out -his existence by cultivating a small plot of land which it was usual -to give to organists in Thuringia as part of their salary. He kept -to his pious and simple life all through the horrors of the times, -(which reduced the mass of the people to a state of coarseness and -immorality), and brought up six children, three of whom became famous -musicians in their day. In the funeral sermon preached by Olearius, he -is mentioned as the composer of chorales, motets, concertos, fugues and -preludes, but few of his compositions have been preserved. - -Johann Christian Bach (No. 7), a viola player and music director, -belonged to Erfurt, whence he went to Eisenach, being the first of his -family to settle there. - -Johann Ægidius Bach (No. 8) became director of the town musicians and -alto-viola player at Erfurt in succession to his brother Joh. Christian -(No. 7) and his cousin Ambrosius (No. 11) when they moved to Eisenach. -Like several others of his clan he married the sister of his elder -brother's wife, and soon after became organist of St Michael's Church, -which post he held to an advanced age. - -John Nicolaus Bach (No. 9) was a town musician and good performer on -the viola-da-gamba. He died of the plague in 1682. - -Georg Christoph Bach (No. 10), born at Erfurt, was an usher in a -school at Heinrichs near Suhl, but became cantor, first at Themar, -near Meiningen, and afterwards at Schweinfurt, where he died. He was a -composer, but his works are all lost. - -[Sidenote: J. Ambrosius Bach] - -Johann Ambrosius Bach (No. 11), the father of John Sebastian, was -twin brother to Johann Christoph (No. 12). The two brothers had a -most remarkable likeness, not only externally but in character and -temperament. They were both violinists and played in exactly the same -style; they thought and spoke alike, and their appearance was so -similar that it is said their own wives could not distinguish them -apart. They suffered from the same illnesses, and died within a few -months of one another. - -Ambrosius first settled at Erfurt as an alto-viola[2] player, and -was elected a member of the Town Council. Here he married Elizabeth -Lämmerhirt, the daughter of a furrier, and a relation of Hedwig the -wife of Johann (No. 4). He now moved to Eisenach, and was succeeded at -Erfurt by his cousin Ægidius (No. 8). He undertook the care of an idiot -sister who died shortly afterwards, and for whom a funeral sermon was -preached, in which the Bach brothers are referred to as being "gifted -with good understanding, with art and skill, which make them respected -and listened to in the churches, schools, and all the township, so that -through them the Master's work is praised." Little is known of the -life of Ambrosius beyond the fact that he is mentioned in the church -register at Dornheim as "the celebrated town organist and musician of -Eisenach." Six children were born, the youngest being Johann Sebastian. - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 12) was Court musician to Count Ludwig -Günther at Arnstadt. The first thing we hear of him relates to a -kind of action for breach of promise of marriage brought before the -Consistory at Arnstadt by Anna Cunigunda Wiener, with whom he had -"kept company" and exchanged rings. The Consistory (a spiritual -court) decided that Bach must marry her, but, with the independence -of character which was peculiar to his family, he refused and defied -them--an unheard-of thing for a musician to do in those days--declaring -that he "hated the Wienerin so that he could not bear the sight of -her."[3] The case lingered for two and a half years, and ended in -his favour. He remained single for many years afterwards, marrying -eventually a daughter of the churchwarden of Ohrdruf. - -Quarrels between Gräser, the town musician, and Johann Christoph Bach -led to the dismissal of all the Court musicians on account of the -disunion which made it impossible for music to prosper. For a time, -therefore, he had to make a meagre living by "piping before the doors," -but after the death of the Count his successor reappointed Bach "Court -musician and town piper." At this time Adam Drese was Capellmeister -at Arnstadt, and there exist catalogues of the Court musicians which -are of interest as showing the kind of musical establishment that -prevailed at the petty courts in Germany. One of these catalogues gives -the names of seven singers, four violinists, three viola players, a -contrabassist, and the organist Heinrich Bach (No. 6). - -[Sidenote: _The orchestra at Arnstadt_] - -There were trumpeters, and extra singers from the school, who could -also play stringed instruments, so that on occasion a very respectable -string orchestra was available, consisting of twelve violins, three -alto violas, three tenor violas, two bass viols, and a contrabasso. The -violoncello does not seem to have been represented. Christoph Bach's -income in later life was sufficient not only to raise him above want, -but to enable him to leave something to his family, on his death, in -1694, at the age of forty-eight. - -[Sidenote: _A Church Cantata_] - -[Sidenote: J. Christoph Bach] - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 13) was born at Arnstadt, and studied under -his father Heinrich (No. 6). He was appointed organist at Eisenach -in 1665, which post he held till his death sixty years later. He and -his brother Michael (No. 14) were born during the worst time of the -disturbance produced by the war, yet such was the vigour of their race -that, uninfluenced by the general degeneracy and misery, they both -became celebrated composers, Michael leaning towards instrumental, -and Christoph to vocal music. An important church work, describing -the strife between Michael and the Devil, "Es erhob sich ein Streit," -is fully described with musical quotations by Spitta (vol. i. p. -45, &c.). For its performance it required two five part choirs, two -violins, four violas, one bassoon, four trumpets, drums, double bass, -and organ. The cantata is preceded by a "sonata" for the instruments, -without trumpets and drums, something in the form of the French -overture. The work itself is modelled on those of Hammerschmidt, who, -with Schütz, created a form which culminated in the Handel oratorio. -Spitta says that it shows "power of invention and genius," and that -"it was impossible that so important a composition should fail to make -an impression on many sincere artistic natures, in spite of the small -amount of intelligent sympathy which was shown for Johann Christoph -Bach, alike by his contemporaries and by posterity." Sebastian Bach -thought very highly of his uncle's work, and performed it at Leipsic. - -Johann Christoph composed many chorale-vorspiele for the organ, of -which forty-eight are preserved in a MS. formerly belonging to Spitta. -The themes are worked out on the same lines as those of John Sebastian, -but in a more elementary form. His vocal compositions are, however, -much in advance of his instrumental works, and he seems certainly to -have been the most important member of his family before his great -nephew appeared. - -[Sidenote: _An organist's income_] - -Johann Michael Bach (No. 14) was an accomplished organist. His -character may be imagined from the account of his appointment to the -organistship of Gehren near Arnstadt, when we are told that after -his examination, the authorities thanked the Count for having sent -them a peaceable, retiring, and skillful performer. He was also made -parish clerk, and his income from the two posts amounted to 74 gülden, -18 cords of wood, 5 measures of corn, 9 measures of barley, 3-1/2 -barrels of beer, some land, and a house free of rent. Besides being -a composer he made clavichords and violins. His youngest daughter -became Sebastian Bach's first wife. A cantata on "Ach! bleib bei uns, -Herr Jesu Christ" by him is preserved in the Bach archives in the -Royal Library at Berlin, "full of interesting details and ingenious -ideas."[4] It is scored for four voices, two violins, three violas, -bassoon, and organ, and is preceded by a "sonata." Twelve of his motets -are preserved, but they are incoherent in structure, being composed in -a time of transition. Some of them are to be accompanied by strings -which double the various voice parts, and ten of them are interwoven -with chorales. In "Das Blut Jesu Christi" for five voices "the deep -feeling of the compositions overcomes us with irresistible power, and -one forgets the imperfection of the body in the beauty of the soul -which shines through."[5] Four of the motets are for double chorus and -in some one can feel "the romantic spirit of Sebastian Bach." - -[Sidenote: Other Bachs] - -Johann Günther Bach (No. 15) was a good organist, and deputised for -his father when absent from Arnstadt. Little is known of his life, but -Hilgenfeldt says he is mentioned as a capable instrument maker as well -as organist. - -Johann Jacob Bach (No. 16) did not follow the musical profession. - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 17), also born at Erfurt, was cantor and -organist of Unterzimmern near Erfurt. In 1698 he succeeded Michael Bach -in the Cantorship at Gehren. He was threatened with removal by the -Arnstadt authorities on account of his temper, though the threat was -never carried out. He died in 1727. - -Johann Bernhard Bach (No. 18), born at Erfurt, was at first organist -in his native town, then at Magdeburg and afterwards succeeded Johann -Christoph (No. 13) in 1703, as Court and town organist at Eisenach, -and was also made Chamber Musician to the Duke of Sax-Eisenach. Of his -compositions there remain four suites for orchestra, some small pieces -for cembalo and some chorale arrangements. According to Spitta he was -one of the most able composers of his time, following the lines of -Pachelbel. His orchestral works were so esteemed by John Sebastian that -he copied them, and the copies still exist. - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 19) was "Raths-Musikdirector" (Town Council -Musical-director) at Erfurt, in succession to Ægidius. - -Johann Nicolaus Bach (No. 20), a surgeon, settled in East Prussia, -where he brought up a numerous family. - -Johann Valentin Bach (No. 21) was town musician and head watchman at -Schweinfurt. - -Of Johann Christian Bach (No. 22), and Johann Georg (No. 23), nothing -is known. - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 24), the elder brother of Sebastian, -organist and schoolmaster at Ohrdruf, was a pupil of Pachelbel, and -appears to have made some reputation as a musician, since he refused -an invitation to go to Gotha as organist, on account of an increase of -salary being given him at Ohrdruf.[6] - -[Sidenote: More of the Family] - -Johann Jacob Bach (No. 25) entered the Swedish guard as oboe-player. -He followed Charles II. of Sweden, and took part in the battle of -Pultawa, and, after a stay at Bender in Turkey, retired to Stockholm as -Court musician. - -Johann Sebastian Bach (No. 26). - -Johann Ernst Bach (No. 27) was organist at Arnstadt, while Johann -Christoph Bach (No. 28) went into the grocery trade. - -Johann Nicolaus Bach (No. 29) was University and Town organist at Jena, -and after having travelled to Italy for study, returned to Jena, where -he remained till his death at the age of eighty-four. He was an able -composer, of whose works, however, only a mass remains, which is much -praised by Spitta. - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 30) taught music in Hamburg, Rotterdam, and -finally in England. - -Johann Friedrich Bach (No. 31) succeeded J. Sebastian as organist -at Mühlhausen, the only member of his family who is mentioned as -unsatisfactory in character, he being given to drink. Gerber calls him -by mistake Johann Christoph. - -Johann Michael Bach (No. 32) was an organ-builder. He went to Sweden, -and all traces of him were lost. - -Johann Ludwig Bach (No. 33) held the post of capellmeister to the -Duke of Sax-Meiningen. His compositions were highly valued by Johann -Sebastian, who copied many of them. Hilgenfeldt distinguishes him as a -fine church-composer. - -Johann Samuel Bach (No. 34), and Johann Christian Bach (No. 35), -settled at Sondershausen as musicians. - -Johann Günther Bach (No. 36) was tenor singer and schoolmaster at -Erfurt. - -Johann Ernst Bach (No. 37) studied law and became a barrister, but was -also an organist and composer. He died in 1781 as Capellmeister to the -Count of Weimar. - -Johann Friedrich Bach (No. 38) became a schoolmaster, as did also -his brother Johann Ægidius (No. 39). Of Wilhelm Hieronymus (No. 40), -nothing is known. - -Johann Lorenz Bach (No. 41) was organist at Lahm in Franconia. - -Johann Elias Bach (No. 42) studied theology, and became cantor and -school-inspector at Schweinfurt, his native town. - -Of Johann Heinrich Bach (No. 43) nothing is known. - -Tobias Friedrich Bach (No. 44) was cantor of Udestadt, near Erfurt. - -Johann Bernhard Bach (No. 45), according to Adlung, was a capable -composer and organist. - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 46) filled the double _rôle_ of cantor and -schoolmaster at Ohrdruf. - -Johann Heinrich Bach (No. 47) was cantor at Oehringen, in Würtemburg, -and musician to Count Höhenlohe; while Johann Andreas Bach (No. 48) was -oboist at Gotha, and afterwards organist at Ohrdruf. - -[Sidenote: Sons of J. S. Bach] - -We now come to the sons of Johann Sebastian. An account of their -services to art will be found in C. H. Bitter's "Die Söhne Sebastian -Bachs," published by Breitkopf and Härtel, 1883. We must be here -content with a bare outline of their biographies. - -Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (No. 49), born at Weimar, was a pupil of his -father and of Graun, concert-meister of Merseburg. He went to the -University of Leipsic, where he distinguished himself in law and -mathematics. In 1732 he became organist of St Sophia at Dresden, but -giving this up, he accompanied his father on his various journeys. In -1747 he became music-director of a church in Halle, and is sometimes -called the "Halle Bach." Quitting this post he lived without employment -at various places, and died at Berlin in 1784 in great poverty and -misery, having been given to drink. - -[Sidenote: _W. F. Bach as an organist_] - -Fétis and Bitter say he was the greatest organist in Germany after -his father, and Forkel states that his "clavier-playing was light, -brilliant, and charming," and his "organ style was elevated, solemn, -and full of religious feeling." He extemporised much but composed -little, though some sonatas for clavecin, both solo and with violin, -some polonaises, organ-pieces, concertos, fugues, symphonies and -cantatas have come down to us. - -Johann Christoph (No. 50) died in infancy. - -[Sidenote: _The Berlin Bach_] - -Carl Philipp Emanuel (No. 51) the most celebrated of Sebastian's sons -is called the "Berlin Bach," having lived in that city for twenty-nine -years. He studied at St Thomas' School at Leipsic under his father, -and afterwards joined the University of Leipsic as a student of law, -but completed this course of study at Frankfort on the Oder. In 1738 -he entered the service of Frederick the Great at Berlin as cembalist. -In 1767 he went to Hamburg in succession to Telemann as director of -music, after having with great difficulty obtained leave from the Court -at Berlin to depart. Here he remained till his death in 1788. He was -a prolific composer in all styles. A catalogue of his works is given -by Fétis, among the most important of which are those for clavier, and -his "Attempt to explain the true art of Clavier-playing," the first -treatise on the subject if we except Couperin's "L'art de toucher le -clavecin." It describes the method of John Sebastian, from which the -present style of piano-playing is developed, and the rules for the -execution of the "Manieren"; while in the second part, thorough bass -and accompaniment of voices are treated of. He became the greatest -theorist of his time, and in his autobiography he says, "In composition -and clavier-playing I have never had any teacher but my father." -Hilgenfeldt remarks that he was intended for a learned profession and -only studied music as an amateur; but Bitter shows that he was an -artist, and was brought up as a practical musician, his scientific -studies being secondary to music. - -[Sidenote: _Emanuel's position in musical history_] - -Emanuel occupies a very important position in the history of music. -His period was one of transition. Polyphony had reached its highest -point. Oratorio had been developed to its greatest splendour, and -organ and clavier-playing had reached their highest development on -the old lines. His services to art were that he opened new paths in -clavier-music, which made possible the creations of Haydn, Mozart and -Beethoven. Bitter considers him the father of that particular kind of -form which has been found suitable to the modern piano: viz. the sonata -form. His smaller sonata forms were based on those of the preludes in -the _Wohltemperirte Clavier_ which are in two sections, and this form -was developed by Haydn and his successors. The form is found in the six -sonatas of 1742, but it had been used by Krebs in his "Preambles" two -years earlier. - -Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach (No. 52) was given the post of organist -at Mühlhausen in response to an earnest letter from his father to the -authorities. He, however, shortly afterwards went to Jena to study law, -and died there in 1739 of a fever. - -Leopold August (No. 53) died young. - -Gottfried Heinrich Bach (No. 54) is only known as having lived in -Leipsic in the year 1754. - -Christian Gottlieb Bach (No. 55) lived only three years. - -Ernst Andreas Bach (No. 56) died the year he was born. - -Johann Christoph Friedrich (No. 57), was called the "Bückeburger Bach" -from his holding a post as Chamber musician to Count von Lippe at -Bückeburg. He composed oratorios, Passion music, and many other things. -He was remarkable for a deep insight into the essence of harmony, and -a very good style of clavier-playing, which approached that of his -brother Emanuel. He is also mentioned as a man of amiable and upright -character. - -Johann August Abraham Bach (No. 58) died young. - -[Sidenote: _The English Bach_] - -[Sidenote: J. Christian Bach] - -Johann Christian (No. 59), called the "Milanese" and afterwards the -"English" Bach, was born at Leipsic, and at the age of fourteen (on -the death of his father), he went to his brother Emanuel at Berlin. -When his education was completed he went to Milan, where he worked hard -at the composition of songs. His wealth of melody, and the facility -with which he produced it, led him to attach himself to the Neapolitan -school of composition, the result being shown in a number of works -which the greatest singers of his day took as their favourite concert -songs. His clavier works were chiefly written for amateur lady pupils, -and it has been said that the great increase of clavier dilettanti -towards the end of the eighteenth century is to be attributed directly -to the influence of Christian Bach. - -He composed concertos, operas, oratorios, besides every kind of -clavier and other instrumental music in the fashion of the day; "but," -says Schubart, "in the midst of his frivolity the gigantic spirit of -his father always shines." He was organist of Milan Cathedral, and -from there went to London, where he remained till his death in 1782. -Although he made a large income from his pupils and compositions, he -died deeply in debt, and his widow (an Italian prima donna) received a -pension from the Queen. - -The eight daughters of Sebastian showed none of the musical talent of -their brothers, and, with the exception of three, they all died young. -One of them married Bach's pupil Altnikol, of whom we shall hear later. -The family gradually died out, and after the sons of Sebastian, none -showed exceptional musical ability. - -[Sidenote: _Family meetings_] - -The clan feeling was very strong. It was a family custom to meet -together at Erfurt, Eisenach or Arnstadt once a year, and to spend a -day in friendly intercourse. The day was begun with the singing of a -chorale, after which jokes and all manner of pleasant pastimes were -indulged in. One of their favourite pursuits on these occasions was the -singing of "quodlibets" consisting of the endeavour to make three or -four popular or well-known songs harmonise together, these extempore -efforts being intended more as a joke than as serious music. - -[Sidenote: A Quodlibet] - -Hilgenfeldt quotes a quodlibet of the sixteenth century of which we -give a few bars: - -[Music: - - THE LORD'S PRAYER. - - Vater unser im Himmelreich. - - THE CREED. - - Wir glauben all' an einen Gott. - - EASTER SONG. - - Jesus Christus unser Heiland. - - BAPTISM SONG. - - Christ unser Herr, zum Jordan kam. - - THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. - - Mensch willt du leben seliglich.] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] See Glossary, "College of Instrumental Musicians." - -[2] The violas were divided into alto, tenor and bass, as the trombones -are now. The leading stringed instrument was called discant-viola or -discant-violin. - -[3] Spitta, vol. i. p. 162. - -[4] Spitta, vol. i. p. 52. - -[5] Spitta. - -[6] During a visit to Ohrdruf in August 1899, Herr -Landrathamts-Secretär Kellner kindly gave me the following information. -The descendants of J. S. Bach's eldest brother continued to live in -Ohrdruf until 1863, as cantors, clergymen, schoolmasters, lawyers, etc. -There are at present living in direct descent Herr Herrmann Julius -Bach, Merchant, of Budapest, Herr Alfred Wilhelm Bach, Apothecary, of -Witten, and two young sons of the latter. - - - - -Chapter II - - Bach's attitude towards art--His birth--Death of his - father--Removal to Ohrdruf--Performances in the Ohrdruf - choir--Removal to Lüneburg--His industry as a boy--Expeditions - to Hamburg and Celle--Joins the Court Orchestra at Weimar--Is - appointed organist at Arnstadt--Troubles with the church - authorities--Successfully competes for a new post. - - -[Sidenote: _Bach's attitude towards Art_] - -The life and character of John Sebastian Bach have a peculiar interest, -not only for musicians and amateurs of music, but for every one who can -appreciate sterling worth, combined with genius of the highest rank, -and a modesty as great as it is rare. "Anyone," said Bach, "could do as -much as I have done if he worked as hard." And this capacity for hard -work is perhaps not the least among the many remarkable characteristics -of the man. We find in him little of that desire for applause, for -recognition, which is usually one of the strongest motives in an -artist. He was content to labour as few men have laboured, in a remote -corner of Germany, simply for art, and art alone. His greatest works -never saw the light of publication during his life-time: he seemed to -compose just because he obeyed the inward spirit of genius which drove -him onward, and though his chamber works became fairly well known, -his larger compositions were rarely performed outside the church or -place for which they were composed. "The sole object of all music," -said he, "should be the glory of God and pleasant recreation," and the -"glory of God" was the mainspring of every action of his simple and -pious life. - -[Illustration: The House at Eisenach in which J. S. Bach was born] - -He was born on or about March 31st, 1685[7] at Eisenach in Thuringia, -under the shadow of the famous Wartburg. A house still standing in the -Frauenplan is pointed out by tradition as his birthplace, and contains -a tablet to that effect. He was the youngest son of John Ambrosius -Bach, at that time Court and Town musician of Eisenach, a place which -had a good reputation for its music. - -The lofty artistic and moral standard which permeated the whole of the -numerous members of the Bach family seems to have culminated in the -subject of this sketch. We have seen that for many generations they -had been musicians, and had held the chief posts as organists and town -musicians throughout Thuringia; and John Sebastian naturally had no -other thought than to follow the family profession. Of the first few -years of his life little is known. It is probable that he learned the -violin from his father. - -[Sidenote: _Goes to Ohrdruf_] - -[Sidenote: Boyhood Promise] - -In January 1695, when he was not yet ten years old, his father died, -and his eldest brother Johann Christoph, who was organist of St -Michael's Church at Ohrdruf and had married, now undertook to provide -for him and educate him. Johann Christoph, who had been a pupil of -Pachelbel for three years, taught his younger brother the harpsichord. -Sebastian soon mastered all the studies and pieces he was given to -learn, and began to aspire to higher things. His brother had made a -MS. collection of compositions by Froberger, Fischer, Kerl, Buxtehude, -Pachelbel, Bruhns, Böhm, and others, and this book was eagerly yearned -for by Sebastian. The MS. was kept in a bookcase, shut in with a wire -lattice-work, and his brother for some unknown reason denied him the -use of it. Such was his zeal, however, that he managed to abstract it -through the lattice-work, night after night, for six months, until he -had copied the whole of it by moonlight! His pleasure in it was of -short duration, for when he began to practise the music his brother -discovered the copy, and was hard-hearted enough to confiscate it. -No reason is assigned for his having done so, and Sebastian did not -recover it until his brother's death in 1721. - -At Ohrdruf he joined the Lyceum,[8] where he laid the foundation of his -general education, in Latin, Greek (from the New Testament), theology, -rhetoric and arithmetic. He also took part in the chorus, whose duties -were to perform in church on Sundays and festivals, as well as to sing -motets at weddings and funerals, and at certain times to sing in the -streets.[9] He became one of the principal singers, and had a fixed -salary. - -[Sidenote: _Thrown on his own resources_] - -[Illustration: St Michael's Church, Ohrdruf with the Lyceum, now the -Burgerschule] - -When he was fifteen he was obliged to leave his brother's house, and -he now determined to make his own way independently of assistance from -others. Recommended by Herda, the cantor of the Lyceum, he went to the -school of the convent of St Michael at Lüneburg, accompanied by his -friend Georg Erdmann, about Easter 1700, and both were admitted to -the choir as discantists with a salary. Bach's voice soon broke, but he -remained three years at Lüneburg as accompanist at rehearsals, besides -playing the violin when required and taking part in the band that -played through the streets at the New Year. His salary was probably -twelve thalers a year, besides free board and lodging, and a share in -the profits of the processional performances in the streets. - -Lüneburg, like Eisenach, seems to have cultivated music with -considerable energy. Besides the choir of which Bach became a member, -there was a similar one belonging to the school of St John, and the -rivalry which naturally arose led to collisions, which were put an end -to by certain streets being allotted to each choir for its performances. - -[Sidenote: Earnest Student] - -Bach, being now above want, devoted the whole of his available time -to self-improvement, in spite of the great demands made on him by his -duties. He found in the library of the convent compositions by all -the best composers up to that period--Hammerschmidt, Scheidt, Ahle, -Briegel, Schütz, Rosenmüller, Michael, Schop, Jeep, Krieger, Selle, -Crüger, and his own relatives Heinrich and John Christoph Bach. To -these compositions we know that he devoted unremitting study, and at -the same time worked with enormous industry day and night to improve -his technique on keyboard instruments. - -The organist of St John's Church was Böhm, a native of Thuringia, -and a man of considerable genius. He had studied in Hamburg, and -his compositions show the influence of Sweelinck and of Reinken the -organist of St Catherine's Church. The distinguishing characteristics -of his school were "technical neatness, pleasing ingenuity, and a -taste for subtle effects of tone."[10] - -Bach was now learning all he could from Böhm, but in order to further -advance himself he made several expeditions to Hamburg on foot, a -distance of some 25 English miles. - -Of one of these expeditions the following story is told. Bach, on -his return journey, sat down outside an inn halfway between the two -cities with not sufficient money in his pocket to avail himself of -the excellent dinner that was being prepared, the odours of which -reached him from the kitchen, when a window was suddenly opened and two -herrings' heads were thrown out. The herring in those days, as now, was -one of the favourite articles of food in Germany, and the boy at once -picked up the two heads. Inside each he found a Danish ducat. Who his -benefactor was never became known to him; and the money not only paid -for a dinner, but another journey to Hamburg as well. - -From Reinken he obtained models for his early compositions of -which Spitta mentions three as showing Reinken's influence; organ -arrangements of the two chorales "Es ist gewisslich an der Zeit,"[11] -"An Wasserflüssen Babylon";[12] and a toccata in G. - -But Bach was not satisfied to study only the works of his own -countrymen. About forty-five English miles to the south of Lüneburg -is Celle, where the ducal court maintained a band which played French -dance music, and where also French harpsichord music was held in -considerable estimation. He took frequent opportunities of hearing -this band, and so became familiar with the French style of music, which -he admired, and much of which he copied. - -Spitta considers that the chorale partitas "Christ, der du bist der -helle Tag," and "O Gott, du frommer Gott,"[13] were composed at -Lüneburg, since they were certainly early works, and show the influence -of Böhm, in the elaboration of the motives and the use of _basso -ostinato_, &c. It would seem that there was no good organ at Lüneburg, -for his compositions of this period are either for harpsichord or, if -for organ, show that he was not yet experienced in writing for the -latter instrument. - -In 1703 Bach was invited by Johann Ernst, younger brother of Duke -Wilhelm Ernst, to join his orchestra at Weimar as a violinist with -the title of "Hof-musikus," or Court musician. This brought him into -contact with a great deal of instrumental music, especially Italian -works, and among musicians he there met Westhoff, the Duke's private -secretary, a good violinist, and Johann Effler an organist. - -[Sidenote: _First appointment_] - -From Weimar he paid a visit to Arnstadt, only a few miles off, the -former meeting-place of his family. Here he had an opportunity of -trying the organ lately erected in the "New Church," the organist -of which was Börner, a man of no great attainments. The Consistory -heard him, and, at once dismissing Börner, offered Bach the post: a -high-handed proceeding, which they softened by making Börner "organist -at Matins" and deputy to the Franciscan Church, on his full salary. -Bach's salary was raised by outside contributions, and the youth -of eighteen found himself more highly paid than any of his fellow -officials. - -On August 14th, 1703, he was solemnly installed, and exhorted to -industry and fidelity in his calling, and to act as an honourable -servant and organist before God, the authorities, and his superiors. -His official duties were to play on Sunday and Thursday mornings, and -at one service on Mondays; so that he had ample leisure for study. - -[Illustration: The Keyboards of Bach's Arnstadt Organ now in the -Rathhaus] - -The organ, which was a very fine one of two manuals, had the following -stops: - -OBERWERK (GREAT). - - 1. Principal (open diapason), 8 ft. - 2. Viola da gamba, 8. - 3. Quintatön, 8. - 4. Gedackt, 8. - 5. Quint, 6. - 6. Octava (principal), 4. - 7. Mixture, 4 ranks. - 8. Gemshorn, 8 ft. - 9. Cymbal, 3. - 10. Trumpet, 8. - 11. Tremulant. - 12. Glockenaccord. - -BRUST-POSITIV (CHOIR). - - 1. Principal (open diapason), 4 ft.[14] - 2. Still gedact, 8. - 3. Spitzflöte, 4. - 4. Quint, 3. - 5. Sesquialtera. - 6. Nacht-horn, 4 ft. - 7. Mixture, 4 ranks. - 8. Octava, 2 ft. - 9. Glockenaccord. - -PEDAL. - - 1. Principal, 8 ft. - 2. Sub-bass, 16. - 3. Posaune, 16. - 4. Violon bass, 16. - 5. Octava, 2. - Couplers for manuals and pedals.[15] - -The keyboards, of which we give a photograph, are preserved in the -Rathhaus. The instrument was built by Wender of Mühlhausen in 1703. - -Bach had also the direction of a small school choir, which was -augmented by "adjuvanten" or amateur singers, and he had to accompany -and attend the rehearsals of the church choir, besides which he -probably played the violin in the Count's band. There was also a -theatre belonging to the Count, in which "Singspielen" or operettas -were occasionally performed. - -[Sidenote: _First Cantata_] - -The cantata for the first day of Easter, "Denn du wirst meine Seele -nicht in der Hölle lassen," which was afterwards remodelled for use at -Leipsic, was composed at Arnstadt, probably for Easter 1704.[16] It was -his first cantata, and is in character similar to those in vogue in -Northern Germany. - -It consists of a short introductory sonata, for three trumpets, drums, -strings and organ, then a bass solo, "For thou shalt not leave my -soul in hell," in which are important ritornels. This is followed by -a recitative, a duet for soprano and alto in Italian aria form,[17] a -tenor solo, "Be not dismayed," after which the cantata closes with a -soprano aria, "Up soul, and be joyful." - -During his stay at Arnstadt he chiefly cultivated instrumental music -and composition, and, according to Mizler, began to show his eminence -in organ-playing. - -In 1704, Johann Jacob, Sebastian's elder brother, who had entered the -Swedish Guard as an oboe-player, came to bid farewell to his family -and friends. For him Bach wrote the early "capriccio on the departure -of his beloved brother." This was modelled on Johann Kuhnau's "Bible -Sonatas."[18] - -A chorale arrangement for two manuals and pedals "Wie schön leuchtet -uns der Morgenstern" of this period exists in MS. in the R. Library at -Berlin, and seventeen variations on "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" -were in the possession of the late Dr Rust of Leipsic. - -[Sidenote: _Visit to Lübeck_] - -Towards the end of 1705 Bach determined to go to Lübeck to hear and -study the style of Buxtehude, one of the greatest organists then -living. He found a deputy, and having obtained one month's leave of -absence, started on foot, on the journey of over 200 miles, with the -object of arriving in time to hear the "evening performances" at -the Marienkirche, which took place in November and December, which -were peculiar to Lübeck, and which Buxtehude had worked up to a high -pitch of excellence. They consisted of sacred music both vocal and -instrumental, with organ solos.[19] - -[Sidenote: Cited to Appear] - -Bach outstaid his leave of absence by some three months, and on his -return to Arnstadt in February 1706 received a "citation" to appear -before the Consistory to explain his conduct. The Consistory at the -same time brought a charge against him of neglecting the training of -the choir, and of introducing unseemly variations on the organ during -the singing of the chorale, whereby the congregation were thrown -into confusion; and they complained of the great length and unseemly -figuration of his preludes to the chorales. - -Bitter gives the whole of the report of this "citation," in which the -several charges are put to Bach and answered by him. - -"The organist of the New Church, Bach, is required to say where he has -been for so long of late, and from whom he received leave of absence?" - - -ILLE. - -"He has been to Lübeck in order to learn things connected with his -art, but that he had previously asked permission from the Herr -Superintendent." - -DER SUPERINTEND. - -"He had only asked permission for four weeks, but had remained away -four times as long as that." - -ILLE. - -"Hopes that the organ would have been played by him whom he had put in, -in such a manner that no complaint can be made on that point." - -NOS. - -"Charge him with having made extraordinary variations in the chorales, -and with intermixing many strange sounds, so that thereby the -congregation were confounded. He must in the future, when he wishes to -introduce some _tonus peregrinus_, continue in it, and not go off too -quickly to something else, or, as he had hitherto been in the habit -of doing, play a _tonum contrarium_. And then it is very strange that -up to this time he has had no rehearsals, because he will not agree -with the scholars. Therefore he is to declare whether he will play -both figural and choral music with the scholars, since a capellmeister -cannot be kept. If he will not do this, let him say so categorically -of his own accord, that a change may be made, and some one who will -undertake it can be appointed to the post." - -ILLE. - -"If an honest Director be appointed, he will play again." - -[Sidenote: Explanations Needed] - -RESOLVITUR. - -"He must explain his conduct within eight days. That scholar Rambach -(the choir prefect) now appear, and be reproved for the disorders which -up to this time have taken place between the scholars and the organist -of the New Church." - -ILLE. - -"The organist, Bach, played for too long a time, but after this was -notified to him, by the Herr Superintendent, he at once went quite to -the opposite extreme and has made it too short." - -THE CONSISTORY. - -"Accuse him (Rambach) of having gone to a wine-cellar last Sunday -during the sermon." - -ILLE. - -"Was very sorry, and it should never happen again, and the clergy have -already spoken to him very severely about it. The organist need not -complain of him about the conducting, because it was undertaken not by -him, but by the youth Schmidt." - -NOS. - -"He must for the future behave quite differently and better, otherwise -the gift which was intended for him would be withheld. If he has -anything to remember against the organist, he must bring it forward -at the proper place, and not take the law into his own hands, but -behave in such a way as to give satisfaction, as he had promised. The -servant of the Court is now ordered to tell the Rector to have Rambach -imprisoned on four successive days for two hours each day." - -Bach was always irritable and obstinate, and had completely alienated -his choir. He was too much engaged in composition to take any interest -in training it, and it was in any case not good enough for him. The -Consistory allowed that there were faults on both sides, and hoped -that by giving him more time than the eight days he would come to some -agreement with the choir: but in vain. For Bach having come fresh -from the artistic life of Lübeck found the drudgery of training the -rough scholars unbearable. The answer that he was required to give in -eight days completely left his mind, and after more than eight months -the Consistory again "represented to the organist Bach that he should -declare whether, as he has been ordered to do, he will rehearse with -the scholars or not; as, if he feels no shame in remaining in the -Church and receiving the salary, he must also not be ashamed to 'make -music' (_i.e._ rehearse) with the scholars: for it is intended that -these should exercise themselves, so that for the future they may have -more skill in music." - -ILLE. - -"Will make the declaration on this subject in writing." - -THE CONSISTORY. - -"Furthermore ask him by what power he has latterly allowed the strange -maiden to appear, and to make music in the choir." - -ILLE. - -"Has already spoken about it to Master Uthe."[20] - -The "strange maiden" who made music with Bach in private in the church -seems to have been his cousin, Maria Barbara, youngest daughter of -Michael Bach of Gehren,[21] whom he married in the following year. It -is not known how the matter ended, but Bach, from this time, began to -endeavour to find another post. - -[Sidenote: _Second appointment_] - -An important post at St Blasius, Mühlhausen, some 20 miles north of -Gotha, fell vacant through the death of Johann Georg Ahle on December -2nd, 1706, and there were many candidates. It seems, from Gerber's -account (vol. ii. p. 764), to have been at first offered to Johann -Gottfried Walther of Erfurt, but to have been declined by him;[22] and -when Bach, whose friction with the Consistory made him anxious to leave -Arnstadt, offered himself as a candidate, the Council, after hearing -him play, were unanimous in his favour. - -The church of St Blasius is a fine Gothic building, in strong contrast -to the homely, towerless New Church at Arnstadt; and the office of -organist is proportionately more important. Its present holder is Herr -Musikdirector Möller. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[7] See Spitta, "Life of Bach," vol. i. p. 181, note. - -[8] The Lyceum is now the Burgerschule. It is shown in the photograph -on the left hand side. - -[9] The custom of singing in the streets is still kept up. The writer -heard one Sunday morning this year at Ohrdruf, excellent singing by the -choir-boys, in four parts, two treble and two alto. - -[10] Spitta, vol. i. p. 195. - -[11] In a MS. collection in possession of F. A. Roitzsch of Leipsic. - -[12] MS. in Lib. of R. Inst. for church music, Berlin. - -[13] Peters, vol. 244. - -[14] See Glossary, Positiv. - -[15] The above list, which slightly differs from that of Spitta, was -taken from the existing stop handles. - -[16] Spitta, vol. i. p. 231. - -[17] _i.e._ like many of Handel's songs, which have a da capo after the -change of key. - -[18] For an account of these see J. G. Shedlock, "The Pianoforte -Sonata," London, 1895. - -[19] The organ had fifty-four stops, three manuals, and pedal; and -the post of organist at this church was one of the best in Germany. -It had one drawback, however; on the resignation or death of an -organist, the person appointed to succeed him was obliged to marry his -daughter. Mattheson and Handel in 1704 and Bach in 1706 had thought of -applying for the post, but were all frightened away by this condition. -Buxtehude's successor was Johann Christian Schieferdecker, who had been -harpsichord player in the opera at Hamburg. - -[20] A preacher in the New Church. - -[21] No. 14 in the Genealogical Table. - -[22] This Walther was the author of the "Musikalisches Lexicon," -Leipsic, 1732. - - - - -Chapter III - - Bach's salary--He borrows a cart from the Consistory for - his furniture--The agreement is made verbally--Bach's - first marriage--His duties at St Blasius--The festival - compositions--Repairs to the organ--Difficulties with the - Pietists--He resigns his post--Is appointed chamber-musician at - Weimar--His duties there--His relations with Walther--Studies - instrumental music--His journeys--His competition with Marchand. - - -The competition took place at Easter 1707, and terms were arranged -a month later. An organist is rarely a highly paid individual: but -modern organists may well be astonished at the meagreness of the -salary for which the greatest of their predecessors was content to -work. The request for the loan of a cart to bring his modest furniture -from Arnstadt brings the matter very plainly before us. One sees in -Thuringia, even at the present day, the clumsy four-wheel carts which -have not varied in shape for centuries, drawn by a cow and a pony, -rarely by two horses; and one can easily imagine such a cart conveying -the household goods of the young musician across the plain from -Arnstadt to Gotha, and from Gotha to Mühlhausen. - -The terms were eighty-five gülden (about £8, 10s.); three malter -(twelve bushels) of corn, two cords of wood, six trusses of brushwood; -the last in place of some arable land formerly held by the organist. -The cost of conveyance to his door was to be borne by the Council. -In addition, he was to receive annually three pounds of fish, and he -asked that a cart might be lent him for transporting his furniture from -Arnstadt, to which request the Council agreed. - -A fire had, a fortnight before, destroyed a large portion of the parish -of St Blasius, and when the clerk brought the agreement to the Council -to sign, pens and ink were not forthcoming, so that a verbal agreement -was made to all the terms. - -The actual appointment took place on June 15th; and a fortnight later -he was again in Arnstadt, where he thanked the Council for past -favours, announced his resignation, and gave up the key of the organ. -A sum of five gülden was due to him as salary, but he requested the -Consistory to pay this to his cousin Ernst,[23] who had formerly -assisted him, but who was now ill and poor. - -[Sidenote: _Work at Mühlhausen_] - -His duties at St Blasius were to play the organ on Sundays, saints' -days and festivals. He was anxious to raise the whole of the church -music to a higher level, and mentioned this wish to the Council in an -address. His predecessor Ahle had left a number of compositions which -were frequently performed, but Bach, not being satisfied with them, -as quickly as possible made a good collection of music and had it -performed, paying for it out of his own pocket. He also made efforts to -improve the choir and orchestra. - -He received considerable assistance in these endeavours from his pupil -Johann Martin Schubart (who afterwards succeeded him in his post at -Weimar), and from his choir leader, Johann Sebastian Koch, afterwards -Capellmeister to Count Reuss, and a Bachelor of Theology at Jena -University. - -In October 1707, Bach returned to Arnstadt for his wedding, which -took place on the 17th of that month, and it is evident that he had -parted on good terms with the Consistory, for the prescribed fees were -remitted. In September of the same year Tobias Lämmerhirt, of Erfurt, a -maternal uncle of Sebastian, had died, and left 50 gülden (about £5) to -each of his sister's children, and this legacy must have been welcome -to Sebastian at the time of his wedding. - -Among the duties expected of the organist of St Blasius, was the -composition of a cantata for the yearly change of Town Council -(Rathswahl); and it was customary to have the music printed after the -performance, at Mühlhausen. - -The first of the cantatas thus composed by Bach is preserved; it was -for the festival of 1708, and was performed in the Church of the Holy -Virgin on February 4 of that year. The text is taken from the Old -Testament, together with part of a hymn or a chorale, and Bach called -it a motet. It was accompanied by three trumpets, drums, two flutes, -two oboes, a bassoon and strings, the band being divided into four -groups of brass, wood-wind (with cello), reed, and strings. The form is -in imitation of some of Buxtehude's church cantatas.[24] - -[Sidenote: St Blasius Organ] - -Bach found the organ of St Blasius in very bad condition. It had not -sufficient bellows, and there was insufficient pressure on the bass -pipes, owing to there being too small a wind passage. There was no 32 -feet stop and the trombone was too weak. Moreover the choir-organ had -become useless, as had also several stops in the great. - -[Sidenote: _Repairs the organ_] - -He drew up a list of deficiencies which he presented to the Council, -and asked for the addition of a "Glockenspiel" or peal of bells, to be -acted on by pedals, an invention of his own. The latter addition was -at once subscribed for by the parishioners. There was a smaller organ -in the church, which he proposed to sell and apply the proceeds to -repairing the principal organ. The Council placed the entire management -of the matter in his hands, and he obtained an estimate from Wender the -organ-builder who agreed to do the work for 230 thalers,[25] and to -allow 40 thalers for the small organ. - -The requirements were:-- - -Three new bellows; stronger wind to the four old ones,[26] a new -32 feet stop with a separate wind chest for it; renewal of the old -bass wind chests; new and larger pipes, with differently arranged -mouthpieces for the bass trombone; the addition of the new glockenspiel -of twenty-four bells; the trumpet on the great to be removed and a 16 -feet bassoon to take its place; the gemshorn to be changed for a viol -da gamba of 8 feet; a 3 feet nassat to be put in instead of the quint; -revoicing of all the rest of the pipes; sundry alterations in the -choir-organ; and a coupler to connect it with the third manual; the -tremulant to be put in working order. - -Unfortunately, however, difficulties soon began to arise. He was looked -upon as an outsider, for the post had previously always been held by a -native; and obstacles which appeared insurmountable soon began to beset -him. Religious differences arose between the "Pietists" and the "Old -Lutherans," the former being led by J.A.Frohne, dean of Mühlhausen, -and the latter by G.C. Eilmar, archdeacon of the Church of the Blessed -Virgin. - -[Sidenote: _Pietist view of music_] - -Bach sided with the orthodox Lutherans, and Eilmar was godfather to -his first child. The Pietists conceived of art as part of "the world," -and therefore absolutely hostile to a Christian life: it could only be -rightly used in religion, and then only in the narrowest possible of -"spiritual songs" from which all expression must be excluded. Hence -any attempt to introduce higher forms or new ideas must be sinful. -It is easily seen, therefore, that Frohne would naturally place what -obstacles he could in the way of Bach's endeavours to raise church -music to the highest possible artistic standard. Moreover, the Pietists -were opposed to the doctrine of regeneration by baptism, and to the -whole of the simple but truly religious views which Bach had inherited -from generations of his family, dedicated to the work of the church as -organists and cantors. He was no theologian, and was perfectly content -with the faith of his fathers. - -The most beautiful and deeply religious of his church cantatas were -a sinful abomination in the eyes of the Pietists. What wonder then -that he should have found difficulties and obstacles and want of -appreciation in carrying out his aims. Even while he was in the midst -of the interesting work of repairing his organ, the situation began to -become intolerable, and a post at Weimar falling vacant, he took steps -to obtain it. - -[Sidenote: _Resigns his post_] - -On June 5 he went to Arnstadt for the second wedding of his friend -Pastor Stauber, who had performed the service a year before at Bach's -own wedding, and on June 25th 1708 he sent in his resignation to the -Council at Mühlhausen, a year after he had received the appointment. -He had always been on the best of terms with them, and it is evident, -from the tone of his letter of resignation, that he was sorry to leave -them. The Council on their side also regretted the step, but granted -his dismissal, only requiring that he should supervise the repairs to -the organ, which were not completed till 1709. - -[Sidenote: _Third appointment_] - -The post at Weimar, which he now obtained, was that of Court-organist -and chamber-musician to Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar. Forkel says -that he made a journey to Weimar, and so pleased the Duke with his -organ-playing, that the post was at once offered to, and accepted by -him. "Here," says Hilgenfeldt, "he devoted himself to acquiring that -overwhelming mastery of the organ for which his fame is assured for all -time: and he also laid the foundation for his future greatness as a -composer." - -His circumstances were now very favourable. His employer was a man -of wide culture and refinement, deeply interested in music and other -branches of art, but more particularly in church music. He was -religious, and took much interest in religious matters; and in all -things he and Bach were in the closest sympathy. Bach's position at -Weimar was much the same as that of Franz Liszt at the same Court in -the nineteenth century.[27] It is interesting to observe how this small -and poor Court for such a long period was famous for its encouragement -of art and literature. Bach in the first decades of the eighteenth -century, Goethe and Schiller in the last quarter of the eighteenth -and first part of the nineteenth, Liszt and Wagner later on, besides -many lesser men, received help and encouragement at this remarkable -Thuringian "Residenz." - -Bach, as we have seen, was appointed organist and "Kammermusikus" -(chamber-musician)--his salary for the first three years being 156 -gülden, 15 groschen (£15, 13s. 3d.), which was always punctually paid, -but in 1711, 1713, and 1714 it was considerably increased. - -The organ of the castle was small, but had a good pedal. There were 9 -stops on the Great, 8 on the Choir, and 7 on the Pedal. The pitch was a -minor third below the kammerton or ordinary pitch. - -As Kammermusikus Bach played the harpsichord and violin, and afterwards -became "Concertmeister" or leader. The number of musicians was about -twenty-two, including singers, but the latter could also play some -instruments, and many members of the band performed on several. The -orchestra would also be occasionally strengthened by the addition of -the town musicians. Johann G. Walther was organist of the town church, -and a great friendship sprang up between the two men. He was connected -with Bach by marriage, his mother being a Lämmerhirt. One of his -chorales has been erroneously ascribed to Bach. It is Peters, vol. 245, -Book vi., No. 24--"Gott der Vater wohn' uns bei." - -Bach stood godfather to Walther's eldest son, and a friendly rivalry -in composition arose between them. Later on, however, some unfortunate -disagreement seems to have arisen between the friends, for Walther, in -his Lexicon, omits the mention of events and compositions during the -nine years' period at Weimar, which must have been well known to him. - -[Sidenote: Sight-Reading Poser] - -Forkel tells the following anecdote:--Bach, while still at Weimar, had -advanced so far in clavier playing that he said to a friend that he -believed he could play anything at first sight. His friend invited him -to breakfast in a week's time, and for a joke placed on the harpsichord -a newly composed piece which looked simple enough. While the friend was -preparing breakfast in the next room, Bach instinctively began playing -what he saw on the harpsichord, but was not able to advance very far. -He tried several times, but always with the same result. On joining his -friend, he laughingly acknowledged that no one could play everything at -first sight, it was not possible. - -Amongst other things Bach began to study Italian instrumental music at -Weimar, especially with regard to the forms then in use, the concerto, -the suite and the sonata. To this period may therefore perhaps be -assigned some of the concertos for clavecin and other instruments, the -suites for violin, etc., and the sonatas for harpsichord and violin. - -The sonata of this date was usually performed by two violins and -a violoncello, with a figured bass part for a harpsichord or organ -(_e.g._ the twelve sonatas of Purcell in Italian style, and the four -sets of twelve sonatas each by Corelli op. 1, 2, 3, 4). These sonatas -had nothing in common with the modern sonata as begun by Emanuel Bach -and perfected by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. - -Bach has left some examples in the sonatas for two violins and clavier -(Peters, 237); for flute, violin, and clavier (Peters, 237): by clavier -must be understood here a part for figured bass, which would be played -by violincello or double bass and harpsichord. Besides this, he adopted -the form for other combinations, such as violin and figured bass, flute -and figured bass (Peters, 232 to 235) viola da gamba and figured bass, -etc. (Peters, 239). - -Bach and Walther had plenty of encouragement in this kind of music, -since the Duke's nephew Joh. Ernst (who unfortunately died young) -had considerable skill on the violin, and also was a fair composer. -They vied with one another in arranging Italian concertos for the -harpsichord and organ. Sixteen of Vivaldi's violin concertos were -arranged by Bach for the harpsichord (Peters, 217) and three for the -organ (Peters, 247).[28] Walther arranged thirteen for organ from the -works of Torelli, Taglietti, Albinoni, etc., and they are preserved in -MS. in the Royal Library at Berlin. The arranging of these concertos -led Bach to the use of the new form for clavier compositions, of which -the well-known Italian concerto is an example. Is it possible that the -friendly rivalry was the commencement of the estrangement with Walther? - -[Sidenote: _Artistic journeys_] - -Bach was in the habit of making expeditions to try different organs, or -for other musical purposes, and his reputation began to spread through -North and Central Germany. He invented a peculiar form of fingering -for keyboard instruments in order to increase his facility, and his -use of the pedal rose to unheard-of heights. He also became an expert -in questions of organ construction, and was often called upon to give -his opinion in this respect. He was very ingenious in his use of the -stops and of artistic combinations, but, unfortunately, with one small -exception, none of his registering has come down to us. He was never -in command of a really fine instrument, and the above exception, which -consists of the chorale "Ein feste Burg," Peters, vol. vi., No. 22, -seems to have been written for the newly arranged organ at Mühlhausen. -It is for three manuals--the left hand has to play on a "fagott," and -over the right hand is written "sesquialtera." These directions are -omitted in Peters' edition, but are given in Walther's collection at -Königsberg. - -[Sidenote: Halle Incident] - -In 1713 he went to Halle, where a large organ of sixty-three stops -had recently been placed in the Liebfrauenkirche. Here he won laurels -by his magnificent playing, and, since the post was vacant through -the death of F. W. Zachau, he offered his services to the Council as -organist. He remained long enough to go through the prescribed test of -composing and conducting a cantata, after which he returned to Weimar -in haste to fulfil his engagements. The authorities of the church -wrote to him stating the salary and conditions, but Bach, considering -that the payment was inadequate to the amount of work, returned the -agreement they had sent him to sign. The Halle authorities then said -that Bach had only opened the negotiations in order to obtain an -increase of salary at Weimar. This naturally annoyed him, and drew from -him a firm and dignified answer to the affront. - -In 1714 Bach went to Cassel to try an organ, which had been recently -renovated. His extraordinary execution, especially on the pedals, so -astonished the Crown Prince Friedrich (afterwards King of Sweden) that -he drew a valuable ring from his finger and presented it to him. - -On the first Sunday in Advent 1714 he paid his first visit to Leipsic, -where he conducted his cantata, "Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland," and -made the acquaintance of Kuhnau, Cantor of the Thomas Church, whose -works he much admired. - -[Sidenote: _Order of church service_] - -The autograph score of this cantata is still in existence, and on it -is noted, in Bach's own hand, the order of the service in just the -same way as any modern organist, who was taking a service in a strange -church, would note it. The order on this occasion was a prelude on the -organ, then a motet, then the kyrie, which was preceded by a prelude on -the organ. Then came the epistle, the litany (which was sung), and the -prelude to the chorale. Then the gospel, and after this the cantata, -which was also preceded by a prelude. To this followed the sermon, then -the Communion, during which he had to extemporise another prelude to a -chorale, and the service concluded with a voluntary on the organ. - -The organ solo portions of the service were all called "Preludes"; and -it does not seem that a concluding "voluntary" was usual. The prelude -was played at the beginning of the service, and before the chorales. -With us it is customary to simply play through the tune of a hymn or -chant, in order to let the congregation know what they are to sing, -and to give them time to find their places in the books. In Germany -an artistic and somewhat elaborate prelude, in which the organist is -expected to show his skill, precedes each chorale. - -A hymn was sung between the epistle and gospel, in the place of the -"Gradual" of the Roman service, and here the most elaborate prelude was -introduced, based on the melody of the hymn. - -Before the "church music," which takes the place of our anthem, an -extempore prelude was played in order to allow the instruments to be -tuned. This was in the form of a fantasia, in which the performer had -to remain longest in the key which most coincided with the strings to -be tuned. The prelude had to stop on a sign from the conductor that the -instrumentalists were ready. It was supposed to have some connection -with the piece that was to follow, but the unhappy effusions of -incompetent organists led to occasional remonstrance from the Council. - -[Sidenote: _Examination of a new organ_] - -In 1716 the Council of the Liebfrauenkirche at Halle invited him -to examine their organ, which was now completed. He answered their -invitation very politely, and with Kuhnau of Leipsic and Ch. F. Rolle -of Quedlinburg began the examination in the second week after Easter. -The organ was built by Cuncius of Halberstadt, and the three examiners -reported that he had carried out the work (which had occupied three -years) in the most satisfactory way possible, the only part requiring -alteration being the bellows. After many difficulties, owing to the -smallness of the salary, the authorities eventually found an efficient -organist in G. Kirchoff, a pupil of Zachau and a man of the same age as -Bach. - -About 1716 the friend of Bach's youth, G. Erdmann, visited him. He had -held a legal post under the Russian government since 1713. - -[Sidenote: _Contest with Marchand_] - -In the autumn of 1717 Bach made a journey to Dresden to hear the -performances at the theatre, which was supported by Friedrich August -I. There happened to be visiting Dresden a famous French organist and -harpsichord player Jean Louis Marchand, organist at Versailles, and of -several churches at Paris. He enjoyed an immense reputation as player -and composer, though his compositions have not borne the test of time, -and are now entirely forgotten. Vain, arrogant, and conceited, the -spoilt idol of French society, he came to Dresden, where his playing -became much in favour at the Court and he was given two medals. Soon -after Bach's arrival there arose a discussion among the artists as to -which was the greater performer. The Court musicians took the part of -Marchand, while the members of the orchestra, who were mostly Germans, -preferred Bach. The matter ended in Bach's being persuaded by his -friends to write to Marchand, offering to go through any musical test -that Marchand might suggest, on condition that he would undergo the -same test. - -[Sidenote: A Victory] - -The challenge was accepted; a date was fixed for a meeting at the -house of Field Marshal von Flemming,[29] a jury of musicians was -chosen, and a brilliant company assembled. Bach and the jury arrived -punctually, but Marchand did not appear. After a time he was sent for, -when it was found that he had departed by express coach that morning -from Dresden, certain, no doubt, of being defeated. Marchand seems to -have heard Bach privately beforehand; while Bach was already familiar -with Marchand's works, and admired them much. Spitta[30] considers -that they are not inferior to those of Couperin in variety and grace, -but are rather thin for the more solid German taste. The news of -Bach's victory soon spread far and wide, and did much to enhance his -already great reputation. He, however, never seems to have obtained any -recognition from the Court at Dresden. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[23] No. 27 in the Genealogical List. - -[24] This is, according to the Bachgesellschaft, the only cantata -published in Bach's life-time. Its title is "Gott ist mein König," No. -71 of the Bachgesellschaft edition. - -[25] The thaler = 3 shillings. Bitter says 200 thalers was offered for -the work and 50 thalers to be allowed for the small organ. - -[26] The organ in the Nicolai Church at Leipsic had in 1885 ten -bellows, requiring four men to manipulate them. - -[27] This is pointed out by G. H. Lewes in his "Life of Goethe," vol. -i. p. 314. - -[28] Vivaldi takes an important place as one of those who studied -and brought forward form. He wrote concertos for one, two, three and -four solo violins, improved the orchestra, and invented new means of -expression. He died in 1743 at Venice. See Spitta, vol. i. p. 411. - -[29] According to Bitter. - -[30] Vol. i. p. 585. - - - - -Chapter IV - - Bach becomes capellmeister to the Duke of Cöthen--His Weimar - pupils--His new duties--Death of his wife--Journey to Hamburg--He - competes for an organistship there--The post is sold--Disgust of - Mattheson at the transaction--Bach endeavours to meet Handel--His - second marriage--Is obliged to leave Cöthen. - - -Bach returned from Dresden to prepare for a jubilee at Weimar, in -commemoration of the two hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. The -festival took place from October 31st to November 2nd, and for it Bach -composed at least one cantata and perhaps two. On this occasion the -Duke established a fund, of which the interest was to be distributed -yearly, the Court organist to receive 3 gülden from it. - -[Sidenote: _Fourth appointment_] - -The old capellmeister, Samuel Drese, had for twenty years been too -much out of health to fulfil his duties. The duke, however, would not -dismiss him, but gave him a deputy, G. C. Strattner, at a salary of -200 gülden. Drese died on December 1, 1716, and it would seem natural -that Bach should be appointed in his place. For some reason, however, -he was passed over, and Drese's son (who had succeeded Strattner as -deputy capellmeister) was installed. Bach, therefore, accepted an offer -made by Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen of a capellmeister-ship, and in -November 1717 moved to Cöthen. His post at the Weimar Castle organ was -filled by his pupil Schubart. - -Amongst Bach's duties at Weimar was that of composing and conducting -a certain number of sacred pieces every year, to texts by Franck, the -secretary to the Superior Consistory of the Principality of Weimar, -and librarian to the duke. Franck was a good poet, and had written -excellent masques, besides occasional pieces for weddings, etc. - -[Sidenote: _Pupils_] - -Bach's fine playing naturally attracted many pupils. In those days -there were no Conservatoires or Academies of Music; and pupils were -"articled," as in our own country, to eminent organists, taking much -the same place as apprentices in any trade--in fact, they were called -apprentices. His first pupil, who was also his amanuensis, was J. M. -Schubart; of J. C. Vogler, Gerber says that Bach considered him his -best organ pupil. He became Court organist and burgomaster of Weimar. - -Another pupil was Joh. T. Krebs, who, however, did not begin studying -till he was married and had already a post as organist at Buttestädt -near Weimar, whence he used to walk weekly to Weimar, for seven years, -to obtain instruction from Walther, and afterwards from Bach. - -Krebs' son, Joh. Ludwig, became a pupil of Bach at Leipsic at the age -of thirteen, and Bach had a very high opinion of him. He received the -appointment of organist of Buttestädt. According to Gerber, he was -Bach's pupil and assistant at the harpsichord for nine years, and was -second only to Vogler in eminence. - -In repayment for his elder brother's care at Ohrdruf, Bach took charge -of his nephew Bernhard[31] at Easter, 1715, teaching him the clavier -and composition. Bernhard afterwards was appointed organist of Ohrdruf, -in succession to his father. Some of his compositions still exist in -MS. and show the influence of his uncle. - -Bach's duties at Cöthen did not comprise any organ playing or church -music: in fact, he never held an organistship after he left Weimar. The -organ of the castle was merely a little chamber instrument, with only -thirteen stops, of which ten belonged to the two manuals and three to -the pedals. - -The Prince was highly cultivated, with a great taste for music, which -had been developed by travels in Italy. After the custom of German -princes of that time, he became a patron of art, practising it himself. -Spitta (vol. ii. p. 3) infers from an inventory in the ducal archives -at Cöthen, that he played the violin, gamba, and harpsichord. - -There is no sign of there having been a trained chorus at Cöthen. One -of the members of the band was Chr. F. Abel, who afterwards became -famous as a viola-da-gambist, while his second son Karl Friedrich was -the well-known virtuoso on this instrument. - -J. Schneider became a pupil of Bach's at this time. He was a violinist -in the band, but afterwards became organist of the Nicolai-church at -Leipsic. Bach's salary here amounted to 400 thalers (about £60); it -commenced from August 1, though he remained in office at Weimar until -November. - -The private performances at the castle were full of zeal for art. The -Prince would not part with Bach, even for a short time, and took him -on his journeys; Bach reciprocated this feeling, and cherished his -memory after his early death. In the Royal Library at Berlin is the -autograph of a serenade written for the Prince's birthday. It is scored -for soprano and bass solo voices, string band, harpsichord, two flutes -and one bassoon: this being the entire resources available. The words, -which are very meagre, are by an unknown author, probably Bach himself. -The cantata itself is not published, but its music is used with other -words in the Whitsuntide Cantata "Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut."[32] - -In May 1718, and again in 1720, Bach and six members of the orchestra -accompanied the Prince to Carlsbad. In November 1718 the Prince and -his younger brother and sister stood god-parents to Bach's seventh -child, Leopold August, who died in the following year. The fact of so -many high personages standing sponsor to this child is a proof of the -estimation in which the Prince's capellmeister was held. - -[Sidenote: _Examines a new organ at Leipsic_] - -Bach's artistic journeys were continued from time to time, and on -December 16, 1717, he found himself at Leipsic again, in response to -an invitation to examine a large new organ recently erected in the -University Church of St Paul. The builder was Johann Scheibe, and Bach -declared it to be one of the best organs in Germany. - -[Sidenote: _Death of first wife_] - -In July 1720, on his return from the second visit with Prince Leopold -to Carlsbad, he was met with the terrible news that his wife had died, -and had been buried on the 7th of that month. She was only thirty-six, -and was in good health when he left her. She had borne him seven -children, had been the best of companions, and was keenly sympathetic -towards her husband's work. - -[Sidenote: _Visit to Hamburg_] - -He went to Hamburg to perform a new cantata on the text "He that -exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be -exalted," in November 1720. He found Reinken still playing the organ -of St Catherine, though now ninety-seven years old. Reinken, though a -very great artist, was vain, and jealous, and it was a question how -he would receive Bach. Mattheson, who did not love him, said that he -was a "constant admirer of the fair sex, and much addicted to the wine -cellar of the Council," though he admitted that he had no equal on the -organ in his own style. Moreover, he kept his instrument in excellent -tune, and was always talking of it. When Bach came, an appointment was -made, and he played for more than two hours, half an hour of which was -occupied in a masterly improvisation on the chorale "By the waters of -Babylon," in motet style. After the performance, at which the chief men -of the city were present, Reinken came to him, and saying, "I thought -this art was dead, but I perceive that it still lives in you," invited -him to visit him, and treated him with every attention. Reinken's -praise was the more complimentary, because he himself had composed and -published a very successful arrangement of the same chorale.[33] - -The organ at St Catherine had four manuals and pedal, with an abundance -of good reeds, of which Bach was fond (a specification is in Niedt, -Mus. Handl. II., p. 176). There was also a posaune, a 32 ft. open -diapason, and a mixture of 10 ranks. It dated from the sixteenth -century, and had been renovated in 1670 by Besser of Brunswick.[34] - -A still larger instrument was that of St James' Church in the same -city, built by Arp Schnitker between 1688 and 1693, containing sixty -stops, four manuals and pedal. The organist of this church, H. Friese, -had recently died, and Bach, being tempted by the organ, and the -prospect of again having an opportunity of composing cantatas, offered -himself for the post. - -[Sidenote: _Competes for a post at Hamburg_] - -There were seven other candidates, the two most important being a son -of Vincentius Lübeck, and Wiedeburg, capellmeister to the Count of -Gera. An examination was fixed for November 28, the examiners being the -elders of the church, together with Gerstenbüttel the cantor, Reinken, -and two other Hamburg organists, Kniller and Preuss. Wiedeburg, Lübeck -and one other candidate retired. The tests were performances of the two -chorales "O lux beata Trinitas," and "Helft mir Gott's Güte preisen," -and an extemporised fugue on a given theme. - -[Sidenote: Deceived] - -Bach could not wait for the examination, since his duties at Cöthen -required him to return home. He was, however, excused having to -submit to the test, on account of his great reputation, and arranged -to announce by letter whether he would accept the post. He wrote in -the affirmative, though the contents of his letter are not known. The -committee had his letter publicly read, and then elected an entirely -unknown man, J. Joachim Heitmann, who had done nothing for the art -of music, but who on January 6, 1721, paid to the treasury of the -church four thousand marks, which he had promised in the event of his -being elected. The committee came to the conclusion that "the sale of -a post of organist should not become a custom, since it pertained to -the service of God; but if, after election, a person of his own free -will should show his gratitude by money payment, the church should not -refuse it." - -Neumeister, a famous preacher, who had not been able to prevent this -extraordinary transaction, left the committee in anger. Mattheson -thus describes the state of public opinion when it became known.[35] -"I remember, and no doubt other people still remember likewise, that -some years ago a great musician, who since then has, as he deserves, -obtained an important appointment as cantor, appeared in a certain town -of some size, boldly performed on the largest and finest instruments, -and attracted universal admiration by his skill. At the same time, -among other inferior players, there offered himself the son of a -well-to-do artisan, who could prelude better with thalers than with his -fingers, and the office fell to him, as may easily be guessed, although -almost everyone was angry about it. It was nigh upon Christmas-tide, -and an eloquent preacher, who had not consented to this simony, -expounded very beautifully the Gospel concerning the angelic music at -the birth of Christ, which very naturally gave him the opportunity of -expressing his opinions as to the recent event as regarded the rejected -artist, and of ending his discourse with this noteworthy epiphonema: -'He believed quite certainly that if one of the angels of Bethlehem -came from heaven, who played divinely, and desired to be organist of St -James' Church, if he had no money he would have nothing to do but to -fly away again.'" - -Bach had no equal in Germany as an organ player--this was soon admitted -on all sides.[36] Handel's fame had reached Germany from England, both -as a composer and organ player. Comparisons were made between Handel's -oratorios and Bach's cantatas and Passion music--the former were widely -known, while the latter were hardly yet appreciated, and were forgotten -after the death of the composer. - -We have a contemporary opinion in Mattheson, who had often heard -Handel. "No one," says he, "can easily surpass Handel in organ playing, -unless it were Bach of Leipsic, for which reason these two are -mentioned first, out of their alphabetical order. I have heard them in -the prime of their powers, and have often competed with the former both -in Hamburg and Lübeck."[37] Handel, however, did not devote himself -so entirely to the organ and organ compositions as Bach; he left no -unaccompanied solos for that instrument. Moreover, it is doubtful if he -found instruments of respectable size in England. - -[Sidenote: _Endeavours to meet Handel_] - -Bach and Handel never met, though they were twice very near one -another. Handel came to Halle, his native town, in 1719, while on a -journey as _impresario_ for the opera in London. Bach hearing of it, -made a journey to Halle from Cöthen, but unfortunately arrived there -the very day Handel had left. In 1729, he made another attempt to meet -Handel by sending him a polite invitation, through his son Friedemann, -to come to Leipsic; but Handel refused the invitation. On a third visit -of Handel to Halle, Bach was dead. Bach greatly admired Handel's music, -and copied some of it for his own use. - -[Sidenote: _Bach's second wife_] - -We have seen that Bach's first wife died in 1720. It was not at all in -accordance with the family traditions to remain widower, and in 1721 he -began to think of re-marrying. He opened negotiations in this year with -Anna Magdalena Wülken, a Court singer at Cöthen, twenty-one years old, -and the youngest daughter of the Court trumpeter, and was married to -her on December 3 in the same year. - -Bach's second wife was a good musician, and had a fine soprano voice, -which she used for the performance of her husband's works in the -privacy of the home circle. She had lessons from her husband in clavier -and figured bass playing, and also gave him immense help in copying -music; amongst other things, her MS. copy of a great part of Handel's -_Passion-music_ still exists. - -Just before Bach's second marriage the widow of his uncle Tobias -Lämmerhirt died, leaving him part of her estate. This was the uncle -who died just before Bach's first marriage, leaving him a legacy. The -second accession of money caused some trouble. The distribution under -the will of the widow was disputed in the names of five relations, -Joh. Christoph Bach of Ohrdruf, Joh. Jacob Bach, Joh. Sebastian Bach, -Maria Wiegand (born Bach), and Anna Zimmermann (born Lämmerhirt). -Unfortunately for the petitioners, they had used the names of the three -Bachs without ever informing them. As a matter of fact, Joh. Christoph -was already dead, and Joh. Jacob was in Sweden; Joh. Sebastian was -most indignant when he heard of it, and wrote to the Council of Erfurt -disclaiming both for himself and his brother all desire to dispute the -will; saying that they were perfectly satisfied with their share, and -that the petition was drawn up without any notice being sent to them. -The proceedings were then dropped at once, and nothing more is heard of -them. - -[Sidenote: _Little Clavier Book_] - -Immediately after their marriage the Bachs started a MS. music-book -between them, entitled "Clavier Büchlein vor Anna Magdalena Bachin, -Anno 1720," on the first page of which is written a playful inscription -to the effect that the book was directed against the Calvinism, and its -attendant melancholy and hostility to all art, which was rife at Cöthen -at this period. This book was followed in 1725 by a second and larger -book; both are preserved in the Royal Library at Berlin. The books -contain various clavier compositions by Bach, Böhm, Gerhard and others, -besides sundry hymns and sacred songs, also a song on the reflections -of a smoker; and others evidently addressed to his wife, to whom he was -devoted. - -[Sidenote: A Large Family] - -He had thirteen children, six sons and seven daughters, by this wife; -making, together with those by his first wife, nineteen children in all. - -Anna Magdalena's portrait was painted by Cristofori, and came into the -possession of Philip Emanuel, but it has now disappeared. - -Most of his chamber music was written at Cöthen, where he remained more -than five years. - -His position was so peaceful and pleasant that he proposed to spend the -rest of his life there. His prince was in full sympathy with him, as -we have seen. He had none of the contentions which seem to be almost -inevitable between an organist and his church authorities when the -organist wishes for anything beyond a mere conventional standard of -church music.[38] He had nothing to do with either the composition or -performance of church music; and if he had remained there the world -would have been the poorer by the _Passion-music_ and nearly all the -cantatas. Fortunately for us, however, his circumstances altered. His -prince married a lady who had no sympathy with music or its professors, -and his interest in music began to flag. After five years Bach found -himself again obliged to seek another post: and he found one in which -he remained till his death. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[31] No. 45 in the Genealogy. - -[32] Spitta, vol. ii. pp. 6, 7. - -[33] Hilgenfeldt, p. 26. - -[34] Spitta, vol. ii. p. 18. - -[35] In "Der Musicalische Patriot," 1728, quoted by Spitta, vol. ii. p. -20. - -[36] Scheibe Kritikus Musicus, 1745, pp. 839, 875. - -[37] Vollk. Capellmeister, 1739, quoted by Spitta, vol. ii. p. 26. - -[38] After leaving Cöthen, Bach still held the title of honorary -Capellmeister to the Prince, until the death of the latter in 1728. -Bach composed a "Trauer Musik" for his funeral, which is unfortunately -lost. - - - - -Chapter V - - The position and duties of the Cantor of St Thomas' School - at Leipsic--The condition of the school in 1722--Kuhnau's - death--Competition and election of two cantors in succession--Bach - offers himself--Is elected--Difficulties with the authorities. - The Council make irritating regulations--Bach endeavours to leave - Leipsic--Election of a new Rector, and temporary disappearance of - Bach's troubles. - - -[Sidenote: _St Thomas' School, Leipsic_] - -Of the three ancient schools at Leipsic, St Thomas, dating from the -thirteenth century under the Augustines, was the oldest and most -important. It was endowed with no less than fifty-four scholarships -for the encouragement of church music, and its cantor was a person -of considerable importance, who ranked next below the Rector and -Conrector. These three officials, together with the chief Latin master, -were "Superiores," who kept apart from the "Inferiores" or lower -masters. The cantor's duty was to teach singing for seven hours a week, -to take the boys to church on Thursdays at 7 o'clock in the morning, -and to give certain Latin lessons. He had also to take his turn with -the other Superiores in inspecting and examining the boys for one week -in four. The boys lived with them, and the regulations of the school -required all to get up at 5 in summer, 6 in winter, to dine at 10, to -have supper at 5, to go to bed at 8. - -[Illustration: The Thomasschule at Leipsic] - -The boys of the Thomas-school had to supply the music every Sunday in -four churches, St Thomas, St Nicholas, St Peter and St Matthew; but -at St Peter's only chorales were sung, so that the younger singers -sufficed for this duty. - -A motet or cantata was performed every Sunday at the Thomas-Church and -Nicolai-Church alternately: a custom which still continues; the service -is at 9 A.M., and the cantata, which is always accompanied by the town -orchestra with the organ, takes somewhat the place of the anthem in an -English cathedral. The composition to be performed on each Sunday is -now announced in the previous Saturday's papers. - -[Sidenote: Office of Cantor] - -On great festivals the music was performed in both churches at once, -and twice a day. The cantor was responsible for the music at one -church, the choir prefect for that at the other. - -In order to lighten the work that this must have imposed on the boys, -the choir that sang at St Thomas in the morning would sing the same -music at St Nicholas in the afternoon; and the cantata which was sung -at St Nicholas in the morning would be repeated at St Thomas in the -afternoon. The rehearsals took place on Saturday afternoons from about -2.30 to 4. - -Wedding and funeral music had also to be supplied by the cantor. -Moreover he had not only to choose the music for these occasions, and -teach it to the choir, but appear in person to direct it, though he -frequently left the last duty to the prefect. - -The choristers had to take part in certain processions at Michaelmas, -New Year, on St Martin's and St Gregory's days: and these performances -were conducted by the prefects. For this purpose they were divided into -four choirs, but the four choirs had only two or three voices for each -part. The cantor had to direct the music in the two other churches, -_i.e._ St John and St Paul, to inspect their organs, and to superintend -the town musicians who took part in the church music. - -The holidays consisted of one week during each of the fairs,[39] -followed by a week of half-holidays. In the summer four weeks of -half-holidays. Morning lessons were omitted on Saints' days, funeral -days, and academical speech days. Four whole holidays in the year took -place on the "Name days" of the four principal masters. - -In Lent no church music was performed, except on the festival of the -Annunciation; and on the last three Sundays in Advent there was no -church music. - -The above list of holidays may seem at first sight ample; but it -had this great drawback: the masters were never free, as in English -schools, to go away for change of scene. The boys appear to have lived -with them throughout the year. It is possible that German boys do not -cause so much anxiety to their masters as English boys, and that work -was not carried on at such high pressure as nowadays; it is quite -certain that no master of an English public school could pursue his -work continuously, year after year, as these old Germans seem to have -done, without breaking down in health. - -The cantor was provided with a residence in the school: the salary -was 100 gülden (about £13), but the whole income from various sources -amounted to about 700 thalers (about £100), together with certain -allowances of corn, wine and firewood. A curious custom, though not -an uncommon one in those days, was, that certain scholars twice a -week went round the town to collect donations for the school; and out -of these, 6 pfennige (about three farthings) per week were taken for -each scholar and divided between the four upper masters. The moneys -collected during the processional singing in the streets, and also the -fees paid for funerals and weddings were divided according to certain -fixed rules. Bach mentions to Erdmann that when the air of Leipsic -is good there are few funerals, and therefore the cantor's income is -smaller. Many efforts were made by the public to evade these taxes, by -holding funerals and weddings without music; and there arose a certain -feeling of indignation that an important school and church official -should partly derive his means of subsistence from money obtained by -begging. - -Owing to the insufficiency of accommodation the school was a centre of -illness, until the building was enlarged. - -The Rector, Ernesti, was very old--he was a learned man, but was not -able to control either masters or boys. The former quarrelled among -themselves, and neglected their duties; the boys were undisciplined, -and the many calls on their time for musical performances made their -education difficult. When Ernesti was appointed there were one hundred -and twenty boys in the lower school; there were now only fifty-three. - -The scholarships had plenty of applicants, but the better class of -citizens sent their sons to the other schools. The lowest classes of -the Thomas School consisted of boys of the worst character, who went -about the town barefoot and begging. - -[Sidenote: _Kuhnau's troubles_] - -All reform which might result in curtailing his salary was opposed by -Ernesti, and the cantor seconded his opposition. Things therefore grew -worse and worse till his death in 1729. In 1730 the superintendent -reported that the school had run wild, and that there were so few -scholars that it was proposed to close the lower classes altogether. As -to the singing, it must have been very bad. The slow processions in the -worst of weather, the running up long flights of stairs to sing before -the doors of the higher "flats" ruined the voices. Kuhnau complained -in 1717 that the trebles lost their voices before they had learned to -use them. In addition to this, they were undisciplined and often feeble -and miserable from illness, so that they did not offer an attractive -material for the cantor to work upon. - -Kuhnau worked his hardest to remedy this state of things, but without -avail. In reply to his very reasonable request that at least two -trebles should be set apart for church music only, and not allowed to -run about the streets and attend funerals for money, the Council took -no further steps than to allow 4 gülden for this purpose, and that two -boys should be released from the winter processions. - -When from 1693 to 1729 a house in the Brühl, one of the chief streets -of Leipsic, was used for the performance of operas during the fairs, -much damage was done to the musical tendencies of the inhabitants of -Leipsic. The students of the University, who had formerly taken an -important part in the performance of the church cantatas, now left -Kuhnau (after he had been at the trouble of training them), and joined -the chorus of the opera. The trouble was most acute when Telemann was -organist of the Church of St Matthew. He had been a student in the -University, had composed an opera, and had formed a musical society -amongst the students. Looking upon him as one of themselves, they -entirely left Kuhnau, who had to supply the music for the churches -as best he could. A new and operatic style of music came into vogue -under Telemann at St Matthew's Church, which became very popular; -and his musical society became the most important in Leipsic. There -were sixty members, who practised twice a week from 8 to 10 in the -evening, and their performances, which took place during fair time, -became important. This "Musical Union" practised in the coffee-houses, -and members of the public were admitted; its meetings had none of the -formality of school practice, but were cheerful and attractive. Some of -its better instrumentalists obtained engagements in good bands, as at -Dresden, Darmstadt, Wolfenbüttel and Hamburg. - -Telemann's post, when he left, was successively occupied by good -musicians, and the union and opera were kept up; the cantor had, in -consequence, a hard time of it. At festivals and fairs, when he was -naturally anxious to do well before the public, he had nothing to rely -on but a few inefficient town musicians and unruly schoolboys. - -The organ at the Thomas Church was "belaboured first by one, then by -another pair of unwashed hands," the director of the music being either -unable to play it, or absent. Kuhnau begged that a regular organist -should be appointed, but he begged in vain. The Council, like everyone -else, were more interested in the attractions of the opera than in the -serious music of the two important churches. - -[Sidenote: The Thomas School] - -At last even the boys took to the opera. Those who had any voices got -engaged by an _impresario_, ran away from school, and returned only to -appear in the theatre during fair time, thus exciting the admiration -and envy of their former school-fellows. The music at the Thomas School -had reached its lowest ebb at the time of Kuhnau's death. - -[Sidenote: _The Successor to Kuhnau_] - -Kuhnau, the cantor of this School of St Thomas at Leipsic, died on June -5, 1722. Six candidates applied for the post--Fasch, a former pupil of -Kuhnau, and now capellmeister to the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst; Rolle, -musical director at Magdeburg, and formerly organist of Quedlinburg; -Telemann, who had composed cantatas for St Thomas' Church, and operas -for the Leipsic theatre, cantor at Hamburg; G. F. Kauffmann, a pupil -of Buttstedt, and organist of Merseburg; Graupner, capellmeister of -Darmstadt; and Schott, the organist of St Matthew's Church at Leipsic. - -Telemann was elected, and arrangements were made for his installation, -when he wrote from Hamburg that he would not accept the office. The -Council were therefore, much against their will, obliged to elect -another, and their choice fell on Graupner, who had been nine years a -boy in the Thomas School, and was a pupil of Kuhnau. He was considered -one of the best composers for the harpsichord of the day. He was -backed by strong recommendations and testimonials from Heinichen, the -capellmeister of Dresden, but the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt refusing -to part with him, he was forced to retire. - -[Sidenote: _Bach offers himself_] - -At the end of 1722 Bach, after long and anxious deliberation, offered -himself for the appointment. - -He did not wish to leave his comfortable post at Cöthen, and moreover -the position of cantor was somewhat less dignified than the office of -capellmeister. On the other hand, the education of his sons could be -better carried out at Leipsic, and the marriage of the Prince had to -some extent put him out of favour. After some three months' hesitation, -acting on the advice of friends, he went to Leipsic and performed his -test piece, "Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe" (Peters, 1290), on February -7, 1723. - -[Sidenote: _The Agreement_] - -On the retirement of Graupner Bach was chosen, with the proviso that -if he could not teach all the Latin required, they would pay a deputy -to do it for him. Not wishing to be behind his predecessor Kuhnau, -he undertook all the duties, but soon finding the Latin too much of -a task, he paid his colleague Pezold 50 thalers per annum to relieve -him of this part of his work. He had to sign an agreement to lead -a respectable and sober life; to be faithful and diligent in the -performance of his duties; to have a proper respect for the Council; -not to make the church music too long or too operatic; to instruct -the boys in instrumental as well as vocal music; to treat them with -humanity; not to send incapable singers to the New Church;[40] not to -make any journeys without permission from the Burgomaster; and not to -accept any office in the University without leave from the Council.[41] - -After signing this agreement, he had to pass an examination as to his -religious views, and on the 13th of May 1723, he was confirmed in the -appointment: though the installation did not take place till the 31st. - -[Illustration: St Thomas' Church, Leipsic] - -Bach's residence was in the left side of the school buildings: but in -1731 the building was enlarged and he for a year lived in a temporary -residence, for which the Council paid a rent of 60 thalers. - -This particular post of cantor was one of the most important in Germany -and had been always held by a distinguished man. The work was not -heavy, though the list of duties seems a long one; and he would have -time for his own engrossing occupation of composing. He still held the -rank of a capellmeister, and in addition to that of Cöthen, he was -given honorary rank as capellmeister of the Court of Weissenfels in the -year he removed to Leipsic. - -[Sidenote: _Troubles with the Authorities_] - -And with the resumption of church work came difficulties of many kinds. -The authorities never, from first to last, recognised that they had one -of the world's greatest geniuses to deal with; in fact they did not -require a genius; all they asked was that their cantor should be able -to carry out the church music in a respectable conventional manner. -Bach, with his lofty ideals, was so often at variance with them that -the history of his life at Leipsic seems at first sight to consist of -one long turmoil and trouble. - -[Sidenote: Cloud and Sunshine] - -Yet there are bright spots in the picture; and nothing was able to -disturb the equanimity with which, in spite of external rubs, he for -twenty-seven years continued to pour forth his marvellous Passion music -and cantatas. - -It was very important from Bach's point of view that he should be in -a position to control and regulate all the church music that was -performed at Leipsic; and for this purpose he was obliged to take -steps to obtain control of the students' chorus, which now sang in the -University Church. The organist there was Görner, a conceited and not -very competent musician, who had been in the habit of directing the -music after Kuhnau's death. - -Görner persuaded the authorities that the cantor of St Thomas could -not possibly serve St Paul's[42] as well as St Thomas and St Nicholas; -and he therefore continued in his post as musical director to the -University. - -[Sidenote: _An Appeal to the King_] - -The music for the University Festivals had, however, been from time -immemorial conducted by the cantor; and Bach seems to have gained his -way in the matter. The cantor had a special payment for these services; -but Görner had appropriated part of it. Bach tolerated this for two -years, and then addressed a letter to the King of Saxony explaining -that he, by right of office, conducted the music, but was only paid -half the official salary. The letter was dated September 14, 1725, and -on the 17th the Ministry of Dresden wrote to the University requiring -them to restore the salary to the petitioner, or to show their reasons -for not doing so. - -The University wrote justifying themselves, whereupon Bach, suspecting -that they had not properly stated the case, petitioned the King to -allow him to see a copy of their justification. He wrote a refutation -of this, and the business dragged on till May 23, 1726, when a -document, which seems to have been in Bach's favour, was presented to -the University, and the matter appears to have ended. He and Görner -were both employed to compose the music for extra festivals, but Bach -the more often.[43] - -Though Bach put all his energy into the music at the two chief -churches, he took care not to be merely a cantor. He had formerly -been, and still held honorary rank as capellmeister; and having a -very proper pride in himself and his profession, he now always called -himself Director Musices and Cantor. Considerable importance is -attached in Germany to such titles as Professor, Doctor, Capellmeister, -Musicdirector, etc., which have a recognised order of precedence; and -it is significant of the conditions that prevailed between Bach and his -church authorities that the latter nearly always persisted in giving -him the lower title of cantor. - -[Sidenote: 'Matthew Passion' Music] - -The first performance of the _Matthew Passion_ music took place in -Holy Week of 1729. In his efforts to improve the choir, he had asked -the Council to allow nine of the scholarships to be allotted to boys -with voices: and he hoped that the magnificent Passion music he had -just composed and performed would show them the importance of providing -better material; but all was in vain. They took no notice of his -request, and showed a complete ignorance of the value of their cantor's -work. - -About this time he became conductor of the Musical Union, which had -been founded by Telemann, but even here troubles arose. The Union -was expected to strengthen the choir at St Thomas' Church. No money, -however, being available to pay the students who took part, they -naturally fell off. Yet when the church music deteriorated the Council -were the first to blame the cantor. - -[Sidenote: _Bach is admonished_] - -They now began to observe, or imagine they observed, neglect of duty -on his part, and addressed various warnings and admonitions to him. -He became defiant and refused to explain, whereupon they said that -he was incorrigible. The chief trouble arose over the teaching of -Latin. We have already seen that the Council had originally offered -to pay a deputy to do this part of the cantor's work, but that Bach -had undertaken the whole. Finding it too irksome, however, he had -himself paid Pezold to act as his deputy, but the Council, considering -Pezold incompetent, wished to employ one Krügel. Instead of settling -the matter by insisting on Bach's doing the work himself, they showed -their petulance by bringing charges against him of not having behaved -with propriety, of sending a member of the choir into the country -without giving notice to the authorities, of going a journey without -permission, of neglecting his singing classes, and, in short, of doing -nothing properly. At first it was proposed to put him down to one of -the lowest classes, next to refuse payment of his salary, and at the -same time to admonish him. His doing "nothing" consisted in composing -and conducting an enormous number of church cantatas, including the -_Matthew Passion_. - -But the Council merely required hack work of him, and no doubt as they -paid him to do hack work (which could probably have been equally well -done by an inferior musician) they had a right to demand it. - -He had, it is true, given over half the singing practices to the choir -prefect, but this was only in accordance with long established custom, -and no one had previously complained. Moreover the Council themselves -had refused Bach's request for a more efficient choir, and it was -only natural that he should not take much interest in the drudgery of -teaching an unruly rabble, when he was occupied with work which was to -prove so much more important to the world at large. - -[Sidenote: Vestry Squabbles] - -In the constant state of conflict between masters, boys, Council and -Consistory, Bach chose to go his own way. With the Rector, Ernesti, who -troubled himself little about the musical arrangements, he had been on -excellent terms. - -Several stories are told of the petty tyranny sought to be exercised -over the great man by an ignorant and fussy vestry. Thus, Bach -insisted, for sufficient reasons, on his right of choosing the hymns -and ignoring those selected by Gaudlitz, the subdean of St Nicholas. -Gaudlitz reported him to the Consistory, who sent him a notice that -he must have the hymns sung which were chosen by the preacher. He -therefore appealed to the Council, showing that it had been the custom -for the cantor to select the hymns. This caused a squabble between the -Council and the Consistory, but it is not known how the matter ended. - -Another instance occurred over the announcement of the performance of -a _Passion_ music, for which the Council suddenly discovered that -their permission was necessary. The work had been performed several -times previously, and the irritating restriction was entirely uncalled -for. Bach simply reported to the superintendent of the Consistory that -the Council had forbidden the performance; and thus produced another -quarrel between the two bodies which was to his advantage. - -[Sidenote: _Inefficiency of Musicians_] - -Bach had not only to organise and train his choir, but to teach some -of his pupils to play on instruments, since the town musicians were -only seven in number, four wind and three string players. Money was not -forthcoming to pay professional musicians, though there were plenty in -Leipsic. Bach therefore got hold of the more gifted of his pupils and -taught them instruments, and many of them became accomplished artists. - -The regulations ordered that two hours of singing practice should be -held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 12 to 2; but as this -arrangement interfered with the cantor's dinner hour, his colleagues -petitioned that it should be changed. The Council refused to alter the -regulation, and in consequence Bach soon began to absent himself. - -[Sidenote: _Confiscation of Fees_] - -As the Council could not withhold his salary, they not only confiscated -certain fees collected for various outside duties but also contrived -that he should obtain no benefit from a legacy left to be divided among -the teachers and poorer scholars of the School. Bach was silent for -a time, but, when at last forced to speak, he wrote a long letter, -showing how absolutely inadequate were the means placed at his -disposal: incompetent town players, with mere boys to complete the -bands; singers who, not having had time to be trained, were obliged -to be admitted to the vacant places before they had any knowledge of -music; choirs with only two voices to a part, one of whom would often -be, or pretend to be, ill. - -Bach's letter irritated the Council, who, however, let the matter drop -after expressing their opinion on it. - -The Council acted according to their lights. Though they would not -give Bach the means he required for carrying out the music properly, -they could understand when an organ required repairing, and voted sums -of money from time to time for this purpose, and for the purchase of -violins, violas, violoncellos for church use; and they allowed Bach -to purchase Bodenschatz's Florilegium Portense[44] for the use of the -scholars. They did not actively hinder Bach's development, but they -had no conception of the greatness of the man they had to do with. -They curtailed his income in a moment of anger, but soon afterwards -reinstated it. - -[Sidenote: _Bach tries to leave Leipsic_] - -Bach became thoroughly hurt, and sought for a means of leaving -Leipsic. The friend of his boyhood, Erdmann, now held a post at -Dantzic, under the Emperor of Russia, and to him Bach applied, in an -interesting letter which is still extant.[45] He describes his wish to -leave Leipsic under four heads: (1) that the post was by no means so -advantageous as he was led to expect; (2) that many of the fees had -been stopped; (3) that the place is very dear to live in; (4) that the -authorities were strange people, with small love of music, who vexed -and persecuted and were jealous of him. Bach asked Erdmann to find him -a post at Dantzic, but nothing came of it, for he remained at Leipsic. -In spite of the high prices of necessities, he saved enough to leave -behind him a well-furnished house, a sum of money and a collection of -instruments and books. Like many other good organists he had his rubs -with an unthinking vestry, but got over them. - -The Rector, Ernesti, died in 1729, and in 1730 Bach's Weimar friend, -Gesner, was appointed: a member of the Council saying that he "hoped -that they would fare better in this appointment than they had done in -that of the cantor."[46] - -The new rector was in most respects the opposite of Ernesti. He was -energetic; had the power of governing, with a special talent for the -management of schoolboys. He was a brilliant scholar, and did much to -revive the study of Greek as part of a mental and moral training rather -than as a mere intellectual gymnastic. - -The Council were delighted, and did everything for him. As he was in -delicate health they not only had him carried to and from the school -in a chair, but remitted his duty of inspecting the school once every -three weeks. He smoothed over the disputes among the masters so that -they were no longer at enmity among themselves; won the affection of -his pupils by his new methods of instruction, his interest in their -welfare, and the enforcement of discipline and morality. - -The State, he said, had need of every kind of talent: and if he saw -boys working at something useful, which was not actually school work, -he would encourage them. He also revived the Latin prayers morning and -evening, which had been replaced by prayers in the German language. - -Between him and Bach there grew up a strong friendship. He helped the -music in every way he could: himself applying to the Council for the -books, etc., required by Bach. - -[Sidenote: _Gesner's Appreciation_] - -[Sidenote: A Vast Combination] - -Gesner, in his appreciation of Bach, appends a note in his edition of -the Institutiones Oratoriæ of Quintilianus, to the author's remark on -the capacity of man for doing several things at once, such as playing -the lyre, and at the same time singing and marking time with the foot. -He says, "All this, my dear Fabius, you would consider very trivial -could you but rise from the dead and hear Bach: how he, with both -hands, and using all his fingers, either on a keyboard which seems to -consist of many lyres in one, or on the instrument of instruments, of -which the innumerable pipes are made to sound by means of bellows; -here with his hands, and there with the utmost celerity with his feet, -elicits many of the most various yet harmonious sounds: I say, could -you only see him, how he achieves what a number of your lyre-players -and six hundred flute-players could never achieve, presiding over -thirty or forty performers all at once, recalling this one by a nod, -another by a stamp of the foot, another with a warning finger, keeping -tune and time; and while high notes are given out by some, deep tones -by others, and notes between them by others. Great admirer as I am of -antiquity in other respects, yet I am of the opinion that my one Bach, -and whosoever there may chance to be that resembles him, unites in -himself many Orpheuses, and twenty Arions."[47] - -Gesner did all he could to smooth away Bach's troubles, and probably -the latter was much happier than under the disorder which prevailed -while J. H. Ernesti was rector. Moreover, after one more dispute, -Bach and the Council at last learned to understand one another, and -quarrelled no more. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[39] The three fairs, called "Messe," are held at Easter, Michaelmas -and New Year. Leipsic is at these times crowded with merchants from all -parts of the world. - -[40] _i.e._ the Church of St Matthew. - -[41] Spitta, vol. ii. p. 186. - -[42] _i.e._ the University Church. In Bach's time there were six -churches at Leipsic--St Thomas, St Nicholas (or Nicolai), St Paul (or -University Church), St Matthew (or New Church), St Peter (or Petri), -and St John. - -[43] According to Spitta, vol. ii. p. 223. But Görner's name appears in -the "Chronicle" far more often than that of Bach in connection with the -music for these festivals. - -[44] See Glossary. - -[45] Spitta quotes it in full, vol. ii. p. 253. - -[46] Spitta, vol. ii. p. 242. - -[47] Quoted by Bitter, vol. i. p. 303. This appreciation of the skill -required to conduct a musical performance is remarkable as coming -from one who, not being musical, might be expected to think, with the -majority of non-musicians, that the conductor merely has to "beat time." - - - - -Chapter VI - - Home life at Leipsic--Personal details--Music in the family - circle--Bach's intolerance of incompetence--He throws his wig at - Görner--His preference for the clavichord--Bach as an examiner--His - sons and pupils--His general knowledge of musical matters--Visit - from Hurlebusch--His able management of money--His books and - instruments--The Dresden Opera--A new Rector, and further - troubles--Bach complains to the Council. - - -[Sidenote: _Home Life_] - -Let us now turn for a moment from this account of troubles and see -what the man was like in his own home. We have fairly full accounts -from which to draw a picture. It was related in chapter i. how the -various members of the Bach family clung together, meeting once every -year at various towns. The same traits are found in the household. -The pupils and sons all loved him. His character was amiable in the -extreme, but at the same time such as to command respect from all. Of -his hospitality, especially towards artists, we have special mention; -no musician passed through Leipsic without visiting him. He never -cared either himself to blame, or hear others find fault with, his -fellow-musicians. Of the Marchand incident he would never willingly -speak. He was modest in the extreme, and never seemed to know how much -greater he was than all the musicians he was fond of praising. - -In the midst of all his occupations he found time for music in the -family circle, and in later years he used to prefer playing the viola, -as he was then "in the midst of the harmony." He would occasionally -extemporise a trio or quartet on the harpsichord from a single part of -some other composer's music: if the composer happened to be present, -however, he would first make sure that no possible injury would be done -to his feelings. - -Though kindly and generous in his criticisms of others, he would never -tolerate superficiality and incompetence. He was therefore looked upon -as an excellent examiner when a new organist was to be appointed to a -church. He was quick-tempered, like most musicians in matters of music. -It is related that on one occasion, when the organist of the Thomas -Church, Görner, made a blunder, he pulled the wig off his own head, -threw it at Görner, and, in a voice of thunder, cried: "You ought to be -a shoemaker." - -His favourite instrument was the clavichord, on account of its power -of expression: and he made his pupils chiefly practise on this. He -learned to tune it and the harpsichord so quickly that it never took -him more than a quarter of an hour. "And then," says Forkel, "all the -twenty-four keys were at his service: he did with them whatever he -wished. He could connect the most distant keys as easily and naturally -together as the nearest related, so that the listener thought he had -only modulated through the next-related keys of a single scale. Of -harshness in modulation he knew nothing: his chromatic changes were as -soft and flowing as when he kept to the diatonic genus." - -Of his conscientiousness in examining organs and organists, Forkel -ironically remarks, it was such that he gained few friends thereby. -But when he found that an organ-builder had really done good work, and -was out of pocket by so doing, he would use his influence to obtain -further payment for the man, and in several cases succeeded. - -If he happened to be away from home with his son Friedemann on a -Sunday, he would make a point of attending the church service. He would -criticise the organist; would tell his son what course the fugue ought -to take (after hearing the subject), and would be delighted if the -organist played to his satisfaction. - -He did his best for his sons and pupils; in fact he treated the latter -as sons. He sent his two eldest sons to the University of Leipsic, and -used his influence to get appointments for them and their brothers. -On the marriage of his daughter Elizabeth with his pupil Altnikol, he -obtained an organistship for him at Naumburg without informing him -beforehand. - -[Sidenote: Of Many Parts] - -Though he would have nothing to say to musical mathematics, his -knowledge of everything to do with the art and practice of music was -astounding. He was intimate with every detail of organ construction; -he not only tuned but quilled his own harpsichords, and, as we shall -see later, he invented new instruments. When he was shown the newly -built opera house at Berlin, he observed the construction of the dining -saloon, and said that if a person whispered in a corner, another -person, standing in the corner diagonally opposite would hear every -word, though no one else could do so. Experiment proved this to be a -fact, though neither the architect nor anyone else had discovered it. - -An amusing story is told of a visit paid to him at Leipsic by -one Hurlebusch, a superficial and exceedingly conceited organist. -Hurlebusch had the reputation of being angry if his listeners praised -him instead of being so overcome with his playing that they could -say nothing. His visit to Bach was made, not to hear but to be heard -by, and to astonish, the great man. Bach took him to the harpsichord -and listened attentively to a very feeble minuet with variations. -Hurlebusch, taking Bach's politeness as a recognition of his great -talent, showed his gratitude by presenting Friedemann with a printed -collection of very easy sonatas, recommending him to practise them -diligently. His host, who could hardly repress a smile, thanked him -politely, and took leave of him without in the least betraying his -amusement. - -When we think that the education of his large family, the hospitality -to strangers, the journeys to try organs in various places, were all -accomplished on an income of not much over £100 a year, we must admire -the business-like capacity of the man, even though all due allowance -is made for the difference in the purchasing power of money in those -days.[48] But he managed to collect a by no means contemptible library -of music and theological books; for in his simple piety he took great -interest in religious questions. He also possessed a goodly number of -keyboard instruments, several of which he gave to his sons on their -obtaining appointments. Of stringed instruments he possessed enough for -the performance of concerted music in the home circle. Some few of his -personal belongings are preserved in the De Wit collection at Leipsic, -not twenty yards from his residence. They consist of his clock, a few -pictures and trifles belonging to his study table, and show at once -that they come from a house of refinement and comfort. - -[Sidenote: _Preference of a Simple Home Life to Riches_] - -In later life he heard and studied with great pleasure the works of -Fux, Handel, Caldara, Keiser, Hasse, the two Grauns, Telemann, Zelenka, -Bendax, and others. He knew most of these personally, and received -Hasse and his wife Faustina as visitors at Leipsic. He often went to -Dresden from Leipsic to hear the opera there, and used to say to his -son "Friedemann, shall we not go and hear the pretty little Dresden -songs again?" He was, says Forkel, far too deeply interested in his art -and his home life to enrich himself by travelling and exhibiting his -powers, though he might, especially at the time in which he lived, have -easily become wealthy by so doing. He preferred the quiet homely life, -and the unbroken work at his art, and was contented with his lot. The -"glory of God," not fame, was his object. But though his home life and -his work were a source of so much happiness, the external horizon began -to be stormy again. - -[Sidenote: More Storm] - -Gesner resigned his post in 1734, and was succeeded by the Conrector, -Joh. August Ernesti, a young and learned man, who, however, had no -sympathy with music.[49] He was at first on excellent terms with the -cantor, and was godfather to two of his sons; but, unfortunately, his -want of appreciation of music led, within a short time, to trouble. -Poor Bach seems at Leipsic to have been rarely free from disputes and -worries. It is true he was proud, sensitive, and irritable, where the -dignity of his art or his own personal rights were concerned; but that -the fault was not all on his side is shown by his friendly relations -with the Dukes of Weimar and Cöthen, and with all true artists. His -reputation throughout Germany was by this time enormous; and in Leipsic -itself he was considered by all except the Council and Consistory, -as the "glory of the town." It is true his compositions were heard -with more respect than appreciation; but his fame as an organist, -harpsichord player, and learned musician was recognised at Leipsic as -elsewhere. - -[Sidenote: War with Rector] - -[Sidenote: _The Appointment of a Choir Prefect_] - -The trouble with Ernesti was not of an uncommon nature; where there -is a want of appreciation of music on the part of learned men, there -is very apt to be jealousy of the reputation and influence of its -professors. Disputes arising from this cause seem to have been not -at all rare in Germany at the time. Ernesti hated music, and was -undignified enough to make sarcastic remarks to any boy whom he -happened to see practising an instrument. He endeavoured, being young -and active, to intermeddle in the musical arrangements, with serious -results. There is preserved in the "Acta" of the Town Council, a -"Complaint" by Bach, dated August 12, 1736, to the effect that the -Rector Ernesti had exceeded his powers by promoting the prefect of -the second choir to be prefect of the first. This may appear at first -sight an unimportant matter; but, as Bach points out, the prefect of -the first choir must not only be chosen on account of his voice and -character, but he must also have the ability and knowledge to conduct -the music when the cantor is not able to be present. It stands to -reason, therefore, that the cantor is the only person who can make -the selection. On the following day Bach addressed another letter to -the Council saying that Ernesti had threatened to reduce and flog -any boys who obeyed the cantor's directions; that he (Bach) had not -allowed the "incompetent Krause" (the prefect chosen by Ernesti) to -conduct the motet at St Nicolai, but had requested a student, Krebs, -to do so; that the boys were afraid to obey Bach in consequence of -the rector's threats; and that his authority, which was necessary for -the proper performance of the music, would be destroyed if this kind -of thing were allowed to go on. The quarrel continued; Bach wrote two -more letters, and, since the Council would not move, he appealed to the -Court at Dresden. Ernesti also wrote stating his side of the question. -This Krause was a _mauvais sujet_, was deeply in debt, and had a bad -character, and the rector wished to give him a chance of recovering his -character before leaving school. In order to settle the matter, the -Council finally ordained that as it was Krause's last term he was to -remain prefect to the end of it. - -Bitter says that the fault lay as usual on both sides: but with this -we cannot agree. Bach was a man nearly twice as old and experienced as -the rector; and he was undoubtedly within his rights in insisting on -choosing those responsible for carrying out the music. On this occasion -Ernesti said he was "too proud to conduct a simple chorale." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[48] A rough estimate of this difference may be made thus: The Council -paid 60 thalers = £9 a year for a "dwelling" for Bach during the -alterations to the Thomas School. Such a "dwelling" or "flat" would now -cost about £60 a year. An income of £100 in those days would therefore -represent the purchasing power of about £630 now: not a large sum on -which to give nineteen children a first-class education, and send two -to the university. - -[49] For his installation Bach composed a cantata "Thomana sass annoch -betrübt"--"St Thomas School was still in grief." From the _Leipsic -Chronicle_, 1734, quoted in _Centralblatt_, 1884. - - - - -Chapter VII - - Bach obtains a title from the Saxon Court--Plays the organ - at Dresden--Attacked by Scheibe--Mizler founds a musical - society--Further disputes--Bach's successor chosen during his - life-time--Visit to Frederick the Great--Bach's sight fails--Final - illness and death--Notice in the _Leipsic Chronicle_--The - Council--Fate of the widow and daughter. - - -At the end of 1736 Bach went to Dresden where he was given the title -of composer to the Saxon Court. He had applied for a title three years -before, in the hope that it would place him in a better position with -regard to the Council and Consistory; but it was in vain that he hoped -for this. Neither his works nor his titles were able to impress them. - -[Sidenote: _An Adverse Criticism_] - -We learn from a Dresden newspaper of that date that he played from -two to four in the afternoon of December 1st on the new organ in the -church of St Paul, in the presence of the Russian Ambassador, von -Kayserling, and many artists and other persons who heard him with very -great admiration. In the same year, 1736, was published a book of -hymns with their melodies by Schemelli, as a second volume to the book -of Freylingshausen, to which Bach had in his early days contributed -some of the music. On the 14th of May, 1737, there appeared a severe -criticism of the way in which Bach wrote out all his _manieren_ or -grace notes, instead of leaving them for the performer to add at his -discretion. The music thereby loses all its charm of harmony, says the -critic, and the melody becomes incomprehensible. He wonders that a man -should give himself so much trouble to act against reason. The writer -was J. A. Scheibe, a young man who had failed in a competition for an -organistship in which Bach was one of the examiners. The attack was -answered by Birnbaum, a friend of Bach's, in an interesting critical -analysis of Bach's works. This was answered by Scheibe, and the dispute -went on for some time, other writers joining in it, until, as Bitter -remarks, "all their powder was exhausted." Bach, however, worked away -without troubling himself about the matter. - -In 1738 Mizler,[50] a pupil of Bach's, founded a society for raising -the status of music. Though it was successful, the great musician was -not induced to join it until 1747, nine years later, when he handed -into the society a triple canon in six voices on the chorale "Vom -Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her" as an "exercise." It is to Mizler's -society that we owe the preservation of the portrait by Hausmann, now -in the Thomas-schule, which is reproduced in this work: and still -further have we to thank it for the account of his life, on which all -later biographies are based. - -[Sidenote: Disputes] - -[Sidenote: _A Successor Chosen_] - -Spitta gives accounts of further disputes. On one occasion a prefect -having punished some small boys at Bach's special order, the rector -ordered him to be publicly flogged, whereupon the prefect immediately -left the school rather than suffer such indignity. A boy happening -to pitch a hymn at St Nicholas too low for the congregation to sing, -Bach was summoned before the Council and told to see that it did not -happen again. The rector threatened to confiscate the boys' money -if they obeyed the cantor and accused Bach of being accessible to -bribery. In the _Leipsic Chronicle_ for 1749 we read that on June 8th -Gottlob Harrer was chosen as the future cantor of St Thomas, "when -Capellmeister and Cantor Herr Sebastian Bach should die." The text of -the cantata performed before the Council on this occasion was "The rich -man died and was buried." The Council seemed indeed anxious to get rid -of the great man who had done more than all others to make their city -famous. - -[Sidenote: _Visit to Frederick the Great_] - -[Sidenote: 'Only One Bach'] - -There is little more to relate. Bach from time to time made his -journeys to various towns, and paid visits to Erfurt, where his cousin, -Joh. Christoph, and Adlung were settled. As he advanced in years he -gave up these journeys. The last he made was to the Court of Frederick -the Great at Potsdam in 1747. His son Emanuel had been capellmeister -to Frederick since 1740; and the king had frequently, and always with -more insistence, thrown out hints that he would like to hear the great -artist. Bach being much occupied, and disinclined for travelling, did -not accede to the king's wishes until they amounted to a positive -command. Then, taking Friedemann with him, he started for Potsdam, -which he reached early in May. The story of the meeting with Frederick -is variously told. We will tell it in Friedemann's own words: "When -Frederick II. had just prepared his flute, in the presence of the -whole orchestra, for the evening's concert, the list of strangers -who had arrived was brought him. Holding his flute in his hand he -glanced through the list. Then he turned round with excitement to the -assembled musicians, and, laying down his flute, said, 'Gentlemen, -old Bach is come.' Bach, who was at his son's house, was immediately -invited to the castle. He had not even time allowed him to take off his -travelling clothes and put on his black Court-dress. He appeared, with -many apologies for the state of his dress, before the great prince, -who received him with marked attention, and threw a deprecating look -towards the Court gentlemen, who were laughing at the discomposure -and numerous compliments of the old man. The flute concerto was given -up for this evening; and the king led his famous visitor into all the -rooms of the castle, and begged him to try the Silbermann pianos, -which he (the king) thought very highly of, and of which he possessed -seven.[51] The musicians accompanied the king and Bach from one room -to another; and after the latter had tried all the pianos, he begged -the king to give him a fugue subject, that he could at once extemporise -upon. Frederick thereupon wrote out the subject (afterwards used in -the musical offering), and Bach developed this in the most learned -and interesting manner, to the great astonishment of the king, who, -on his side, asked to hear a fugue in six parts. But, since every -subject is not adapted for so full a working out, Bach chose one for -himself, and astounded those present by his performance. The king, who -was not easily astonished, was completely taken by surprise at the -unapproachable mastery of the old cantor. Several times he cried 'There -is only one Bach.' On the following day he played on all the organs -in the churches of Potsdam, and again in the evening on the Silbermann -pianos. From here he paid a visit to Berlin, where he was shown the -opera house."[52] - -A newspaper account of the visit to Frederick varies in several details -from the above; but as the account of the son, who was with Bach, and -perhaps an eye-witness, is the more trustworthy, we have not thought it -necessary to trouble our reader with the second account.[53] - -[Sidenote: _Last Illness_] - -In the following year the enormous strain he had all his life put upon -himself began to take its effect. Although of unusual strength, the -work had worn out his body. First his eyes, which had been used day -and night from the time he copied his brother's book by moonlight, -began to give way. The weakness gradually increased, and pains began -to trouble him, yet he could not believe that he was near his end. -Friends persuaded him to undergo an operation at the hands of an -eminent English oculist, who was then in Leipsic. But the result of two -operations was that he lost his sight altogether, and his health was so -broken down by them that he never again left his house, while he was in -constant pain till his death. - -[Sidenote: Death] - -But he continued to work, even through his hours of greatest suffering. -He set the chorale "When we are in the greatest need" in four parts, -dictating them to Altnikol, his son-in-law. An extraordinary thing -happened ten days before his death; one morning he was able to see well -and to bear daylight; but a few hours after an apoplectic stroke, -followed by a violent fever, completely overcame him. The attentions of -the two best doctors in Leipsic could not avail against the illness, -and at a quarter past eight o'clock in the evening of July 28, 1750, he -breathed his last. - -[Illustration: St John's Church, Leipsic] - -He was buried in St John's churchyard, and, like that of Mozart, his -grave was forgotten and lost. The churchyard was altered early in the -nineteenth century, to allow of a new road being made, and his bones -with those of many others were removed. Some remains lately discovered -on the south side of the church are supposed with good reason to be -those of Bach; but nothing is known for certain. - -On his deathbed he had dictated to Altnikol the chorale "Vor deinen -Thron tret ich hiemit." The _Leipsic Chronicle_ notices his death as -follows: "July 28, at eight in the evening the famous and learned -musician Herr Joh. Sebastian Bach, composer to His Majesty the King of -Poland and Elector of Saxony; Capellmeister to the Courts of Cöthen and -Weissenfels, Director and Cantor of the school of St Thomas, died." -Here follows a sketch of his life. "The Bach family came from Hungary, -and all, as far as is known, have been musicians, from which perhaps -arises the fact that even the letters b, a, c, h, form a melodic -succession of notes."[54] - -That is all; not one word of regret. Nor do we find that much notice -anywhere was taken of the death of the great man. A meeting of the -Council took place shortly afterwards in which, while no expressions -of sympathy were heard, the remark was made, "Herr Bach was a great -musician no doubt, but we want a schoolmaster, not a capellmeister"; -and they proceeded at once to arrange for the instalment of Harrer. - -[Sidenote: _Fate of the Widow and Children_] - -The sons of the first marriage took possession of all music that was of -value, and sold the rest of the property. Görner, Bach's former rival, -undertook the duties of guardian to his younger children, and seems to -have fulfilled the task with propriety and reverence. Bach's widow was -allowed her husband's salary for six months, after which, receiving no -help from her stepsons, she supported her younger children as well as -she could, and becoming gradually poorer, died in an almshouse and was -buried in a pauper's grave. The youngest daughter, Regina, lived till -1809, and was supported by charity in her old age. - -The family of Joh. Sebastian Bach gradually died out, and is now -extinct, the last representative, a farmer of Eisenach, having died in -1846. - -Bach's music fell more and more into oblivion, and for a time his name -seems to have been forgotten. In 1883 a room in the Thomas-schule was -used as the English Church, and on the first floor a smaller room was -used as the vestry. In the latter was a cupboard in which the communion -plate and surplices were kept. The writer was told that this cupboard -had formerly been full of music MSS., and that during the years of -oblivion, whenever a Thomas-schule boy wanted a piece of paper to wrap -up his "Butterbrod" he was allowed to tear out a sheet of paper from -one of Bach's manuscripts.[55] - -Thus after his death were treated the family and works of the man "to -whom music owes as much as religion does to its founder." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[50] See Glossary. - -[51] These pianos were made in the years 1746-7 after the invention of -Cristofori of Florence, who was the first to use the hammer action. -This action, however, did not suit Bach's touch, and though he praised -the tone, he does not appear to have become possessed of one. The -writer was shown one of the above-mentioned Silbermann pianos in the -Palace of Sanssouci at Potsdam in 1884. - -[52] See page 79. - -[53] It can be found in Bitter, vol. ii. p. 317, Spitta, vol. iii. p. -231, and elsewhere. - -[54] h being the German term for B[natural]. - -[55] This story may or may not be true--we give it for what it is worth. - - - - -Chapter VIII - -The Cantatas and the Chorale - - -[Sidenote: _Characteristics of Bach's Music_] - -The prevailing characteristics in Bach's compositions are intense -earnestness of purpose, and, in his church music, a deep religious -feeling, too deep for the ordinary everyday person to appreciate; an -absolute absence of anything extraneous, such as concessions to singers -and performers, or to the fashion of the day. When Bach writes florid -or highly ornamental passages, they are not intended merely to exhibit -the skill of the performer--their most important purpose is the exact -expression of the words or emotions in hand. In this he and Beethoven -were at one. Their difficulties of execution arise from the necessities -of artistic expression, and such difficulties will be found in all the -truest and best art, the art that lives beyond the fashion of the hour. - -Bach, like Beethoven, suffered from the influx of a superficial kind of -music which so easily captivates an unthinking public. - -The proximity of the Dresden Court, with its Italian Opera Company -and the opening of an opera-house in Leipsic itself, had much the -same effect in attracting the Leipsic public away from the solidity -and severity of the cantor (whom, all the same, they never ceased to -respect) as the Rossini fever had in the beginning of the nineteenth -century at Vienna with regard to Beethoven's music. Bach, however, -was in a worse position than Beethoven, for he lived and worked in a -small circle of German towns, and only in the domain of church music. -Teutonic to the backbone, he expressed his thoughts in his own way -without swerving to the right or left. He never had occasion to try and -please any but a North German public, and he mostly endeavoured only -to please himself, and promote the "glory of God" in his own way, by -adhering strictly to what his genius told him was right; and posterity -has endorsed his views. - -Beethoven, on the other hand, lived at a time when communications -between countries were beginning to be more rapid and frequent. The -French Revolution, and the constant wars brought about by the ambition -of Napoleon, though temporarily hostile to the actual practice of art, -had the effect of making whatever art was produced more cosmopolitan, -and therefore more easily appreciated outside the artist's country. -Thus Beethoven's music soon became known in England: and at the very -time when the Rossini fever was causing him to be forgotten in Vienna -(the town of his adoption) the English Philharmonic Society was -negotiating with the great composer for the composition of a symphony, -and these negotiations, as is well known, resulted in the production of -the greatest symphony the world has yet seen. - -[Sidenote: _Bach and Handel_] - -It is customary to compare the two musical giants of the first half -of the eighteenth century, Handel and Bach. Both were born in the -same year, 1685, Handel being the senior by one month only: both were -natives of small German towns, within a few miles of each other. Both -received their earliest musical education in Germany, but with the -difference that Bach, coming of a family of professional musicians, -there was never any thought of bringing him up to any other profession, -while Handel's father, a surgeon, had all the prejudices of his time -and profession against music, and did his best to stifle his son's -proclivities, till they became too strong for him to longer withstand. - -After early childhood the ways of the composers were widely different. -While Bach was painfully acquiring the technique of his art, by making -long journeys on foot to hear and get instruction from eminent German -organists, by practising assiduously day and night, and by copying all -the best music he could lay hands on, Handel was playing the violin and -harpsichord in the German opera conducted by Keiser at Hamburg. - -At the age of twenty-one Handel went to Italy and remained there three -years studying, and successfully composing operas for the Italians, who -called him "Il caro Sassone,"--"the dear Saxon." At twenty-one Bach -was organist of a small and unimportant German town, still working -hard to improve his technical powers in every direction. Everyone -knows that Handel made his first reputation as a composer of Italian -operas which are completely forgotten, and not till he was fifty-five -years old did he begin that series of oratorios or sacred dramas by -which he is immortalised. Bach, on the other hand, making the organ -and the chorale his starting point, continued all his life to compose -sacred music--"church music" as it was called, and never wrote for the -theatre. Handel, domiciled in England, knew his public and knew them -so well that he wrote works which not only became popular at once, but -have never ceased to be popular. Bach either did not know, or did not -care to please his public, and wrote far above their heads, so that for -a time after his death he was forgotten entirely: only when Mozart, -and afterwards Mendelssohn, became acquainted with the wonders of his -genius did the public, almost against their will, begin to appreciate -what a giant had been on the earth in those days.[56] - -[Sidenote: _Ein feste Burg_] - -Bach's place in Lutheran Church history is very important. He is -connected directly with the Reformation through the chorale, which -Luther so much encouraged as a means of spreading the new views of -religion. Bach was a strict Lutheran; and the chorale, or hymn to be -sung by the congregation, was perhaps the most important expression of -Lutheran religious feeling. The words will explain this perhaps better -than anything else, if we take an example at random from the Leipziger -Gesangbuch, in literal prose translation--_e.g._ No. 171: "A strong -castle is our God; a good defence and weapon; he freely helps us in all -trouble that can meet us. The ancient wicked enemy is in earnest; his -cruel armour is great power and much deceit: there is none like him on -the earth. - -"We can do nothing of our own power, we are soon lost: but there -fights for us the right man, whom God himself has chosen. Dost thou ask -his name? Jesus Christ is his name, the Lord of Sabaoth. There is no -other God; he is bound to win the day. - -"And if the world were full of devils, who would devour us, we need not -fear much, for we shall conquer. The prince of this world, however sour -he may appear, can do nothing against us: a word is able to slay him," -&c. - -[Sidenote: A Notable Chorale] - -This is one of the chorales assigned to the Festival of the -Reformation, and one can imagine with what force it would appeal -to those disposed towards Luther's teaching. Its well-known melody -was composed by Luther, and it was used by Bach as the foundation -of a cantata which is considered by Zelter to have been composed in -celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Reformation in 1717, but -the composer re-arranged it in 1730. The orchestra contains three -trumpets, one flute, two oboes, one oboe di caccia, two violins, viola, -violoncello, organ and figured bass. - -The first chorus set to the words of the first verse has the following -vigorous opening, the orchestra playing an independent accompaniment. -(For convenience of English readers we quote from Novello's octavo -edition.) - -[Music: A stronghold sure our God re-] - -[Music: - - A stronghold sure our God remains, - A shield and hope unfailing -][57] - -This is worked in bold fugato (both chorus and orchestra taking the -subject or the counter-subject), for thirty-six bars, which are then -repeated, note for note, to the words: "In need His help our freedom -gains, o'er all we fear prevailing." - -A short quotation may serve to give some idea of the fulness of the -writing and the boldness of the counterpoint, of which the effect, when -sung with proper energy, is overwhelming. - -[Music: In need his help our freedom gains] - -The words "our old malignant foe" follow, with the new fugue subject - -[Music: Our old malignant foe] - -occupying twenty-four bars. - -Then - -[Music: - - Would fain work us woe - would fain] - -&c. treated fugato for twenty bars; and each line is worked in the same -way. - -[Sidenote: A Massive Chorus] - -The whole chorus is 221 bars in length, and is a masterpiece of massive -choral and orchestral writing, in keeping with the sentiment of the -words. It opens with three trumpets, drums, violoncello, and organ -manual, the pedal being silent for the first twenty-three bars. At -the twenty-fourth bar (the first quoted on page 97) the pedal enters -with the 16 feet Posaune, and makes a bold canon of eight bars, with -the melody played in the highest register of the trumpet. The canon -concludes with a drum passage on the dominant; and fresh canons between -trumpet and pedal occur at bars 49, 88, 122, 147, 178 and 200. - -These seven canons are all formed on the musical phrases of the -tune: and one might almost look upon the chorus as a gigantic -"choral-vorspiel" with long vocal and instrumental interludes between -the phrases given out by the trumpets and pedal. - -[Sidenote: A Florid Duet] - -The second verse is set as a duet for treble and bass, still in the key -of D. After a ritornello, the bass enters with the words "all men born -of God our Father, at the last will Jesus gather," set to exceedingly -florid passages, above which floats the melody in the treble voice. - -[Music: - - Our utmost might is all in men, - All men born of God our] - -A bass recitative, commenting on the preceding sentiments follows, and -then a treble aria, "Within my heart of hearts, Lord Jesus, make thy -dwelling." In the fifth number the whole chorus sings the melody in -unison, now changed to 6/8 time, and with a very florid accompaniment. - -[Music: If all the world with fiends were filled.] - -This is followed by a tenor recitative, "Then close beside Thy -Saviour's blood-besprinkled banner, my soul remain," &c., a duet for -alto and tenor, "How blessed then are they, who still on God are -calling;" and the cantata concludes with the chorale simply harmonised -in four parts, "That word shall still in strength abide," in the form -familiar to English congregations. - -[Sidenote: _Fertility of Invention_] - -We have given a fairly full description of this fine cantata in order -to show our readers what is meant when it is said that Bach based -his church music essentially on chorale. Most of the cantatas are -constructed in the same kind of way, _i.e._ a chorale is used as the -chief subject. But that Bach did not merely work on a fixed model is -shown by the fact that no two of the one hundred and ninety cantatas -published by the Bachgesellschaft are alike. Nothing astonishes us -more than the enormous fertility of invention shown in these wonderful -works, the variety of detail, and yet the unity of purpose. The one -idea of the composer was the religious effect to be obtained by the -highest efforts of art devoted to the service of God. Except in -Germany, they are rarely heard in their proper place as part of the -church service: but the mere reading through of the scores produces -a most profound effect, and creates a perpetual astonishment in the -reader at the enormous resources of the composer. - -Bach is generally considered as the greatest composer for the organ, -but his organ works, wonderful as they are, seem small in comparison -with these marvellous cantatas, all different and yet all connected, as -it were, by an underlying unity of purpose. - -[Sidenote: _The Choral-vorspiel_] - -Bach took the melody of "Ein feste Burg" for one of his finest -choral-vorspiele (Peters, 245, No. 22). This is a particularly -interesting composition, since it is the only chorale in which we -obtain any clue to Bach's methods of registering. In Walther's MS. are -given a few indications "a 3 clav." for three manuals. The left hand is -to begin with the fagott, sixteen feet, and the right hand on the choir -with the "sesquialtera." The piece was doubtless intended for the organ -at Mühlhausen which was renovated and enlarged under Bach's directions, -and which had three manuals, containing on one a sixteen feet "fagott," -and on another a combination producing a "good sesquialtera tone." It -is one of the larger choral-vorspiele, containing fifty-eight bars. - -It is worth while noticing how Bach, in this, and all other -choral-vorspiele, does not adhere literally to the notes of the melody, -but introduces ornamental passages, or lengthens and shortens notes -to serve his purpose, or introduces the subject in augmentation and -diminution. This was the regular custom amongst German organists. The -choral-vorspiel is, in its simplest form, merely intended to prepare -the congregation for the melody that is to be sung, but instead of a -mere bald playing through of the tune, as is usual in English churches, -the organist was expected to use his art in elaborating it. - -[Sidenote: 'Surprising Variations'] - -Bach, in his younger days, was accused of over-elaborating, not only -the vorspiele, but the accompaniment. It was a fault of youth, and -hardly called for the official censure that the Council at Arnstadt -thought fit to administer. He was practically his own teacher. If he -had been under the guidance of an older and more experienced organist, -he would undoubtedly have curbed his zeal for "surprising variations." - -At that time he seems to have lost sight of the fact that he was -expected to accompany the congregation. He forgot all about them, -and gave free rein to his imagination so that the "congregation were -confounded." And well they might be, by the following example of his -accompaniment. - -[Music: "WER NUR DEN LIEBEN GOTT LÄSST WALTEN." - -_From the Leipziger Gesangbuch. As sung._ - - Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten - und hoffet auf ihn allezeit.] - -[Music: BACH'S METHOD OF ACCOMPANYING WHEN AT ARNSTADT. - -_Peters 244, Variante zu No. 52._ - - Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten - und hoffet auf ihn allezeit] - -He was in reality not suited to be a mere accompanist--his genius was -too great to be tied down to the formal notes sung by the congregation, -and a far lesser man would have suited this kind of work better. His -choral-vorspiele are masterpieces of organ work; his extemporised or -written accompaniments are artistic, but quite impracticable. - -But when he harmonises a chorale in vocal parts for his choir to sing -with the congregation, his genius shines forth in the most exquisite -harmonic combinations possible. Examples abound, and a volume might -be written on this subject alone. We can only indicate here a few -instances of various treatments of the chorale. - -Every one knows the opening double chorus in the _Matthew Passion_. -After an instrumental introduction full of dignity and solemnity, built -chiefly on tonic and dominant pedals (E minor), the first chorus sings, -"Come ye daughters, weep with me, behold the Lamb as a bridegroom." -The second chorus exclaims, "Whom? How?" while the first continues its -course, and a "Soprano ripieno" chorus enters with the chorale-- - -[Music: - - O thou begotten son of God. - Who on the cross wast slain.] - -The work is now performed every Good Friday in the Thomas Church at -Leipsic. The organ gallery occupies the whole of the west end of the -nave and two side aisles. On each side are placed the singers, the -soprano and alto parts being sung by women. This chorale is sung by the -boys of the Thomas Schule, some forty in number, and the effect of the -contrast of tone bringing it in is overwhelming. Poor Bach, with his -miserable little rabble of a choir with three voices to a part, can -hardly have realised how his music would sound many years after his -death, when performed by a large body of enthusiastic and intelligent -musicians. - -The next chorale in the work is - -[Music: O Holy Jesu how hast thou offended,] - -harmonised for four voices, and accompanied by violins, flutes, oboes, -violas and basses, in unison with the respective voices and figured -bass organ part. This accompaniment is used for all the succeeding -chorales, and we may remark that the melody is given to the two flutes -and two oboes as well as the first violins, that it may be made -prominent. - -All the other chorales in this work, six in number, are thus arranged -and accompanied. The well-known Phrygian melody - -[Music: Herzlich thut mir verlangen.] - -occurs no less than five times, sometimes harmonised in the Ionian, -sometimes in the Phrygian mode, and he has arranged it in the latter -mode as a very beautiful vorspiel for the organ (Peters 244, No. 27). - -We may here remark that in playing the organ choral-vorspiele no notice -is to be taken of the _fermata_, which are only used when the melodies -are sung.[58] - -[Sidenote: Uses of the Chorale] - -Besides the choral-vorspiele, and the introduction of the melody in -conjunction with a chorus, and the harmonisation in four parts, with -orchestra doubling the voice parts, Bach makes many other uses of the -chorale. In the _Christmas Oratorio_, for example, he combines it -with recitative, the melody being freely accompanied by the orchestra, -and interspersed with recitative passages of the nature of interludes -between the lines. Or he harmonises it in four parts, with free -orchestral interludes. - -The above quoted melody appears in the _Christmas Oratorio_ with -brilliant orchestral accompaniment and interludes, three trumpets, -drums and two oboes being used besides the strings and organ. - -Erk has collected 319 chorales in two volumes (Peters), extracted -from the church cantatas, &c., and has given full particulars of -the sources. Sometimes they are worked up as fugues. Thus, the tune -composed by Kugelmann about 1540, and generally known in England as the -"Old Hundredth," appears in the cantata "Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu -Ende" in the following form, the voice parts being doubled by strings, -cornet, two oboes, three trombones and organ. - -[Music: Nun lob mein Seel.] - -The choral-vorspiele published in the Peters' edition number about -143--besides several sets of partitas or variations on chorales, and -many "Varianten," or different workings of the same vorspiel. - -Although this eminently national German and Lutheran form of religious -art sank deeply into Bach's soul, and more or less influenced and -coloured all his compositions for the Church, he was accused at Leipsic -of being too proud to demean himself to conducting or accompanying a -mere chorale! - -What he did was to allow his genius full play on a form which intensely -interested him, and to exhibit it in new and original aspects. - -[Sidenote: _Orchestration_] - -The orchestration of the cantatas is of great interest. It is generally -known that Bach did not usually employ the orchestral instruments in -the modern manner, but made each play an independent counterpoint. -Thus there were as many contrapuntal parts as there were voices -and instruments combined; and a cantata was described as being, -for example, "in nine parts, for one oboe, two violins, one viola, -one violoncello, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices with organ -continuo," or as a "concerto for four voices, two oboes, viola and -continuo." Sometimes, as in "Erforsche mich Gott," there is a violin -obbligato above the voice parts in the final four-part chorale. In -other cantatas it is noted that the "cantus firmus (the chorale-melody) -is in the soprano," or other voice. In the opening chorus of "Herr Gott -dich loben wir," the cantus firmus is in the soprano, the other voices -sing throughout, making the interludes which are usually allotted to -the instruments. - -Bach was fond of dividing his violas. Thus, part of "Gleichwie der -Regen und Schnee" is scored for four voices, two flutes, two violins, -_four violas_, fagotto, violoncello and continuo. - -Or parts are written for a viola and a taille (the tenor viol). In "O -Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort," the scoring is for three oboes, two violins, -viola and continuo, with a tromba da tirarsi (slide trumpet) in unison -with the soprano throughout. The cantata "Ich hatte viel Bekümmerniss," -known in England as "My spirit was in heaviness," was composed and -performed at Weimar on the third Sunday after Trinity, 1714, on his -being made Concertmeister there. It is labelled "Per ogni tempi," -"suitable for any season." It has one oboe and one fagotto, besides the -usual strings. - -[Sidenote: A Mannerism] - -"Es ist nichts gesundes" is scored for three flutes, cornet, three -trombones, two oboes, the usual strings and four voices. Here the -cantus firmus is given out by the organ in the bass with figures, - -[Music] - -and there is no further reference to it until long after the chorus -have entered, and have been singing contrapuntal passages, when, -without any warning as it were, the three flutes, cornet, and three -trombones, which have hitherto been silent, bring in the chorale in -four parts, the voices and strings continuing their contrapuntal -course. The effect is so peculiarly Bach-like that we cannot refrain -from quoting a few bars. - -[Music: FROM THE CANTATA "ES IST NICHTS GESUNDES AN MEINEM LEIBE." NO. -25. - -_Bars 14 to 17._ - -Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem] - -[Music: meinem Leibe] - -The above quotation is only a specimen of what is found throughout -a long chorus, all the sections of the chorale being introduced in -turn, with a never-ceasing flow of counterpoint in the voice parts, -accompanied in the same way by strings. - -If we examine the voice parts we shall find that they practically -amount to a double canon, the tenor imitating the bass, the treble -imitating the alto. But the canon is not carried out with an iron-bound -rule which would crush all beauty out of the music; on the contrary, -the imitations are quite free and unconstrained. Each voice must have -its melody, even if collisions occur now and then, such as between -alto and tenor bar 15, last quaver: alto and bass just previously to -this: the consecutive sevenths in the treble and alto bar 16, third and -fourth quavers, or the entry of the tenor on F[natural] bar 17, against -the F[sharp] in the bass. This rough and healthy vigour is thoroughly -characteristic; the parts must express themselves by their melody; if -they happen occasionally to collide, this is of much less importance -than that their vigorous melody should be sacrificed in order to -sweeten the harmony. - -[Sidenote: Technical Skill] - -The string accompaniment must also take its part. The instruments -are all treated as individuals, not merely as filling up harmonies. -Therefore they do not reiterate one note in each chord, but move about. -The wind instruments play in four part harmony which is complete in -itself. It might perhaps appear that this is merely a display of -learning and contrapuntal skill, but a close examination of Bach's -most elaborate works will reveal the fact that the greater the -contrapuntal task he sets himself, the more expressive is the music. -Such choruses exhibit the highest possible technical skill, but all -this is as nothing compared to the wonderfully artistic effect that -the composition as a whole produces. - -In some cases Bach writes an organ obbligato part in addition to the -"continuo," or figured bass. Thus the opening symphony of "Wir danken -dir, Gott, wir danken dir," composed for the election of the Town -Council at Leipsic in 1737, consists of the "Prelude" of the violin -solo suite No. 6 transposed to D, - -[Music] - -on the obbligato organ, with accompaniments for three trumpets, drums, -two oboes, strings and continuo (to be played on another organ[59]). - -Bach seems to have tried every kind of experiment with his orchestra. -For instance in "Freue dich erlöste Schaar" an aria is accompanied by -a flute, a muted violin, the rest of the strings pizzicato, and the -organ part to be played staccato. One peculiarity, however, of his -orchestration is that the combination of instruments he chooses for a -particular movement remains the same throughout. Rests occur in the -parts, but there is no variety of treatment within the movement. Thus -in the above-mentioned aria the lower strings having begun pizzicato -play pizzicato throughout, the first violins remain muted throughout, -and the organ plays staccato throughout. Again, in the opening chorus -of "Es ist nichts gesundes," referred to above, the wind never plays -anything but the chorale in four parts. Of variety there is plenty, but -it is not produced by modern methods. - -Bach was just as careful in the choice of instruments for his -particular effects as in the choice of stops in organ playing. Many of -the instruments he used are now obsolete, and their intonation must -have been very faulty. Yet if they had the particular tone colour -he considered fitting he would not hesitate to employ them, to the -exclusion of, or together with, the more manageable instruments such -as the violin, viola, oboe, &c. Amongst the obsolete instruments he -employed to accompany the voices in his cantatas and Passion music -were violoncello piccolo,[60] viola da gamba,[60] taille,[61] viola -d'amore,[60] cornet,[60] oboe d'amore,[62] oboe da caccia,[60] -lituus,[60] violetta,[60] violino piccolo.[60] - -[Sidenote: Cantatas] - -Some of the cantatas are called solo cantatas; they consist of a series -of movements usually founded on a chorale, for one or more solo voices, -and contain no choruses, though occasionally a chorale is to be sung by -the congregation. - -The cantatas are often called by Bach "Concertos." Thus "Bereitet die -Wege" for fourth Sunday in Advent is entitled "Concerto à 9, 1 oboe, 2 -violini, 1 viola, 1 violoncello, soprano, alto, tenor, bass, col basso -per organo di J. S. Bach." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[56] Burney devotes nearly a whole volume to Handel, and only one -paragraph to Bach. - -[57] The original tune would be, with the above words-- - -[Music: A stronghold sure our God remains] - -[58] See Griepenkerl's Introduction to Peters, vol. 244. - -[59] According to Gesner the keyboard of the Rück-positiv (back choir) -of the St Thomas' organ stood apart from the chief organ, and was used -by Bach to conduct from (see the frontispiece of Walther's Lexicon, -1732). If there was an organ obbligato part, it would be played on this -manual, while another person played the _continuo_ on the chief organ. - -[60] See Glossary. - -[61] See p. 108. - -[62] A minor third below the oboe, and of more pathetic tone. - - - - -Chapter IX - -The Matthew Passion and B Minor Mass[63] - - -[Sidenote: _The Lutheran Services_] - -It was Luther's chief intention to make the congregation take more part -in the service of the Church than they had formerly done. The first -thing therefore was to diminish or abolish the use of Latin; and the -people were made to sing what they could understand and appreciate. - -Luther translated a number of excellent old church hymns, and made -new tunes for them, being assisted in this work by friends. The newly -arranged hymns were to take the place of the Graduals, Offertories, &c. - -He also translated and reorganised the chief parts of the Mass; thus -the Kyrie became "Gott Vater in Ewigkeit," the Gloria, "Allein Gott in -der Höh sei Ehr," the Creed, "Wir glauben all an einen Gott," and the -Agnus Dei, "Christe du Lamm Gottes." - -The Preface, the Benedictus, and Hosanna were left in Latin. - -Besides the chorales, he instituted the motet for the choir, which was -accompanied ordinarily by the organ, but on high festivals by cornets -and trombones. The style of the motets was that of Palestrina and -Orlando Lasso, and the texts were chosen from the Bible, especially the -Psalms. On days of humiliation, a long Litany and several Latin hymns -were sung instead of the Gloria. In Holy Week and on Palm Sunday and -Good Friday, instead of the Epistle, the Story of the Passion was sung -antiphonally from one of the gospels by two priests before the altar. - -But several inconveniences gradually arose. In spite of Luther's urgent -order, "A priest _must_ be able to sing," there were, in course of -time, only a few who could, and those sang badly--most priests could -not even keep to a single note. - -Let us imagine an unbroken monotone or monotonous chant badly intoned, -of the length of perhaps over one hundred verses; and the service, -being lengthened by the addition of hymns, &c., occupied sometimes from -four to five hours, all in one wearisome unison, and entirely deprived -of the variations which gave life to the Catholic service. Moreover if -anyone came late or left early he was severely reprimanded. - -[Sidenote: The German Mass] - -Luther said, "We arrange the German Mass as well as we can; our -successors will improve it." But for a hundred years after his death -men held most conscientiously to the letter of his sayings, and when -alterations were made, they were done so sparingly that they were -of little effect. The Latin songs were almost all assigned to other -services, _e.g._ the "Rex Christe" was assigned to the vespers, the -"Crux fidelis" to Thursday in Holy Week, and the singing of the Passion -before the altar was changed to a mere reading from the pulpit. - -But when read, only a very small portion of the congregation either -heard or understood it in a large and well-filled church; and soon -there arose disorders, especially when the old Protestant strictness -of discipline began to decline, and the Thirty Years' War had produced -much roughness in manners. A way out of the difficulty was found, -which must be mentioned, though it only lasted a few years. It was -certainly conceived in accordance with Luther's principles, but it -was soon found to be entirely impracticable. The congregation were -_themselves_ to sing the Passion story. For this purpose a song was -composed by Paul Stockmann ("Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod") containing -all the chief points in the story. Not only did the composition prove -entirely unsatisfactory in itself, but can one imagine four and thirty -strophes of eight lines each being sung straight away to one of the -dullest and most monotonous melodies that was ever composed! - -During this period, however, Figural music had, outside the Church, -been gradually developing in a freer and more easily appreciated -manner, and was therefore becoming widely cultivated. - -[Sidenote: _Introduction of Figural Music_] - -It found favour with the people, since there was no law against -its use, so that it began to enter the Church, not in ordinary -services, but on festivals. The result was most favourable. We find -expressly stated the attention and the devout pleasure with which -the congregation listened to the conjunction of song and strings. -Gradually, therefore, this music was received into favour, first on -festivals and afterwards on Sundays in the principal churches, and that -without any special care that the text and expression had any regular -connection with particular parts of the Liturgy, much less with the -special subject of the sermon. The cantor and music director in fact -did not know beforehand what the subject was to be. - -Everything else that had been used from former times remained, except -that after Frederick Augustus, Elector of Saxony, entered the Roman -Church in 1697, and organised such splendid services in his Court -church as had never been before heard in North Germany, more freedom -was allowed in the Lutheran churches. - -The celebration of the Passion remained as before, and we have only to -add that during the Fast and Advent weeks all instruments, including -the organ, had to be silent, even during the singing of the thirty-four -strophes. - -[Sidenote: _The Origin of Bach's Passion Music_] - -At last there came to the head of spiritual affairs at Leipsic a man -of decided character, highly esteemed as a learned theologian, a very -impressive preacher, and respected for his strictness of teaching -and life, Salomon Deyling, Doctor and Professor of Theology, &c. -(1677-1755). He could no longer endure the state of things in Passion -Week, and, since in 1723 the great and famous Sebastian Bach had -become cantor of the Thomas School and music director of the two chief -churches at Leipsic, he associated himself with him in order to see if -his ideas could be put in practice. The idea which he propounded to -Bach was this: "The early arrangement of the service was the best, but -was only suitable to its own date: we must try and make our arrangement -on the model of the earliest, but in keeping with modern requirements. - -"On each Palm Sunday and Good Friday the history of the Passion of -the Lord is made known antiphonally, according to one or other of the -Evangelists, exactly in accordance with the sacred writer's words! -Who could improve on this? They must be sung, how else are they to be -understood by all? But they must be sung by some one who can sing! -namely by you: and so that everything may sound well and be impressive -they must be musically sung, and accompanied. - -"Your best singer, who can pronounce clearly and well, must sing the -words of the Evangelist in recitative, and, in order to produce more -impression and life and variety, the other persons of the story must -be represented by other singers, and the Jewish people by a chorus. At -the chief points in the story there will be pauses, during which, by -means of an aria, the congregation shall lay to heart what they have -heard; and that all of us shall be refreshed from time to time, there -shall be well chosen verses from all the known hymns, in which the -congregation can join. Now, your business is to carry all this out in -a connected and artistic manner." And thus arose Bach's Passion music, -which completely fulfilled everything that was expected of it. However -few there were who could understand and honour and enjoy them as art -works, these services, and Bach's method of treating them, were gladly -received by the congregation, and the performance of such oratorios -became every time a truly edifying and Christian artistic feast. - -This account refers of course chiefly to Leipsic. It is supposed that -the decay of the performance of the Passion was due to the pupils and -sons of Bach, who tried to improve on his and Deyling's arrangement -by the introduction of Italian and lighter methods, which, though -pleasing, were soon found to be unsuitable to the simple words of the -Bible and Hymn-book. - -[Sidenote: _Early Passion Services_] - -The custom of performing the Passion in an epic and dramatic form -during Holy Week is exceedingly ancient. It exists still in the -Catholic Church in an ancient traditional way, consisting of the -relation of the gospel narrative by one singer, the speeches of Jesus -by another, while a third represents the crowd called _turba_. Music -and the dramatic element are little represented, and the performers -only make use of accent or intonations. In the Reformed Church the -performance of the Passion in German, and in artistic style, did -not take place earlier than the last half of the sixteenth century. -Winterfeld finds the earliest Passion music arranged for chorus after -the Gospel of St Matthew in Keuchenthal's Gesangbuch, Wittenberg, 1573. -A short instrumental piece precedes it and another closes it, and for -the rest, only the words of the _turba_ are allotted to chorus. A -similar work is the Passion according to St John, which is found in -Selneccer's Gesangbuch, 1587, but here there are hymns to be sung by -the congregation. - -The Passion according to St John, of Bartholomäus Gese, 1588, begins -with a five voice chorus, followed by the gospel narration by a tenor -in Plainsong. The words of Christ are usually sung by four chorus -voices, the words of Peter and Pilate by three voices, those of the -maid and servant of the High Priest by two voices, the _turba_ are in -five voices, and a five voice chorus concludes the work. - -Heinrich Schütz, 1585-1672, in whose "Resurrection of the Lord" modern -forms are found, has very sparingly used similar forms in his Passions -according to all four Evangelists, but chiefly in the concluding -choruses. The Passions in Vopelius' Gesangbuch, 1682, show that the -early forms were still in use at that date. - -The Passion of Capellmeister Johann Sebastiani, 1672, at Königsberg, -shows an advance in form here and there; and here also for the first -time do we find the artistic use of hymn tunes, while in Schütz -only the final movements of his Passions have any connection with -the chorale. The biblical narrative is no longer in plainsong, but -recitative, accompanied either by two violins or two violas and -bass, and this is the first example of instrumental accompaniment in -a Passion music. The _turba_ are in four voice chorus, with a fifth -part in high tenor for the Evangelist. Two violins, four violas and -bass always accompany him. The hymns are directed only to have their -melodies sung, the remaining parts being played by the strings. - -A remarkable appearance was that of the Passion oratorios at Hamburg, -in which Handel, Keiser and Mattheson introduced the regular song -forms, the recitative, aria, and the duet of the opera, and in such a -method as only could be performed by very highly trained singers. At -first the words of Scripture in their original formed the basis. - -In 1704, however, an entirely new departure was made in "The bleeding -and dying Jesus" of Reinhold Keiser, with words by Hunold-Menantes. -Here there was no Evangelist, nor were words of the Scripture -introduced, but three cantatas or soliloquies, similar to dramatic -scenes, took an important place. They were called the "Lamentation of -Mary," the "Tears of Peter," and the "Lovesong of the Daughter of Zion." - -The novelty, which excited the fiercest criticism and raised a great -contest, did not take root, although through its means a new way was -opened up. For this attempt led the Hamburg Councillor Brockes to write -a musical poem of a similar kind, in which the evangelist was retained -in order to fill the gaps between the scenes. - -This composition, which was greatly admired, was set to music by -Keiser, and afterwards by Handel, Mattheson and Telemann. The first -performance of Keiser's setting took place in Holy week in 1712, and it -is of special interest, since Bach took some of the words for the arias -in his _St John Passion_. - -[Sidenote: Passion Settings] - -In the _Matthew Passion_ Bach follows that of Sebastiani with the -addition of new forms derived from the drama, but enriched and ennobled -by the mind of the Master. Scripture words and hymns no longer -satisfied his contemporaries or himself; and as long as the kernel -of the work was scriptural, according to use consecrated by time, no -objection could be made to the introduction of what had already been -accepted in other services in the Church. Only the soliloquies, those -theatrical scenes in which biblical persons appear with words other -than biblical, he would not introduce, for it was too like the stage. -Thus in a form, which though new, was intimately connected with the -old, did the _Passions_ of Bach appear, and the congregation took part -by singing the chorales. It is not known for certain how many Passions -Bach wrote; the number is said to be five. - -Regarding the author and composer of the _St Luke's Passion_ nothing is -known for certain, for Bach gives neither in his copy. The arguments -for its being his work are that it is in his writing, and is possibly -a youthful composition, and that he recopied it in later years so -that it should not be forgotten; while the chief argument against its -genuineness is its insignificance. The Bachgesellschaft publish it with -the above reservation. - -It consists mostly of chorales in four parts with short recitatives -between them. There are few arias or choruses, and a sermon is to be -preached in the middle.[64] - -[Sidenote: _Matthew Passion_] - -The first performance of the _Matthew Passion_ took place on Good -Friday, 1729. The words, where not scriptural, are by Picander. All -the resources of art are employed in this tremendous work. A double -chorus, a ripieno chorus of sopranos, a double orchestra and double -organ part; a part for the Evangelist which calls forth the very -highest powers of the greatest singers; all the instruments known in -Bach's time are at various points brought into requisition. We have -already alluded (p. 104) to the effect of the opening chorus when -sung in the Thomas Church. The never-ceasing flow of quavers in 12-8 -time, the call to the contemplation of the Passion, the questioning -second chorus which finally unites with the first, the solemn and -dignified march of the orchestra, have a devotional expression which -has never been surpassed. Throughout the work the words of the Saviour -are accompanied by strings alone in four parts, with the continuo -(which was never omitted in those days). The chorales, which are of -frequent occurrence, are to be sung in unison by the congregation, and -harmonised by the choir and instruments. The words of the _turba_ or -Jewish people are always allotted to double choruses, which throw the -expressions backwards and forwards at each other in a turbulent manner -(see p. 123). - -The disciples are also represented by a double chorus, as are the -Christian congregation; and the music of the various double choruses -is in keeping with sentiments which might be supposed to actuate the -singers. The arias which fill the "pauses" suggested by Deyling are -allotted to an alto, soprano, tenor, or bass, and are accompanied, in -addition to the organ, by two flutes, or two oboi d'amore, or oboi da -caccia, or by a viola da gamba, or by a violin solo with string band. - -After Bach's death this magnificent work was performed at St Thomas -Church till the end of the seventeenth century, when it was laid aside -until revived by Mendelssohn in 1829, just one hundred years after its -first performance. - -[Music: - - Ja nicht auf das Fest auf dass nicht ein Aufruhr werde - Weissage] - -[Sidenote: _B Minor Mass_] - -The gigantic B Minor Mass was gradually composed. At first it -was to have been a "missa brevis," but the rest was added later. -Hilgenfeldt[65] makes the following remarks on it:--"This Mass is -one of the noblest works of Art, full of inventive genius, depth of -feeling, and astonishing artistic power: there is no other of the -same calibre which can be compared to it. It was originally written -for the Saxon Court, and was first performed at Dresden. On his other -compositions of the same kind Bach has expended far less energy. It is -possible that a Protestant artist such as he was could not entirely -enter into the religious point of view which he was obliged to take in -composing for the Catholic Church, and several of his other masses are -merely collected from portions of his cantatas." - -This is, however, also the case with the B minor Mass: thus the -Crucifixus occurs in the cantata "Weinen Klagen," the Hosanna in -"Preise dein Glücke," the Agnus in "Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen." - -The Mass is dedicated to Frederick Augustus in the following words:-- - -"ILLUSTRIOUS ELECTOR,--GRACIOUS MASTER,--To Your Royal Highness I offer -in deepest devotion this small fruit of the knowledge to which I have -attained in music, with the most humble prayer that you will look upon -it, not according to the poor composition, but with your world-renowned -clemency, and therefore will take me under your powerful protection. - -"I have for some years had the direction of the music in the two chief -churches at Leipsic, but have suffered several disagreeable things, and -my income has been reduced though I am myself blameless; but these -troubles would be easily overcome if your Highness would grant me the -favour of a decree, after conference with your Court orchestra. - -"The gracious granting of my humble prayer would bind me to -everlastingly honour you, and I offer myself to do anything with -obedience that Your Royal Highness may require of me in the way -of composing church or orchestral music, and to give unwearied -industry, and to dedicate my whole strength to your service.--With -ever-increasing faithfulness, I remain, Your Royal Highness' most -obedient Servant,--JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH." - -This letter was handed in to the Court at Dresden when Bach was there -on a visit, July 27th, 1733. The reader will remember that he was at -this time in conflict with Ernesti, and the Council;--the title of -"Hof compositeur," Court composer, was not however given him until -1736. Though Hilgenfeldt says the B minor Mass was first performed at -Dresden, it is doubtful whether it was ever performed outside the two -chief churches at Leipsic, and even there it was only done in parts. -On a score of the "Gloria" made in 1740 the note occurs "on the feast -of the Nativity." The "Sanctus" also was originally intended as a -Christmas piece. The "Kyrie" is of great length; its score occupies -forty-six pages in the Bach Gesellschaft edition. Like the rest of -the choral portions, it has five voices, two sopranos, alto, tenor -and bass. The orchestra consists of two flutes, two oboi d'amore, two -bassoons, strings and continuo. - -The Gloria is scored for three trumpets, drums, two flutes, two oboes, -two bassoons, strings and continuo. It will be observed that for the -joyful music of the Gloria the tone of the oboe proper was considered -more suitable than the perhaps more plaintive tone of the oboe -d'amore, which is used in the Kyrie. - -At the very outset the hearers are made aware that a work of unusual -proportions is commencing. The words _Kyrie eleison_ are sung in a -massive five part adagio with independent orchestral parts, coming to -a full close at the end of the fourth bar. Here an instrumental "largo -ed un poco piano" commences and continues for twenty-five bars; it -foreshadows the vocal fugue, of which the following is the impressive -subject: - -[Music: Kyrie eleison] - -After this fugue has been worked at considerable length there is an -instrumental interlude, and it recommences, the bass leading off with -the subject in the tonic. The Christe eleison is set as a duet for -two sopranos in D major, and the second kyrie as a fugue, alla breve, -in four parts, in which the instruments double the voices. It has the -following stirring subject: - -[Music: Kyrie eleison] - -The "Gloria" begins in D major, and consists of eleven movements, -opening with a vigorous five part chorus vivace. - -[Music] - -"Quoniam tu solus Sanctus" is a bass aria accompanied by Corno di -caccia, two fagotti and continuo. There are no other instruments. - -The Creed contains seven movements. The words "Credo in unum deum" -are a fugue on the ancient Plainsong, which is in semibreves, with a -perpetually moving bass on the organ in crotchets. The only orchestral -instruments are two violins, which play independent parts. - -[Sidenote: "Et incarnatus est"] - -"Et incarnatus est" for five voices is based on an arpeggio figure -imitated in all the parts: - -[Music: Et incarnatus est] - -The "Crucifixus," one of the most impressive movements, is founded on -a chromatic ground bass, which recurs thirteen times, the four part -chorus singing various harmonies above it. This is the form of the -Passacaglia, and the same bass was used by Bach in the opening chorus -of the cantata, "Jesu, der du meine Seele," though in a very different -manner. "Et resurrexit" is another movement conceived in Bach's -happiest mood. It is in D major, like the Gloria, and has, if possible, -even more energy and swing. This is the vigorous opening phrase: - -[Music: Et resurrexit.] - -and it is repeated for the words "Cujus regni non erit finis." - -"Et in Spiritum sanctum" forms a bass solo accompanied by two oboi -d'amore. - -"Confiteor unum baptisma," a closely knit fugue on two subjects, is -in five parts with an independent organ bass. After a time the tempo -becomes adagio, and one of the most overpowering effects in the whole -of music introduces the words "et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum"; -as it were the whole of creation is called to witness the supreme -miracle of the resurrection of the dead. - -[Sidenote: The Sanctus] - -The Sanctus is a six part chorus; the voices move for the most part in -flowing triplets, the bass generally in an octave figure. After a time -the triplets give way to the following powerful passage: - -[Music: Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.] - -after a few bars of which the triplets are resumed. - -"Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria ejus," is a six part fugue, and -"osanna" is a double chorus. The "Dona nobis pacem" has the same -opening passage as the Rathswahl cantata. The work from beginning -to end is on a gigantic scale, in which each separate movement is a -masterpiece from every point of view. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[63] A considerable portion of this chapter is from an article by A. F. -Rochlitz in the _Allg. Musik Zeitung_, 1831. - -[64] See Conrad E. F. "Echt oder unecht? Zur Lucas Passion." - -[65] P. 115. - - - - -Chapter X - - The _Wohltemperirte Clavier_--"The Art of Fugue"--"Musical - Offering"--Bach as a Teacher--Bach's Works in England. - - -The _Wohltemperirte Clavier_ was gradually compiled and formed into -a complete work in two parts. The first part was completed at Cöthen -in 1722, and entitled "The well tempered clavier, or preludes and -fugues through all tones and semitones, both with major and minor -thirds. For the edification and use of young musicians who are eager to -learn, and for the recreation of those who are already facile in this -study. Collected and prepared by Johann Sebastian Bach, Grand-ducal -Capellmeister and Director of Chamber music to the Court of Cöthen, -Anno 1722." - -[Sidenote: _The Wohlt. Clavier intended for Clavichord_] - -The expression "well-tempered" refers to the equal temperament, of -which Bach was so strong an advocate, and many of the pieces would -be impossible with any other system of tuning. There is sufficient -internal evidence to show that these delicate and beautiful compositions -were primarily intended for the clavichord, as this instrument -had a power of expression which was denied to all the other keyed -instruments of that period. It is a mistake therefore to play them -on the harpsichord, and Spitta is right in his assertion that they -require for their adequate performance the very best pianoforte that -the skill of modern makers can produce. The larger number of the -pieces in the first collection were written at Cöthen, and probably -quickly after one another. According to a tradition they were written -on one of his journeys, when he had not access to an instrument. -Schumann considered that many of the preludes were not originally -connected with the fugues. Bach made three copies which still exist. -He never had any intention of publishing a work which would scarcely -meet with success among the general public from its difficulty. The -second part was completed in 1740 or 1744. The only autograph is in -the British Museum, add. MS. 35,021, of a page of which we give a -photograph. It is written on large paper, fourteen staves to a page. - -Gerber says that Bach valued the work highly for its educational value, -and played it through no less than three times to him. - -It was first printed by A. F. C. Kollmanns in London in 1799, but this -impression was never published. The three first editions were those of -Hoffmeister and Kühnel,[66] Simrock in Berlin, and Nägeli in Zurich, -all in 1801. The first English edition was that of Wesley and Horn, -1811. - -[Music: Preludium] - -[Sidenote: _Various readings_] - -That by Hoffmeister and Kühnel was edited by Forkel, who, selecting -from a great number of copies, published many of the fugues in a -shortened form, believing that these were Bach's last arrangements of -them. It is well known that Bach constantly polished and improved his -works; and the number of different readings of the _Wohltemperirte -Clavier_ would fill a large volume. Amongst the more noticeable -varieties of reading is that of the E minor prelude in Part I. In -Litolff's edition (Köhler) and Novello's (Best) there is a florid -melody in the right hand, above the chords, which accompany the moving -bass. In Chrysander's edition it is explained that Bach's more mature -taste led him to discard the florid passages, and it is accordingly -published from a later MS. with only the chords on the first and third -beats of the bar, the melody being entirely omitted.[67] - -The "Art of Fugue" is a series of workings of a single subject in many -different ways. Like the _Wohltemperirte Clavier_ it was primarily -intended for educational purposes. Forkel gives the following account -of it: - -[Sidenote: _Art of Fugue_] - -"This excellent and unique work was not published till 1752, after -the composer's death, but was for the most part engraved during his -life by one of his sons. Marpurg, at that time at the helm of musical -literature in Germany, wrote a preface to the edition, in which much -that is good and true is said concerning the work. - -"But this 'Art of Fugue' was too lofty for the great world; it became -only known in the very small world of _connoisseurs_. This small world -was soon provided with copies; the plates were useless, and were -finally sold by Bach's heirs as old copper."... - -"The last fugue but one has three subjects, the third being the notes -b, a, c, h. This fugue was however interrupted by the blindness of the -author, and could not be finished. - -"To make up for the unfinished fugue, the editors added at the end -the four voice chorale 'Wenn wir in höchsten Nöthen sein,' which he -dictated to his son-in-law Altnikol on his death-bed." - -The work was brought out at the Leipsic Fair of Easter 1752. Mattheson -was loud in his praise saying it would astonish all French and Italian -fugue-makers. But the work was in reality finished. The MS. was -complete, and the engraving was being done under the author's direction -when he died in 1750. No one could fulfil his intentions, and the -engravers simply went on engraving everything that came to hand, both -sketches and completed movements, and it was full of printer's errors. -Hauptmann clearly shows that the last (unfinished) fugue is certainly -Bach's own work, but that it has no connection with the "Art of Fugue," -which closes in reality with the fugue for two claviers. The series of -fugues are all on one subject; the unfinished work leaves the subject, -and has nothing to do with the other fugues. We have therefore Bach's -last work complete, and the incomplete portion is due to a mistake of -the first publishers. - -[Sidenote: _Musical Offering_] - -"The Musical Offering" is a series of fugues and canons on a subject -given to Bach at Potsdam by Frederick the Great. The work consists of-- - - 1. Fuga (ricercata) for three voices. - 2. Fuga (ricercata) for six voices. - 3. VIII. Canons. - 4. Fuga canonica in epidiapente. - 5. Sonata (Trio) for flute, violin, and bass. - 6. Canon perpetuus for flute, violin, and bass. - -It is headed: - -"Regis Iussu Cantio, Et Reliqua Canonica Arte Resoluta." - -The dedicatory letter will explain its purpose: - -"MOST GRACIOUS KING,--To Your Majesty is proffered herewith in humblest -obedience a musical offering, whose most excellent portion originates -from your noble hand. I recall with respectful pleasure the peculiarly -royal favour with which during my visit to Potsdam your Majesty was -pleased to play to me a fugue theme, and to require me immediately to -work it out in your presence. Obedience to your Majesty's command was -my duty. I however soon remarked, that for want of proper preparation -the working out was not as good as so excellent a theme required. I -therefore resolved to work out this most royal theme properly and to -make it known to the world. This project is now fulfilled to the best -of my ability, and it has no other object than in some small way to do -honour to the fame of a monarch, whose greatness and power both in the -arts of peace and war, and especially in that of music are acknowledged -and admired by all. I make bold to add this humble request: that your -Majesty will accord a gracious reception to this small work, and by so -doing still further extend your royal condescension.--Your Majesty's -most humble and obedient servant, - - THE AUTHOR. - - "LEIPSIC, _July 7, 1747_." - -This dedication however only referred to a portion of the work, which -was gradually completed and engraved later. The epithet _ricercata_ -perhaps refers to the mechanical difficulty of the pieces. - -The six Great or English Suites are so called according to Forkel[68] -because they were written for some Englishman of rank. The same -authority says that the six little French suites received their name -because they are in French taste. It does not appear that the composer -gave either of these names. Both sets seem to have been written at -Cöthen. - -[Sidenote: _Bach as a teacher_] - -All accounts agree as to Bach's wonderful capacity for teaching, and -we have a description of his methods from one of his pupils, H. N. -Gerber,[69] which we make no apology for quoting in full: - -"He went to Leipsic to study partly law and partly music under the -great Joh. Seb. Bach.... In the first six months he heard much -excellent church music and many concerts under Bach's direction, but -no opportunity arose which gave him courage to approach the great -man, until at last he mentioned his wish to one of his friends called -Wilde (afterwards organist at St Petersburg) who introduced him to -Bach. Bach received him in the most friendly manner and at once called -him 'Fellow-countryman.'[70] He promised to give him instruction, and -asked whether he had practised fugues diligently. At the first lesson -he placed the 'Inventions' before him. When Gerber had studied these -to Bach's satisfaction, he was given a number of suites, and then the -_Wohltemperirte Clavier_. This work Bach played through three times -to him with unapproachable art; and my father counted those amongst -his most enjoyable lessons when Bach, under the excuse that he felt -indisposed to teach, would seat himself at one of his excellent -instruments, and the hours passed like minutes. The end of a lesson -was taken up with figured bass-playing, for which Bach would choose -the violin solos of Albinoni; and I must confess that the skill with -which my father performed these basses in Bach's manner, and especially -in the flow of the parts amongst each other was unsurpassable. This -accompaniment was so beautiful in itself that no solo part that I have -heard could give me so much pleasure." Gerber was for two years under -Bach. - -Forkel[71] tells us that the first thing he taught was his own peculiar -touch, and for this purpose the pupil was kept for several months at -finger exercises, in fact they sometimes lasted from six to twelve -months; but when the pupil's patience began to flag he was given little -pieces which Bach composed specially for him, such as the six little -preludes for beginners, and the two-part inventions. He wrote these -during the lesson, and was thus able to make them suit the particular -requirements of the pupil. Together with the finger exercises the pupil -had to practise all manner of ornaments, and Bach demanded the severest -possible application from all his pupils. - -As soon as possible he was made to learn whichever of Bach's greater -works suited him. In order to lighten the difficulties, Bach played the -piece through to the pupil, and said, "that is how it must sound." - -One can, says Forkel, scarcely enumerate the many advantages of such -a method. Even if it were only that the pupil is roused to emulation -through the pleasure of hearing such a performance, the advantage would -be very great. But in addition to this he obtains at once a grip of the -piece in its complete form, instead of having to work it out bit by -bit as he gradually overcomes the mechanical difficulties. - -The instrument on which Bach taught was the clavichord, on account -of its expressive quality which trained the ear to fine shades of -tone; he would have nothing to say to mere finger training apart from -understanding the music, and insisted on the cultivation of both art -and technique together. - -[Sidenote: _Method of teaching Composition_] - -In teaching composition Bach did not begin with dry counterpoints -leading to nothing, as in his time was done by all other teachers; -still less did he trouble his pupils about tone-relationships, which in -his opinion concerned only theorists and instrument makers. He started -at once with pure four part figured bass, and insisted on the proper -leading of the parts, because this would give the clearest insight into -the harmonic progressions. He then went on to the chorale, to which -he at first set the basses and made the pupil only write the tenor -and alto, afterwards gradually making him write the bass. He insisted -at all times not only on the greatest possible purity in the harmony, -but on the natural and flowing connection of all the single voices. -The models he himself has left are known to every connoisseur, and his -inner voices are often so singable that they might serve for the upper -part. This style had to be striven for by the pupil, and until he had -reached a high degree of proficiency Bach did not consider it wise to -allow him to try inventing on his own account. He took for granted that -all his composition pupils had the faculty of thinking in music. If any -had not this faculty he was advised not to attempt composition. - -As soon as the above-mentioned preparations in harmony were finished, -he began with two voice fugue, and in this, and all composition -practice, the pupil was strictly forbidden to use the clavier. Those -who were obliged to do so he called "Knights of the keyboard." - -In fugue he was especially careful about the part writing--no voice -must merely fill in the harmony, or break off before it had finished -what it had to say. He looked upon his voices as persons, who conversed -together as in private society, in which it would be unseemly for -anyone to disturb the conversation either by uninteresting remarks, -or by not finishing his sentences. On the other hand, he allowed his -pupils as much freedom as possible with regard to intervals. They might -try any experiments they liked as long as no damage was done to the -purity of the harmony, or the inward meaning of the movement. He tried -all possible experiments himself, and was glad to see his pupils do -so. The whole of his system is to be found in Kirnberger's "Kunst des -reinen Satzes" (Art of pure writing).[72] - -[Sidenote: _Pupils_] - -Among his pupils were his sons, of whom an account has already been -given. The others were the following:--Johann Caspar Vogler, who began -studying under him at Arnstadt and Weimar, and, according to Bach's own -showing, was a very fine organist. He became organist and Burgomaster -at Weimar. - -Gottfried August Homilius, subsequently music director of the three -chief churches at Dresden, and cantor of the Kreuzschule. He was also -of considerable reputation as an organist and church composer. Died -1785. - -Christoph Transchel, who died in 1800 at Dresden, was an esteemed -teacher and clavier player. He was the owner of a considerable musical -library. - -Johann Ludwig Krebs eventually became Court organist and music director -at Altenburg, where he died in 1803. He was a very good organist -and composer. Bach's pun, "Ich habe in meinem Bache nur einen Krebs -gefangen," "I have only caught one Crab in my stream," was intended to -show the esteem in which he held him.[73] - -J. G. Goldberg of Königsberg was declared by Bach to be one of his best -pupils on the clavier and organ. - -Altnikol, his son-in-law, a fine organ player, and organist at -Naumburg. He helped his father-in-law considerably during his blindness. - -John Philipp Kirnberger, born 1721, died at Berlin in 1783, was Court -musician to Princess Amelia of Prussia, and celebrated as a theorist -and composer. - -Johann Friedrich Agricola (1720-1774) became composer to the Prussian -Court. He was more known by his theoretical works than his compositions. - -Johann Christian Kittel, who was organist at Erfurt and died in 1809, -was a thorough harmonist, a clever and learned organist, an able -composer, and a good teacher. - -Johann Schneider, Court organist and first violinist at Saalfeld, and -afterwards organist of the Nicolai Church at Leipsic. He was also a -pupil of Graun. - -Johann Martin Schubart (1690-1721) was Bach's first pupil; he became -organist at Weimar, but died early. - -A pupil named Voigt is mentioned by Emmanuel Bach as having come to his -father after he (Emmanuel) had left the house. Perhaps he is the author -of a "Conversation between an organist and his deputy about music," -mentioned by Walther. - -Gotthilf Ziegler, organist and music director at St Ulrich, Halle, was -a renowned teacher, composer and writer. - -Ernst Bach, his cousin, was Capellmeister at Eisenach, having first -studied law, and become a barrister. He was also a composer and -organist. - -J. H. Müthel, organist in Riga, a good performer and composer. Gerber -gives a long account of him, and Burney praises his playing and -compositions.[74] - -[Sidenote: _Bach's music in England_] - -We have seen that the first attempt to publish the _Wohltemperirte -Clavier_ was made in London. England was early in its recognition of -the composer, chiefly through the efforts of Samuel Wesley (1766-1837) -who, becoming acquainted with his works, eagerly propagated a knowledge -of them. Wesley's edition of the _Wohltemperirte Clavier_ was published -in conjunction with C. F. Horn in 1810; and through his influence, -Forkel's "Life" of Bach was translated and published in 1820. He became -famous for his performances of Bach's organ fugues, or as they were -called in those days "pedal fugues," and perhaps the name of his third -son, Samuel Sebastian, may have some connection with his admiration for -Sebastian Bach. - -In 1849 the English Bach Society was founded, having as its objects -the collection of the compositions and the performance of the works of -J. S. Bach. It gave the first performance of the "Matthew Passion" in -England at Hanover Square Rooms in 1854 under Sterndale Bennett. After -a few more performances the society was dissolved in 1870, and its -library given to the Royal Academy of Music. - -In 1875 the "Bach Choir" was formed under the conductorship of Mr -Otto Goldschmidt, for the performance of the B minor Mass, which was -effected in 1876 at St James's Hall, and the society was then placed -on a permanent footing for the purpose of performing works of Bach and -other composers. In 1885 Mr Otto Goldschmidt was succeeded by Professor -Villiers Stanford, under whose _bâton_ many of Bach's important works -have been performed. - -Bach is perhaps best known in England at present by his organ works, -which are familiar to all competent organists, and his violin solos, -which Herr Joachim has done so much to propagate. The _Wohltemperirte -Clavier_ is a household word to every earnest musician, and his -_Passions_ of _St Matthew_ and _St John_, besides the _Christmas -Oratorio_ and a few cantatas, are frequently performed in London -churches. - -Selections from the organ works have been published in England from -time to time: by S. Wesley, by Coventry and Hollier (with the pedal -part arranged by Dragonetti for double bass), by Best and by Novello -with Best as editor. A complete edition is being brought out by Sir F. -Bridge and Mr J. Higgs. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[66] Afterwards the firm of C. F. Peters, Leipsic. - -[67] See Forkel, p. 64. - -[68] P. 56. - -[69] Father of the author of Gerber's Lexicon. - -[70] Gerber was a Thuringian. - -[71] P. 38. - -[72] Forkel, pp. 40, 41. - -[73] See page 49. - -[74] In addition to the above-mentioned professional pupils, all -amateurs living near obtained at least a few lessons from "so great and -celebrated a man."--Forkel, p. 42. - - - - -Chapter XI - - The Christmas Oratorio--The Magnificat--The Lost - Works--Instrumental Works--Bach's Playing--The Manieren, or Grace - Notes. - - -Bach never wrote an oratorio in the sense of a sacred dramatic work -to be performed on a stage without action. We have shown that the -Passion settings are a portion of the Lutheran Lenten services; and the -church cantatas take much the same place as the anthem in the English -Cathedral service, with the difference of greater length, orchestral -accompaniment, and an opportunity for the congregation to take part in -the final chorale. - -[Sidenote: _Christmas Oratorio_] - -The so-called _Christmas Oratorio_, dated 1734, is nothing more than a -series of six cantatas, to be sung during the service on six successive -days at Christmas time. Each begins with a chorus which is followed by -several arias and recitatives, and each ends with a chorale, besides -which, chorales are also interspersed in the body of the work. The -second cantata opens with a most exquisite symphony, of a pastoral -nature something akin to the pastoral symphony in the "Messiah," but -longer, and with the most subtle orchestral effects; especially are the -passages for two oboes interchanging with the strings most beautiful; -and the chief "motive" of the symphony recurs in the accompaniment of -the closing chorale. The character of the choruses is for the most part -one of triumphant joyfulness, and the arias have all the tender effects -which Bach so well knew how to produce. - -[Sidenote: _Easter Oratorio_] - -The _Easter Oratorio_ is a short cantata without a chorale. - -The motets are compositions in several movements for unaccompanied -voices, from three to eight in number. The movements are interspersed -with chorales harmonised in four parts. The seventh motet, "Ich -lasse dich nicht," though as fine as any, is considered to be almost -certainly not by Bach, and is therefore only given as an appendix in -vol. 39 of the Bach Gesellschaft edition. The appendix also gives a -figured bass and instrumental accompaniment to No. 2. "Der Geist hilft -unsrer Schwachheit auf." - -Motets by Bach and other composers are sung in the Thomas Church at -Leipsic, and in the Kreuz-Church at Dresden at vespers on Saturday -afternoons. - -[Sidenote: _Secular Works_] - -Bach also wrote a few secular vocal works. Among these are several -birthday, wedding and funeral cantatas--odes for important personages; -some "Dramme per Musica," two of which, the "Choice of Hercules," and -"Tönet ihr Pauken" are taken bodily from the _Christmas Oratorio_, -other words being adapted to the music; a cantata for the dedication -of a new organ at Störmthal, a comic cantata in praise of coffee. Some -of the secular cantatas were composed for the Concert Society which -met once a week about 1736 in a coffee-house in the Katharinen-strasse -at Leipsic, and of which Bach was the director. Among these was "The -strife between Phoebus and Pan." - -[Sidenote: _Smaller Masses and Magnificat_] - -Besides the B minor Mass Bach wrote four "short" masses of much -smaller calibre, four "Sanctus," and a "Magnificat" in D major of great -power and beauty. This work appears in two forms, of which one is much -finer than the other, and is therefore considered to be the latest. It -was the custom to intersperse the singing of the Latin Magnificat with -four chorales, but this custom not coinciding with Bach's sense of the -fitness of things, he added the chorales as an appendix to his score. - -The work is for a five part choir, with arias, a duet, and a trio. -The trio is a remarkable canon, or rather piece of canonic imitation -in the voice parts, to the words "suscepit Israel puerum suum," to -which the strings play an accompaniment, while the oboes play in their -highest register the chorale "meine Seel' erhebt den Herren" ("my -soul doth magnify the Lord"). And, as showing Bach's sense of form, -the whole work is welded together by a fresh working of the material -of the opening chorus, at the words "sicut erat in principio et -nunc.... Amen." We have remarked on this kind of construction in the -second cantata of the _Christmas Oratorio_,[75] and it is not at all -infrequent with Bach. - -Except opera and oratorio Bach wrote every kind of work that was -known in his day. The Bach Gesellschaft completed the publication of -his works in full score in 1898 in some sixty large quarto volumes. -Complete editions of the vocal works in pianoforte score and the -instrumental in full score have been published by Peters, and by -Breitkopf and Härtel of Leipsic, while the editions of selected -portions published from time to time since the beginning of the -nineteenth century are innumerable. - -But when we say "complete edition" it must be understood as referring -only to the works that have been preserved, for a large number seem to -have been lost when the great man died: before his property was valued -for probate there was an unseemly scramble for his manuscripts among -his elder sons. - -[Sidenote: _The "year courses"_] - -Mizler, in his "Necrology," tells us the bare fact that there were five -"year courses" of cantatas, _i.e._ sets of cantatas for each Sunday -and holy day throughout the year. The Lutheran ecclesiastical year -contains fifty-nine such days (six Sundays in Lent and three in Advent -are excluded). The five courses would therefore require no less than -295 cantatas. Of these W. Friedemann took three "year courses," since -he could use them in his post of organist at Halle, but his wretched -circumstances forced him afterwards to part with them one by one. - -Forkel only knew of "eight to ten motets for double chorus," and -twenty-one church cantatas, two five-voice masses, a mass for two -choirs, of which the first choir is accompanied by strings, the second -by wind, a double-chorus Passion with text by Picander (this must be -the "Matthew Passion"), a Sanctus, some motets, a single fugue for four -voices, and a comic cantata. - -The other two "year courses," which included about ninety cantatas, and -the two known Passions, went to C. P. Emmanuel Bach. - -[Sidenote: MSS. of Works] - -The MSS. of the larger number of the existing works of Bach are in the -Royal Library and in that of the Joachimsthal at Berlin. Many of these -are in autograph. The parts are of more value than the scores, since -they are not only more carefully copied, but contain the corrections -for performance. - -Bach used to wrap up his scores and parts in covers on which the name -of the work and title of the composer were fully given, while on the -MSS. themselves nothing was given. If the cover were lost, therefore, -the composer's name was lost. Many works by other composers are found -in Bach's handwriting, both score and parts. - -[Sidenote: _Difficulties in the way of publication_] - -The Bach Gesellschaft has been at immense pains to search for all that -exists of Bach's compositions. In vol. vi. they give a long account of -the difficulties they had to contend with in publishing the B minor -Mass; the owner of the autograph score, placing every difficulty in -their way, would neither sell it nor lend it to them, and finally tried -to dispose of it secretly to some unknown person. They were obliged, -therefore, to publish it from such copies as they could collect; but -almost immediately after they had done so they obtained access to the -precious MS. and were able to publish an appendix, giving whatever -variations from their own edition were found there. - -Of Bach's instrumental compositions the most important are, as we have -indicated, those for the organ and other keyed instruments. He has left -many orchestral works, but these have not the significance of his organ -and clavier music, for the symphony, in the modern sense, was not yet -developed. - -[Sidenote: _Bach's playing_] - -His playing is thus described by the poet Schubart:--"J. S. Bach was -a genius of the highest order, his soul is so peculiar, so gigantic, -that centuries will have to pass before he is reached by anyone. He -played the clavier, the flügel, the cymbal with equal creative power, -and the organ--who is like him? who will ever equal him? His fist was -gigantic; he could, for example, stretch a 12th with the left hand, and -perform running passages between with the three inner fingers; he made -pedal runs with the greatest possible exactness, he drew the stops so -silently that the hearer almost sank under the magic effect; his hand -was never weary, and lasted out through a whole day's organ playing. - -"The comic style was just as familiar to him as the earnest; he was -equally a virtuoso and composer. What Newton was as a philosopher Bach -was as a musician. He had such a wealth of ideas, that no one except -his own great son can come near him; and with all this he combined also -the rarest talent for teaching." - -[Sidenote: _The Grace notes_] - -With respect to the Manieren or grace-notes attacked in the "Kritische -Musikus" by Scheibe, a friend of Bach's answered the attack by saying -that by means of these signs no performer would now be able to destroy -the effect of a piece by applying his own method; those who went wrong -would be put in the right way, and the honour of the master would be -retained. - -The four chief ornaments are-- - -The Vorschlag (appoggiatura) - -[Music: Appoggiatura Written Played] - -It appears more in the parts than in the scores, and seems to have been -mostly added after they were written out. When Bach required it to be -played slowly he wrote out its exact value in full-sized notes. - -The Trill (_tr._) seems to have been put down rather recklessly, -perhaps on account of fashion. Thus, the oboe sometimes has trills -given it which are quite impossible to perform. - -Each composer had his own method of writing the various signs and there -was of course hopeless confusion. There is no doubt that the trill was -used to mean three different things, at the choice of the performer: -namely, the vibrato of the violin and tremulant of the organ, or a real -trill, or simply a _tenuto_. The sign [Music] appears to be equivalent -to _tenuto_, thus [Music] - -Notes which are neither detached (gestossen) nor slurred, nor held -out, must be sustained for half their value, but if the word _ten._ -appears above them they must be given their full value. These notes are -generally quavers and crotchets in moderate and slow tempo, and they -must not be played weakly, but with a refined and quite gentle touch. -Some of the signs can be interpreted by the fact that they are written -out in full in the parts. In this way Reitz has shown the Schleifer -(Glide) [Music: crotchet with glide] to mean [Music: crotchet preceded -by two ascending demisemiquavers] It was called in French _Coulé_, -sometimes written [Music] The Pralltriller or half trill [Music] is -lengthened when over long notes. It means no precise number of notes. -This is J. S. Bach's own explanation, - -[Music] - -It will be seen that all four signs mean the same thing, and no turn -is to be played as in the shake. According to C. P. Emmanuel Bach it -must be so rapid that one does not perceive any loss of time from the -principal note.[76] - -The Mordent [Music: crotchet with mordent] is to be played [Music: two -demisemiquavers descending, then dotted quaver on the initial note] -the lower note being either a semitone, as above, or a tone, as in the -little E minor fugue (Peters, 242). - -FOOTNOTES: - -[75] P. 144. - -[76] This description of the _Manieren_ is extracted from the -Introduction to vol. vii. of the Bach Gesellschaft Edition. - - - - -Chapter XII - - Innovations in the Fingering and Use of Keyed and Stringed - Instruments. - - -At Weimar Bach had devoted a considerable part of his energies to -the clavier, as his official duties demanded. The harpsichord, being -deficient in expression and in duration of sound, required rapidity of -movement and polyphonic writing to produce its due effects. Bach did -what was possible, however, to use the legato style on it, and on the -other hand introduced on the organ, as far as it would bear it, the -rapid execution peculiar to the harpsichord. - -[Sidenote: _The fingering of keyed instruments_] - -Before his period the fingering of keyed instruments had not been -reduced to any systematic method. Michael Prætorius in his _Syntagma -Musicum_ thinks the matter of no importance, and that if a note was -produced clearly and distinctly it was a matter of indifference how it -was done.[77] - -[Music] - -At the beginning of the eighteenth century the necessity of some method -seems to have dawned on musicians; up to that time the thumb and little -finger had hardly been used, owing to their shortness. In order to play -legato on the organ, the middle fingers were made to go under and over -each other. Daniel Speer, in 1697, gives the following fingering for -the scale of C (for convenience we alter it to English numbering):-- - -[Music] - -Mattheson taught-- - -[Music] - -J. F. B. C. Majer, a Swabian organist about the same time, taught-- - -[Music] - -There is no advance in these fingerings on the book by Ammerbach, -published in 1571. - -The right thumb it will be seen was unused, and hung helpless--the -fingers being stretched out flat to reach the keys. - -In order to bring the thumb into use, Bach caused the fingers to be -curved and to remain over their respective keys, so as to be able to -strike them accurately and rapidly. The thumbs had to pass under the -fingers, and to take an equal part with them in the playing. - -[Sidenote: _Bach's method of fingering_] - -The new kind of fingering was made the more necessary by the use of all -the keys equally; for hitherto only a few keys had been used. The hand -and arm were to be held horizontally, the wrist straight; the fingers -bent in the natural position assumed by the hand when about to grasp -any object. Each finger had to fall without disturbing the others; -and Bach devoted an immense amount of labour to make his fingers -independent and equal in strength. He could perform trills with all -fingers equally well, and could play melodies at the same time with -the other fingers. After a finger had held down a note as long as was -necessary it was drawn towards the inner part of the hand on leaving -the key. The wrist and elbows were kept perfectly quiet. The method was -the same for both organ and harpsichord. The keys were not struck but -pressed down. Bach raised his fingers so little that their movement was -hardly noticeable. They were, however, still passed over one another, -as well as the thumb, and in order not to break the legato effect, the -finger passed over was drawn back before leaving the key. This method -was particularly applicable to the clavichord, one of Bach's favourite -instruments. - -He liked the upper row of keys to be shallower than the lower, so that -he could slip down from one to the other without change of finger. - -[Sidenote: Other Fingering Methods] - -But others were at work on the same ground. Couperin, organist of St -Gervais at Paris, published in 1717 his "L'art de toucher le clavecin." -J. G. Walther used the thumb, and has left some organ chorales with -this indicated. - -Heinichen and Handel also used the thumbs, and bent their fingers over -the notes, so that they struck the right ones unconsciously. - -Two short pieces with Bach's fingering in his own hand have come down -to us--the rules laid down by his son C. P. Emanuel differ from them -considerably--thus Emanuel limits the crossing to the thumb; Sebastian -prescribes crossing of fingers as well. - -Sebastian, in fact, retained all that was advantageous in the old -system and engrafted on it the use of the thumb, etc. His son, who was -the forerunner of modern piano-playing, simplifies his father's rules. -His compositions were of a far less complicated nature than those of -his father, and he therefore was able to use simpler fingering. - -The hammer-like stroke required for the modern piano effectually -banished the crossing of fingers over one another, by which pressure -only, not a blow, could be obtained. The loss of Bach's complete -method of fingering (which is not adapted for the piano) causes his -compositions to be more difficult to the modern player than they were -to him, but this does not hold good of the organ, the nature of which -remains the same as in his time. - -He played equally in all keys, and for this purpose had his instruments -tuned in equal temperament, as is universally the case at present. -Experiments had been made in this method of tuning by Werkmeister, who -died in 1706, and, later, by J. G. Neidhardt. - -[Sidenote: _Equal temperament_] - -The early experiments in tempering must have led to curious -results--thus the major-thirds were flattened; and yet only when -three major-thirds are sharpened (CE, E G[sharp], G[sharp] (A[flat]) -C) do they reach a purely tuned octave. Bach mastered the problem -for himself. He tuned his own harpsichord and clavichord, making the -major-thirds rather sharp; and he must have flattened the fifths as -we do. His son Emanuel speaks of his testing the fifths by tuning -their octave below, and making this a fourth below the starting -point. What he did was the result of practical experiment, for he -would have nothing to do with mathematical theory. He always quilled -his harpsichord himself; and he made a point of practising the -clavichord, since the expression possible on this instrument made the -ear keener and more sensitive to the possibility of effect on the more -inexpressive harpsichord. - -Spitta considers that Bach's genius in a way foresaw the advent of a -more perfect instrument than either the clavichord or harpsichord--an -instrument which should combine the expression of the first with -the power of the latter, and at the same time approach the organ in -possibilities of legato and sustained sounds. Such an instrument is the -modern pianoforte. - -[Sidenote: _The Lute-harpsichord_] - -In 1740 Bach planned a lute-harpsichord, and got Zacharias Hildebrand, -an organ-builder, to make it under his direction. It had gut strings, -two to each key, and a set of octave metal strings. It had also cloth -dampers, which made the instrument sound something like a real lute; -and when these were raised, it sounded like a theorbo--it was in size -shorter than an ordinary harpsichord (Adlung Mus. Mech. II., p. 139). - -Although Bach was concertmeister, or leader of the orchestra at Cöthen, -it is not to be supposed that he had any extraordinary facility on the -violin. Quantz, in "Versuch einer Anweisung, etc.," rightly considers -that for such a post, at any rate in those days, it was more necessary -that the holder should be a good all-round musician with sufficient -facility to execute the ordinary orchestral music, than that he should -be a "virtuoso"--and not every virtuoso makes a good leader. - -[Sidenote: _Knowledge of stringed instruments_] - -His knowledge of the construction of stringed instruments was -sufficient for him to invent a new one while he was at Cöthen, in -order to meet the demands made on the performer by his own music. -This instrument, which he called the viola pomposa, was something -between the viola and violoncello. It was played like a violin, and -had five strings tuned to the four strings of the violoncello, with -the addition of E above the first string. This additional string -makes the performance of his sonatas for violoncello comparatively -easy. Thus in the sixth violoncello sonata, which is expressly written -for five strings, in the third bar of the saraband the chords [Music] -are comparatively easy with the additional string; and in the gavotte -[Music] the first chord would be played with two open strings, which is -impossible with a four-stringed instrument. He also altered the tuning -of his violoncello, as in the fifth sonata, where he lowers the first -string to G[78] and obtains the chords [Music] etc. - -[Sidenote: Practical Knowledge] - -It seems impossible that he could have himself performed his violin -and violoncello sonatas; they tax the highest efforts of the best -performers of the present day; but his knowledge of stringed -instruments and their possibilities is shown by these compositions -to have been as profound as his knowledge of the organ. No mere -theoretical knowledge could have sufficed to enable him to write -these things; he must have had a wider practical knowledge than any -but the best _virtuosi_, and to this he united his enormous genius for -composition. - -It appears natural that the German violinists, with their feeling for -full harmony, should have cultivated the art of double-stopping on -stringed instruments, rather than that of pure melody and tone. It -is said that Bruhns the organist, Buxtehude's pupil, while playing -in three and four parts on his violin, would sometimes sit before an -organ, and add a bass on the pedals.[79] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[77] In "The Compleat Tutor for the Harpsichord or Spinnet, wherein -is shown the Italian manner of Fingering, &c." by S. and S. Thompson, -the date of which is later than 1742, since it contains the minuet in -_Samson_, the little finger is never used in a scale, and fingers are -made to go under one another, in the way the thumb is used nowadays. -The English numbering is used; and the example of an ascending and -descending scale on p. 153 shows the chaotic condition of things. - -[78] Our readers will remember the familiar case in Schumann's -pianoforte quartet, where he lowers the C string to B[flat] for a -particular effect. De Beriot _raises_ his fourth (violin) string to A -for certain passages. - -[79] M. Vivien, a pupil of Léonard, and one of the first violins in the -orchestra at Brussels about 1876, had a violin of which the bridge was -cut nearly flat at the top. This enabled him to play on three and (with -a little extra pressure of the bow) four strings at once, by which he -produced very full effects. - - - - -Chapter XIII - - The Organs in Leipsic Churches--Bach's Method of Accompanying--The - Pitch of Organs. - - -[Sidenote: Thomas Church Organ] - -There were two organs in the Thomas Church, the larger of which dated -from 1525. In 1721 it was enlarged by Scheibe, a builder of whom Bach -had a very good opinion. In 1730 it was again improved, by giving the -choir organ a keyboard of its own, instead of its being acted on by the -great key-board as was formerly the case. - -The organ contained:-- - -GREAT - - 1. Principal (open diapason), 16 ft. - 2. Principal (open diapason), 8 " - 3. Quintadena, 16 " - 4. Octave (our principal), 4 " - 5. Quinta, 3 " - 6. Superoctava (our fifteenth), 2 " - 7. Spiel-Pfeiffe, 8 " - 8. Sesquialtera gedoppelt, - 9. Mixture, 6, 8 and 10 ranks. - -BRUSTWERK[80] - - 1. Grobgedackt, 8 ft. - 2. Principal (open diapason), 4 " - 3. Nachthorn, 4 ft. - 4. Nasal, 3 " - 5. Gemshorn, 2 " - 6. Cymbal, 2 ranks. - 7. Sesquialtera, - 8. Regal, 8 ft. - 9. Geigenregal, 4 " - -RÜCKPOSITIV[81] - - 1. Principal, 8 ft. - 2. Quintadena 8 " - 3. Lieblich Gedacktes, 8 " - 4. Klein Gedacktes, 4 " - 5. Traversa, 4 " - 6. Violino, 2 " - 7. Raschquint gedoppelt, - 8. Mixtur, 4 ranks. - 9. Sesquialtera, - 10. Spitzflöt, 4 ft. - 11. Schallflöt, 1 " - 12. Krumbhorn, 16 " - 13. Trommet, 8 " - -PEDAL - - 1. Sub-bass von Metall, 16 ft. - 2. Posaune Bass, 16 " - 3. Trommeten Bass, 8 " - 4. Schalmeyen Bass, 4 " - 5. Cornet, 3 " - - -There were also Tremulant, Vogelgesang, Zimbelstern-Ventils and ten -bellows. The organ loft has been twice enlarged, first in 1802, and -afterwards in 1823. It now accommodates the whole of the large double -chorus and double orchestra employed in performance of the Passion -music on Good Friday. - -The smaller organ was built in 1489. In Bach's time it stood in a -gallery opposite the large organ. It was of very little use, and in -1740 was sold to St John's Hospital. It had three manuals, pedal, and -twenty-one stops, and was only employed on high festivals. As it was at -a considerable distance from the other organ, difficulty was felt in -keeping the two choirs together. This gallery remained, and was used -for musical purposes, till 1886. - -The organ of the Nicolai Church was built in 1598, repaired in 1692, -and in 1725 was thoroughly renewed by Scheibe at a cost of 600 thalers. - -[Sidenote: Leipsic University Organ] - -The organ at the University Church was the best in Leipsic at that -time. It consisted of:-- - - -GREAT - - 1. Principal (open diapason), 16 ft. - 2. Quintatön, 16 " - 3. Principal (open diapason), 8 " - 4. Schalmei, 8 " - 5. German Flute, 8 " - 6. Gemshorn, 8 " - 7. Octave, 4 " - 8. Quinte, 3 " - 9. Quintnasat, 3 " - 10. Octavina, 2 " - 11. Waldflöte, 2 ft. - 12. Mixture, 5 and 6 ranks. - 13. Cornet, 3 ranks. - 14. Zink, 2 " - -BRUSTWERK - - 1. Principal, 8 ft. - 2. Gamba, 8 " - 3. Grobgedackt, 8 " - 4. Octave, 4 " - 5. Rohrflöte, 4 ft. - 6. Octave (fifteenth), 2 " - 7. Nasat, 2 " - 8. Sedesima, 1 " - 9. Schweizer Pfeife, 1 " - 10. Largo (No. of feet not stated). - 11. Mixture, 3 ranks. - 12. Clear Cymbal, 2 " - -THIRD MANUAL - - 1. Lieblich Gedackt, 8 ft. - 2. Quintatön, 8 " - 3. Flûte douce, 4 " - 4. Quinta Decima, 4 " - 5. Decima Nona, 3 " - 6. Hohlflöte, 2 " - 7. Viola, 2 " - 8. Vigesima Nona, 1-1/2 " - 9. Weitpfeife, 1 " - 10. Mixtur, 3 ranks. - 11. Helle Cymbal, 2 ft. - 12. Sertin (perhaps serpent), 8 " - -PEDAL - - 1. Principal, 16 ft. - 2. Quintatön, 16 " - 3. Octave, 8 " - 4. Octave, 4 " - 5. Quinte, 3 " - 6. Mixtur, 5 and 6 ranks - 7. Quinten-bass, 6 ft. - 8. Jubal, 8 " - 9. Nachthorn, 4 " - 10. Octave, 2 " - 11. 2nd Principal, 16 " - 12. Sub-bass, 16 " - 13. Posaune, 16 " - 14. Trompete, 8 " - 15. Hohlflöte, 1 " - 16. Mixtur, 4 ranks. - -The organ had been tried by Bach on its completion in 1716, who wrote -a very elaborate report.[82] It may be of interest to quote some of -Bach's remarks, 1. He says that the space occupied is too confined to -admit of easy access to some of the parts, in case of repairs being -required. This was, however, not the fault of the builder Scheibe, as -he was not allowed the space he asked for. - -2. The wind must be made to come more equally, so as to avoid heavy -rushes of wind. - -3. The parts quite fulfil the description in all respects; and the -contract, with the exception of the Schallmey and Cornet, which were -changed by order of the college for a 2 ft. Octave (15th) and 2 ft. -Hohlflöte, is completed. - -4. The defects of intonation must be done away with; and the lowest -pipes of the Posaune and Bass Trumpet made to speak less roughly and -harshly. The instrument to be frequently and thoroughly tuned in good -weather. - -5. The keys have too great a fall, but this cannot be helped, owing to -the narrowness of the structure. - -6. Finally, the window behind the organ should be built up as far as -the top of the organ, or covered with an iron plate, to prevent damage -by weather. - -The above list of 54 stops is given by Spitta, who quotes from the -"Acta" of the university; but a MS. chronicle of Leipsic, discovered -after 1880, of which the references to musical matters are quoted -in the "Musikalisches Centralblatt" for 1884, has the following -entry:--"1716, June. This summer the beautiful Pauliner organ, which -consists of 67 stops, was finished." A complete list of the stops -follows, but is not given in the "Musikalisches Centralblatt." - -During the concerted music, the organist had to accompany from figured -bass, and the voice part was rarely given him, as the cantor would -not trouble to write it out, though Bach, with his characteristic -thoroughness did so in many cases. - -[Sidenote: _Bach's method of playing from figured bass_] - -There exists a specimen of Bach's method of playing from figured bass -in a MS. accompaniment to a violin sonata of Albinoni, by H. N. Gerber, -a pupil of Bach.[83] It contains a few autograph corrections by Bach -himself, and it may be taken, therefore, as an example of the manner -which Bach approved of. It is described by Spitta as of no melodic -character, as being in four parts throughout, and as not adhering -strictly to the harmonies given by Albinoni where an improvement was -possible. The adornment of a figured bass accompaniment by a melody in -the right hand was only possible to the greatest artists, such as Bach -himself; and it soon went out of fashion. - -During the seventeenth century it was the custom for performers to -elaborate the melody written by a composer, and naturally Bach's -were treated in this way. But it was complained that he left little -for the performer to add, for he "indicated all the _manieren_, the -small ornaments, and everything else that is understood by 'Method' -in playing, by actual notes," and the performer could therefore not -impress his own individuality on the piece.[84] Bach was particular -to show exactly what he required; and it is evident that there was at -this time a school of musicians rising, who objected to superfluous -ornaments on the part of the performer. J. S. Petri objects to -extemporised shakes and right hand melodies. Scheibe objects to -contrapuntal accompaniment. Kirnberger says that the accompanist should -aim at simplicity, and only add such ornaments as were absolutely -necessary. - -If the pedal was employed, the left hand helped with the harmonies. But -if the bass moved rapidly the pedals only played short notes to mark -the essential harmonic progressions; or the bass was even omitted, as -the other instruments played it. For accompanying the solo voices in -arias and recitatives the Gedact 8 feet was usually used alone, and -was sometimes therefore called the "Musik gedact": it is the same as -the English stopped diapason. The chords in a recitative were not held -long, even if the bass notes were. They were played arpeggio, as on a -harpsichord. But Petri considers that if there is a very soft stopped -flute, the chords may be held in the tenor register and the changes of -harmony indicated by a short pedal note. - -[Sidenote: Organ-playing] - -Staccato playing was universal on the organ, but Bach and his pupils -insisted on a legato style, and gradually eliminated the staccato, -though in accompanying they still kept to it. The tradition of Bach's -style of accompaniment was carried on by Kittel a pupil of Bach, who -spread the knowledge of it through Thuringia, and one of Kittel's -pupils, M. G. Fischer of Erfurt, continued it. He died in 1829, and -was heard by Grell of Berlin (b. 1800, d. 1886), who described the -performance to Spitta. He played the bass with considerable power, and -accompanied it by short chords in the right hand on another manual, -thus agreeing with Petri's direction that the organist is to accompany -in as short a style as possible, and to withdraw the fingers after -striking the chord. - -But this was by no means Bach's only method of accompanying, for he -demands in the majority of cases a legato accompaniment, and sometimes -a "melodic" manner. In his _Matthew Passion_ and some of his cantatas -the organist is to play short chords in _recitativo secco_. - -He considered the Gedact peculiarly adapted for purposes of -accompaniment; and in many passages he dispensed with part or the -whole of the bass instruments. - -In order not to drown the voices, or make the organ too prominent, no -reeds or mixtures were allowed to be used in accompanying. They were -reserved for solo organ work, in which Bach made use of astonishing -combinations of stops. Orchestral effects were produced by the -contrasts of tone-colour in the different groups of instruments, -string, brass, reeds and flutes. To these the organ, making use of -diapason work only, formed a background, and it was not allowed to -predominate over them. - -[Sidenote: _The number of performers in a cantata_] - -Bach, in 1730, fixed the number of voices requisite for the -performance of a cantata at twelve, and of instrumentalists, excluding -the organist, at eighteen. His sympathies were so much more with -instrumental than vocal music, that he treated the voice merely as -an instrument capable of expressing words. The influence of Handel's -works, in which the voice parts were of more importance than those of -the instruments, brought about the change of arrangements by which the -singers outnumbered the instrumentalists. - -Students and admirers of Bach's music have often wondered how he could -have got boys to overcome the immense difficulties of its execution. -They certainly complained of the difficulties, but execution was at -that time, owing to the Italian influence, more studied than now. -Boys were made to practise shakes diligently every day. They were -not expected to enter very much into the spirit of the music; it -sufficed if they sang the notes correctly. Moreover there were plenty -of falsetto sopranos and altos, and these could, of course, take the -upper parts. The tenor voice became a soprano, the bass an alto. A -falsetto soprano could sing up to E and F above the treble stave. - -[Sidenote: _The pitch of organs_] - -The pitch question at Leipsic must have caused considerable difficulty. -The organ at St Thomas' Church was a tone higher than that of St -Nicholas,[85] and many of the cantatas have the organ (continuo) parts -in two keys, for the two organs. There must have been a separate set -of string and wind instruments for each church; for the frequent -alterations of strings by so great an interval as a tone would hardly -conduce to good intonation. - -There were in fact two recognised pitches in use, called chorus pitch -and chamber pitch. Of these the chamber pitch was used for ordinary -orchestral performances, and was a tone lower than the chorus pitch, to -which the organ was usually tuned. This would cause no inconvenience if -the orchestras were not used in the churches; but it is very strange -that such a troublesome arrangement should have been allowed to -continue after it had become the custom to employ the orchestra every -Sunday. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[80] The portion in front of the main organ and therefore behind the -performer. - -[81] See Glossary. - -[82] Given by Spitta, vol. ii. p. 289. - -[83] It is given by Spitta as a supplement to vol. iii. It is worth -noticing that the right hand plays the three upper notes in each chord, -the left only playing the bass; and this is how harmony exercises are -still written in Germany. - -[84] There are organists still living who have not forsaken the ancient -custom of adding small ornaments to the written notes. - -[85] This is referred to by Berlioz in his "Instrumentation." Organ -builders would frequently use the higher pitch to save the expense of -the largest pipes, unless carefully watched. - - - - -Chapter XIV - - Bach as "Familien-Vater"--As a choirmaster--His eagerness to - learn all that was new and of value in music--He finds time to - conduct public concerts--His self-criticism--Bach was never a - poor man--His reputation was gained by his playing rather than - compositions--Portraits--Public monuments. - - -[Sidenote: _Bach as Familien-Vater_] - -One often hears in Germany the expressions "Familien-Vater," -"Haus-Vater," applied as terms of special commendation to public men, -in the sense that their private life is of estimable character, that -they do their duty well by their families instead of spending their -whole energy in accumulating money or fame. To no artist could these -terms be more fittingly applied than to the subject of this memoir. -We have seen that he was unremitting in his efforts to give his sons -and pupils the best possible education, and helped them forward in -every way he could when they entered their professions, and how he -secretly obtained a post for his son-in-law, Johann Christoph Altnikol, -as a kind of wedding-present. Forkel says he was a "_vorzüglich -guter_ (particularly excellent) _Haus-Vater, Freund_ (Friend) _und -Staatsbürger_ (Citizen). His company was pleasant to everyone, whether -a stranger or an intimate, and anyone visiting him was sure of a -courteous reception, so that his house was seldom without guests." - -[Sidenote: _Choice of Sponsors_] - -An interesting feature in his private life is his choice of persons to -act as god-parents to his children. They were seldom his own relations, -but persons of distinction, who might be able to help the children -on in their subsequent career. Among them were Bach's great friend, -Prince Leopold of Cöthen, his brother Prince August Ludwig, his sister -Princess Elenore, Privy Councillor Von Zanthier, Dr Gilmar, one of the -chief men in the church at Mühlhausen; Gesner, rector of the Thomas -School. Though far from seeking wealth, Bach was sufficiently a man of -the world to see the value of ensuring a respectable position both for -himself and his sons by any legitimate means in his power. - -[Sidenote: _Bach as choirmaster_] - -As a choirmaster Bach seems to have been a failure. He was far too -irritable to be able to control boys, and the task was evidently -extremely distasteful to him. Though he was sympathetic in the extreme -with those who were in earnest in matters of art, it is very clear that -he had not the tact and patience required for elementary teaching. One -can well imagine how the stupidity and incompetence of many of the -boys who came under him must have galled his ardent nature; and he was -quite unfit to be a schoolmaster. Yet it is evident that he gained the -confidence of some boys from the fact of his having trained them to -assist him in the orchestra. - -Of his own boyhood at Lüneburg a remarkable story is told to the effect -that when his voice broke he for some days spoke and sang in octaves. -It is of course quite conceivable on acoustical grounds that the -first harmonic may have been prominent enough to be heard with the -fundamental note; and that he, being a musician, observed a phenomenon -which would escape an ordinary boy. - -[Sidenote: _Bach's eagerness to know all that was new_] - -Throughout his life he was ever eager to become acquainted with -everything new that was of any value. New organs, new compositions, -newly-invented instruments, were all a source of interest to him. Thus, -directly Silbermann of Freiburg had made a few of his "fortepianos" in -imitation of the new invention of Cristofori, Bach was eager to try -them. But the hammerlike blow required was quite foreign to Bach's -method of playing, in which the fingers were always kept as close as -possible to the keys; and though he praised the tone, he rather freely -condemned the touch. Silbermann was exceedingly angry and would not -have anything to do with Bach for a long time; but he, nevertheless, -set to work to improve the touch, and after some fifteen years of -patient labour succeeded in producing the satisfactory instruments -which Bach played on at Potsdam shortly before his death. Hilgenfeldt -considers that the general use of the pianoforte took its origin from -these perfected instruments. - -[Sidenote: _Public concerts_] - -In the midst of all his occupations Bach found time to conduct public -concerts, of which Hilgenfeldt quotes the following advertisement: - - "NOTICE OF THE MUSICAL CONCERTS AT LEIPSIC." - - "The two public musical concerts or assemblies, which are held here - every week, are still flourishing. One is directed by Herr John - Sebastian Bach, Capellmeister to the Grand-duke of Weissenfels, - Music director of the Churches of St Thomas and St Nicholas; and it - takes place in the Coffee-house of Zimmermann, in Catherine Street, - every Friday evening from 8 to 10 o'clock; but during the Fair - twice a week, namely, Tuesdays and Fridays. The members of these - musical concerts consist for the most part of students, and there - are always good musicians among them, so that often, as is known, - some of them become in time celebrated performers. Every musician - is allowed to perform publicly in these musical concerts, and there - are usually some among the audience who are able to judge the value - of a competent musician." - -[Sidenote: _Self-criticism_] - -Bach was a severe critic of his own works. Hilgenfeldt tells us that -many of those which did not come up to his ideal of what they should -be were cast aside by him, and that such of his youthful works as he -considered worth keeping were constantly improved by him and brought to -a higher standard. Thus, the first movement of the third organ sonata, -which originally belonged to the _Wohltemperirte Clavier_, was altered -to the extent of having large portions cut out, and others essentially -changed and improved, so that phrases of small significance obtained an -importance of which no signs appeared in the earlier composition. - -[Sidenote: _Teaching_] - -He reserved his teaching for those who could really profit by it, and -if he found that a pupil had not sufficient talent, he would, with -every kindly courtesy, recommend him not to seek his living by music. -The result was that a strong feeling for the dignity and value of art -was spread by his pupils, who for the most part attained to important -positions in their profession. One of his pupils, Doles, whose name had -a place of honour in the old Gewandhaus at Leipsic, was Cantor of St -Thomas for thirty-four years (after the death of Harrer), and was held -in great esteem as a teacher and composer. - -[Sidenote: _A good standing always maintained_] - -Though at no time rich, Bach was never a poor man. The various payments -in kind, such as rent-free dwelling, garden produce, etc., were almost -sufficient to support him, and to make his salary available for -self-improvement, for journeys, and for the education of his children. -And that he was able to collect more than eighty theological works, -at a time when books were an expensive luxury, and that he could give -no less than three clavichords with pedals at once to his son, Joh. -Christian, shows that his position was one of comfort. - -[Sidenote: _Recognition on his death_] - -Though the Council and the _Leipsic Chronicle_ took little notice of -his death, it appears that the Society founded by Mizler caused a -funeral ode by the then rector, Dr Ventzky, to be set to music and -performed; and he seems to have been much mourned outside Leipsic, as -the chief support of serious German music. - -Not as a composer, but as a performer, however, was he mourned. It was -reserved for later generations to fully appreciate what Hilgenfeldt -describes as the "spiritual and everlasting" side of his genius. In -those days the composer and performer were one and the same person. -No one was considered an artist who could only perform, however well, -if he could not also compose; and, especially on the organ, good -improvisation was considered the chief qualification of a musician. He -was expected to be in a position to extemporise at any time and under -any conditions a fugue, or a set of variations on any theme given to -him; and his ability in this respect was the criterion by which he was -judged. It was natural, therefore, that Bach's fame during his lifetime -should rest more on his extempore performances than on his written -compositions, which, remaining in manuscript, would probably serve -chiefly as models for his pupils to work from. - -[Sidenote: _Portraits and Statues_] - -Four portraits of Bach are known to have been painted. One, which seems -to have been the first, is a half length picture showing him in a dress -coat of the fifth decade of the eighteenth century. It belonged to -Kittel, and was kept by him as a kind of sacred possession, only to be -shown on special occasions, or as a reward to a diligent pupil. It was -in a massive gold frame, and hung behind a curtain over the harpsichord -in Kittel's study. On his death it came into the possession of the -church of which he was organist. - -The second was also a half-length, and belonged to his son Carl Philip -Emanuel. It was painted by Hausmann. - -The third, also by Hausmann, is shown in our frontispiece. It is -preserved in the Thomas School, and, according to Becker, was painted -on his becoming a member of the Leipsic Musical Society. A fourth, -preserved in the Joachimsthal Gymnasium at Berlin, was formerly in -the possession of Princess Amalie of Prussia, and seems to have been -painted by Geber. - -A few good copper engravings were made from the various portraits, -and a number of bad lithographs from the engravings. Some successful -plaster busts have also been made from the pictures. - -Germany is much given to honouring those of her sons who have -distinguished themselves in art by erecting memorials to them in public -places: but not till nearly one hundred years after his death was such -a monument thought of for Bach. In 1840, Mendelssohn gave an organ -recital in the Thomas Church, with the object of opening a fund for -this purpose with the proceeds, and on April 23, 1843, a medallion by -Knauer was solemnly unveiled on the walls of the Thomas Church. The -opportunity was taken of performing many of Bach's compositions; and -amongst those present was the last descendant of the great man, with -his wife and two daughters. This was William Bach, then 81 years of -age, a son of the Bückeburger Bach. - -In 1864 a large new organ was erected in the New Church at Arnstadt -"in honour of Johann Sebastian Bach," containing his portrait over the -keyboards: and in 1884 a Bach festival was held at Eisenach on the -occasion of the unveiling of a fine bronze statue of the composer in -the Market-place. - - - - -Catalogue of Bach's Vocal Works - - - _Matthew Passion._ First performed, 1729. English edition, - Novello. - - _St John Passion._ Probably written at Cöthen, and much - altered before it received its present form. English edition, - published by Novello. - - _St Luke Passion._ Of doubtful authenticity. English edition, - Novello. - - _Mass in B minor._ - - " _F._ - - " _A._ Written in 1737. Partly borrowed from other works. - - _Mass in G minor._} - _ " G major._} Adapted from cantatas. - - These four "Missæ breves" contain the Kyrie and Gloria, the only part - of the Mass retained in the Lutheran Service in Latin. - - _Magnificat in D._ Written for the Christmas Festival at St - Thomas' Church, and sung at vespers after the sermon. Edition with - English words, Novello. It is for five voices, three trumpets, two - flutes, two oboes, strings and organ. - - _Sanctus in C._ } Sung after the morning sermon, as an - _ " D._ } introduction to the Communion Service. - _ " D minor._} - _ " G._} - - -CHURCH CANTATAS - -_The numbers refer to the Bachgesellschaft Edition._ - - 2 _Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein._ Second Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 3 _Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid._ Second Sunday after - Epiphany. Chorale Cantata. - - 58 _Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid._ Second Sunday after - Christmas. Solo Cantata for soprano and bass. - - 135 _Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder._ Third Sunday after - Trinity. Chorale Cantata, Leipsic. - - 162 _Ach, ich sehe, itzt, da ich._ Twentieth Sunday after - Trinity. - - 114 _Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost._ Seventeenth Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 26 _Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig!_ Twenty-fourth - Sunday after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 33 _Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ._ Thirteenth Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 72 _Alles nur nach Gottes Willen._ Third Sunday after - Epiphany. - - 68 _Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt._ Tuesday in Whitsun-week. - English edition, "God so loved the World," Novello. - - 42 _Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbaths._ First Sunday - after Easter (Quasimodogeniti). - - 186 _Arg're dich, o Seele nicht._ Seventh Sunday after Trinity. - - 128 _Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein._ Ascension Day. - - 131 _Aus der Tiefe rufe ich, Herr, zu dir._ Composed for Dr. - G. C. Gilmar, Pastor of Mühlhausen. - - 38 _Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu dir._ Twenty-first Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 131 _Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu dir._ Composed at Mühlhausen - about 1707. - - 185 _Barmherziges Herze, der._ Fourth Sunday after Trinity. - - 132 _Bereitet die Wege, bereitet._ For no special season. - Weimar, 1715. Words by Salomo Franck. - - 87 _Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinem Namen._ Fifth - Sunday after Easter. - - 6 _Bleib' bei uns, denn es will Abend._ Tuesday in Easter - Week. English edition, "Bide with us," Novello. - - 39 _Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot!_ First Sunday after - Trinity. - - 148 _Bringet dem Herrn Ehre._ Seventeenth Sunday after - Trinity. - - 63 _Christen, ätzet diesen Tag._ Christmas. - - 4 _Christ lag in Todesbanden._ Easter Day. - - 121 _Christum wir sollen loben schon._ Christmas. Chorale - Cantata. - - 7 _Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam._ St John's Day. - Chorale Cantata. - - 95 _Christus, der ist mein Leben._ Sixteenth Sunday after - Trinity. - - 141 _Das ist je gewisslich wahr._ Third Sunday in Advent. - - 122 _Das neu gebor'ne Kindelein._ First Sunday after Christmas. - Chorale Cantata. - - 40 _Dazu ist erscheinen der Sohn._ Christmas. - - 195 _Dem Gerechten muss das Licht._ Wedding Cantata. - - 15 _Denn du wirst meine Seele nicht in Hölle lassen._ Monday - in Easter Week. Composed at Arnstadt, probably in - 1704. See p. 27. - - 157 _Der Friede sei mit dir._ Purification; also for Easter. - - 196 _Der Herr denket an uns._ Wedding Cantata. - - 112 _Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt._ Second Sunday after - Easter (Misericordias). - - 31 _Der Himmel lacht, die Erde jubiliret._ Monday in Easter - Week. One of the few cantatas containing a chorus for five - voices. The instrumental introduction is called "Sonata." - - 75 _Die Elenden sollen essen._ First Sunday after Trinity. - - 76 _Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre._ Second Sunday after Trinity. - - 116 _Du Friedensfürst, Herr Jesu Christ._ Twenty-fifth Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 104 _Du Hirte Israel, höre._ Second Sunday after Easter - (Misericordias). English edition, "Thou Guide of Israel," Novello. - - 77 _Du sollst Gott, deinen Herren, lieben._ Thirteenth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 23 _Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn._ Quinquagesima (Estomihi). - - _Ehre sei dir Gott gesungen._ Part V. of Christmas oratorio. - English edition, Novello. - - _Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe._ Christmas. Incomplete. - - 80 _Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott._ Reformation Festival, - English edition, "A Stronghold Sure," Novello. Composed 1717, when - Bach went to Cöthen. This was the first cantata published in the - nineteenth century. It was also arranged to Latin words, beginning, - "Gaudete, omnes populi." - - 134 _Ein Herz, das Seinen._ Wednesday in Easter Week. Cöthen, - between 1717 and 1723. - - 24 _Ein ungefärbt Gemüthe._ Fourth Sunday after Trinity. - - 136 _Erforsche mich Gott, und erfahre._ Eighth Sunday after - Trinity. Leipsic, 1737 or 1738. - - 66 _Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen!_ Tuesday in Easter Week. - - 83 _Erfreute Zeit im neuen Bunde._ Purification. - - 126 _Erhalt' uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort._ Sexagesima. - Chorale Cantata. - - 173 _Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut._ Tuesday in Whitsun-week. The - music was originally written for a Serenade for the birthday of - Prince Leopold of Cöthen. The MS. Serenade is in the Royal Library at - Berlin. - - 175 _Er rufet seinen Schafen mit._ Wednesday in Whitsun-week. - Solo Cantata for tenor and bass. - - 172 _Erschallet,ihr Lieder._ Whitsunday. - - 184 _Erwünschtes Freudenlicht._ Wednesday in Whitsun-week. - - 19 _Es erbub sich ein Streit._ Michaelmas Day. - - 9 _Es ist das Heil uns kommen her._ Sixth Sunday after - Trinity. - - 45 _Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist._ Eighth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 176 _Es ist ein trotzig und verzagt Ding._ Trinity Sunday. - - 108 _Es ist euch gut, dass ich hingehe._ Fourth Sunday after - Easter (Cantata). - - 25 _Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe._ Fourteenth - Sunday after Trinity. Edition with English words, "Lo, there is - no soundness within my body." Rieter-Biedermann. - - 90 _Es reifet euch ein schrecklich._ Twenty-fifth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 187 _Es wartet Alles auf dich._ Seventh Sunday after - Trinity, 1737. Music is used for Mass in G minor. - - _Fallt mit Danken._ Part IV. of Christmas oratorio. English edition, - Novello. - - 52 _Falsche Welt, dir trau._ Twenty-third Sunday after - Trinity. Solo Cantata for soprano. - - 30 _Freue dich, erlöste Schaar._ St John's Day, originally a - "Dramma per Musica" in honour of the Saxon Minister, Von Hennicke. - Composed in 1737, and arranged as a church cantata, 1738, after Bach - had received the title of Court Composer. It is in the "Lombardic" - style introduced by Vivaldi, consisting of frequent syncopation. - - 35 _Geist und Seele wird._ Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. - - 129 _Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott._ Trinity Sunday. - - 91 _Gelobet seist du, Jesus Christ._ Christmas. Chorale - Cantata. Words by Martin Luther. - - 18 _Gleich wie der Regen und._ Sexagesima. The orchestration - is unusual, consisting of four violas, fagotto, violoncello and organ. - - 191 _Gloria in excelsis Deo._ Christmas. Rearranged from - the B minor Mass. - - 79 _Gott der Herr, ist Sonn' und Schild._ Reformation Festival. - - 106 _Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit._ For no special season. - English edition, "God's time is the best," Novello. Called "Actus - tragicus," probably a funeral cantata. Mühlhausen about 1708. - - 43 _Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen._ Ascension Day. English - version, "God goeth up with shouting," Novello. - - 71 _Gott ist mein König._ Election of Town Council at - Mühlhausen, 1708. See p. 36. - - 191 _Gott ist uns're Zuversicht._. Wedding Cantata. - - 28 _Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr._ First Sunday after Christmas. - - 120 _Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille._ Election of Town - Council at Leipsic. In the score the letters J.J. (Jesu juva) - frequently occur. - - 169 _Gott soll allein mein Herze._ Eighteenth Sunday after - Trinity. For alto solo. - - 171 _Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm._ Circumcision. - The first chorus occurs with modifications as part of the "Credo" - of the B minor Mass. - - 67 _Halt' im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ._ First Sunday after - Easter (Quasimodogeniti). Edition with English words, "Hold in - remembrance Jesus Christ," Rieter-Biedermann. - - 96 _Herr Christ, der ein'ge Gottes Sohn._ Eighteenth Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. Words by Elizabeth Creutzinger. - - 102 _Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem._ Tenth Sunday after - Trinity. - - 105 _Herr, gehe nicht in's Gericht._ Ninth Sunday after - Trinity. - - _Herr Gott, Beherrscher aller Dinge._ Wedding Cantata. Incomplete. - - 130 _Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir._ Michaelmas Day. - - 16 _Herr Gott, dich loben wir._ Circumcision. Chorale Cantata. - - 113 _Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut._ Eleventh Sunday after - Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 127 _Herr Jesu Christ, wahr'r Mensch und Gott._ Quinquagesima - (Estomihi). Chorale Cantata. - - _Herrscher des Himmels._ Part III. of Christmas oratorio. - English edition, Novello. - - _Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben._ Part VI. of Christmas - oratorio. English edition, Novello. - - 73 _Herr, wie du willt, so schick's mit mir!_ Third Sunday - after Epiphany. - - 147 _Herz und Mund und That und Leben._ The return of Mary - from Egypt. - - 182 _Himmelskönig, sei willkommen._ Annunciation. Originally - composed for Palm Sunday. - - 194 _Höchst erwünschtes Freudenfest._ Dedication of the - organ at Störmthal. - - 55 _Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht._ Twenty-second - Sunday after Trinity. For tenor solo. - - 85 _Ich bin ein guter Hirt._ Second Sunday after Easter - (Misericordias). - - 84 _Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke._ Septuagesima. - - 48 _Ich elender Mensch wer wird mich._ Nineteenth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 133 _Ich freue mich in dir._ Christmas. Chorale Cantata. - Leipsic, 1737. - - 49 _Ich geh' und suche mit._ Twentieth Sunday after Trinity. - - 109 _Ich glaube lieber Herr, hilf meinem._ Twenty-first - Sunday after Trinity. - - 82 _Ich habe genug._ Purification. - - 188 _Ich habe meine Zuversicht._ Twenty-first Sunday after - Trinity. The copyist directs that the "organ concerto" of - "Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal" in D minor (arranged from - the Clavecin Concerto in that key) is to be used as an - "introduction." Words by Picander. - - 92 _Ich hab' in Gottes Herz und Sinn._ Septuagesima. Chorale - Cantata. Words by Paul Gerhardt. - - 21 _Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis._ "Per ogni tempi," "For all - times." English edition, "My spirit was in heaviness," Novello. - Composed on his being made concert-meister at Weimar, and performed - there on the third Sunday after Trinity, 1714. - - 162 _Ich, ich sehe, jetzt da ich zur Hochzeit gehe._ Solo Cantata - for soprano, alto, tenor, bass. - - 158 _Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest._ Purification. Solo - Cantata for tenor and bass. The violetta occurs in the score. - - 174 _Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem._ Whitsunday. Solo - Cantata for alto, tenor, bass. - - 177 _Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ._ Fourth Sunday after - Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 156 _Ich steh' mit einem Fuss im Grabe._ Third Sunday after - Epiphany. - - 160 _Ich weiss, dass mein Erlöser._ Monday in Easter Week. - - 56 _Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen._ Nineteenth Sunday - after Trinity. For bass solo. - - 164 _Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo._ Thirteenth Sunday after - Trinity. Solo Cantata for soprano, alto, tenor, bass. - - 167 _Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes._ St John's Day. Solo - Cantata for soprano, alto, tenor and bass. - - 193 _Ihr Pforten zu Zion._ Election of Town Council. - - 103 _Ihr werdet weinen und heulen._ Third Sunday after - Easter (Jubilate). - - 97 _In allen meinen Thaten._ For no special season. Words - by Dr Paul Flemming. - - _Jauchzet, frohlocket._ Christmas oratorio. Part I., English version, - Novello. - - 51 _Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen._ Fifteenth Sunday after - Trinity. Solo Cantata for soprano. - - 78 _Jesu, der du meine Seele._ Fourteenth Sunday after - Trinity. In this cantata the ground bass of the "Crucifixus" - of the B minor Mass is used. Edition with English words, "Jesu, - Saviour, who by dying," Rieter-Biedermann. - - 41 _Jesu, nun sei gepreiset._ Circumcision. Chorale Cantata. - English edition, "Jesus, now will we praise Thee," - Novello. - - 22 _Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe._ Quinquagesima (Estomihi). - Bach's test piece for the Leipsic post after the death of Kuhnau. - Performed there, February 7th, 1723. - - 81 _Jesus schläft, was soll ich hoffen?_ Fourth Sunday after - Epiphany. - - 161 _Komm du süsse Todesstunde!_ Purification; also for the - Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity. - - _Kommt, eilet, lauft._ Easter oratorio. - - 181 _Leicht gesinnte Flattergeister._ Sexagesima. - - 8 _Liebster Gott, wann werd' ich sterben._ Sixteenth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 123 _Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen._ Epiphany. - Chorale Cantata. - - 32 _Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen._ First Sunday after - Epiphany. Called "Dialogue." Solo Cantata for soprano and bass. - - 137 _Lobe den Herren, den Mächtigen._ Twelfth Sunday after - Trinity. Leipsic, between 1742 and 1747. Words by Joachim Neander. - - 69 _Lobe den Herrn meine Seele!_ Twelfth Sunday after - Trinity. - - 143 _Lobe den Herrn meine Seele._ New Year's Day. - - 11 _Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen._ Ascension Day. Called - by Bach "oratorium festo ascensionis Christi." Part of this - cantata is used in the B minor Mass. - - 115 _Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit._ Twenty-second Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 149 _Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg._ Michaelmas Day. - - 124 _Meinen Jesum lass' ich nicht._ First Sunday after Epiphany. - Chorale Cantata. - - 10 _Meine Seel' erhebt den Herren._ Return of Mary from - Egypt. Chorale Cantata. - - 189 _Meine Seele rühmt und preist._ For no special season. - - 13 _Meine Seufzer meine Thränen._ Second Sunday after - Epiphany. Solo Cantata for soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices, - accompanied by wind instruments and organ, no strings being used. - - 155 _Mein Gott, wie lang'._ Second Sunday after Epiphany. - - 154 _Mein liebster Jesus ist verloren._ First Sunday after - Epiphany. - - 125 _Mit Fried' und Freud' ich fahr' dahin._ Purification. - Chorale Cantata. - - 150 _Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich._ For no special season. - - 101 _Nimm' von uns Herr, du treuer Gott._ Tenth Sunday after - Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 144 _Nimm, was dein ist, und gehe hin!_ Septuagesima. - - 192 _Nun danket alle Gott._ For no special season. - - 50 _Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft._ For no special season. - - 61 _Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland._ First Sunday in Advent. - First composition in A minor. Inside the cover of this cantata - Bach has written the order of the service for the morning of - Advent Sunday, 1714, at Leipsic. See p. 44. - - 62 _Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland._ First Sunday in Advent. - Chorale Cantata. Second composition in B minor. - - 163 _Nur Jedem das Seine!_ Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity. - Solo Cantata for soprano, alto, tenor and bass. - - 34 _O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe._ Whitsunday. - English edition, "O Light Everlasting," Novello. - - _O ewiges Feuer._ Wedding Cantata. Incomplete. - - 20 _O Ewigkeit du Donnerwort._ First Sunday after Trinity. - - 60 _O Ewigkeit du Donnerwort._ Twenty-fourth Sunday after - Trinity. Solo Cantata for alto, tenor and bass. - - 165 _O heil'ges Geist- und Wasserbad._ Trinity Sunday. Solo - Cantata for soprano, alto, tenor, bass. - - 118 _O Jesu Christ mein's Lebenslicht._ The accompaniment - is for two litui, cornet and three trombones; no strings or organ. - It was probably intended for the open air (perhaps for a funeral) - as it is the only cantata with no continuo part. - - 119 _Preise Jerusalem den Herrn._ Performed in the Nicolai - Church on August 30, 1723, at the election of Town Council. It was - also performed by Mendelssohn on the unveiling of the Bach Memorial - at Leipsic, April 23, 1843. - - 46 _Schauet doch und sehet._ Tenth Sunday after Trinity. - - 153 _Schau' liebe Gott wie meine Feinde._ Second Sunday - after Christmas. - - 53 _Schlage doch! gewünschste Stunde._ Funeral Cantata - for alto solo. - - 180 _Schmücke dich o liebe Seele._ Twentieth Sunday after - Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 36 _Schwingt freudig euch empor._ First Sunday in Advent. - - 64 _Sehet welch' eine Liebe._ Christmas. - - 159 _Sehet, wir geh'n hinauf._ Quinquagesima (Estomihi). - - 117 _Sei Lob und Ehr' dem höchsten Gut._ For no special season. - - 57 _Selig ist der Mann._ Christmas. Solo Cantata for soprano and - bass. - - 88 _Siehe ich will viel Fischer._ Fifth Sunday after Trinity. - - 179 _Siehe zu dass deine Gottesfurcht nicht._ Eleventh Sunday - after Trinity. - - 65 _Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen._ Epiphany. Edition with - English words, "They all shall come from Saba," Rieter-Biedermann. - - 44 _Sie werden Euch in den Bann thun._ Sunday after Ascension - Day (Exaudi). - - 183 _Sie werden Euch in den Bann thun._ Sunday after Ascension - Day (Exaudi). - - 190 _Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied._ Circumcision. Incomplete. - Performed 25th of June 1730, at the second Jubilee celebration of - the Augsburg Confession. - - 145 _So du mit deinem Munde bekennest._ Easter Day, and Wednesday - in Easter Week. - - 151 _Süsser Trost, mein Jesus kömmt._ Christmas. - - 168 _Thue Rechnung Donnerwort._ Ninth Sunday after Trinity. Solo - Cantata for soprano, alto, tenor, bass. - - 152 _Tritt auf die Glauben's Bahn._ First Sunday after Christmas. - - _Und es waren Hirten auf dem Felde._ Part II. Christmas oratorio. - English edition, Novello. - - 110 _Unser Mund sei voll Lachens._ Christmas. - - 142 _Uns ist ein Kind geboren._ Christmas. - - 170 _Vergnügte Ruh' beliebte._ Sixth Sunday after Trinity. - For alto solo. - - 140 _Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme._ Twenty-seventh Sunday - after Trinity. Leipsic, 1742. Words by P. Nicolai. - - 70 _Wachet, betet, seid bereit allezeit._ Twentieth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 86 _Warlich ich sage euch._ Rogation Sunday. - - 14 _Wär' Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit._ Fourth Sunday after - Epiphany. - - 138 _Warum betrübst du dich mein Herz._ Fifteenth Sunday - after Trinity. Leipsic, 1737. Words by Hans Sachs. - - 94 _Was frag' ich nach der Welt!_ Ninth Sunday after Trinity. - Chorale Cantata. - - 98 _Was Gott thut das ist wohlgethan._ Twenty-first Sunday - after Trinity. - - 99 _Was Gott thut, das ist wohlgethan._ Fifteenth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 100 _Was Gott thut, das ist wohlgethan._ For no special - season. Words by S. Rudigast. - - 111 _Was mein Gott will das g'sche all' zeit._ Third Sunday - after Epiphany. Chorale Cantata. - - 89 _Was soll ich aus dir machen._ Twenty-second Sunday - after Trinity. - - 107 _Was willst du dich betrüben._ Seventh Sunday after - Trinity. - - 12 _Weinen, klagen, sorgen, zagen._ Third Sunday after Easter - (Jubilate). The opening chorus is on the same ground bass as the - "Crucifixus" of the B minor Mass. - - 37 _Wer da glaubet und getauft wird._ Ascension Day. - - 17 _Wer Dank opfert der preiset mich._ Fourteenth Sunday - after Trinity. Edition with English words, "Whoso offereth praise," - Reiter-Biedermann. - - 59 _Wer mich liebet der wird mein._ Whitsunday. - - 74 _Wer mich liebet der wird mein._ Whitsunday. Solo Cantata - for soprano and bass. - - 93 _Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten._ Fifth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 47 _Wer sich selbst erhöht der soll._ Seventeenth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 27 _Wer weiss wie nahe mir mein Ende._ Sixteenth Sunday - after Trinity. English edition, "When will God recall my spirit," - Novello. - - 54 _Widerstehe doch der Sünde._ For no special season. - Alto solo. - - 1 _Wie Schön leuchtet der Morgenstern._ Annunciation. - Chorale Cantata. - - 29 _Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir._ Election of Town - Council at Leipsic, 1737. - - 146 _Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal._ Third Sunday after - Easter (Jubilate). - - 166 _Wo gehest du hin?_ Fourth Sunday after Easter (Cantate). - Solo Cantata for alto, tenor, bass. - - 178 _Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält._ Eighth Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 139 _Wohl dem der sich auf seinen Gott._ Twenty-third Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata, Leipsic, between 1737 and 1744. - - 5 _Wo soll ich fliehen hin._ Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity. - Chorale Cantata. - - -FUNERAL ODE - - _Lass, Fürstin, lass noch einen Strahl._ Called "Weeping - Leipsic." Written for the death of Princess Christiane Eberhardine, - wife of Augustus the Strong. - - -MOTETS - - _Jesu meine Freude._ Five voices. English edition, "Jesu, - priceless treasure," Novello. A hymn by Franck in six stanzas. - - _Der Geist hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf._ Eight voices. Written - for the funeral of the Rector Heinrich Ernesti, 1729. The composer - added a figured bass for the organ. English edition, "The Spirit - also helpeth us," Novello. - - _Furchte dich nicht._ Eight voices. English edition, "Be not - afraid," Novello. - - _Komm Jesu, komm._ Eight voices. - - _Lob und Ehre und Weisheit und Dank._ Eight voices. English - edition, "Blessing, Glory and Wisdom," Novello. - - _Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied._ Psalm 149, eight voices. - English edition, "Sing ye to the Lord," Novello. - - _Ich lasse dich nicht._ Eight voices. This motet is by some - attributed to Joh. Christoph Bach. English edition, "I wrestle and - pray," Novello. - - A Latin motet for two choruses heard by J. L. Gerber at Christmas, - 1767, is lost. - - _Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden._ Psalm 117. Four voices. - - -SECULAR CANTATAS - - _Drama: Geschwinde, ihr wirbelnden Winde._ The contest between - Phoebus and Pan. - - _Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten._ For soprano voice. - - _Amore traditore._ For bass voice, accompanied by cembalo - only. - - _Drama: Zerreisset, zerspringet, Zertrümmert die Gruft._ For - the name-day of Dr A. F. Muller. Leipsic, Aug. 3, 1725. - - _Drama: Schleicht, spielende Wellen._ For the birthday of - Augustus III. - - _Drama: Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten._ For - a University celebration, Leipsic, 1726. - - _Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd._ - - _Non sa che sia dolore._ For soprano solo. - - _O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit._ Wedding Cantata for soprano - solo. - - _Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht._ In praise of coffee. - - _Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet._ Complimentary Cantata to Carl - Heinrich von Dieskau. - - _Mit Gnaden bekröne der Himmel die Zeiten._ - - _O angenehme Melodei._ Soprano solo. - - _Durchlauchster Leopold._ Serenade for two solo voices and - orchestra. - - _Schwingt freudig euch empor._ For the birthday of a teacher. - - _Die Freude reget sich._ For the birthday of Professor Rivinus. - - _Drama: Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen._ Complimentary - Cantata to a Saxon Princess. The opening chorus from - Christmas oratorio. - - _Tönet ihr Pauken! erschallet Trompeten!_ For the birthday - of the Queen of Saxony, December 1733. See p. 145. - - _Drama: Preise dein Glücke._ For the anniversary of the election - of Augustus III. as King of Poland, 1734. - - _Drama: Angenehmes Wiederau._ Persons represented--Fate, - Happiness, Time, and the river Elster. The opening chorus from - the cantata "Freue dich erlöste Schaar." - - _Drama: Auf schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten._ For - the name-day of King Augustus III. - - -WORKS KNOWN TO BE LOST - - Three Passions. It is known that Bach wrote five Passions, - from information given by his son C. P. Emanuel, and his pupil - Agricola in Mizler's Necrology. - - A great funeral ode on the death of Prince Leopold of Cöthen. - - Several Cantatas. - - - - -Catalogue of Instrumental Works - - -ORGAN - -_The numbers refer to the volumes in Peters' edition in which each work -will be found._ - - _Six sonatas for two manuals and pedal (240)._ These sonatas - and the passacaglia were written for his young son, W. Friedemann, - to practise on the pedal clavichord. Many of the trills, which are - necessary on this instrument, are intended to be omitted when the - pieces are played on the organ. According to tradition the date is - 1723. The first movement of the sonata in D minor appears in 1722, - as the prelude in that key in Part I. of the Forty-eight. - - _Passacaglia in C minor (240)._ - - _Trio for two manuals (243) and pedal in D minor._ This trio - is overladen with grace notes in the fashion of the day. The - performer is recommended by Griepenkerl to exercise his taste as - to which he retains or omits. - - _Pastorale in F (240)._ In four movements. Mostly copied - singly. Forkel possessed a copy in which all four movements were - combined in a whole. - - _Preludes and Fugues (241)._ - - _In C._ - - _In G._ The subject of the fugue is the same as that of the - opening chorus in the cantata, "Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis." - - _In A._ - - _Fantasia and Fugue in G minor (241)._ Composed at Cöthen, - probably as an act of homage to Reinken. In one copy the fantasia - is called "prelude." In another copy the fugue is in F minor with - a remark, "The very best pedal-piece by Herr Joh. Seb. Bach." - - _Prelude and Fugue in C (241)._ - - _A minor._ - - _E minor._ - - _B minor._ The Peters' edition is from the original MS. in the - possession of Sir Herbert Oakeley. - - _Prelude and Fugue (242) E flat._ From the "Clavierübung." - The fugue, like those of Buxtehude, is in three movements. - - _Toccata and Fugue (242) in F._ The compass of the pedals in - this toccata shows that it must have been written for the organ in - the Lutheran Church at Cöthen. (See Glossary "Orgel-büchlein.") In - the Bachgesellschaft edition the toccata is called fantasia. - - _In D minor._ Called Dorian from the flat being omitted from - the signature. The toccata is called "prelude" in some copies. - - _Preludes and Fugue (242) in D minor._ The prelude has no - pedal part. The fugue is arranged from the earlier violin solo fugue - in G minor (228). - - _In G minor._ - - _Fantasia and Fugue (242) in C minor._ - - _Prelude and Fugue in C (242)._ This was originally in E major. - The fugue is in two portions, divided by nine bars of florid passages. - It was transposed to C for some of the old organs which had only two - octaves of pedals. In Kirnberger's MS. it is called "Preludio con - Fantasia con Pedal." - - _Toccata and Fugue in C (242)._ The toccata is separated from - the fugue by a very beautiful aria, in which a melody is accompanied - by chords and staccato bass, the only instance of the kind in Bach's - organ works. In one MS. the toccata is called "Preludium." - - _Prelude and double Fugue (242) in A minor._ - - _Prelude and Fugue (242) in E minor._ - - _Prelude and Fugue (243) in C major._ - - _In G._ - - _In D._ The prelude is in two movements. The work, which - is very brilliant, is inscribed "Concertata" as if intended more for - concert than church use. In one copy the work is called simply - "Pièce d'orgue, von Joh. Seb. Bach." - - _Toccata and Fugue in D minor (243)._ - - _Prelude and Fugue in C minor (243)._ In some MSS. this is - in D minor. - - _Fugues (243) in C minor._ On a theme by Legrenzi. A second - subject appears in the course of the fugue, which after being worked - independently is finally united to the first in a double fugue. - - _In G minor._ - - _In B minor._ The subject is by Corelli. - - _In C minor._ Probably written for pedal clavichord. Composed - at Arnstadt. - - _Canzona in D minor (243)._ In two movements. It was popular, and - many copies appear to have existed. - - _Fantasias (243) in G._ In three movements of which the tempi are - indicated by Bach. "Très Vitement," "Grave," "Lentement." From the - number of copies which exist this fantasia, also called "Pièce - d'orgue," appears to have been very popular. - - _In C minor._ In five voices. In some MSS. called "Prelude." - - _Prelude in A minor (243)._ - - _Fifty-six short Chorale-preludes (244)._ - - _Three sets of Chorale Variations called "Partite" (244)._ - - _Some Canonic Variations on the Christmas hymn "Vom Himmel hoch da - komm ich her" (244)._ - - _Seven Chorale-preludes (244)._ - - _Sixty-three "Larger and more artistic Chorale-preludes" (245 and - 246)._ - - _Four Concertos for two manuals and pedal (247)._ Arranged - from the Violin Concertos of Vivaldi. The originals were, like - Handel's "Concerti grossi," for four violins, one or two violas, - violoncello, bass and continuo. - - _Eight small Preludes and Fugues (247)._ For the instruction - of his son Friedemann. - - _Allabreve pro organo pleno (247)._ Organo pleno means a - complete organ, as opposed to a positiv, or one manual instrument. - It has the same kind of sense as our expression "Full orchestra," - and does not mean that the full force is to be employed the whole - time. - - _Prelude in C (247)._ Without pedal. - - _In G "pro organo pleno" (247)._ - - _Fantasia in C (247)._ Without pedal. - - _Fugue in C (247)._ The pedal only enters in the last five bars, - and is used in Buxtehude's manner, merely to complete the harmony. - - _Prelude in G (247)._ Composed at Weimar. - - _Fugue in G minor (247)._ - - _Fantasia and Fugue in A minor (2067)._ An early work, in - some MS. called "Preludio e Fuga per il cembalo," so that it - was probably intended for the pedal clavichord. - - _Fugue in G (2067)._ - - _Little Harmonic Labyrinth (2067)._ Consisting of three movements - called "Introitus," "Centrum," "Exitus." Starting in the key of C, - it perpetually modulates, chiefly by enharmonic changes, and finishes - by a return to C. - - _Fugue in G (2067)._ - - _Fugue in D (2067)._ - - _Concerto in G (2067)._ Called also "Fantasia." - - _Trio for two manuals and pedal in C minor (2067)._ - - _Aria in F for two manuals and pedal (2067)._ - - _Eleven Chorale-preludes (2067)._ - - -ORCHESTRA - - _Concerto in F (261)._ For violins, piccolo, three oboes, and two - corni di caccia, with accompaniment for two violins, viola, - violoncello and bass. - - _Concerto in F (262)._ For violin, flute, oboe, and trumpet - concertante, with accompaniment for two violins, viola, violoncello - and bass. - - _Concerto in G (263)._ For three violins, three violas, three - violoncellos and one bass. Rearranged as the introductory "symphony" - to the cantata "Ich liebe den Höchsten." - - _Concerto in G (264)._ For violin and two flutes concertante, - with accompaniment for two violins, viola, violoncello and bass. - - _Concerto in D (265)._ For clavecin, flute and violin concertante, - with accompaniment for one violin, viola, violoncello and bass. - - _Concerto in B flat (266)._ For two violas, two violas da gamba, - with accompaniment for violoncello and bass. - - _Overture or Suite in C major (267)._ For two violins, viola, - two oboes, bassoon, violoncello and bass. - - _Overture or Suite in B minor (268)._ For two violins, viola, - violoncello, flute and bass. - - _Overture or Suite in D major (269)._ For two violins, viola, - bass kettle-drums, two oboes, and three trumpets. - - - - -Works for Cembalo, Clavichord, Spinet, &c. - - - _The Forty-eight Preludes and Fugues. Part I. (1 and 1a). - Part II. (2 and 1b)._ For clavichord. See p. 131. - - _Sonatas (213) in A minor._ From a sonata for two violins, - viola da gamba and bass in Reinken's "Hortus Musicus." - - _In C major._ Arranged from Reinken's "Hortus Musicus." - - _In D minor._ Arranged from the sonata in A minor for violin - alone (228). - - _Prelude and Fugue in E flat (214)._ - - _Fugue in B minor (214)._ - - _Suites in A minor (214)._ - - _In E flat._ - - _In G._ - - _Preludio con Fughetta in F (214)._ - - _In G._ - - _Prelude in G (214)._ - - _The adagio of violin solo sonata in C arranged for clavier (214)._ - - _Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor (207)._ - - _Prelude and Fugue in A minor (207)._ Composed at Cöthen. - - _Toccata and Fugue in E minor (210)._ The toccata is in three - movements. - - _Toccata and Fugue in F sharp minor (210)._ Allegro moderato, - lento, fugue (for three voices) allegro moderato fugue (for four - voices). - - _Toccata and Fugue in C minor (210)._ The toccata is in two - movements--allegro moderato and adagio. - - _Fantasia and Fugue in A minor (208)._ - - _Fantasia and Fughetta in B flat (212)._ These are written on - one stave, with figures for the harmony. - - _In D._ - - _Capriccio sopra la lontananza del suo fratello dilettissimo - (208)._ See p. 28. - - _Toccata and Fugue in D minor (210)._ The toccata contains - three movements--allegro moderato, allegro, adagio. - - _Four Duets (208)._ For right and left hand. - - _A Prelude with Fugue on the notes B, A, C, H (212)._ Apocryphal. - - _Six Partitas in B flat, C minor, A minor, D, G, E minor - (205)._ From the Clavierübung, Part I. - - _Concerto "in the Italian style" (207)._ From the Clavierübung, - Part II. - - _Suite in B minor (208) or Partita._ From the Clavierübung, - Part II. The work is entitled "an overture after French taste, - for a clavicymbal with two manuals." - - _Air with thirty variations for harpsichord with two manuals - (209)._ From the Clavierübung. The theme is in the bass. - The work was composed for his clever pupil, J. T. Goldberg, - at the request of Baron Kayserling, who presented Bach with - a snuff-box containing one hundred louis d'or in return for it. - - _Six little Preludes (200)._ - - _Little two-part Fugue in C minor (200)._ - - _Fifteen two-part Inventions (201)._ - - _Fifteen three-part Inventions; also called Symphonies (202)._ - - _Six little Suites called the French Suites (202)._ From Anna - Magdalena's first book. - - _Six large Suites called the English Suites (203)._ - - _Toccata and Fugue in G minor (211)._ The toccata is in three - movements. - - _Prelude and Fugue in A minor (211)._ - - _Fantasia and Fugue in D (211)._ The fantasia is in five - movements. - - _Prelude and Fughetta in D minor (200)._ - - _ " " E minor (200)._ - - _Prelude and Fugue in A minor (200)._ - - _Two Fantasias in C minor (207, 212)._ - - _Two Fugues in C (200)._ - - _Two Fugues in D minor (212)._ - - _Fugues in A major (212)._ - - _ " E minor._ - - _ " A minor._ - - _Twelve little Preludes or exercises for beginners (200)._ No. 3 - is also intended for the lute. Some of these are found in the - "Clavierbüchlein für W. F. Bach." - - _Part of a Suite in F minor (212)._ - - _Unfinished Fugue in C minor (212)._ - - _Sixteen Concertos arranged from the Violin Concertos - of Vivaldi (217)._ - - _Art of Fugue (218)._ See p. 134. - - _The Musical Offering (219)._ See p. 135. - - _Fantasia in A minor (215)._ - - _Air varied in G minor (215)._ - - _Toccata in G (215)._ In three movements. - - _Overture in F._ Consisting of "Overture," "Entrée," "Minuet," - "Trio," "Bourrée," "Gigue," all in the same key. - - _Fantasia in G minor (215)._ - - _Capriccio in E (215)._ "In honour of J. C. Bach of - Ohrdruf." - - _Fantasia con imitazione in B minor (216)._ It is doubtful - whether this is intended for organ or pedal harpsichord. - - _Sonata in D (216)._ Modelled on Kuhnau. - - _Two Fugues in A (216)._ - - _Three Minuets (216)._ - - _Minuet in G minor (1959)._ - - _Adagio and Presto in D minor (1959)._ - - _Prelude in E flat (1959)._ - - _Fugue in B flat (1959)._ From a fugue by J. C. Erselius. - - _Sixty-nine Chorale Melodies with figured bass._ Published in - 1736. - - -_Of doubtful authenticity (1959)_: - - _Sarabande with 16 Partite._ - - _Passacaille in D minor._ - - _Suite in B flat._ - - _Allemande_ } - _Courante_ } _in A._ - _Gigue_ } - - _Fantasia._ Through all keys. Attributed to J. D. Heinichen. - - _Fantasia in G minor._ In five movements. - - _Fantasia and Fugue in D minor._ - - _Fugue in G minor._ - - _Scherzo in D minor._ - - _Andante in G minor._ - - _Fugue in B flat._ An extension of a sonata movement in - Reinken's "Hortus Musicus." - - _Fugues_-- - - _In C._ - - _" E minor._ - - _" G._ - - _" D._ - - _" (a) E minor._ - - _" (b) E minor._ - - _Chaconnes_-- - - _In A._ - - _" G._ - -Of works not already mentioned, the "Bachgesellschaft" publishes in -vol. xlii., Part II., the following apparently authentic compositions:-- - - _Prelude and Fugue in A minor._ - - _Concerto and Fugue in C minor._ - - _Prelude in B minor._ - -_Of more doubtful authenticity_: - - _Fantasia in C minor._ Molto allegro. - - _Toccata quasi fantasia con fuga, A major._ - - _Partie, A major._ - - _Allemande in C minor._ - - _Gigue, F minor._ - - _Allemande and Courante, A major._ - - _Allemande in A minor._ - - _Two Fantasias and Fughettas._ - - _An Unfinished Fugue in E minor._ - - -KEYED INSTRUMENTS WITH ACCOMPANIMENT. - - _Concerto in F (248)._ For clavecin and two flutes concertante, - with accompaniment for two violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto in G minor (249)._ For clavecin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola, violoncello and bass. - - _Concerto in F minor (250)._ For clavecin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto in D major (251)._ For clavecin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto in A major (252)._ For clavecin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola, violoncello and bass. - - _Concerto in E major (253)._ For clavecin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto in D minor (254)._ For clavecin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola and bass. The first allegro is arranged as - the introductory symphony of the Cantata, "Wir müssen durch viel - Trübsal." - - _Concerto in A minor (255)._ For clavecin, flute and violin, with - accompaniment for two violins, viola, violoncello and bass. - - _Concerto in C (256)._ For two clavecins, with two violins, - viola and bass. - - _Concerto in C minor (257)._ For two clavecins, with two - violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto in C minor (257b)._ For two clavecins, with two - violins, viola and bass. Arranged from the concerto for two violins. - - _Concerto in D minor (258)._ For three clavecins, with two - violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto in C (259)._ For three clavecins, with two violins, - viola and bass. - - _Concerto in A minor, after a concerto for four violins by Vivaldi - (260)._ For four clavecins, with accompaniment for two violins, - viola and bass. - - -FOR OTHER INSTRUMENTS. - - _Concerto in A minor (229[86])._ For violin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola and bass. Also arranged for clavecin and - strings in G minor. - - _Concerto in E (230[87])._ For violin, with accompaniment for - two violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto (231[87]) in D minor_. For two principal violins, with - accompaniment for two violins, viola and bass. Also arranged for two - clavecins and strings in C minor (_257b_). - - _Three Sonatas and three Suites for violin, without accompaniment - (228)._ Composed at Cöthen. The fugue of the sonata in G minor - is also arranged for organ in D minor. The sonata in A minor is also - arranged for clavecin alone in D minor (213), and the suite in E major - in the same key for clavecin. The prelude in E forms the obbligato - organ part of the opening chorus of the cantata "Wir danken dir." - - _Six Sonatas for (232 and 233) Violin and Figured Bass._ - - _Six Sonatas for Flute or Violin and Clavier (234 and 235)._ - - _Suite in A for Violin and Clavier (236)._ - - _Sonata in E minor for Violin and Clavier (236)._ - - _Fugue in G minor for Violin and Clavier (236)._ - - _Sonata in C for two Violins and Clavier (237)._ - - _Sonata in G for Flute, Violin and Clavier (237)._ - - _Trio for Flute, Violin and Clavier (237)._ From the "Musical - Offering"; the clavier part supplied from the figured bass by - Kirnberger. - - _Six Sonatas or Suites for the Violoncello (238)._ - - _Three Sonatas for the Viola da Gamba and Clavier (239)._ - - _Clavierbuch of Anna Magdalena Bach, 1725._ Contains twenty - easy pieces, consisting of minuets, polonaises, rondos, marches, - and one song. - - _Principles of Thorough-bass for his pupils._ Dated 1738, and - preserved by J. P. Kellner. It is divided into two parts for - beginners and advanced pupils. The author says, "The ultimate - end and aim of thorough-bass should only be the glory of God - and recreation of the mind. Where these are not kept in view - there can be no real music, only an infernal jingling and - bellowing." The complete work is quoted as an appendix in - Spitta, vol. iii. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[86] Pianoforte score. - -[87] Pianoforte score. - - - - -Bibliography - - -~Adlung~ (J. A.). Musica mechanica organoedi, 1768, (notes in). - -~Bach~ (J. S.). Eine Biographie, mit Portrait. Cassel, 1855. - -~Bachgesellschaft.~ The complete works of Bach in 60 volumes, with -important introductory notices; published by the Bach Society of -Leipsic. Breitkopf & Härtel, 1851 to 1898. - -~Bitter~ (C. H.). Joh. Seb. Bach. Berlin, 1865: 2 vols.; and 1880: 4 -vols. - -~----~ Die Söhne Sebastian Bachs. 1883. In Waldersee's Sammlung -musikalische Vorträge, vol. v. - -~Brockhaus.~ Conversationslexicon. Leipsic, 1833. - -~Bruyck~ (C. D. van). Technische und æsthetische Analysen des Wohlt. -Clav. 1867. - -~Conrad~ (E. F.). Echt oder unecht? Zur Lucas-Passion. Berlin. - -~David~ (E.). La vie et les oeuvres de J. S. Bach. In "Bibliothèque -Contemporaine." Paris, 1882. - -~Ersch und Gruber.~ Allgemeine Encyclopædie. Part VII. Leipsic, 1821. -(Article by C. M. von Weber.) - -~Fétis.~ Biographie Universelle des Musiciens. 2nd edition. 1889. - -~Forkel~ (J. N.). Über Johann Sebastian Bachs Leben. Kunst und -Kunstwerke. Leipzig, 1802. - -~----~ An English translation of the above appeared in 1820, and a -French edition, with notes by F. Grenier, was published at Paris in -1876. - -~Franz~ (R.). Über J. S. Bachs Magnificat. 1863. - -~----~ Ueber Bearbeitungen älterer Tonwerke, namentlich Bach'scher und -Händel'scher Vocal-musik. 1871. - -~Frommel~ (G.). Händel und Bach. 1878. - -~Fuchs~ (H.). Le Bicentenaire de Bach. La Passion selon Saint Matthieu -a Bâle. 1885. - -~Gerber~ (E. L.). Lexicon der Tonkünstler. Leipsic, 1790. - -~----~ Lexicon der Tonkünstler. Leipsic, 1812. - -~Grosser~ (P. E.). Lebensbeschreibung. Nebst einer Sammlung -interessante Anekdoten. Breslau, 1834. - -~Hauptmann~ (M.). Erlauterungen zu J. S. Bach's Kunst der Fuge. 1841. - -~Hilgenfeldt~ (C. L.). Leben Wirken und Werke. - -~Hiller~ (J. A.). Lebensbeschreibungen berühmter Musikgelehrten und -Tonkünstler. Part I. 1784. - -~Hirschung.~ Historisch-literarisches Handbuch berühmter Personen. Vol. -i. 1794. - -~His~ (W.). Johann Seb. Bach: Forschungen über dessen Grabstätte. 1895. - -~Iliffe~ (F.). The Forty-eight Preludes and Fugues of J. S. Bach, -analysed 1897. - -~Johnston~ (H. F. H.). Passion Music. 1858. - -~Junghaus~ (W.). J. S. B. als Schüler der Partikularschule in Lüneburg. - -~Kuhnau~ (J. C. W.). Die blinden Tonkünstler. 1810. - -~Ludwig~ (C. A). J. S. B. in seiner Bedeutung für Cantoren. - -~Mangold~ (C. A.). Bach's Passion, Ein Beitrag zur Characteristik der -Bachschen Compositionsweise. 1860. - -~Mendel.~ Musikalisches Conversations Lexicon. 2nd edition, 1881. -Berlin. - -~Meyer~ (Dr P.). Joh. Seb. Bach. Vortrag in "Oeffentliche Vorträge -gehalten in der Schweiz." 1871. - -~Minerva.~ Zur Erinnerungsfeier an J. S. Bach's Todestag. Jena, 1850. - -~Mizler~ (L. C.). Musikalische Bibliothek, vol. iv., Part I., pp. -158-176. Leipsic, 1754. An article compiled by P. Emanuel Bach and J. -F. Agricola. - -~Mosewius~ (J. T.). J. S. B. in seinen Kirchen-Cantaten und -Choralgesangen. 1845. - -~----~ J. S. B.'s Matthäus-Passion Musikalisch-æsthetisch dargestellt. -1852. - -~Oordt~ (A. M. van). Een Kort Woord over Bach. 1873. - -~Polko~ (E.). Unsere Musikklassiker. - -~Poole~ (R. L.). Life of Bach, in Hueffer's "The Great Musicians." 1881. - -~Reissmann~ (A.). Leben Johann Sebastian Bach's. - -~Riemann~ (H.). Analysis of J. S. Bach's Wohltemperirtes Clavier. 1893. - -~Rochlitz~ (A. F.). Allg. Musik Zeitung, 1831, (article in). - -~Schaeffer.~ J. Seb. Bach's Cantata, "Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen" -in den Ausgaben von R. Franz und den leipziger Bach-Verein Kritisch -beleuchtet. 1877. - -~Schauer~ (Dr J. K.). Lebensbild. Jena, 1850. - -~Schick~ (M.). J. S. B. Lebensbild. - -~Schiffner~ (A.). Sebastian Bach's Nachkommenschaft. 1840. - -~Schilling~ (Dr G.). Universallexicon der Tonkünst. Stuttgart, 1835. -(Article by A. B. Marx.) - -~Shuttleworth~ (Miss Kay). "Life of Bach." - -~Siebigke.~ Museum berühmter Tonkünstler. 1801. - -~Spitta~ (P.). John Sebastian Bach. 2 vols. 1873-80. - -~----~ The above, translated by Clara Bell and J. A. Fuller Maitland. -Novello, London, 1884. 2nd edition, 1899. - -~----~ Die Passions-Musiken von Seb. Bach, 1893, in "Sammlung -gemeinverstandlicher wissenschaftlicher Vorträge." Serie 8, Heft 176. - -~----~ Ueber die Beziehungen S. Bach's zu C. F. Hunold und Mariane von -Ziegler, in Curtius E. Historische und Philologische Aufsätze. 1884. -Berlin. - -~Taylor~ (Sedley). The Life of J. S. B. in relation to his work as a -Church Musician and Composer. 1897. - -~Todt~ (B.). Vademecum durch die Bachschen Cantaten. 1895. - -~Tudor~ (H.). Das Heroentum in der Deutschen Musik. An essay on the -music of Bach, Beethoven and Wagner. 1891. - -~Walther~ (J. G.). Musikalisches Lexicon. 1732. Contains a short -article on J. S. Bach. - -~Westphal~ (R.). Allgemeine Theorie der Musikalischen Rhythmik. Mit -besonderer Berücksichtigung von Bach's Fugen, &c. 1880. - -~Winterfeld~ (C. von). Der evangelische Kirchengesang. Leipsic, 1847. - -[Illustration: The performance of a Church Cantata - -From Walther's Lexicon, Leipsic, 1732] - - - - -Glossary - - -~Ahle~, Joh. Rudolph, was born 1625, and, after holding a post at -Erfurt, became organist and burgomaster of his native town Mühlhausen. -His chorale tunes are still popular in Thuringia. On his death in 1673 -he was succeeded by his son Joh. Georg, who was a member of the Town -Council, and poet laureate to the Emperor Leopold I. - -~Böhm~, Georg. Is described by Walther as a fine composer and -organist of St John at Lüneburg. Bach modelled some of his early -chorale-preludes, notably "Wir glauben all' an einen Gott" on Böhm's -style. - -~Brust-positiv.~ The name given to the choir manual when its pipes -stand in front of the rest of the organ, as in many of the old English -cathedral organs. - -~Buxtehude~, Dietrich, 1637-1707, organist at the Marien-Kirche at -Lübeck. His organ fugues, toccatas, &c., are of great importance as -having furnished Bach with his earliest models. The fugues are usually -in three portions, as in Bach's great E flat fugue (Peters, 242). Many -of his organ works have been published by Spitta. - -~Caldara~, Antonius. Born at Venice 1678, a pupil of Legrenzi and -Fux, and the writer of many operas, and much church music. He was -successively Capellmeister at St Mark's, the Court of Mantua, and -to Charles VI. at Vienna. He was a clever imitator, but had little -inventive genius. On coming to Germany, his style improved in vigour. -Bach admired him sufficiently to copy his Magnificat in C. - -~Cantor~, Choirmaster. The office is rarely held by the organist as in -England, since the cantor has to conduct the "Hauptmusik" with a baton -while the organist plays. - -~Cembalo~, or clavicymbal, or clavessin, or clavecin, for which Bach -wrote his clavier works, was in shape like the modern grand piano, but -its interior construction was something after the model of the organ. -It had, in common with the organ, the defect of being unable to produce -piano or forte by the touch alone, this being done by stops. A complete -cembalo had the compass of [F on fourth ledger line below bass clef] -to [G on fourth ledger line above treble clef] and two manuals. Each -note had four strings producing 4, 8, and 16 ft. tone, two being of 8 -ft. The strings were sounded by plectra made of quill, called jacks. -The instruments were sometimes also provided with organ pedals. It will -be seen at once that a piece played on 16, 8 and 4 ft. stops would -sound far fuller than when played on the modern piano with only unison -strings. - -The cembalo was used to play the basso continuo in all concerted music -outside the church; and even in a concerto for clavier, a second -cembalo appears to have accompanied. The lute or regal, however, -sometimes took its place, for convenience of porterage. - -Transposing clavicymbals, and clavicymbals with keyboards at both ends -were in use. The tuning was very troublesome, and had to be done before -each performance. Other names were Gravecymbalum, Flügel, Schweinskopf, -Steertstück. The claviorganum was a combination of clavicymbal and -positive. - -~Choral~ is the German name for the Plainsong of the Roman Church. -After the Reformation the name Choral (English "Chorale") was given to -the hymns which were either translated from the Latin, or originally -written in the fourteenth century by Johannes of Salzburg, Muscatblüet, -Hans Foltz, Michel Beheim, Johannes Gosseler, Jörg Breining, and -Heinrich von Laufenberg, and which took a firm hold on the German -people through the efforts of Martin Luther, Michael Vehe, W. Heintz, -Joh. Hofmann, and others. The peculiar variety to be observed in the -metrical construction of the German Chorale is directly traceable -to the influence of the Volkslied, for Luther himself wrote sacred -words for secular melodies. Other names connected with the chorale -are Valentin Triller, Veit Heefen, Count Albrecht the younger of -Brandenburg, Culmbach, Speratus, Spengler, Hans Sachs, Schensing, -Decius Graumann, Joh. Walter, a friend and fellow-worker of Luther, L. -Senfl, von Bruck and Fink. Later poets were Nic. Hermann, P. Nicolai, -Calvisius Hassler, &c., H. and J. Prætorius, Neumark, Flemming, -Teschner, Gerhard and Crüger. The music of the chorale was brought to -perfection by J. S. Bach. - -~Chorale-Cantatas~, those in which a complete hymn is carried out, -each verse forming as a rule a separate movement, whether for chorus -or solo voices, though occasionally a verse is omitted in the longer -hymns. Sometimes recitatives break the course of the chorale melody, -or the melody is played by the instruments and accompanied by vocal -recitative. The chorales chosen are always well-known ones, and among -the finest of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. - -~Church~ Music. The services at Leipsic were regulated by an act passed -in 1540 by Duke Heinrich applying to all Saxony. A morning service -called matins was celebrated at St Nicholas every Sunday at 5.30 A.M., -in which the Venite, Psalms, Te Deum and Benedicamus Domino were sung -by the choir, and directed by the St Nicholas cantor. - -Morning service took place at 7 at both St Thomas and St Nicholas; -a Latin motet was sung, followed by the Kyrie, Gloria in excelsis, -Collect in Latin, and at St Thomas a Litany was sung by four boys and -the choir alternately. The Gospel and Epistle and Creed were intoned -by the priest, and on certain days the Nicene Creed was sung in Latin -by the choir. The "Hauptmusik" (the cantata) followed the intoning or -singing of the Creed in Latin, and after it was finished the Creed was -sung by the congregation in German. This was followed by a sermon of -an hour's duration. The service concluded with the general confession, -the Lord's Prayer and blessing. Chorales were sung by the congregation -during the course of the service. - -At the mid-day service there were only a sermon and two congregational -hymns without the choir. It began at a quarter to twelve. At vespers, -the choir sang a motet, and the Magnificat in German, besides leading -the congregation in some hymns. At Christmas, Easter and Whitsuntide, -similar services were performed for three consecutive days, matins -beginning at five instead of half-past to allow more time for the -festival services. - -~Cithara~, Cither, a favourite instrument in the sixteenth century -of the guitar family, bearing 4, 5 or 6, or even 12 metal strings. -Prætorius condemns the four-stringed cithara as being "a vulgar -instrument only used by cobblers and tailors." In England it was kept -at barbers' shops for the amusement of customers waiting their turn. - -~Clarino.~ Lichtenthal C. Dizionario della Musica, Milan, 1826, says -"the clarino is, according to some, a species of small trumpet, of -which the tube is narrower than that of the ordinary trumpet, and which -gives a more acute sound; but Northerners hold that the word means the -ordinary trumpet." The word frequently occurs in Bach's scores. - -~Clavichord.~ A key-board instrument having brass strings which were -neither plucked with a quill as in the harpsichord, nor struck with a -hammer as in the pianoforte, but made to sound by a brass blade called -a tangent, which pressed against the string as long as the key was held -down. Although its tone had little power, the effects of crescendo, -diminuendo, and vibrato, called in Germany "Bebung," were entirely -under the player's control, and on this account it was a favourite -instrument with Bach. The clavichord was sometimes provided with pedals -for the use of organ students. - -~Clavicymbal.~ See Cembalo. - -~Clavier~, literally Keyboard. The German name for all keyboard -instruments, such as the clavichord, harpsichord, spinet, instrument, -&c. The term is also applied to both the manuals and pedals of the -organ. - -~Clavierbüchlein~, little clavier book for Bach's son W. Friedemann, -when nine years old, in 1720. A diagram shows the keys and principal -ornaments, and one of the pieces is figured and called "Applicatio, -in nomine Jesu." Some of the pieces are composed by the boy himself. -Eleven of the preludes of the Wohltemperirte clavier first appeared in -this book; some of the pieces are by other composers as J. C. Richter -and G. H. Stölzel of Gotha, and there are many of Bach's own fugues. - -~Clavierbüchlein~, vor Anna Magdalena Bach in 1720 and 1725. See p. 57. - -~Clavierübung~, clavier practice. A work in four parts, consisting -of preludes, allemands, the Italian concerto, the French overture, -choralvorspiele, &c., intended, as the name implies, for educational -purposes. The work includes the well-known prelude and fugue for organ -in E flat, Peters 242, and the air in G with thirty variations written -for Goldberg. - -~College~ of Instrumental Musicians of Upper and Lower Saxony. The full -text is given by Spitta, vol. i. p. 145, _et seq._ The statutes enacted -that no member was to settle in any town where another member was -already settled; no member was to take lower fees than his predecessor; -no member was to boast that he played on a superior instrument to -others; offices were only to be obtained by proper examination; no -member was to sing immoral songs; every member must conduct himself -with propriety in social "attendances," and to see that his assistants -did the same; no member was to bring his art to disrepute by playing on -bagpipes, hurdy-gurdies, triangles, &c. - -No bad language was to be allowed, and all low company to be -avoided; apprentices must, before binding, produce credentials of -respectability, and must serve for five years with industry and -constant prayer. After an apprentice has served his five years he is -to serve another three as an "assistant," except when he marries his -master's daughter, in which case he shall only serve one year as -assistant. In case of dissension arising, the matter must be brought -before six master-musicians, who shall decide it. No man is to seek -to oust an old master; but if a man becomes too old to do his work, -an assistant shall be appointed who shall receive half the salary. -Every master is to see that his assistants are properly paid for -services rendered. In order that the art of music may not be brought -into contempt by inadequate performance, no man shall be allowed to -keep more than three apprentices at one time (for this would compel -him to employ properly qualified assistants to carry out concerted -music). A master neglecting to teach his apprentices could be punished; -and an apprentice running away could never become a member of the -college. However great the number of members, no man was to be refused -membership who was found, after due trial, to be properly qualified. -Questions of evil morals arising among members were to be decided by a -board of elders. - -~Concertmeister~, the leader of an orchestra who ranks immediately -after the conductor. In early times he was also the conductor of purely -instrumental music, while the capellmeister conducted whenever voices -were employed. The title is also bestowed as a mark of respect on -musicians of eminence who are not connected with an orchestra. - -~Concerto.~ A term applied to both vocal and instrumental concerted -music. Several of Bach's Cantatas are thus named; thus "Ein Herz das -seinen Jesum lebend weiss" is entitled "Concerto à quattro voci, -2 oboi, 2 violini, viola e continuo di J. S. Bach." Concertos for -instruments were in several movements, but usually three. There -was sometimes a single solo instrument, but more frequently there -were several. The fine concerto in G in two movements is for three -violins, three violas, three violoncellos and bass without a solo -instrument. The concertos of Handel and Vivaldi, &c., are orchestral -compositions in several movements with or without wind instruments. -The Italian Concerto is a piece in three movements for clavecin without -accompaniment. - -~Consistory.~ The authorities of an important church, somewhat -analogous to the Dean and Chapter of an English cathedral. - -~Continuo~ = Basso Continuo, the bass of a composition for voices -or instruments or both. It was always the lowest part, and was -usually provided with figures, that the accompanist might be able -to fill in the harmonies and keep the body of performers together. -It was performed on the organ, or cembalo or regal, according to -circumstances. The continuo of most of Bach's cantatas was written out -in two keys, to suit the two pitches in use, "Chorton" being a tone -higher than "Kammerton." All chamber music required the accompaniment -of a cembalo in figured bass; and even if there were one or more -"Cembali" obbligati a separate instrument would be employed for the -continuo. In all Bach's church compositions in which there is an organ -obbligato part, there is another organ part for the continuo. The -conductor stood near the organist, as may be seen in the frontispiece -to Walther's Lexicon. - -~Cornet~, Cornetto, Zink, consisted of a curved wooden tube covered -with leather and having holes for the fingers with a cup mouthpiece -like a trumpet. Two cornets hang on the wall near the organ in -Walther's illustration. - -~Drese~, Johann Samuel, 1654-1716, was organist of the Court at Jena, -and afterwards Capellmeister at Weimar. He composed sonatas for the -clavier, motets and operas. - -~Estomihi.~ Quinquagesima Sunday. - -~Figural~ Music. Florid music, or all church music that is not -Plainsong, or its Lutheran equivalent the chorale-melody. - -~Florilegium~ Portense, a work containing 115 "cantiones selectissimas" -of from four to eight voices, with figured bass for organ. A second -part contained 150 "concentus selectissimas" of from five to ten -parts. Published 1603 and 1621 by Bodenschatz, Cantor of Schulpforta, -and Pastor at Rehausen. A complete catalogue is given in Groves' -Dictionary, vol. i. p. 253. - -~French~ Overture. A form of opera overture consisting of a slow -introduction, followed by a fugue or fugato, and concluding with a slow -movement. This form was applied to the clavier by Bach in the "Overture -in the French style" (E. P. 208) of the B minor Suite or Partita. - -~Fux~, Joh. Joseph, born in Styria, 1660, organist, Court composer, and -Capellmeister at Vienna. A prolific composer of church music and opera, -but he is best known by his theoretical works, amongst which is his -Latin "Gradus ad Parnassum," a treatise on composition, which has been -through many editions. - -~Görner~, J. Gottlieb, was appointed organist of the Nicolai Church at -Leipsic in 1721 and was also head of a "Collegium Musicum" or musical -society. In 1729 he succeeded Gräbner as organist of St Thomas. He -was a mediocre musician, but put himself in rivalry with Bach, and is -reported by Scheibe to have "by his rudeness asserted his pre-eminence -among a large number of his equals." He gave Bach a good deal of -trouble by assuming the position and emoluments of director of music -to the University; but they appear to have worked amicably together -afterwards, and Bach, by will, appointed him guardian of his children, -an office which he appears to have satisfactorily fulfilled. - -~Hammerschmidt~, Andreas, born in Bohemia, 1611, organist of Freiberg, -afterwards at Zittau. According to Gerber, one of the greatest of -German contrapuntists. Walther gives a list of his compositions, which -are mostly for the church. His "Musical discourses on the Gospel" were -an important step in the development of oratorio. - -~Hunold~, Christian Friedrich. A poet, known as Menantes, who wrote -poems for the Hamburg Theatre 1700 to 1706; became a professor at -Halle, and was much at the Cöthen Court, where he wrote texts for -Bach's cantatas. - -~Instrument.~ A name given to a keyed instrument of which the strings -went from side to side as in the obsolete square pianoforte, the -key-board being in the middle. - -~Inventions.~ The fifteen Inventions and Symphonies were entitled by -Bach "A genuine introduction whereby a clear method is shown to lovers -of the clavier, and especially to those who are eager to learn, not -only (1) of playing in two voices clearly, but also, on making further -progress, (2) of playing three obbligato parts properly and well; so -that they at the same time will learn to make good inventions and play -them themselves, and will also learn what is most important, the art -of cantabile playing; and will acquire a good taste in composition. -Prepared by J. S. Bach, 1723." - -~Keiser~, Reinhard, was for forty years the celebrated composer and -conductor of operas at Hamburg. He had as colleagues Telemann and -Matheson. He wrote 116 operas, and produced many by other composers, -particularly Handel's Rinaldo. Born near Leipsic, 1673, died 1739. - -~Kuhnau~, Johann, 1667-1722, Bach's predecessor as cantor at the -Thomas-schule, was a prolific writer on musical subjects. Amongst his -compositions are six Bible sonatas, representing scenes from Scripture -on the cembalo. He was the first to write chamber sonatas for the -clavier instead of for several instruments. He was also learned in -languages, mathematics, and law. He wrote passions, cantatas, &c., but -his style seems to have soon become antiquated, and his works could not -hold their own against the opera and the younger school. - -~Lituus.~ The cantata No. 118, "O Jesu Christ mein's Leben's Licht," -is scored for two litui, cornet and three trombones. There are no -string or organ parts, and the work is evidently intended for the open -air, perhaps for a funeral. There is no reason given for calling the -trumpets by their Latin name in this instance. - -~Lute.~ This instrument appears in the score of the St John's Passion. -It was sometimes used instead of a clavecin to accompany concerted -music. - -~Lute-Harpsichord.~ A keyed instrument with gut strings made after -Bach's design by Zacharias Hildebrand, an organ builder. See p. 157. - -~Matheson~, 1681-1764, wrote 89 volumes chiefly on musical subjects, -besides being a composer. He was a classical scholar, a student of -modern languages, law, and political science, a good musician, dancer, -and fencer. He appeared on the Hamburg stage as a singer, composed -and conducted operas there, became a great friend of Handel, was -made secretary of the English Legation, and cantor and canon of the -Cathedral. By his writings he materially helped forward the development -of the church cantata. - -~Mizler~, von Kolof, Doctor of Philosophy and historian, born 1711 at -Wurtemberg, was a good amateur musician. In 1731 he went to Leipsic to -study divinity and afterwards philosophy and music. Here he founded -a "Society for Musical Science," and became on friendly terms with -Bach, who seems to have given him some lessons. He wrote various -works dealing with the philosophy of music; and his chief importance -in connection with Bach was his "Necrology" in which he gives -valuable information concerning him. The work is in several numbers; -unfortunately that portion of it which deals with Bach is not in the -British Museum Library. - -~Motet.~ The character and scope of the German motet are thus described -by Spitta, vol. i. p. 54. "It is in several parts; it admits of no -obbligato instruments, and its subjects are set to a text of the Bible, -or to a verse of a hymn. The period of its fullest bloom was about -1600, when music was essentially polyphonic, vocal, and sacred." Under -the influence of harmony it gradually changed its form, introducing -solo voices and instruments, especially the organ. - -~Oboe~ da Caccia. Hunting oboe, bent like a knee, and differing but -slightly from the modern Cor Anglais, or English horn. It occurs very -frequently in Bach's scores. It is described in Grove's Dictionary as a -bassoon raised a fourth, carrying the bass tone of the latter upwards -rather than lowering the treble tone of the oboe a fifth. It is also -called by Bach, Taille de basson, or tenor of the bassoon. - -~Oberwerk.~ The Great organ. - -~Oberpositiv.~ A choir organ of which the wind-chest is placed above -the others. - -~Orgel-büchlein~, "Little organ-book." The first collection was made, -according to Bach himself, at Cöthen between 1717 and 1723. The second -collection, consisting of six chorales, was published and sold by -Bach and his sons at Leipsic, Halle, and Berlin. The third collection -was continued till his death and was not published. The last portion -was dictated during his blindness to his son-in-law Altnikol. The two -unpublished parts were written on two staves only. The pedal compass -in the chorales extends to high F and F[sharp]. These notes were found -on the organ of the Lutheran Church at Cöthen only. This organ is -described by Hartmann in 1803 as "an uncommonly powerful and excellent -instrument." It had 8 stops on the pedals, 10 on the great, 10 on the -choir. It is now reduced in size and ruined in order to obtain more -room in the church. - -~Partita.~ A name given to sets of variations for organ or cembalo, and -appropriated from the town pipers. - -~Pachelbel~, Johann, 1653-1706, born at Nüremberg, was assistant -organist at the Church of St Stephen in Vienna, whence he moved to -Eisenach as Court organist in 1677. From Eisenach he went to Erfurt -and to Gehren. In 1690 he became Court organist at Stuttgart; and -after a stay of three years at Gotha he became organist of a church at -Nüremberg till his death. He taught W. Friedemann Bach, and Bernhard, -son of Ægidius. According to Gerber, he improved church music, used -the overture form on the clavier, and continued the good work which -Froberger had begun in respect of clavier composition. Bach used his -chorales as models during the Arnstadt period. - -~Picander.~ A poet of considerable reputation in his time named -Christian Friedrich Henrici. Born 1700 at Stolpen. Went to the -University at Leipsic, 1720. Became a lawyer, but was afterwards able -to live by his poetical compositions, though he obtained important -posts in Leipsic. Died 1764. He wrote the text for many of Bach's -compositions. - -~Positiv.~ The name given to that portion of an organ and its manual -which corresponds to our choir organ. In a three manual organ there -are usually two choir manuals. The swell shutters, if any, are only -applied to a few stops, used generally on a fourth or "echo" manual. -Properly speaking the positive, called in Italian organs, piccolo, -had its foundation pipes pitched an octave higher than those of the -ordinary organ. Its diapason would therefore be a four-feet register. - -~Regal.~ Sometimes used to accompany secular cantatas instead of the -clavecin. It was also used for choir practices. In 1709 Kuhnau in a -Memorial to the Council says, "A new regal is needed, the old one being -constantly in need of repair." An inventory of the instruments at the -Thomas-schule between 1723 and 1750 mentions, "1 Regal, old and quite -done for"; "1 ditto bought 1696." - -The regal was a small reed instrument of the harmonium class, but with -small pipes to enhance the sound of the reeds. It could easily be -carried about, and was placed on a table when played. It could be made -so small as to take the size and shape of a large book, hence sometimes -called Book or Bible-regal. - -~Schubart~, Christian F. Daniel. Born 1739. Master of Philosophy, -Theatre director, Court poet of Stuttgart, a good amateur musician. -Was a good organist and held various posts. In 1777 to 1787 he was -imprisoned in a castle on account of some views expressed in his -political paper "Deutsche Chronik." Burney, who met him, remarks on his -great facility as a clavier player. He published several compositions -and works on music. - -~Schütz~, Heinrich. 1585-1672. Brought opera from Italy to Germany and -also composed Passions. He was considered the best German composer of -his century. He wrote music to the Passions of Matthew, Luke and John -for the Court of Dresden, where he was Capellmeister. These are the -greatest works of the kind next to those of Bach. His compositions are -in the old church tones, but strongly influenced by the coming tonality -of modern music. - -~Solo~ Cantatas. Those written for one or more solo voices without a -chorus. They sometimes conclude with the chorale in four parts. - -~Spinet.~ Is defined by Hipkins ("The Pianoforte," p. 121) as "a -Jack keyboard instrument with one string to a note," as opposed to -the cembalo, harpsichord, &c., which had several strings to a note. -Adlung says the spinet was of limited compass, its lowest octave being -"short" and it was tuned a fifth above chorus pitch. It was sometimes -triangular in shape and could be placed on a table; its strings ran -from right to left of the performer, as in the "Instrument." - -~Rück-positiv.~ The name given to the choir manual when its pipes stand -behind the rest of the organ. - -~Telemann~, G. Philipp. 1681-1767. A poet and musician who composed -no less than 600 overtures, 12 complete year courses of cantatas, 44 -passions, 32 compositions for the instalment of preachers, 32 so-called -oratorios, 20 coronation pieces, 40 operas, and a mass of other music. -Besides all this he is described by Walther as the "greatest Polygraph -that Germany can show," having written a number of books on music, -besides a quantity of bad poetry. He was successively organist and -director of the New Church at Leipsic (during which time he mastered -the English, Italian and French languages), Capellmeister in Sorau, -Concertmeister in Eisenach, Kapellmeister at Frankfort-on-the-Maine, -Music Director at Hamburg, where he formed one of the trio of -musicians, Keiser and Matheson being the others. He was on very -friendly terms with Bach and Handel. He was a candidate for the post of -Cantor at St Thomas, having during his previous residence in Leipsic -(1701-4) founded a flourishing "Collegium Musicum" among the students. -He had a great reputation throughout Germany. Bach copied some of his -music, and the influence of Telemann, at that time very popular, is -seen in Bach's cantata "Herr Gott dich loben wir." - -~Theorbo.~ A lute with an extra neck bearing the bass strings. - -~Tromba~ da tirarsi. A slide trumpet, the soprano of the trombone. -Often used in Bach's scores. - -~Viola~ d'amore. A tenor viol of a specially agreeable and silvery tone -(Walther). It sometimes had sympathetic strings, though these were not -a necessary adjunct. - -~Viola~ da gamba. Leg viol, the bass of the viol family, held between -the knees, like the violoncello, when played. It had six strings, the -lowest of which was the D below the bass stave, and its finger-board -was fretted. Its tone (like that of all the viol class) was weak -compared to the violoncello. - -~Viola~ pomposa, an instrument invented by Bach. See p. 157. - -~Violetta.~ This instrument occurs in the cantata "Herr Gott dich loben -wir" as an alternative of the "oboe di caccia." It is described by -Walther as a fiddle (Geige) playing an inner part, constructed like a -viola, or small viola da gamba. - -~Violino~ piccolo. A small violin whose lowest string was a fourth -higher than that of the violin. Its tuning was therefore C, G, D, A, an -octave above the viola. It frequently occurs in Bach's scores. - -~Violoncello~ piccolo, with five strings. This instrument occurs in the -score of a tenor aria in cantata No. 41, "Jesu nur sei gepreiset." The -additional string was tuned to E, and enabled the performer to execute -the very florid high passages which Bach writes. - -~Ziegler~, Christiane Mariane von, who wrote words for some of the -cantatas was born in 1695 at Leipsic. Began to publish poems when she -was fifteen. Left a widow in 1722, she devoted herself to writing -poetry and the practice of the keyboard instruments and lute, and -flute, and was held in honour by the most artistic society of her time. -Spitta gives an account of her life in Curtius' Historische Aufsätze, -1884. See p. 197. - - - - -Index - - - Abel, Chr. F., 50 - - " Karl Friedrich, _id._ - - Accompanying, his method of, 103, 104 - - Ahle, Johann Georg, 33 - - Altnikol, Johann C., 170 - - Anhalt-Cöthen, appointed capellmeister to Prince Leopold of, 48 - - Arnstadt, appointed organist at, 25; - details of organ at, 26, 27; - troubles with Consistory of, 29-33 - - "Art of Fugue," 134, 135 - - - "Bach Choir," 143 - - Bach as "Familien-Vater," 170 - - Bach Family, 3-18 - - Bach Gesellschaft, 148 - - Bach, Maria Barbara, his cousin, 33; - marries her, _id._; - her death, 51 - - Bach Society, English, 142 - - Bachs of Thuringia, the, 1, 2 - - Bibliography, 202-204 - - Birnbaum, his reply to Scheibe's attack on Bach, 85 - - Birth, his, 21 - - Blindness, his, 88 - - Böhm, becomes a pupil of, 23 - - Books and instruments, his, 80, 81 - - Börner, 25 - - Burial, his place of, 89 - - Buxtehude, visit to, 28 - - - Cantatas and the chorale, 91 - - Carlsbad, visit to, 51 - - Cassel, visit to, 44 - - _Catalogue of Instrumental Works_, 191-195 - Orchestra, 194, 195 - Organ, 191-194 - - _Catalogue of Vocal Works_, 177-190 - Church Cantatas, 177-188 - Funeral Ode, 188 - Lost Works, 190 - Motets, 188 - Secular Cantatas, 189 - - _Cembalo, Clavichord, Spinet, &c., Works for_, 196-201 - Keyed instruments with accompaniment, 200 - Other instruments, 200, 201 - - Children, his, 57 - - Choirmaster, as, 171 - - Christmas Oratorio, the, 144 - - Clavichord, his favourite instrument, 78 - - "Clavier, the Wohltemperirte," 131 - - Cöthen, appointed capellmeister at, 48; - leaves, 56 - - Death, his, 89; - notice of in the _Leipsic Chronicle_, _id._ - - Death of his Father, 21 - - Death of his first wife, 51 - - Dresden, competition with Marchand at, 46, 47; - journey to, 46; - plays organ at, 84 - - Drese, Samuel, 48 - - - Early studies, 22 - - Easter oratorio, 145 - - Effler, Johann, 25 - - Eilmar, G. C., 38 - - English Bach Society, 142 - - Erdmann, G., 46 - - Ernesti, Johann August, 81; - troubles with, 82, 83 - - Eyesight, failing, 88; - he becomes blind, _id._ - - - "Familien-Vater," Bach as, 170 - - Fasch, 65 - - Father, death of his, 21 - - Figured bass, his method of playing from, 165 - - Final illness and death, 89; - notice in the _Leipsic Chronicle_, _id._ - - Fingering, and use of keyed and stringed instruments, 152-155 - - Flemming, Field Marshal von, 47 - - Forkel, 39, 78, 170; - anecdote of Bach, 41 - - Frederick the Great, visit to, 86, 87 - - Frohne, J. A., 38 - - "Fugue, Art of," 134, 135 - - - Gesner, 81 - - Glossary, 205-218 - - Görner, 78; - throws his wig at, _id._ - - Grace notes (Manieren), 149-151 - - Graupner, 65 - - - Halle, visit to, 43, 45 - - Hamburg, competes for organistship at, 52; - journey to, _id._ - - Hamburg and Celle, visits to, 24 - - Handel, his efforts to meet, 55, 56 - - Harrer, Gottlob, 86, 90 - - Hausmann, his portrait of Bach, 85 - - Heitmann, J. Joachim, 53 - - Herrings' heads, story of the, 24 - - Hildebrand, Zacharias, 157 - - Hilgenfeldt, 39, 172 - - Home life at Leipsic, 77 - - Hurlebusch, anecdote of, 79; - visit from, 79, 80 - - - Kauffmann, G. F., 65 - - Kirchoff, G., 46 - - Koch, Johann Sebastian, 36 - - Krebs, Johann Ludwig, 49; - Johann T., _id._ - - Kuhnau, 44 - - - Lämmerhirt, Tobias, 36 - - Last representative of his family, 90 - - Leipsic, appointed Cantor of, 66; - Cantor, duties of, 59-61; - differences with the Council, 70; - St Thomas's School at, 59 - - Leipsic church organs:-- - Thomas Church, Leipsic, 160-162 - University Church, Leipsic, 162-165 - - Lost works, 147 - - Lübeck, visit to, 28 - - Lüneburg, removes to, 22 - - Lute-harpsichord planned by Bach, 157 - - - Magnificat in D, 146 - - Marchand, competition with, 46, 47 - - Marriage to his cousin, 33, 36 - - Marriage to Anna Magdalena Wülken, 56 - - Mass in B minor, 114 - - Mattheson, 54, 55 - - Mizler, 85 - - Money matters, his carefulness in, 80, 174 - - Mühlhausen, appointed organist of St Blasius at, 33; - resigns appointment, 39 - - "Musical Offering," 135; - dedication to Frederick the Great, 136 - - - Ohrdruf, removes to, 21 - - "Old Lutherans," the, differences with, 38 - - _Orchestration_-- - Accompanying, his method, 103, 104 - "Ein feste Burg" chorale, 94, 96, 101 - "Es ist nichts gesundes" cantata, 108-111 - "Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu Ende" cantata, 106 - Mass in B minor: - (Et incarnatus), 127 - (Et resurrexit), 128 - (Gloria), 127 - (Kyrie), 126 - (Sanctus), 123, 129 - Passion Music (St Matthew), 104, 105 - "Wir danken dir, Gott" cantata, 112 - - _Organs_-- - As an examiner of, 78 - Description of at Thomas Church, Leipsic, 160-162 - Description of at University Church, Leipsic, 162, 165 - Pitch of, 169 - - - Passion Music (St Matthew), 114 - - Personal details, 77 - - "Pietists" the, differences with, 38 - - Playing, his, 148 - - Portraits of Bach, Hausmann's, &c., 85, 175 - - Pupils, list of his, 140 - - - Reinken, 52 - - Rolle, Ch. F., 45, 65 - - - Saxe-Weimar, appointed chamber-musician to Duke of, 39; - his salary, 40 - - Saxon Court, appointed composer to the, 84 - - Scheibe, his attack on Bach, 85; - Birnbaum's reply, _id._ - - Schneider, J., 50 - - Schott, 65 - - Schubart, Johann Martin, 35, 49 - - Self-Criticism, 173 - - Silbermann's pianos, 87, 172 - - St Blasius, Mühlhausen, appointed organist of, 33; - repairs to the organ, 37; - resigns the post, 39 - - Statues of Bach, 176 - - Stauber, Pastor, 39 - - Stringed instruments, his knowledge of, 157-159 - - - Teacher, Bach as a, 137, 140 - - Telemann, 65 - - - Vogler, J. C., 49 - - - Walther, Johann Gottfried, 33, 40 - - Weimar, appointed chamber-musician to Duke of, 39; - his salary, 40; - joins the Court orchestra at, 25 - - Widow and daughter, fate of his, 90 - - "Wohltemperirte Clavier," the, 131 - - Wülken, Anna Magdalena, marries her, 56 - - Works:-- - "Art of Fugue," 134, 135 - _Canon_, "Von Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her," 85 - _Cantatas_-- - "Denn du wirst meine Seele nicht in der Hölle lassen," 27, 28 - "Erforsche mich Gott," 107 - "Es ist nichts gesundes," 108-110, 113 - "Freue dich erlöste Schaar," 112 - "Gleich wie der Regen und Schnee," 108 - "Gott ist mein König," 36 - "Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu Ende," 106 - "Herr Gott dich loben wir," 107 - "Ich hatte viel Bekümmerniss," 108 - "Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe," 66 - "Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland," 44 - "O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort," 108 - "The rich man died and was buried," 86 - "Thomana sass annoch betrübt," 81 - "Vor deinen Thron tret ich," 89 - "Wir danken dir, Gott," 112 - _Capriccio_ on the departure of his brother, 28 - _Chorales_-- - "An Wasserflüssen Babylon," 24, 52 - "Christ, der du bist der helle Tag," 25 - "Ein feste Burg," 43, 95, 96, 101 - "Es ist gewisslich an der Zeit," 24 - "O Gott, du Frommer Gott," 25 - "When we are in the greatest need," 88 - "Wie schön leuchtet uns der Morgenstern," 28 - _Christmas Oratorio_, 106, 144 - Easter Oratorio, 145 - Magnificat in D, 146 - Mass in B minor, 114, 123-130 - "Musical Offering," 135 - Passion Music (St Matthew), 104, 105, 114 - Serenade, 51 - Toccata in G, 24 - Variations: "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr," 28 - "Wohltemperirte Clavier," the, 131-134 - - _Works for Cembalo, Clavichord, Spinet, &c_, catalogue of, 196-201 - - _Works, Instrumental_-- - Catalogue of, 191-195 - Orchestra, 194, 195 - Organ, 191-194 - - _Works, Vocal_-- - Catalogue of, 177-190 - Church Cantatas, 177-188 - Funeral Ode, 188 - Lost Works, 190 - Motets, 188 - Secular Cantatas, 189 - -[Illustration: THE - -TEMPLE PRESS - -LETCHWORTH - -ENGLAND] - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Illustrations have been moved next to the text to which they refer, and -may not match the page numbers in the List of Illustrations. Sidenotes -not in italics were originally printed as page headers. - -The following apparent errors have been corrected: - -Advertisement page "_Second Edition_" changed to "_Second Edition._" - -p. vi "2 vols" changed to "2 vols." - -p. 4 "Gottlich" changed to "Gottlieb" - -p. 12 "Sax-Eisenach," changed to "Sax-Eisenach." - -p. 15 "Teleman" changed to "Telemann" - -p. 19 "all'an" changed to "all' an" - -p. 24 (note) "music, Berlin" changed to "music, Berlin." - -p. 27 "meïne" changed to "meine" - -p. 63 "troulde" changed to "trouble" - -p. 73 "leave Leipzic" changed to "leave Leipsic" - -p. 85 "Von Himmel" changed to "Vom Himmel" - -p. 87 (note 51) "Sansouci" changed to "Sanssouci" - -p. 95 "viola violoncello," changed to "viola, violoncello," - -p. 108 "Reigen" changed to "Regen" - -p. 108 "Bekummerniss" changed to "Bekümmerniss" - -p. 113 "di J. S. Bach" changed to "di J. S. Bach." - -p. 114 "an einem Gott" changed to "an einen Gott" - -p. 121 "unecht. zur" changed to "unecht? Zur" - -p. 122 "seventeenth" changed to "eighteenth" - -p. 124 "I have" changed to ""I have" - -p. 127 "Quoniam solus Sanctus" changed to "Quoniam to solus Sanctus" - -p. 135 "Wenn wir im höchsten Nöthen sind" changed to "Wenn wir in -höchsten Nöthen sein" - -p. 140 "Sätzes" changed to "Satzes" - -p. 145 "Der Geist hift unsere Schwachheit auf" changed to "Der Geist -hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf" - -p. 145 "Tonet" changed to "Tönet" - -p. 149 "1. The Vorschlag" changed to "The Vorschlag" - -p. 170 "Staatsburger" changed to "Staatsbürger" - -p. 171 "Lüneberg" changed to "Lüneburg" - -p. 176 "Johnn Sebastian Bach" changed to "Johann Sebastian Bach" - -p. 179 "erzahlen" changed to "erzählen" - -p. 183 "Hochzeitgehe" changed to "Hochzeit gehe" - -p. 184 "meinem Thaten" changed to "meinen Thaten" - -p. 185 "ursprung" changed to "Ursprung" - -p. 186 "Geist" changed to "Geist-" - -p. 186 "gewünschste" changed to "gewünschte" - -p. 187 "Süsse Trost, mein Jesu kommt" changed to "Süsser Trost, mein -Jesus kömmt" - -p. 188 "erhöbt" changed to "erhöht" - -p. 188 "spirit," changed to "spirit,"" - -p. 188 "auf seinem Gott" changed to "auf seinen Gott" - -p. 189 "plandert" changed to "plaudert" - -p. 189 "Dieskan" changed to "Dieskau" - -p. 189 "sache" changed to "sa che" - -p. 190 "wiederan" changed to "Wiederau" - -p. 192 "Orgelbuchlein" changed to "Orgel-büchlein" - -p. 196 ""Hortus Musicus.'" changed to ""Hortus Musicus."" - -p. 199 "Courante, A major" changed to "Courante, A major." - -p. 202 "alterer" changed to "älterer" - -p. 203 "Schuler der Partikularschule in Lüneberg" changed to "Schüler -der Partikularschule in Lüneburg" - -p. 204 "Vorträge." changed to "Vorträge."" - -p. 204 "Berüchsichtigung" changed to "Berücksichtigung" - -p. 212 "Freiburg" changed to "Freiberg" - -p. 213 "Teleman" changed to "Telemann" - -pp. 203, 213 and 216 "Kühnau" changed to "Kuhnau" - -p. 217 "the English" changed to "the English," - -p. 218 "Historisches Aufsätze" changed to "Historische Aufsätze" - -p. 220 "organist ship" changed to "organistship" - -p. 220 "Kauffman" changed to "Kauffmann" - -p. 220 "Johann, T." changed to "Johann T." - -p. 222 "gesundes," changed to "gesundes,"" - -p. 222 "Bekummerniss" changed to "Bekümmerniss" - -p. 222 "an noch" changed to "annoch" - -p. 222 "Got" changed to "Gott" - -p. 222 "Cappricio" changed to "Capriccio" - - -The following possible errors have not been changed: - -p. 14 Würtemburg - -p. 14 Höhenlohe - -p. 145 No. 2. - -In addition, many of the cantatas' incipits are truncated and/or omit -punctuation; these have been left as printed. - - -The following are used inconsistently: - -_bâton_ and baton - -choralvorspiele and choral-vorspiele - -concertmeister and concert-meister - -deathbed and death-bed - -Gedact and Gedackt - -hammerlike and hammer-like - -keyboard and key-board - -lifetime and life-time - -Nachthorn and Nacht-horn - -Nicolai-Church and Nicolai-church - -Rück-positiv and Rückpositiv - -Schallmey and Schalmei - -Thomasschule and Thomas-schule - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BACH*** - - -******* This file should be named 43650-8.txt or 43650-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/3/6/5/43650 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Bach - - -Author: Charles Francis Abdy Williams - - - -Release Date: September 5, 2013 [eBook #43650] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BACH*** - - -E-text prepared by Henry Flower and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive/American Libraries (http://archive.org/details/americana) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original pictorial and - musical illustrations. - See 43650-h.htm or 43650-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43650/43650-h/43650-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43650/43650-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - http://archive.org/details/bach00will - - -Transcriber's Note - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - Text enclosed by tilde characters is in bold face (~bold~). - - - - - -BACH - -by - -C. F. ABDY WILLIAMS - - - * * * * * * - - The Master Musicians - EDITED BY - FREDERICK J. CROWEST. - - [Illustration: Bach] - - -The Master Musicians - -Edited by - -FREDERICK J. CROWEST - -_LIST OF VOLUMES._ - - - BACH. By C. F. ABDY WILLIAMS. - [_Fourth Edition._ - - BEETHOVEN. By F. J. CROWEST. - [_Eighth Edition._ - - BRAHMS. By J. LAWRENCE ERB. - [_Second Edition._ - - CHOPIN. By J. CUTHBERT HADDEN. - [_Fourth Edition._ - - HANDEL. By C. F. ABDY WILLIAMS. - [_Third Edition._ - - HAYDN. By J. CUTHBERT HADDEN. - [_Second Edition._ - - MENDELSSOHN. By STEPHEN S. STRATTON. - [_Fifth Edition._ - - MOZART. By E. J. BREAKSPEARE. - [_Third Edition._ - - SCHUBERT. By E. DUNCAN. - [_Second Edition._ - - SCHUMANN By ANNIE W. PATTERSON. - [_Second Edition._ - - TCHAIKOVSKY. By EDWIN EVANS. - [_Second Edition._ - - WAGNER. By C. A. LIDGEY. - [_Fourth Edition._ - - -_All rights reserved_ - - * * * * * * - - -[Illustration: _Published with the permission of the proprietors of the -original engraving Breitkopf and Haertel in Leipsic._ - -Joh. Seb. Bach.] - - -BACH - -by - -C. F. ABDY WILLIAMS - -M.A. Cantab.; Mus. Bac., Oxon. et Cantab. - -With Illustrations and Portraits - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - -London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. -New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. -1921 - -First Published 1900 -Reprinted 1903, 1906, 1921 - - - - -Preface - - -The position of Johann Sebastian Bach as one of a numerous family -of musicians is unique. Of no other composer can it be said that -his forefathers, contemporary relations, and descendants were all -musicians, and not only musicians, but holders of very important -offices as such. All his biographers have therefore given some account -of his family antecedents before proceeding to the history of his -life; and I have found myself obliged to follow the same course. -In other respects I have adopted the plan made use of by the older -biographers, of keeping the account of his life distinct from that of -his compositions. - -Every biography is necessarily based on that written by his two sons, -four years after his death, published by Mizler, and the one published -in 1802 by Forkel, who was intimate with the sons. Hilgenfeldt's -account follows these, and in later years further information has been -acquired from the searches into archives, and other ancient documents, -by C. H. Bitter and Philipp Spitta. Any details concerning the life -and works of this remarkable man are interesting; and it is probable -that researches will be continued for some time to come. Thus, last -year (1898) a "celebration" took place at Ohrdruf in memory of Bach's -school career there; and Dr Friedrich Thomas took the opportunity of -publishing some details of the Bach family which had escaped Spitta. - -The name of Bach is reverenced by Thuringian organists, and I this -year had interesting conversations with his successors at Arnstadt and -Muehlhausen, Herr Kellermann and Herr Moeller. But the chief music-seller -at Arnstadt told me that "Bach's music is out of date; no one has now -any interest in such old-fashioned compositions." - -The two recent important accounts of Bach's life are those of C. H. -Bitter, 1865, 2 vols.; second edition 1880, 4 vols.; and Philipp -Spitta, 2 vols, a translation of which by Mrs Clara Bell and Mr -Fuller-Maitland was published by Messrs Novello in 1884. With regard -to the last, I have to thank Messrs Novello for kindly allowing me the -use of the book at a time when it was out of print. I understand that a -second edition has since been published. - -References to Spitta apply to the first edition of the translation; all -others to the original German. - - C. F. ABDY WILLIAMS. - - BRADFIELD, - _December 1899_. - - - - -Contents - - - PAGE - - PREFACE v - - - CHAPTER I - - The Bachs of Thuringia--Veit Bach, the ancestor of John Sebastian--His - sons and descendants--A breach of promise of marriage--J. Christoph - Bach of Arnstadt--His cantata "Es erhob sich ein Streit"--John - Michael Bach of Gehren--His character--His compositions--J. - Christoph Bach of Ohrdruf and his descendants--The sons of John - Sebastian Bach--The clan feeling--A sixteenth century _quodlibet_ 1 - - - CHAPTER II - - Bach's attitude towards art--His birth--The death of his father--Moves - to Ohrdruf--Performances in the Ohrdruf choir--Removal to Lueneburg--His - industry as a boy--Expeditions to Hamburg and Celle--Joins - the Court Orchestra at Weimar--Is appointed organist at - Arnstadt--Troubles with the church authorities--Successfully competes - for a new post 20 - - - CHAPTER III - - Bach's salary--He borrows a cart from the Consistory for his - furniture--The agreement is made verbally--Bach's first marriage--His - duties at St Blasius--The festival compositions--Repairs to the - organ--Difficulties with the Pietists--He resigns his post--Is appointed - chamber-musician at Weimar--His duties there--His relations with - Walther--Studies instrumental music--His journeys--His competition - with Marchand 34 - - - CHAPTER IV - - Bach becomes capellmeister to the Duke of Coethen--His Weimar - pupils--His new duties--Death of his wife--Journey to Hamburg--He - competes for an organistship there--The post is sold--Disgust of - Matheson at the transaction--Bach endeavours to meet Handel--His - second marriage--Is obliged to leave Coethen 48 - - - CHAPTER V - - The position and duties of the Cantor of St Thomas' School at - Leipsic--The condition of the school in 1722--Kuhnau's death-- - Competition and election of two cantors in succession--Bach offers - himself--Is elected--Difficulties with the authorities--The Council - make irritating regulations--Bach endeavours to leave Leipsic--Election - of a new Rector, and temporary disappearance of Bach's troubles 59 - - - CHAPTER VI - - Home life at Leipsic--Personal details--Music in the family circle-- - Bach's intolerance of incompetence--He throws his wig at Goerner--His - preference for the clavichord--Bach as an examiner--His sons and - pupils--His general knowledge of musical matters--Visit from - Hurlebusch--His able management of money--His books and instruments-- - The Dresden Opera--A new Rector, and further troubles--Bach complains - to the Council 77 - - - CHAPTER VII - - Bach obtains a title from the Saxon Court--Plays the organ at Dresden-- - Attacked by Scheibe--Mizler founds a musical society--Further - disputes--Bach's successor chosen during his lifetime--Visit to - Frederick the Great--Bach's sight fails--Final illness and death-- - Notice in the _Leipsic Chronicle_--The Council--Fate of the widow and - daughter 84 - - - CHAPTER VIII - - The Cantatas and the Chorale 91 - - - CHAPTER IX - - The Matthew Passion and B Minor Mass 114 - - - CHAPTER X - - The Wohltemperirte Clavier--The Art of Fugue--The Musical Offering-- - Bach as a teacher--Bach's works in England 131 - - - CHAPTER XI - - The Christmas Oratorio--The Magnificat--The lost works--Instrumental - works--Bach's playing--The Manieren or grace notes 144 - - - CHAPTER XII - - Innovations in the fingering and use of keyed and stringed - instruments 152 - - - CHAPTER XIII - - The organs in Leipsic churches--Bach's method of accompanying--The - pitch of organs 160 - - - CHAPTER XIV - - Bach as "Familien-Vater"--As a choirmaster--His eagerness to learn all - that was new and of value in music--He finds time to conduct public - concerts--His self-criticism--Bach was never a poor man--His reputation - was gained by his playing rather than compositions--Portraits--Public - monuments 170 - - CATALOGUE OF VOCAL WORKS 177 - - CATALOGUE OF INSTRUMENTAL WORKS 191 - - BIBLIOGRAPHY 202 - - GLOSSARY 205 - - - - -List of Illustrations - - - PORTRAIT OF BACH, BY HAUSMANN (PHOTOGRAVURE) _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - - THE HOUSE AT EISENACH IN WHICH J. S. - BACH WAS BORN _To face_ 21 - - ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH, OHRDRUF, WITH THE - LYCEUM, NOW THE BURGERSCHULE " 22 - - THE KEYBOARD OF BACH'S ARNSTADT ORGAN, - NOW IN THE RATHHAUS " 27 - - THE THOMASSCHULE AT LEIPSIC " 59 - - ST THOMAS' CHURCH, LEIPSIC: THE THOMASSCHULE - IS ON THE RIGHT " 68 - - ST JOHN'S CHURCH, LEIPSIC " 89 - - FACSIMILE OF MUSIC " 132 - - THE PERFORMANCE OF A CHURCH CANTATA, - FROM WALTHER'S LEXICON, LEIPSIC, 1732 " 204 - - - - -Chapter I - - The Bachs of Thuringia--Veit Bach, the ancestor of John - Sebastian--His sons and descendants--A breach of promise of - marriage--J. Christoph Bach of Arnstadt--His cantata "Es erhob - sich ein Streit"--John Michael Bach of Gehren--His character--His - compositions--Joh. Christoph Bach of Ohrdruf, and his - descendants--The sons of Joh. Sebastian Bach--The clan feeling--A - sixteenth century _quodlibet_. - - -John Sebastian Bach came of a large family of Thuringian musicians, -whose members have been traced back to the first decade of the -sixteenth century. The name frequently occurs in the sixteenth and -seventeenth centuries among the inhabitants of Arnstadt, Erfurt, -Graefenrode, Molsdorf, Rockhausen and other villages; and that it has -not yet disappeared is shown by the fact that the Erfurt Directory for -1899 contains the addresses of no less than thirteen Bachs. - -[Sidenote: _The Founder of the Family_] - -The subject of this biography considered that the founder of his family -was Veit Bach, who had settled at Presburg in Hungary as a baker and -miller. Owing to religious persecution, however, he sold what he could -of his property, returned to Thuringia with the proceeds, and settled -at the village of Wechmar near Gotha. Here he recommenced his trade, -and occupied his leisure with the cithara, or cither, even taking -it to the mill, where he played it to the rhythmical tapping of the -wheels. "He must," says John Sebastian, "at any rate have learned -time in this way." The date of his birth is unknown. He died 1619 and -left two sons, Hans and Johannes. All his descendants, to the number -of sixty, were, with only two or three exceptions, musicians. Hans -Bach, the great-grandfather of John Sebastian, was a weaver by trade -as well as a musician. His father, Veit, sent him to Gotha to study -music under a relative, Caspar Bach, the "town piper." In his capacity -of "Spielmann" or "Player" Hans travelled about to different towns in -Thuringia to take part in the "town music" with his violin, and as he -was also very humorous he became popular, and twice had his portrait -painted. He died of the plague in 1626. He seems to have left several -children, of whom three were musicians-- - - JOHANN, 1604-1673. - CHRISTOPH, 1613-1661. - HEINRICH, 1615-1692. - -The following genealogy will enable the reader to distinguish the -various members of this remarkable family. The names of sons only are -given, as the daughters do not appear to have distinguished themselves. -The list of nearly sixty names is not, however, by any means -exhaustive. Spitta gives many more, and there were of course a great -number whose names are entirely lost, for a peasant and artisan family -is not usually careful to keep its genealogical tables in order. - - - - -Genealogy - -THE BACH FAMILY. - -(From Hilgenfeldt.) - - - 1. VEIT BACH, 155---161--, the Founder. - - _Sons of_ Veit. - - 2. HANS d. 1626. 3. JOHANNES ... - - _Sons of_ Hans. - - 4. JOHANN, 1604-1673. 5. CHRISTOPH, 1613-1661. 6. HEINRICH, - 1615-1692. - - _Sons of_ Johann (No. 4). - - 7. JOHANN CHRISTIAN, 1640-1682. 8. JOHANN AEGIDIUS, 1645-1717. 9. - JOHANN NICOLAUS, 1653-1682. - - _Sons of_ Christoph (No. 5). - - 10. GEORG CHRISTOPH, 1642-1697. 11. JOH. AMBROSIUS, 1645-1695. 12. - JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1645-1694. - - _Sons of_ Heinrich (No. 6). - - 13. JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1643-1703. 14. JOH. MICHAEL ... 15. JOH. - GUENTHER ... - - _Sons of_ Joh. Christian (No. 7). - - 16. JOH. JACOB, 1668-1692. 17. JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1673-1727. - - _Sons of_ Joh. Aegidius (No. 8). - - 18. JOH. BERNHARD, 1676-1749. 19. JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1685-174--. - - _Son of_ Joh. Nicolaus (No. 9). - - 20. JOH. NICOLAUS, 1682-174--. - - _Sons of_ Georg Christoph (No. 10). - - 21. JOH. VALENTIN, 1669-1720. 22. JOH. CHRISTIAN, 1679-1707. - - 23. JOH. GEORG, 16-----17----. - - _Sons of_ Joh. Ambrosius (No. 11). - - 24. JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1671-1721. 25. JOH. JACOB, 1682-171--. 26. - JOHANN SEBASTIAN, 1685-1750. - - _Sons of_ Joh. Christoph (No. 12). - - 27. JOH. ERNST, 1683-173--. 28. JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1689-1736. - - _Sons of_ Joh. Christoph (No. 13). - - 29. JOH. NICOLAUS, 1669-1740. 30. JOH. CHRISTOPH ... 31. JOH. - FRIEDRICH ... 32. JOH. MICHAEL ... - - _Children of_ Joh. Michael (No. 14). - - 33. JOH. LUDWIG 1677-1730. MARIA BARBARA (first wife of Joh. - Sebastian). - - _Sons of_ Joh Christoph (No. 17). - - 34. JOH. SAMUEL, 1694 ... 35. JOH. CHRISTIAN, 1696 ... - - 36. JOH. GUENTHER ... - - _Son of_ Joh. Bernhard (No. 18). - - 37. JOH. ERNST, 1722-1781. - - _Sons of_ Joh. Christoph (No. 19). - - 38. JOH. FRIEDRICH, 1703 ... 39. JOH. AUGUST, 17 ... - - 40. WILHELM HIERONYMUS, 17 ... - - _Sons of_ Joh. Valentin (No. 21). - - 41. JOH. LORENZ, 1695 ... 42. JOH. ELIAS, 1705-1755. 43. JOH. - HEINRICH ... - - _Sons of_ Joh. Christoph (No. 24). - - 44. JOH. FRIEDRICH, 1695 ... 45. JOH. BERNHARD, 1700-1742(?) 46. - JOH. CHRISTOPH, 1702-1756. 47. JOH. HEINRICH, 1707 ... 48. JOH. - ANDREAS, 1713-175--. - - _Sons of_ Joh. Sebastian (No. 26). - - 49. WILHELM FRIEDEMANN, 1710-1784. 50. JOH. CHRISTOPH and a twin - brother, 1713 + same year. 51. CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL, 1714-1788. 52. - JOH. GOTTFRIED BERNHARD, 1715-1739. 53. LEOPOLD AUGUST, 1718-1719. - 54. GOTTFRIED HEINRICH, 1724-1736(?). 55. CHRISTIAN GOTTLIEB, - 1725-1728. 56. ERNST ANDREAS, 1727 + same year. 57. JOH. CHRISTOPH - FRIEDRICH, 1732-1795. 58. JOH. AUG. ABRAHAM, 1733-1734. 59. JOH. - CHRISTIAN, 1735-1782. 60. (8 daughters). - -[Sidenote: Music and War] - -Johann (No. 4) was born at Wechmar. He was apprenticed to the town -piper of Suhl and became organist at Schweinfurt. In 1635 he married -the daughter of his former master, and became director of the town -musicians at Erfurt. During the time he was there the city was -suffering terribly from the effects of pillage and quartering of -soldiers, poverty and disorder; yet Johann Bach managed to found -a family which multiplied rapidly, and soon filled all the town -musicians' places, so that for some century and a half, and long after -no more of the family lived in the place, the town musicians were known -as "The Bachs." - -He married twice, his second wife being Hedwig Laemmerhirt. - -He was organist of the Prediger Kirche at Erfurt, and was called by -his contemporaries an "illustrious musician," and he in a kind of way -forestalled John Sebastian in being skilful in both sacred and secular, -vocal and instrumental music. - -The three towns of Erfurt, Arnstadt and Eisenach, now became the chief -centres of the Bach family. - -Christoph Bach (No. 5), the grandfather of Sebastian, born at Wechmar, -entered the service of the Grand Duke of Weimar as lackey and musician. -In 1642 he was a member of the Guild of Musicians at Erfurt, and in -1654 was Court and Town musician at Arnstadt, where his younger brother -Heinrich was living. He does not seem ever to have been an organist, -but a "Kunstpfeifer." - -[Sidenote: _The Thirty Years' War_] - -During the Thirty Years' War the town pipers and musicians had sunk -very low in public estimation, and about the middle of the seventeenth -century a strong effort was made by their various guilds to raise -themselves to a more dignified position, in keeping with the worthiness -of their calling. To this end they combined in drawing up a code of -statutes, which was ratified by the Emperor Ferdinand III.;[1] the Bach -family seem, however, to have kept aloof from this combination, and -there is no doubt that they were better educated than the majority of -town musicians. - -Heinrich (No. 6) was appointed organist of the Franciscan Church at -Arnstadt in 1641, which office he filled for fifty years. He suffered -severely from the war, which disorganised everything, and his salary, -like that of every one else, got into arrears. Moreover there were war -taxes to be paid, and the soldiery seem to have robbed and plundered -at their will. He petitioned the Count of Schwarzburg for his salary -as he "knew not where to find bread for himself and his young family." -The Count ordered his salary to be paid, but the keeper of the funds -immediately resigned. It is supposed that Bach managed to eke out -his existence by cultivating a small plot of land which it was usual -to give to organists in Thuringia as part of their salary. He kept -to his pious and simple life all through the horrors of the times, -(which reduced the mass of the people to a state of coarseness and -immorality), and brought up six children, three of whom became famous -musicians in their day. In the funeral sermon preached by Olearius, he -is mentioned as the composer of chorales, motets, concertos, fugues and -preludes, but few of his compositions have been preserved. - -Johann Christian Bach (No. 7), a viola player and music director, -belonged to Erfurt, whence he went to Eisenach, being the first of his -family to settle there. - -Johann Aegidius Bach (No. 8) became director of the town musicians and -alto-viola player at Erfurt in succession to his brother Joh. Christian -(No. 7) and his cousin Ambrosius (No. 11) when they moved to Eisenach. -Like several others of his clan he married the sister of his elder -brother's wife, and soon after became organist of St Michael's Church, -which post he held to an advanced age. - -John Nicolaus Bach (No. 9) was a town musician and good performer on -the viola-da-gamba. He died of the plague in 1682. - -Georg Christoph Bach (No. 10), born at Erfurt, was an usher in a -school at Heinrichs near Suhl, but became cantor, first at Themar, -near Meiningen, and afterwards at Schweinfurt, where he died. He was a -composer, but his works are all lost. - -[Sidenote: J. Ambrosius Bach] - -Johann Ambrosius Bach (No. 11), the father of John Sebastian, was -twin brother to Johann Christoph (No. 12). The two brothers had a -most remarkable likeness, not only externally but in character and -temperament. They were both violinists and played in exactly the same -style; they thought and spoke alike, and their appearance was so -similar that it is said their own wives could not distinguish them -apart. They suffered from the same illnesses, and died within a few -months of one another. - -Ambrosius first settled at Erfurt as an alto-viola[2] player, and -was elected a member of the Town Council. Here he married Elizabeth -Laemmerhirt, the daughter of a furrier, and a relation of Hedwig the -wife of Johann (No. 4). He now moved to Eisenach, and was succeeded at -Erfurt by his cousin Aegidius (No. 8). He undertook the care of an idiot -sister who died shortly afterwards, and for whom a funeral sermon was -preached, in which the Bach brothers are referred to as being "gifted -with good understanding, with art and skill, which make them respected -and listened to in the churches, schools, and all the township, so that -through them the Master's work is praised." Little is known of the -life of Ambrosius beyond the fact that he is mentioned in the church -register at Dornheim as "the celebrated town organist and musician of -Eisenach." Six children were born, the youngest being Johann Sebastian. - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 12) was Court musician to Count Ludwig -Guenther at Arnstadt. The first thing we hear of him relates to a -kind of action for breach of promise of marriage brought before the -Consistory at Arnstadt by Anna Cunigunda Wiener, with whom he had -"kept company" and exchanged rings. The Consistory (a spiritual -court) decided that Bach must marry her, but, with the independence -of character which was peculiar to his family, he refused and defied -them--an unheard-of thing for a musician to do in those days--declaring -that he "hated the Wienerin so that he could not bear the sight of -her."[3] The case lingered for two and a half years, and ended in -his favour. He remained single for many years afterwards, marrying -eventually a daughter of the churchwarden of Ohrdruf. - -Quarrels between Graeser, the town musician, and Johann Christoph Bach -led to the dismissal of all the Court musicians on account of the -disunion which made it impossible for music to prosper. For a time, -therefore, he had to make a meagre living by "piping before the doors," -but after the death of the Count his successor reappointed Bach "Court -musician and town piper." At this time Adam Drese was Capellmeister -at Arnstadt, and there exist catalogues of the Court musicians which -are of interest as showing the kind of musical establishment that -prevailed at the petty courts in Germany. One of these catalogues gives -the names of seven singers, four violinists, three viola players, a -contrabassist, and the organist Heinrich Bach (No. 6). - -[Sidenote: _The orchestra at Arnstadt_] - -There were trumpeters, and extra singers from the school, who could -also play stringed instruments, so that on occasion a very respectable -string orchestra was available, consisting of twelve violins, three -alto violas, three tenor violas, two bass viols, and a contrabasso. The -violoncello does not seem to have been represented. Christoph Bach's -income in later life was sufficient not only to raise him above want, -but to enable him to leave something to his family, on his death, in -1694, at the age of forty-eight. - -[Sidenote: _A Church Cantata_] - -[Sidenote: J. Christoph Bach] - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 13) was born at Arnstadt, and studied under -his father Heinrich (No. 6). He was appointed organist at Eisenach -in 1665, which post he held till his death sixty years later. He and -his brother Michael (No. 14) were born during the worst time of the -disturbance produced by the war, yet such was the vigour of their race -that, uninfluenced by the general degeneracy and misery, they both -became celebrated composers, Michael leaning towards instrumental, -and Christoph to vocal music. An important church work, describing -the strife between Michael and the Devil, "Es erhob sich ein Streit," -is fully described with musical quotations by Spitta (vol. i. p. -45, &c.). For its performance it required two five part choirs, two -violins, four violas, one bassoon, four trumpets, drums, double bass, -and organ. The cantata is preceded by a "sonata" for the instruments, -without trumpets and drums, something in the form of the French -overture. The work itself is modelled on those of Hammerschmidt, who, -with Schuetz, created a form which culminated in the Handel oratorio. -Spitta says that it shows "power of invention and genius," and that -"it was impossible that so important a composition should fail to make -an impression on many sincere artistic natures, in spite of the small -amount of intelligent sympathy which was shown for Johann Christoph -Bach, alike by his contemporaries and by posterity." Sebastian Bach -thought very highly of his uncle's work, and performed it at Leipsic. - -Johann Christoph composed many chorale-vorspiele for the organ, of -which forty-eight are preserved in a MS. formerly belonging to Spitta. -The themes are worked out on the same lines as those of John Sebastian, -but in a more elementary form. His vocal compositions are, however, -much in advance of his instrumental works, and he seems certainly to -have been the most important member of his family before his great -nephew appeared. - -[Sidenote: _An organist's income_] - -Johann Michael Bach (No. 14) was an accomplished organist. His -character may be imagined from the account of his appointment to the -organistship of Gehren near Arnstadt, when we are told that after -his examination, the authorities thanked the Count for having sent -them a peaceable, retiring, and skillful performer. He was also made -parish clerk, and his income from the two posts amounted to 74 guelden, -18 cords of wood, 5 measures of corn, 9 measures of barley, 3-1/2 -barrels of beer, some land, and a house free of rent. Besides being -a composer he made clavichords and violins. His youngest daughter -became Sebastian Bach's first wife. A cantata on "Ach! bleib bei uns, -Herr Jesu Christ" by him is preserved in the Bach archives in the -Royal Library at Berlin, "full of interesting details and ingenious -ideas."[4] It is scored for four voices, two violins, three violas, -bassoon, and organ, and is preceded by a "sonata." Twelve of his motets -are preserved, but they are incoherent in structure, being composed in -a time of transition. Some of them are to be accompanied by strings -which double the various voice parts, and ten of them are interwoven -with chorales. In "Das Blut Jesu Christi" for five voices "the deep -feeling of the compositions overcomes us with irresistible power, and -one forgets the imperfection of the body in the beauty of the soul -which shines through."[5] Four of the motets are for double chorus and -in some one can feel "the romantic spirit of Sebastian Bach." - -[Sidenote: Other Bachs] - -Johann Guenther Bach (No. 15) was a good organist, and deputised for -his father when absent from Arnstadt. Little is known of his life, but -Hilgenfeldt says he is mentioned as a capable instrument maker as well -as organist. - -Johann Jacob Bach (No. 16) did not follow the musical profession. - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 17), also born at Erfurt, was cantor and -organist of Unterzimmern near Erfurt. In 1698 he succeeded Michael Bach -in the Cantorship at Gehren. He was threatened with removal by the -Arnstadt authorities on account of his temper, though the threat was -never carried out. He died in 1727. - -Johann Bernhard Bach (No. 18), born at Erfurt, was at first organist -in his native town, then at Magdeburg and afterwards succeeded Johann -Christoph (No. 13) in 1703, as Court and town organist at Eisenach, -and was also made Chamber Musician to the Duke of Sax-Eisenach. Of his -compositions there remain four suites for orchestra, some small pieces -for cembalo and some chorale arrangements. According to Spitta he was -one of the most able composers of his time, following the lines of -Pachelbel. His orchestral works were so esteemed by John Sebastian that -he copied them, and the copies still exist. - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 19) was "Raths-Musikdirector" (Town Council -Musical-director) at Erfurt, in succession to Aegidius. - -Johann Nicolaus Bach (No. 20), a surgeon, settled in East Prussia, -where he brought up a numerous family. - -Johann Valentin Bach (No. 21) was town musician and head watchman at -Schweinfurt. - -Of Johann Christian Bach (No. 22), and Johann Georg (No. 23), nothing -is known. - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 24), the elder brother of Sebastian, -organist and schoolmaster at Ohrdruf, was a pupil of Pachelbel, and -appears to have made some reputation as a musician, since he refused -an invitation to go to Gotha as organist, on account of an increase of -salary being given him at Ohrdruf.[6] - -[Sidenote: More of the Family] - -Johann Jacob Bach (No. 25) entered the Swedish guard as oboe-player. -He followed Charles II. of Sweden, and took part in the battle of -Pultawa, and, after a stay at Bender in Turkey, retired to Stockholm as -Court musician. - -Johann Sebastian Bach (No. 26). - -Johann Ernst Bach (No. 27) was organist at Arnstadt, while Johann -Christoph Bach (No. 28) went into the grocery trade. - -Johann Nicolaus Bach (No. 29) was University and Town organist at Jena, -and after having travelled to Italy for study, returned to Jena, where -he remained till his death at the age of eighty-four. He was an able -composer, of whose works, however, only a mass remains, which is much -praised by Spitta. - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 30) taught music in Hamburg, Rotterdam, and -finally in England. - -Johann Friedrich Bach (No. 31) succeeded J. Sebastian as organist -at Muehlhausen, the only member of his family who is mentioned as -unsatisfactory in character, he being given to drink. Gerber calls him -by mistake Johann Christoph. - -Johann Michael Bach (No. 32) was an organ-builder. He went to Sweden, -and all traces of him were lost. - -Johann Ludwig Bach (No. 33) held the post of capellmeister to the -Duke of Sax-Meiningen. His compositions were highly valued by Johann -Sebastian, who copied many of them. Hilgenfeldt distinguishes him as a -fine church-composer. - -Johann Samuel Bach (No. 34), and Johann Christian Bach (No. 35), -settled at Sondershausen as musicians. - -Johann Guenther Bach (No. 36) was tenor singer and schoolmaster at -Erfurt. - -Johann Ernst Bach (No. 37) studied law and became a barrister, but was -also an organist and composer. He died in 1781 as Capellmeister to the -Count of Weimar. - -Johann Friedrich Bach (No. 38) became a schoolmaster, as did also -his brother Johann Aegidius (No. 39). Of Wilhelm Hieronymus (No. 40), -nothing is known. - -Johann Lorenz Bach (No. 41) was organist at Lahm in Franconia. - -Johann Elias Bach (No. 42) studied theology, and became cantor and -school-inspector at Schweinfurt, his native town. - -Of Johann Heinrich Bach (No. 43) nothing is known. - -Tobias Friedrich Bach (No. 44) was cantor of Udestadt, near Erfurt. - -Johann Bernhard Bach (No. 45), according to Adlung, was a capable -composer and organist. - -Johann Christoph Bach (No. 46) filled the double _role_ of cantor and -schoolmaster at Ohrdruf. - -Johann Heinrich Bach (No. 47) was cantor at Oehringen, in Wuertemburg, -and musician to Count Hoehenlohe; while Johann Andreas Bach (No. 48) was -oboist at Gotha, and afterwards organist at Ohrdruf. - -[Sidenote: Sons of J. S. Bach] - -We now come to the sons of Johann Sebastian. An account of their -services to art will be found in C. H. Bitter's "Die Soehne Sebastian -Bachs," published by Breitkopf and Haertel, 1883. We must be here -content with a bare outline of their biographies. - -Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (No. 49), born at Weimar, was a pupil of his -father and of Graun, concert-meister of Merseburg. He went to the -University of Leipsic, where he distinguished himself in law and -mathematics. In 1732 he became organist of St Sophia at Dresden, but -giving this up, he accompanied his father on his various journeys. In -1747 he became music-director of a church in Halle, and is sometimes -called the "Halle Bach." Quitting this post he lived without employment -at various places, and died at Berlin in 1784 in great poverty and -misery, having been given to drink. - -[Sidenote: _W. F. Bach as an organist_] - -Fetis and Bitter say he was the greatest organist in Germany after -his father, and Forkel states that his "clavier-playing was light, -brilliant, and charming," and his "organ style was elevated, solemn, -and full of religious feeling." He extemporised much but composed -little, though some sonatas for clavecin, both solo and with violin, -some polonaises, organ-pieces, concertos, fugues, symphonies and -cantatas have come down to us. - -Johann Christoph (No. 50) died in infancy. - -[Sidenote: _The Berlin Bach_] - -Carl Philipp Emanuel (No. 51) the most celebrated of Sebastian's sons -is called the "Berlin Bach," having lived in that city for twenty-nine -years. He studied at St Thomas' School at Leipsic under his father, -and afterwards joined the University of Leipsic as a student of law, -but completed this course of study at Frankfort on the Oder. In 1738 -he entered the service of Frederick the Great at Berlin as cembalist. -In 1767 he went to Hamburg in succession to Telemann as director of -music, after having with great difficulty obtained leave from the Court -at Berlin to depart. Here he remained till his death in 1788. He was -a prolific composer in all styles. A catalogue of his works is given -by Fetis, among the most important of which are those for clavier, and -his "Attempt to explain the true art of Clavier-playing," the first -treatise on the subject if we except Couperin's "L'art de toucher le -clavecin." It describes the method of John Sebastian, from which the -present style of piano-playing is developed, and the rules for the -execution of the "Manieren"; while in the second part, thorough bass -and accompaniment of voices are treated of. He became the greatest -theorist of his time, and in his autobiography he says, "In composition -and clavier-playing I have never had any teacher but my father." -Hilgenfeldt remarks that he was intended for a learned profession and -only studied music as an amateur; but Bitter shows that he was an -artist, and was brought up as a practical musician, his scientific -studies being secondary to music. - -[Sidenote: _Emanuel's position in musical history_] - -Emanuel occupies a very important position in the history of music. -His period was one of transition. Polyphony had reached its highest -point. Oratorio had been developed to its greatest splendour, and -organ and clavier-playing had reached their highest development on -the old lines. His services to art were that he opened new paths in -clavier-music, which made possible the creations of Haydn, Mozart and -Beethoven. Bitter considers him the father of that particular kind of -form which has been found suitable to the modern piano: viz. the sonata -form. His smaller sonata forms were based on those of the preludes in -the _Wohltemperirte Clavier_ which are in two sections, and this form -was developed by Haydn and his successors. The form is found in the six -sonatas of 1742, but it had been used by Krebs in his "Preambles" two -years earlier. - -Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach (No. 52) was given the post of organist -at Muehlhausen in response to an earnest letter from his father to the -authorities. He, however, shortly afterwards went to Jena to study law, -and died there in 1739 of a fever. - -Leopold August (No. 53) died young. - -Gottfried Heinrich Bach (No. 54) is only known as having lived in -Leipsic in the year 1754. - -Christian Gottlieb Bach (No. 55) lived only three years. - -Ernst Andreas Bach (No. 56) died the year he was born. - -Johann Christoph Friedrich (No. 57), was called the "Bueckeburger Bach" -from his holding a post as Chamber musician to Count von Lippe at -Bueckeburg. He composed oratorios, Passion music, and many other things. -He was remarkable for a deep insight into the essence of harmony, and -a very good style of clavier-playing, which approached that of his -brother Emanuel. He is also mentioned as a man of amiable and upright -character. - -Johann August Abraham Bach (No. 58) died young. - -[Sidenote: _The English Bach_] - -[Sidenote: J. Christian Bach] - -Johann Christian (No. 59), called the "Milanese" and afterwards the -"English" Bach, was born at Leipsic, and at the age of fourteen (on -the death of his father), he went to his brother Emanuel at Berlin. -When his education was completed he went to Milan, where he worked hard -at the composition of songs. His wealth of melody, and the facility -with which he produced it, led him to attach himself to the Neapolitan -school of composition, the result being shown in a number of works -which the greatest singers of his day took as their favourite concert -songs. His clavier works were chiefly written for amateur lady pupils, -and it has been said that the great increase of clavier dilettanti -towards the end of the eighteenth century is to be attributed directly -to the influence of Christian Bach. - -He composed concertos, operas, oratorios, besides every kind of -clavier and other instrumental music in the fashion of the day; "but," -says Schubart, "in the midst of his frivolity the gigantic spirit of -his father always shines." He was organist of Milan Cathedral, and -from there went to London, where he remained till his death in 1782. -Although he made a large income from his pupils and compositions, he -died deeply in debt, and his widow (an Italian prima donna) received a -pension from the Queen. - -The eight daughters of Sebastian showed none of the musical talent of -their brothers, and, with the exception of three, they all died young. -One of them married Bach's pupil Altnikol, of whom we shall hear later. -The family gradually died out, and after the sons of Sebastian, none -showed exceptional musical ability. - -[Sidenote: _Family meetings_] - -The clan feeling was very strong. It was a family custom to meet -together at Erfurt, Eisenach or Arnstadt once a year, and to spend a -day in friendly intercourse. The day was begun with the singing of a -chorale, after which jokes and all manner of pleasant pastimes were -indulged in. One of their favourite pursuits on these occasions was the -singing of "quodlibets" consisting of the endeavour to make three or -four popular or well-known songs harmonise together, these extempore -efforts being intended more as a joke than as serious music. - -[Sidenote: A Quodlibet] - -Hilgenfeldt quotes a quodlibet of the sixteenth century of which we -give a few bars: - -[Music: - - THE LORD'S PRAYER. - - Vater unser im Himmelreich. - - THE CREED. - - Wir glauben all' an einen Gott. - - EASTER SONG. - - Jesus Christus unser Heiland. - - BAPTISM SONG. - - Christ unser Herr, zum Jordan kam. - - THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. - - Mensch willt du leben seliglich.] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] See Glossary, "College of Instrumental Musicians." - -[2] The violas were divided into alto, tenor and bass, as the trombones -are now. The leading stringed instrument was called discant-viola or -discant-violin. - -[3] Spitta, vol. i. p. 162. - -[4] Spitta, vol. i. p. 52. - -[5] Spitta. - -[6] During a visit to Ohrdruf in August 1899, Herr -Landrathamts-Secretaer Kellner kindly gave me the following information. -The descendants of J. S. Bach's eldest brother continued to live in -Ohrdruf until 1863, as cantors, clergymen, schoolmasters, lawyers, etc. -There are at present living in direct descent Herr Herrmann Julius -Bach, Merchant, of Budapest, Herr Alfred Wilhelm Bach, Apothecary, of -Witten, and two young sons of the latter. - - - - -Chapter II - - Bach's attitude towards art--His birth--Death of his - father--Removal to Ohrdruf--Performances in the Ohrdruf - choir--Removal to Lueneburg--His industry as a boy--Expeditions - to Hamburg and Celle--Joins the Court Orchestra at Weimar--Is - appointed organist at Arnstadt--Troubles with the church - authorities--Successfully competes for a new post. - - -[Sidenote: _Bach's attitude towards Art_] - -The life and character of John Sebastian Bach have a peculiar interest, -not only for musicians and amateurs of music, but for every one who can -appreciate sterling worth, combined with genius of the highest rank, -and a modesty as great as it is rare. "Anyone," said Bach, "could do as -much as I have done if he worked as hard." And this capacity for hard -work is perhaps not the least among the many remarkable characteristics -of the man. We find in him little of that desire for applause, for -recognition, which is usually one of the strongest motives in an -artist. He was content to labour as few men have laboured, in a remote -corner of Germany, simply for art, and art alone. His greatest works -never saw the light of publication during his life-time: he seemed to -compose just because he obeyed the inward spirit of genius which drove -him onward, and though his chamber works became fairly well known, -his larger compositions were rarely performed outside the church or -place for which they were composed. "The sole object of all music," -said he, "should be the glory of God and pleasant recreation," and the -"glory of God" was the mainspring of every action of his simple and -pious life. - -[Illustration: The House at Eisenach in which J. S. Bach was born] - -He was born on or about March 31st, 1685[7] at Eisenach in Thuringia, -under the shadow of the famous Wartburg. A house still standing in the -Frauenplan is pointed out by tradition as his birthplace, and contains -a tablet to that effect. He was the youngest son of John Ambrosius -Bach, at that time Court and Town musician of Eisenach, a place which -had a good reputation for its music. - -The lofty artistic and moral standard which permeated the whole of the -numerous members of the Bach family seems to have culminated in the -subject of this sketch. We have seen that for many generations they -had been musicians, and had held the chief posts as organists and town -musicians throughout Thuringia; and John Sebastian naturally had no -other thought than to follow the family profession. Of the first few -years of his life little is known. It is probable that he learned the -violin from his father. - -[Sidenote: _Goes to Ohrdruf_] - -[Sidenote: Boyhood Promise] - -In January 1695, when he was not yet ten years old, his father died, -and his eldest brother Johann Christoph, who was organist of St -Michael's Church at Ohrdruf and had married, now undertook to provide -for him and educate him. Johann Christoph, who had been a pupil of -Pachelbel for three years, taught his younger brother the harpsichord. -Sebastian soon mastered all the studies and pieces he was given to -learn, and began to aspire to higher things. His brother had made a -MS. collection of compositions by Froberger, Fischer, Kerl, Buxtehude, -Pachelbel, Bruhns, Boehm, and others, and this book was eagerly yearned -for by Sebastian. The MS. was kept in a bookcase, shut in with a wire -lattice-work, and his brother for some unknown reason denied him the -use of it. Such was his zeal, however, that he managed to abstract it -through the lattice-work, night after night, for six months, until he -had copied the whole of it by moonlight! His pleasure in it was of -short duration, for when he began to practise the music his brother -discovered the copy, and was hard-hearted enough to confiscate it. -No reason is assigned for his having done so, and Sebastian did not -recover it until his brother's death in 1721. - -At Ohrdruf he joined the Lyceum,[8] where he laid the foundation of his -general education, in Latin, Greek (from the New Testament), theology, -rhetoric and arithmetic. He also took part in the chorus, whose duties -were to perform in church on Sundays and festivals, as well as to sing -motets at weddings and funerals, and at certain times to sing in the -streets.[9] He became one of the principal singers, and had a fixed -salary. - -[Sidenote: _Thrown on his own resources_] - -[Illustration: St Michael's Church, Ohrdruf with the Lyceum, now the -Burgerschule] - -When he was fifteen he was obliged to leave his brother's house, and -he now determined to make his own way independently of assistance from -others. Recommended by Herda, the cantor of the Lyceum, he went to the -school of the convent of St Michael at Lueneburg, accompanied by his -friend Georg Erdmann, about Easter 1700, and both were admitted to -the choir as discantists with a salary. Bach's voice soon broke, but he -remained three years at Lueneburg as accompanist at rehearsals, besides -playing the violin when required and taking part in the band that -played through the streets at the New Year. His salary was probably -twelve thalers a year, besides free board and lodging, and a share in -the profits of the processional performances in the streets. - -Lueneburg, like Eisenach, seems to have cultivated music with -considerable energy. Besides the choir of which Bach became a member, -there was a similar one belonging to the school of St John, and the -rivalry which naturally arose led to collisions, which were put an end -to by certain streets being allotted to each choir for its performances. - -[Sidenote: Earnest Student] - -Bach, being now above want, devoted the whole of his available time -to self-improvement, in spite of the great demands made on him by his -duties. He found in the library of the convent compositions by all -the best composers up to that period--Hammerschmidt, Scheidt, Ahle, -Briegel, Schuetz, Rosenmueller, Michael, Schop, Jeep, Krieger, Selle, -Crueger, and his own relatives Heinrich and John Christoph Bach. To -these compositions we know that he devoted unremitting study, and at -the same time worked with enormous industry day and night to improve -his technique on keyboard instruments. - -The organist of St John's Church was Boehm, a native of Thuringia, -and a man of considerable genius. He had studied in Hamburg, and -his compositions show the influence of Sweelinck and of Reinken the -organist of St Catherine's Church. The distinguishing characteristics -of his school were "technical neatness, pleasing ingenuity, and a -taste for subtle effects of tone."[10] - -Bach was now learning all he could from Boehm, but in order to further -advance himself he made several expeditions to Hamburg on foot, a -distance of some 25 English miles. - -Of one of these expeditions the following story is told. Bach, on -his return journey, sat down outside an inn halfway between the two -cities with not sufficient money in his pocket to avail himself of -the excellent dinner that was being prepared, the odours of which -reached him from the kitchen, when a window was suddenly opened and two -herrings' heads were thrown out. The herring in those days, as now, was -one of the favourite articles of food in Germany, and the boy at once -picked up the two heads. Inside each he found a Danish ducat. Who his -benefactor was never became known to him; and the money not only paid -for a dinner, but another journey to Hamburg as well. - -From Reinken he obtained models for his early compositions of -which Spitta mentions three as showing Reinken's influence; organ -arrangements of the two chorales "Es ist gewisslich an der Zeit,"[11] -"An Wasserfluessen Babylon";[12] and a toccata in G. - -But Bach was not satisfied to study only the works of his own -countrymen. About forty-five English miles to the south of Lueneburg -is Celle, where the ducal court maintained a band which played French -dance music, and where also French harpsichord music was held in -considerable estimation. He took frequent opportunities of hearing -this band, and so became familiar with the French style of music, which -he admired, and much of which he copied. - -Spitta considers that the chorale partitas "Christ, der du bist der -helle Tag," and "O Gott, du frommer Gott,"[13] were composed at -Lueneburg, since they were certainly early works, and show the influence -of Boehm, in the elaboration of the motives and the use of _basso -ostinato_, &c. It would seem that there was no good organ at Lueneburg, -for his compositions of this period are either for harpsichord or, if -for organ, show that he was not yet experienced in writing for the -latter instrument. - -In 1703 Bach was invited by Johann Ernst, younger brother of Duke -Wilhelm Ernst, to join his orchestra at Weimar as a violinist with -the title of "Hof-musikus," or Court musician. This brought him into -contact with a great deal of instrumental music, especially Italian -works, and among musicians he there met Westhoff, the Duke's private -secretary, a good violinist, and Johann Effler an organist. - -[Sidenote: _First appointment_] - -From Weimar he paid a visit to Arnstadt, only a few miles off, the -former meeting-place of his family. Here he had an opportunity of -trying the organ lately erected in the "New Church," the organist -of which was Boerner, a man of no great attainments. The Consistory -heard him, and, at once dismissing Boerner, offered Bach the post: a -high-handed proceeding, which they softened by making Boerner "organist -at Matins" and deputy to the Franciscan Church, on his full salary. -Bach's salary was raised by outside contributions, and the youth -of eighteen found himself more highly paid than any of his fellow -officials. - -On August 14th, 1703, he was solemnly installed, and exhorted to -industry and fidelity in his calling, and to act as an honourable -servant and organist before God, the authorities, and his superiors. -His official duties were to play on Sunday and Thursday mornings, and -at one service on Mondays; so that he had ample leisure for study. - -[Illustration: The Keyboards of Bach's Arnstadt Organ now in the -Rathhaus] - -The organ, which was a very fine one of two manuals, had the following -stops: - -OBERWERK (GREAT). - - 1. Principal (open diapason), 8 ft. - 2. Viola da gamba, 8. - 3. Quintatoen, 8. - 4. Gedackt, 8. - 5. Quint, 6. - 6. Octava (principal), 4. - 7. Mixture, 4 ranks. - 8. Gemshorn, 8 ft. - 9. Cymbal, 3. - 10. Trumpet, 8. - 11. Tremulant. - 12. Glockenaccord. - -BRUST-POSITIV (CHOIR). - - 1. Principal (open diapason), 4 ft.[14] - 2. Still gedact, 8. - 3. Spitzfloete, 4. - 4. Quint, 3. - 5. Sesquialtera. - 6. Nacht-horn, 4 ft. - 7. Mixture, 4 ranks. - 8. Octava, 2 ft. - 9. Glockenaccord. - -PEDAL. - - 1. Principal, 8 ft. - 2. Sub-bass, 16. - 3. Posaune, 16. - 4. Violon bass, 16. - 5. Octava, 2. - Couplers for manuals and pedals.[15] - -The keyboards, of which we give a photograph, are preserved in the -Rathhaus. The instrument was built by Wender of Muehlhausen in 1703. - -Bach had also the direction of a small school choir, which was -augmented by "adjuvanten" or amateur singers, and he had to accompany -and attend the rehearsals of the church choir, besides which he -probably played the violin in the Count's band. There was also a -theatre belonging to the Count, in which "Singspielen" or operettas -were occasionally performed. - -[Sidenote: _First Cantata_] - -The cantata for the first day of Easter, "Denn du wirst meine Seele -nicht in der Hoelle lassen," which was afterwards remodelled for use at -Leipsic, was composed at Arnstadt, probably for Easter 1704.[16] It was -his first cantata, and is in character similar to those in vogue in -Northern Germany. - -It consists of a short introductory sonata, for three trumpets, drums, -strings and organ, then a bass solo, "For thou shalt not leave my -soul in hell," in which are important ritornels. This is followed by -a recitative, a duet for soprano and alto in Italian aria form,[17] a -tenor solo, "Be not dismayed," after which the cantata closes with a -soprano aria, "Up soul, and be joyful." - -During his stay at Arnstadt he chiefly cultivated instrumental music -and composition, and, according to Mizler, began to show his eminence -in organ-playing. - -In 1704, Johann Jacob, Sebastian's elder brother, who had entered the -Swedish Guard as an oboe-player, came to bid farewell to his family -and friends. For him Bach wrote the early "capriccio on the departure -of his beloved brother." This was modelled on Johann Kuhnau's "Bible -Sonatas."[18] - -A chorale arrangement for two manuals and pedals "Wie schoen leuchtet -uns der Morgenstern" of this period exists in MS. in the R. Library at -Berlin, and seventeen variations on "Allein Gott in der Hoeh sei Ehr" -were in the possession of the late Dr Rust of Leipsic. - -[Sidenote: _Visit to Luebeck_] - -Towards the end of 1705 Bach determined to go to Luebeck to hear and -study the style of Buxtehude, one of the greatest organists then -living. He found a deputy, and having obtained one month's leave of -absence, started on foot, on the journey of over 200 miles, with the -object of arriving in time to hear the "evening performances" at -the Marienkirche, which took place in November and December, which -were peculiar to Luebeck, and which Buxtehude had worked up to a high -pitch of excellence. They consisted of sacred music both vocal and -instrumental, with organ solos.[19] - -[Sidenote: Cited to Appear] - -Bach outstaid his leave of absence by some three months, and on his -return to Arnstadt in February 1706 received a "citation" to appear -before the Consistory to explain his conduct. The Consistory at the -same time brought a charge against him of neglecting the training of -the choir, and of introducing unseemly variations on the organ during -the singing of the chorale, whereby the congregation were thrown -into confusion; and they complained of the great length and unseemly -figuration of his preludes to the chorales. - -Bitter gives the whole of the report of this "citation," in which the -several charges are put to Bach and answered by him. - -"The organist of the New Church, Bach, is required to say where he has -been for so long of late, and from whom he received leave of absence?" - - -ILLE. - -"He has been to Luebeck in order to learn things connected with his -art, but that he had previously asked permission from the Herr -Superintendent." - -DER SUPERINTEND. - -"He had only asked permission for four weeks, but had remained away -four times as long as that." - -ILLE. - -"Hopes that the organ would have been played by him whom he had put in, -in such a manner that no complaint can be made on that point." - -NOS. - -"Charge him with having made extraordinary variations in the chorales, -and with intermixing many strange sounds, so that thereby the -congregation were confounded. He must in the future, when he wishes to -introduce some _tonus peregrinus_, continue in it, and not go off too -quickly to something else, or, as he had hitherto been in the habit -of doing, play a _tonum contrarium_. And then it is very strange that -up to this time he has had no rehearsals, because he will not agree -with the scholars. Therefore he is to declare whether he will play -both figural and choral music with the scholars, since a capellmeister -cannot be kept. If he will not do this, let him say so categorically -of his own accord, that a change may be made, and some one who will -undertake it can be appointed to the post." - -ILLE. - -"If an honest Director be appointed, he will play again." - -[Sidenote: Explanations Needed] - -RESOLVITUR. - -"He must explain his conduct within eight days. That scholar Rambach -(the choir prefect) now appear, and be reproved for the disorders which -up to this time have taken place between the scholars and the organist -of the New Church." - -ILLE. - -"The organist, Bach, played for too long a time, but after this was -notified to him, by the Herr Superintendent, he at once went quite to -the opposite extreme and has made it too short." - -THE CONSISTORY. - -"Accuse him (Rambach) of having gone to a wine-cellar last Sunday -during the sermon." - -ILLE. - -"Was very sorry, and it should never happen again, and the clergy have -already spoken to him very severely about it. The organist need not -complain of him about the conducting, because it was undertaken not by -him, but by the youth Schmidt." - -NOS. - -"He must for the future behave quite differently and better, otherwise -the gift which was intended for him would be withheld. If he has -anything to remember against the organist, he must bring it forward -at the proper place, and not take the law into his own hands, but -behave in such a way as to give satisfaction, as he had promised. The -servant of the Court is now ordered to tell the Rector to have Rambach -imprisoned on four successive days for two hours each day." - -Bach was always irritable and obstinate, and had completely alienated -his choir. He was too much engaged in composition to take any interest -in training it, and it was in any case not good enough for him. The -Consistory allowed that there were faults on both sides, and hoped -that by giving him more time than the eight days he would come to some -agreement with the choir: but in vain. For Bach having come fresh -from the artistic life of Luebeck found the drudgery of training the -rough scholars unbearable. The answer that he was required to give in -eight days completely left his mind, and after more than eight months -the Consistory again "represented to the organist Bach that he should -declare whether, as he has been ordered to do, he will rehearse with -the scholars or not; as, if he feels no shame in remaining in the -Church and receiving the salary, he must also not be ashamed to 'make -music' (_i.e._ rehearse) with the scholars: for it is intended that -these should exercise themselves, so that for the future they may have -more skill in music." - -ILLE. - -"Will make the declaration on this subject in writing." - -THE CONSISTORY. - -"Furthermore ask him by what power he has latterly allowed the strange -maiden to appear, and to make music in the choir." - -ILLE. - -"Has already spoken about it to Master Uthe."[20] - -The "strange maiden" who made music with Bach in private in the church -seems to have been his cousin, Maria Barbara, youngest daughter of -Michael Bach of Gehren,[21] whom he married in the following year. It -is not known how the matter ended, but Bach, from this time, began to -endeavour to find another post. - -[Sidenote: _Second appointment_] - -An important post at St Blasius, Muehlhausen, some 20 miles north of -Gotha, fell vacant through the death of Johann Georg Ahle on December -2nd, 1706, and there were many candidates. It seems, from Gerber's -account (vol. ii. p. 764), to have been at first offered to Johann -Gottfried Walther of Erfurt, but to have been declined by him;[22] and -when Bach, whose friction with the Consistory made him anxious to leave -Arnstadt, offered himself as a candidate, the Council, after hearing -him play, were unanimous in his favour. - -The church of St Blasius is a fine Gothic building, in strong contrast -to the homely, towerless New Church at Arnstadt; and the office of -organist is proportionately more important. Its present holder is Herr -Musikdirector Moeller. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[7] See Spitta, "Life of Bach," vol. i. p. 181, note. - -[8] The Lyceum is now the Burgerschule. It is shown in the photograph -on the left hand side. - -[9] The custom of singing in the streets is still kept up. The writer -heard one Sunday morning this year at Ohrdruf, excellent singing by the -choir-boys, in four parts, two treble and two alto. - -[10] Spitta, vol. i. p. 195. - -[11] In a MS. collection in possession of F. A. Roitzsch of Leipsic. - -[12] MS. in Lib. of R. Inst. for church music, Berlin. - -[13] Peters, vol. 244. - -[14] See Glossary, Positiv. - -[15] The above list, which slightly differs from that of Spitta, was -taken from the existing stop handles. - -[16] Spitta, vol. i. p. 231. - -[17] _i.e._ like many of Handel's songs, which have a da capo after the -change of key. - -[18] For an account of these see J. G. Shedlock, "The Pianoforte -Sonata," London, 1895. - -[19] The organ had fifty-four stops, three manuals, and pedal; and -the post of organist at this church was one of the best in Germany. -It had one drawback, however; on the resignation or death of an -organist, the person appointed to succeed him was obliged to marry his -daughter. Mattheson and Handel in 1704 and Bach in 1706 had thought of -applying for the post, but were all frightened away by this condition. -Buxtehude's successor was Johann Christian Schieferdecker, who had been -harpsichord player in the opera at Hamburg. - -[20] A preacher in the New Church. - -[21] No. 14 in the Genealogical Table. - -[22] This Walther was the author of the "Musikalisches Lexicon," -Leipsic, 1732. - - - - -Chapter III - - Bach's salary--He borrows a cart from the Consistory for - his furniture--The agreement is made verbally--Bach's - first marriage--His duties at St Blasius--The festival - compositions--Repairs to the organ--Difficulties with the - Pietists--He resigns his post--Is appointed chamber-musician at - Weimar--His duties there--His relations with Walther--Studies - instrumental music--His journeys--His competition with Marchand. - - -The competition took place at Easter 1707, and terms were arranged -a month later. An organist is rarely a highly paid individual: but -modern organists may well be astonished at the meagreness of the -salary for which the greatest of their predecessors was content to -work. The request for the loan of a cart to bring his modest furniture -from Arnstadt brings the matter very plainly before us. One sees in -Thuringia, even at the present day, the clumsy four-wheel carts which -have not varied in shape for centuries, drawn by a cow and a pony, -rarely by two horses; and one can easily imagine such a cart conveying -the household goods of the young musician across the plain from -Arnstadt to Gotha, and from Gotha to Muehlhausen. - -The terms were eighty-five guelden (about L8, 10s.); three malter -(twelve bushels) of corn, two cords of wood, six trusses of brushwood; -the last in place of some arable land formerly held by the organist. -The cost of conveyance to his door was to be borne by the Council. -In addition, he was to receive annually three pounds of fish, and he -asked that a cart might be lent him for transporting his furniture from -Arnstadt, to which request the Council agreed. - -A fire had, a fortnight before, destroyed a large portion of the parish -of St Blasius, and when the clerk brought the agreement to the Council -to sign, pens and ink were not forthcoming, so that a verbal agreement -was made to all the terms. - -The actual appointment took place on June 15th; and a fortnight later -he was again in Arnstadt, where he thanked the Council for past -favours, announced his resignation, and gave up the key of the organ. -A sum of five guelden was due to him as salary, but he requested the -Consistory to pay this to his cousin Ernst,[23] who had formerly -assisted him, but who was now ill and poor. - -[Sidenote: _Work at Muehlhausen_] - -His duties at St Blasius were to play the organ on Sundays, saints' -days and festivals. He was anxious to raise the whole of the church -music to a higher level, and mentioned this wish to the Council in an -address. His predecessor Ahle had left a number of compositions which -were frequently performed, but Bach, not being satisfied with them, -as quickly as possible made a good collection of music and had it -performed, paying for it out of his own pocket. He also made efforts to -improve the choir and orchestra. - -He received considerable assistance in these endeavours from his pupil -Johann Martin Schubart (who afterwards succeeded him in his post at -Weimar), and from his choir leader, Johann Sebastian Koch, afterwards -Capellmeister to Count Reuss, and a Bachelor of Theology at Jena -University. - -In October 1707, Bach returned to Arnstadt for his wedding, which -took place on the 17th of that month, and it is evident that he had -parted on good terms with the Consistory, for the prescribed fees were -remitted. In September of the same year Tobias Laemmerhirt, of Erfurt, a -maternal uncle of Sebastian, had died, and left 50 guelden (about L5) to -each of his sister's children, and this legacy must have been welcome -to Sebastian at the time of his wedding. - -Among the duties expected of the organist of St Blasius, was the -composition of a cantata for the yearly change of Town Council -(Rathswahl); and it was customary to have the music printed after the -performance, at Muehlhausen. - -The first of the cantatas thus composed by Bach is preserved; it was -for the festival of 1708, and was performed in the Church of the Holy -Virgin on February 4 of that year. The text is taken from the Old -Testament, together with part of a hymn or a chorale, and Bach called -it a motet. It was accompanied by three trumpets, drums, two flutes, -two oboes, a bassoon and strings, the band being divided into four -groups of brass, wood-wind (with cello), reed, and strings. The form is -in imitation of some of Buxtehude's church cantatas.[24] - -[Sidenote: St Blasius Organ] - -Bach found the organ of St Blasius in very bad condition. It had not -sufficient bellows, and there was insufficient pressure on the bass -pipes, owing to there being too small a wind passage. There was no 32 -feet stop and the trombone was too weak. Moreover the choir-organ had -become useless, as had also several stops in the great. - -[Sidenote: _Repairs the organ_] - -He drew up a list of deficiencies which he presented to the Council, -and asked for the addition of a "Glockenspiel" or peal of bells, to be -acted on by pedals, an invention of his own. The latter addition was -at once subscribed for by the parishioners. There was a smaller organ -in the church, which he proposed to sell and apply the proceeds to -repairing the principal organ. The Council placed the entire management -of the matter in his hands, and he obtained an estimate from Wender the -organ-builder who agreed to do the work for 230 thalers,[25] and to -allow 40 thalers for the small organ. - -The requirements were:-- - -Three new bellows; stronger wind to the four old ones,[26] a new -32 feet stop with a separate wind chest for it; renewal of the old -bass wind chests; new and larger pipes, with differently arranged -mouthpieces for the bass trombone; the addition of the new glockenspiel -of twenty-four bells; the trumpet on the great to be removed and a 16 -feet bassoon to take its place; the gemshorn to be changed for a viol -da gamba of 8 feet; a 3 feet nassat to be put in instead of the quint; -revoicing of all the rest of the pipes; sundry alterations in the -choir-organ; and a coupler to connect it with the third manual; the -tremulant to be put in working order. - -Unfortunately, however, difficulties soon began to arise. He was looked -upon as an outsider, for the post had previously always been held by a -native; and obstacles which appeared insurmountable soon began to beset -him. Religious differences arose between the "Pietists" and the "Old -Lutherans," the former being led by J.A.Frohne, dean of Muehlhausen, -and the latter by G.C. Eilmar, archdeacon of the Church of the Blessed -Virgin. - -[Sidenote: _Pietist view of music_] - -Bach sided with the orthodox Lutherans, and Eilmar was godfather to -his first child. The Pietists conceived of art as part of "the world," -and therefore absolutely hostile to a Christian life: it could only be -rightly used in religion, and then only in the narrowest possible of -"spiritual songs" from which all expression must be excluded. Hence -any attempt to introduce higher forms or new ideas must be sinful. -It is easily seen, therefore, that Frohne would naturally place what -obstacles he could in the way of Bach's endeavours to raise church -music to the highest possible artistic standard. Moreover, the Pietists -were opposed to the doctrine of regeneration by baptism, and to the -whole of the simple but truly religious views which Bach had inherited -from generations of his family, dedicated to the work of the church as -organists and cantors. He was no theologian, and was perfectly content -with the faith of his fathers. - -The most beautiful and deeply religious of his church cantatas were -a sinful abomination in the eyes of the Pietists. What wonder then -that he should have found difficulties and obstacles and want of -appreciation in carrying out his aims. Even while he was in the midst -of the interesting work of repairing his organ, the situation began to -become intolerable, and a post at Weimar falling vacant, he took steps -to obtain it. - -[Sidenote: _Resigns his post_] - -On June 5 he went to Arnstadt for the second wedding of his friend -Pastor Stauber, who had performed the service a year before at Bach's -own wedding, and on June 25th 1708 he sent in his resignation to the -Council at Muehlhausen, a year after he had received the appointment. -He had always been on the best of terms with them, and it is evident, -from the tone of his letter of resignation, that he was sorry to leave -them. The Council on their side also regretted the step, but granted -his dismissal, only requiring that he should supervise the repairs to -the organ, which were not completed till 1709. - -[Sidenote: _Third appointment_] - -The post at Weimar, which he now obtained, was that of Court-organist -and chamber-musician to Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar. Forkel says -that he made a journey to Weimar, and so pleased the Duke with his -organ-playing, that the post was at once offered to, and accepted by -him. "Here," says Hilgenfeldt, "he devoted himself to acquiring that -overwhelming mastery of the organ for which his fame is assured for all -time: and he also laid the foundation for his future greatness as a -composer." - -His circumstances were now very favourable. His employer was a man -of wide culture and refinement, deeply interested in music and other -branches of art, but more particularly in church music. He was -religious, and took much interest in religious matters; and in all -things he and Bach were in the closest sympathy. Bach's position at -Weimar was much the same as that of Franz Liszt at the same Court in -the nineteenth century.[27] It is interesting to observe how this small -and poor Court for such a long period was famous for its encouragement -of art and literature. Bach in the first decades of the eighteenth -century, Goethe and Schiller in the last quarter of the eighteenth -and first part of the nineteenth, Liszt and Wagner later on, besides -many lesser men, received help and encouragement at this remarkable -Thuringian "Residenz." - -Bach, as we have seen, was appointed organist and "Kammermusikus" -(chamber-musician)--his salary for the first three years being 156 -guelden, 15 groschen (L15, 13s. 3d.), which was always punctually paid, -but in 1711, 1713, and 1714 it was considerably increased. - -The organ of the castle was small, but had a good pedal. There were 9 -stops on the Great, 8 on the Choir, and 7 on the Pedal. The pitch was a -minor third below the kammerton or ordinary pitch. - -As Kammermusikus Bach played the harpsichord and violin, and afterwards -became "Concertmeister" or leader. The number of musicians was about -twenty-two, including singers, but the latter could also play some -instruments, and many members of the band performed on several. The -orchestra would also be occasionally strengthened by the addition of -the town musicians. Johann G. Walther was organist of the town church, -and a great friendship sprang up between the two men. He was connected -with Bach by marriage, his mother being a Laemmerhirt. One of his -chorales has been erroneously ascribed to Bach. It is Peters, vol. 245, -Book vi., No. 24--"Gott der Vater wohn' uns bei." - -Bach stood godfather to Walther's eldest son, and a friendly rivalry -in composition arose between them. Later on, however, some unfortunate -disagreement seems to have arisen between the friends, for Walther, in -his Lexicon, omits the mention of events and compositions during the -nine years' period at Weimar, which must have been well known to him. - -[Sidenote: Sight-Reading Poser] - -Forkel tells the following anecdote:--Bach, while still at Weimar, had -advanced so far in clavier playing that he said to a friend that he -believed he could play anything at first sight. His friend invited him -to breakfast in a week's time, and for a joke placed on the harpsichord -a newly composed piece which looked simple enough. While the friend was -preparing breakfast in the next room, Bach instinctively began playing -what he saw on the harpsichord, but was not able to advance very far. -He tried several times, but always with the same result. On joining his -friend, he laughingly acknowledged that no one could play everything at -first sight, it was not possible. - -Amongst other things Bach began to study Italian instrumental music at -Weimar, especially with regard to the forms then in use, the concerto, -the suite and the sonata. To this period may therefore perhaps be -assigned some of the concertos for clavecin and other instruments, the -suites for violin, etc., and the sonatas for harpsichord and violin. - -The sonata of this date was usually performed by two violins and -a violoncello, with a figured bass part for a harpsichord or organ -(_e.g._ the twelve sonatas of Purcell in Italian style, and the four -sets of twelve sonatas each by Corelli op. 1, 2, 3, 4). These sonatas -had nothing in common with the modern sonata as begun by Emanuel Bach -and perfected by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. - -Bach has left some examples in the sonatas for two violins and clavier -(Peters, 237); for flute, violin, and clavier (Peters, 237): by clavier -must be understood here a part for figured bass, which would be played -by violincello or double bass and harpsichord. Besides this, he adopted -the form for other combinations, such as violin and figured bass, flute -and figured bass (Peters, 232 to 235) viola da gamba and figured bass, -etc. (Peters, 239). - -Bach and Walther had plenty of encouragement in this kind of music, -since the Duke's nephew Joh. Ernst (who unfortunately died young) -had considerable skill on the violin, and also was a fair composer. -They vied with one another in arranging Italian concertos for the -harpsichord and organ. Sixteen of Vivaldi's violin concertos were -arranged by Bach for the harpsichord (Peters, 217) and three for the -organ (Peters, 247).[28] Walther arranged thirteen for organ from the -works of Torelli, Taglietti, Albinoni, etc., and they are preserved in -MS. in the Royal Library at Berlin. The arranging of these concertos -led Bach to the use of the new form for clavier compositions, of which -the well-known Italian concerto is an example. Is it possible that the -friendly rivalry was the commencement of the estrangement with Walther? - -[Sidenote: _Artistic journeys_] - -Bach was in the habit of making expeditions to try different organs, or -for other musical purposes, and his reputation began to spread through -North and Central Germany. He invented a peculiar form of fingering -for keyboard instruments in order to increase his facility, and his -use of the pedal rose to unheard-of heights. He also became an expert -in questions of organ construction, and was often called upon to give -his opinion in this respect. He was very ingenious in his use of the -stops and of artistic combinations, but, unfortunately, with one small -exception, none of his registering has come down to us. He was never -in command of a really fine instrument, and the above exception, which -consists of the chorale "Ein feste Burg," Peters, vol. vi., No. 22, -seems to have been written for the newly arranged organ at Muehlhausen. -It is for three manuals--the left hand has to play on a "fagott," and -over the right hand is written "sesquialtera." These directions are -omitted in Peters' edition, but are given in Walther's collection at -Koenigsberg. - -[Sidenote: Halle Incident] - -In 1713 he went to Halle, where a large organ of sixty-three stops -had recently been placed in the Liebfrauenkirche. Here he won laurels -by his magnificent playing, and, since the post was vacant through -the death of F. W. Zachau, he offered his services to the Council as -organist. He remained long enough to go through the prescribed test of -composing and conducting a cantata, after which he returned to Weimar -in haste to fulfil his engagements. The authorities of the church -wrote to him stating the salary and conditions, but Bach, considering -that the payment was inadequate to the amount of work, returned the -agreement they had sent him to sign. The Halle authorities then said -that Bach had only opened the negotiations in order to obtain an -increase of salary at Weimar. This naturally annoyed him, and drew from -him a firm and dignified answer to the affront. - -In 1714 Bach went to Cassel to try an organ, which had been recently -renovated. His extraordinary execution, especially on the pedals, so -astonished the Crown Prince Friedrich (afterwards King of Sweden) that -he drew a valuable ring from his finger and presented it to him. - -On the first Sunday in Advent 1714 he paid his first visit to Leipsic, -where he conducted his cantata, "Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland," and -made the acquaintance of Kuhnau, Cantor of the Thomas Church, whose -works he much admired. - -[Sidenote: _Order of church service_] - -The autograph score of this cantata is still in existence, and on it -is noted, in Bach's own hand, the order of the service in just the -same way as any modern organist, who was taking a service in a strange -church, would note it. The order on this occasion was a prelude on the -organ, then a motet, then the kyrie, which was preceded by a prelude on -the organ. Then came the epistle, the litany (which was sung), and the -prelude to the chorale. Then the gospel, and after this the cantata, -which was also preceded by a prelude. To this followed the sermon, then -the Communion, during which he had to extemporise another prelude to a -chorale, and the service concluded with a voluntary on the organ. - -The organ solo portions of the service were all called "Preludes"; and -it does not seem that a concluding "voluntary" was usual. The prelude -was played at the beginning of the service, and before the chorales. -With us it is customary to simply play through the tune of a hymn or -chant, in order to let the congregation know what they are to sing, -and to give them time to find their places in the books. In Germany -an artistic and somewhat elaborate prelude, in which the organist is -expected to show his skill, precedes each chorale. - -A hymn was sung between the epistle and gospel, in the place of the -"Gradual" of the Roman service, and here the most elaborate prelude was -introduced, based on the melody of the hymn. - -Before the "church music," which takes the place of our anthem, an -extempore prelude was played in order to allow the instruments to be -tuned. This was in the form of a fantasia, in which the performer had -to remain longest in the key which most coincided with the strings to -be tuned. The prelude had to stop on a sign from the conductor that the -instrumentalists were ready. It was supposed to have some connection -with the piece that was to follow, but the unhappy effusions of -incompetent organists led to occasional remonstrance from the Council. - -[Sidenote: _Examination of a new organ_] - -In 1716 the Council of the Liebfrauenkirche at Halle invited him -to examine their organ, which was now completed. He answered their -invitation very politely, and with Kuhnau of Leipsic and Ch. F. Rolle -of Quedlinburg began the examination in the second week after Easter. -The organ was built by Cuncius of Halberstadt, and the three examiners -reported that he had carried out the work (which had occupied three -years) in the most satisfactory way possible, the only part requiring -alteration being the bellows. After many difficulties, owing to the -smallness of the salary, the authorities eventually found an efficient -organist in G. Kirchoff, a pupil of Zachau and a man of the same age as -Bach. - -About 1716 the friend of Bach's youth, G. Erdmann, visited him. He had -held a legal post under the Russian government since 1713. - -[Sidenote: _Contest with Marchand_] - -In the autumn of 1717 Bach made a journey to Dresden to hear the -performances at the theatre, which was supported by Friedrich August -I. There happened to be visiting Dresden a famous French organist and -harpsichord player Jean Louis Marchand, organist at Versailles, and of -several churches at Paris. He enjoyed an immense reputation as player -and composer, though his compositions have not borne the test of time, -and are now entirely forgotten. Vain, arrogant, and conceited, the -spoilt idol of French society, he came to Dresden, where his playing -became much in favour at the Court and he was given two medals. Soon -after Bach's arrival there arose a discussion among the artists as to -which was the greater performer. The Court musicians took the part of -Marchand, while the members of the orchestra, who were mostly Germans, -preferred Bach. The matter ended in Bach's being persuaded by his -friends to write to Marchand, offering to go through any musical test -that Marchand might suggest, on condition that he would undergo the -same test. - -[Sidenote: A Victory] - -The challenge was accepted; a date was fixed for a meeting at the -house of Field Marshal von Flemming,[29] a jury of musicians was -chosen, and a brilliant company assembled. Bach and the jury arrived -punctually, but Marchand did not appear. After a time he was sent for, -when it was found that he had departed by express coach that morning -from Dresden, certain, no doubt, of being defeated. Marchand seems to -have heard Bach privately beforehand; while Bach was already familiar -with Marchand's works, and admired them much. Spitta[30] considers -that they are not inferior to those of Couperin in variety and grace, -but are rather thin for the more solid German taste. The news of -Bach's victory soon spread far and wide, and did much to enhance his -already great reputation. He, however, never seems to have obtained any -recognition from the Court at Dresden. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[23] No. 27 in the Genealogical List. - -[24] This is, according to the Bachgesellschaft, the only cantata -published in Bach's life-time. Its title is "Gott ist mein Koenig," No. -71 of the Bachgesellschaft edition. - -[25] The thaler = 3 shillings. Bitter says 200 thalers was offered for -the work and 50 thalers to be allowed for the small organ. - -[26] The organ in the Nicolai Church at Leipsic had in 1885 ten -bellows, requiring four men to manipulate them. - -[27] This is pointed out by G. H. Lewes in his "Life of Goethe," vol. -i. p. 314. - -[28] Vivaldi takes an important place as one of those who studied -and brought forward form. He wrote concertos for one, two, three and -four solo violins, improved the orchestra, and invented new means of -expression. He died in 1743 at Venice. See Spitta, vol. i. p. 411. - -[29] According to Bitter. - -[30] Vol. i. p. 585. - - - - -Chapter IV - - Bach becomes capellmeister to the Duke of Coethen--His Weimar - pupils--His new duties--Death of his wife--Journey to Hamburg--He - competes for an organistship there--The post is sold--Disgust of - Mattheson at the transaction--Bach endeavours to meet Handel--His - second marriage--Is obliged to leave Coethen. - - -Bach returned from Dresden to prepare for a jubilee at Weimar, in -commemoration of the two hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. The -festival took place from October 31st to November 2nd, and for it Bach -composed at least one cantata and perhaps two. On this occasion the -Duke established a fund, of which the interest was to be distributed -yearly, the Court organist to receive 3 guelden from it. - -[Sidenote: _Fourth appointment_] - -The old capellmeister, Samuel Drese, had for twenty years been too -much out of health to fulfil his duties. The duke, however, would not -dismiss him, but gave him a deputy, G. C. Strattner, at a salary of -200 guelden. Drese died on December 1, 1716, and it would seem natural -that Bach should be appointed in his place. For some reason, however, -he was passed over, and Drese's son (who had succeeded Strattner as -deputy capellmeister) was installed. Bach, therefore, accepted an offer -made by Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Coethen of a capellmeister-ship, and in -November 1717 moved to Coethen. His post at the Weimar Castle organ was -filled by his pupil Schubart. - -Amongst Bach's duties at Weimar was that of composing and conducting -a certain number of sacred pieces every year, to texts by Franck, the -secretary to the Superior Consistory of the Principality of Weimar, -and librarian to the duke. Franck was a good poet, and had written -excellent masques, besides occasional pieces for weddings, etc. - -[Sidenote: _Pupils_] - -Bach's fine playing naturally attracted many pupils. In those days -there were no Conservatoires or Academies of Music; and pupils were -"articled," as in our own country, to eminent organists, taking much -the same place as apprentices in any trade--in fact, they were called -apprentices. His first pupil, who was also his amanuensis, was J. M. -Schubart; of J. C. Vogler, Gerber says that Bach considered him his -best organ pupil. He became Court organist and burgomaster of Weimar. - -Another pupil was Joh. T. Krebs, who, however, did not begin studying -till he was married and had already a post as organist at Buttestaedt -near Weimar, whence he used to walk weekly to Weimar, for seven years, -to obtain instruction from Walther, and afterwards from Bach. - -Krebs' son, Joh. Ludwig, became a pupil of Bach at Leipsic at the age -of thirteen, and Bach had a very high opinion of him. He received the -appointment of organist of Buttestaedt. According to Gerber, he was -Bach's pupil and assistant at the harpsichord for nine years, and was -second only to Vogler in eminence. - -In repayment for his elder brother's care at Ohrdruf, Bach took charge -of his nephew Bernhard[31] at Easter, 1715, teaching him the clavier -and composition. Bernhard afterwards was appointed organist of Ohrdruf, -in succession to his father. Some of his compositions still exist in -MS. and show the influence of his uncle. - -Bach's duties at Coethen did not comprise any organ playing or church -music: in fact, he never held an organistship after he left Weimar. The -organ of the castle was merely a little chamber instrument, with only -thirteen stops, of which ten belonged to the two manuals and three to -the pedals. - -The Prince was highly cultivated, with a great taste for music, which -had been developed by travels in Italy. After the custom of German -princes of that time, he became a patron of art, practising it himself. -Spitta (vol. ii. p. 3) infers from an inventory in the ducal archives -at Coethen, that he played the violin, gamba, and harpsichord. - -There is no sign of there having been a trained chorus at Coethen. One -of the members of the band was Chr. F. Abel, who afterwards became -famous as a viola-da-gambist, while his second son Karl Friedrich was -the well-known virtuoso on this instrument. - -J. Schneider became a pupil of Bach's at this time. He was a violinist -in the band, but afterwards became organist of the Nicolai-church at -Leipsic. Bach's salary here amounted to 400 thalers (about L60); it -commenced from August 1, though he remained in office at Weimar until -November. - -The private performances at the castle were full of zeal for art. The -Prince would not part with Bach, even for a short time, and took him -on his journeys; Bach reciprocated this feeling, and cherished his -memory after his early death. In the Royal Library at Berlin is the -autograph of a serenade written for the Prince's birthday. It is scored -for soprano and bass solo voices, string band, harpsichord, two flutes -and one bassoon: this being the entire resources available. The words, -which are very meagre, are by an unknown author, probably Bach himself. -The cantata itself is not published, but its music is used with other -words in the Whitsuntide Cantata "Erhoehtes Fleisch und Blut."[32] - -In May 1718, and again in 1720, Bach and six members of the orchestra -accompanied the Prince to Carlsbad. In November 1718 the Prince and -his younger brother and sister stood god-parents to Bach's seventh -child, Leopold August, who died in the following year. The fact of so -many high personages standing sponsor to this child is a proof of the -estimation in which the Prince's capellmeister was held. - -[Sidenote: _Examines a new organ at Leipsic_] - -Bach's artistic journeys were continued from time to time, and on -December 16, 1717, he found himself at Leipsic again, in response to -an invitation to examine a large new organ recently erected in the -University Church of St Paul. The builder was Johann Scheibe, and Bach -declared it to be one of the best organs in Germany. - -[Sidenote: _Death of first wife_] - -In July 1720, on his return from the second visit with Prince Leopold -to Carlsbad, he was met with the terrible news that his wife had died, -and had been buried on the 7th of that month. She was only thirty-six, -and was in good health when he left her. She had borne him seven -children, had been the best of companions, and was keenly sympathetic -towards her husband's work. - -[Sidenote: _Visit to Hamburg_] - -He went to Hamburg to perform a new cantata on the text "He that -exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be -exalted," in November 1720. He found Reinken still playing the organ -of St Catherine, though now ninety-seven years old. Reinken, though a -very great artist, was vain, and jealous, and it was a question how -he would receive Bach. Mattheson, who did not love him, said that he -was a "constant admirer of the fair sex, and much addicted to the wine -cellar of the Council," though he admitted that he had no equal on the -organ in his own style. Moreover, he kept his instrument in excellent -tune, and was always talking of it. When Bach came, an appointment was -made, and he played for more than two hours, half an hour of which was -occupied in a masterly improvisation on the chorale "By the waters of -Babylon," in motet style. After the performance, at which the chief men -of the city were present, Reinken came to him, and saying, "I thought -this art was dead, but I perceive that it still lives in you," invited -him to visit him, and treated him with every attention. Reinken's -praise was the more complimentary, because he himself had composed and -published a very successful arrangement of the same chorale.[33] - -The organ at St Catherine had four manuals and pedal, with an abundance -of good reeds, of which Bach was fond (a specification is in Niedt, -Mus. Handl. II., p. 176). There was also a posaune, a 32 ft. open -diapason, and a mixture of 10 ranks. It dated from the sixteenth -century, and had been renovated in 1670 by Besser of Brunswick.[34] - -A still larger instrument was that of St James' Church in the same -city, built by Arp Schnitker between 1688 and 1693, containing sixty -stops, four manuals and pedal. The organist of this church, H. Friese, -had recently died, and Bach, being tempted by the organ, and the -prospect of again having an opportunity of composing cantatas, offered -himself for the post. - -[Sidenote: _Competes for a post at Hamburg_] - -There were seven other candidates, the two most important being a son -of Vincentius Luebeck, and Wiedeburg, capellmeister to the Count of -Gera. An examination was fixed for November 28, the examiners being the -elders of the church, together with Gerstenbuettel the cantor, Reinken, -and two other Hamburg organists, Kniller and Preuss. Wiedeburg, Luebeck -and one other candidate retired. The tests were performances of the two -chorales "O lux beata Trinitas," and "Helft mir Gott's Guete preisen," -and an extemporised fugue on a given theme. - -[Sidenote: Deceived] - -Bach could not wait for the examination, since his duties at Coethen -required him to return home. He was, however, excused having to -submit to the test, on account of his great reputation, and arranged -to announce by letter whether he would accept the post. He wrote in -the affirmative, though the contents of his letter are not known. The -committee had his letter publicly read, and then elected an entirely -unknown man, J. Joachim Heitmann, who had done nothing for the art -of music, but who on January 6, 1721, paid to the treasury of the -church four thousand marks, which he had promised in the event of his -being elected. The committee came to the conclusion that "the sale of -a post of organist should not become a custom, since it pertained to -the service of God; but if, after election, a person of his own free -will should show his gratitude by money payment, the church should not -refuse it." - -Neumeister, a famous preacher, who had not been able to prevent this -extraordinary transaction, left the committee in anger. Mattheson -thus describes the state of public opinion when it became known.[35] -"I remember, and no doubt other people still remember likewise, that -some years ago a great musician, who since then has, as he deserves, -obtained an important appointment as cantor, appeared in a certain town -of some size, boldly performed on the largest and finest instruments, -and attracted universal admiration by his skill. At the same time, -among other inferior players, there offered himself the son of a -well-to-do artisan, who could prelude better with thalers than with his -fingers, and the office fell to him, as may easily be guessed, although -almost everyone was angry about it. It was nigh upon Christmas-tide, -and an eloquent preacher, who had not consented to this simony, -expounded very beautifully the Gospel concerning the angelic music at -the birth of Christ, which very naturally gave him the opportunity of -expressing his opinions as to the recent event as regarded the rejected -artist, and of ending his discourse with this noteworthy epiphonema: -'He believed quite certainly that if one of the angels of Bethlehem -came from heaven, who played divinely, and desired to be organist of St -James' Church, if he had no money he would have nothing to do but to -fly away again.'" - -Bach had no equal in Germany as an organ player--this was soon admitted -on all sides.[36] Handel's fame had reached Germany from England, both -as a composer and organ player. Comparisons were made between Handel's -oratorios and Bach's cantatas and Passion music--the former were widely -known, while the latter were hardly yet appreciated, and were forgotten -after the death of the composer. - -We have a contemporary opinion in Mattheson, who had often heard -Handel. "No one," says he, "can easily surpass Handel in organ playing, -unless it were Bach of Leipsic, for which reason these two are -mentioned first, out of their alphabetical order. I have heard them in -the prime of their powers, and have often competed with the former both -in Hamburg and Luebeck."[37] Handel, however, did not devote himself -so entirely to the organ and organ compositions as Bach; he left no -unaccompanied solos for that instrument. Moreover, it is doubtful if he -found instruments of respectable size in England. - -[Sidenote: _Endeavours to meet Handel_] - -Bach and Handel never met, though they were twice very near one -another. Handel came to Halle, his native town, in 1719, while on a -journey as _impresario_ for the opera in London. Bach hearing of it, -made a journey to Halle from Coethen, but unfortunately arrived there -the very day Handel had left. In 1729, he made another attempt to meet -Handel by sending him a polite invitation, through his son Friedemann, -to come to Leipsic; but Handel refused the invitation. On a third visit -of Handel to Halle, Bach was dead. Bach greatly admired Handel's music, -and copied some of it for his own use. - -[Sidenote: _Bach's second wife_] - -We have seen that Bach's first wife died in 1720. It was not at all in -accordance with the family traditions to remain widower, and in 1721 he -began to think of re-marrying. He opened negotiations in this year with -Anna Magdalena Wuelken, a Court singer at Coethen, twenty-one years old, -and the youngest daughter of the Court trumpeter, and was married to -her on December 3 in the same year. - -Bach's second wife was a good musician, and had a fine soprano voice, -which she used for the performance of her husband's works in the -privacy of the home circle. She had lessons from her husband in clavier -and figured bass playing, and also gave him immense help in copying -music; amongst other things, her MS. copy of a great part of Handel's -_Passion-music_ still exists. - -Just before Bach's second marriage the widow of his uncle Tobias -Laemmerhirt died, leaving him part of her estate. This was the uncle -who died just before Bach's first marriage, leaving him a legacy. The -second accession of money caused some trouble. The distribution under -the will of the widow was disputed in the names of five relations, -Joh. Christoph Bach of Ohrdruf, Joh. Jacob Bach, Joh. Sebastian Bach, -Maria Wiegand (born Bach), and Anna Zimmermann (born Laemmerhirt). -Unfortunately for the petitioners, they had used the names of the three -Bachs without ever informing them. As a matter of fact, Joh. Christoph -was already dead, and Joh. Jacob was in Sweden; Joh. Sebastian was -most indignant when he heard of it, and wrote to the Council of Erfurt -disclaiming both for himself and his brother all desire to dispute the -will; saying that they were perfectly satisfied with their share, and -that the petition was drawn up without any notice being sent to them. -The proceedings were then dropped at once, and nothing more is heard of -them. - -[Sidenote: _Little Clavier Book_] - -Immediately after their marriage the Bachs started a MS. music-book -between them, entitled "Clavier Buechlein vor Anna Magdalena Bachin, -Anno 1720," on the first page of which is written a playful inscription -to the effect that the book was directed against the Calvinism, and its -attendant melancholy and hostility to all art, which was rife at Coethen -at this period. This book was followed in 1725 by a second and larger -book; both are preserved in the Royal Library at Berlin. The books -contain various clavier compositions by Bach, Boehm, Gerhard and others, -besides sundry hymns and sacred songs, also a song on the reflections -of a smoker; and others evidently addressed to his wife, to whom he was -devoted. - -[Sidenote: A Large Family] - -He had thirteen children, six sons and seven daughters, by this wife; -making, together with those by his first wife, nineteen children in all. - -Anna Magdalena's portrait was painted by Cristofori, and came into the -possession of Philip Emanuel, but it has now disappeared. - -Most of his chamber music was written at Coethen, where he remained more -than five years. - -His position was so peaceful and pleasant that he proposed to spend the -rest of his life there. His prince was in full sympathy with him, as -we have seen. He had none of the contentions which seem to be almost -inevitable between an organist and his church authorities when the -organist wishes for anything beyond a mere conventional standard of -church music.[38] He had nothing to do with either the composition or -performance of church music; and if he had remained there the world -would have been the poorer by the _Passion-music_ and nearly all the -cantatas. Fortunately for us, however, his circumstances altered. His -prince married a lady who had no sympathy with music or its professors, -and his interest in music began to flag. After five years Bach found -himself again obliged to seek another post: and he found one in which -he remained till his death. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[31] No. 45 in the Genealogy. - -[32] Spitta, vol. ii. pp. 6, 7. - -[33] Hilgenfeldt, p. 26. - -[34] Spitta, vol. ii. p. 18. - -[35] In "Der Musicalische Patriot," 1728, quoted by Spitta, vol. ii. p. -20. - -[36] Scheibe Kritikus Musicus, 1745, pp. 839, 875. - -[37] Vollk. Capellmeister, 1739, quoted by Spitta, vol. ii. p. 26. - -[38] After leaving Coethen, Bach still held the title of honorary -Capellmeister to the Prince, until the death of the latter in 1728. -Bach composed a "Trauer Musik" for his funeral, which is unfortunately -lost. - - - - -Chapter V - - The position and duties of the Cantor of St Thomas' School - at Leipsic--The condition of the school in 1722--Kuhnau's - death--Competition and election of two cantors in succession--Bach - offers himself--Is elected--Difficulties with the authorities. - The Council make irritating regulations--Bach endeavours to leave - Leipsic--Election of a new Rector, and temporary disappearance of - Bach's troubles. - - -[Sidenote: _St Thomas' School, Leipsic_] - -Of the three ancient schools at Leipsic, St Thomas, dating from the -thirteenth century under the Augustines, was the oldest and most -important. It was endowed with no less than fifty-four scholarships -for the encouragement of church music, and its cantor was a person -of considerable importance, who ranked next below the Rector and -Conrector. These three officials, together with the chief Latin master, -were "Superiores," who kept apart from the "Inferiores" or lower -masters. The cantor's duty was to teach singing for seven hours a week, -to take the boys to church on Thursdays at 7 o'clock in the morning, -and to give certain Latin lessons. He had also to take his turn with -the other Superiores in inspecting and examining the boys for one week -in four. The boys lived with them, and the regulations of the school -required all to get up at 5 in summer, 6 in winter, to dine at 10, to -have supper at 5, to go to bed at 8. - -[Illustration: The Thomasschule at Leipsic] - -The boys of the Thomas-school had to supply the music every Sunday in -four churches, St Thomas, St Nicholas, St Peter and St Matthew; but -at St Peter's only chorales were sung, so that the younger singers -sufficed for this duty. - -A motet or cantata was performed every Sunday at the Thomas-Church and -Nicolai-Church alternately: a custom which still continues; the service -is at 9 A.M., and the cantata, which is always accompanied by the town -orchestra with the organ, takes somewhat the place of the anthem in an -English cathedral. The composition to be performed on each Sunday is -now announced in the previous Saturday's papers. - -[Sidenote: Office of Cantor] - -On great festivals the music was performed in both churches at once, -and twice a day. The cantor was responsible for the music at one -church, the choir prefect for that at the other. - -In order to lighten the work that this must have imposed on the boys, -the choir that sang at St Thomas in the morning would sing the same -music at St Nicholas in the afternoon; and the cantata which was sung -at St Nicholas in the morning would be repeated at St Thomas in the -afternoon. The rehearsals took place on Saturday afternoons from about -2.30 to 4. - -Wedding and funeral music had also to be supplied by the cantor. -Moreover he had not only to choose the music for these occasions, and -teach it to the choir, but appear in person to direct it, though he -frequently left the last duty to the prefect. - -The choristers had to take part in certain processions at Michaelmas, -New Year, on St Martin's and St Gregory's days: and these performances -were conducted by the prefects. For this purpose they were divided into -four choirs, but the four choirs had only two or three voices for each -part. The cantor had to direct the music in the two other churches, -_i.e._ St John and St Paul, to inspect their organs, and to superintend -the town musicians who took part in the church music. - -The holidays consisted of one week during each of the fairs,[39] -followed by a week of half-holidays. In the summer four weeks of -half-holidays. Morning lessons were omitted on Saints' days, funeral -days, and academical speech days. Four whole holidays in the year took -place on the "Name days" of the four principal masters. - -In Lent no church music was performed, except on the festival of the -Annunciation; and on the last three Sundays in Advent there was no -church music. - -The above list of holidays may seem at first sight ample; but it -had this great drawback: the masters were never free, as in English -schools, to go away for change of scene. The boys appear to have lived -with them throughout the year. It is possible that German boys do not -cause so much anxiety to their masters as English boys, and that work -was not carried on at such high pressure as nowadays; it is quite -certain that no master of an English public school could pursue his -work continuously, year after year, as these old Germans seem to have -done, without breaking down in health. - -The cantor was provided with a residence in the school: the salary -was 100 guelden (about L13), but the whole income from various sources -amounted to about 700 thalers (about L100), together with certain -allowances of corn, wine and firewood. A curious custom, though not -an uncommon one in those days, was, that certain scholars twice a -week went round the town to collect donations for the school; and out -of these, 6 pfennige (about three farthings) per week were taken for -each scholar and divided between the four upper masters. The moneys -collected during the processional singing in the streets, and also the -fees paid for funerals and weddings were divided according to certain -fixed rules. Bach mentions to Erdmann that when the air of Leipsic -is good there are few funerals, and therefore the cantor's income is -smaller. Many efforts were made by the public to evade these taxes, by -holding funerals and weddings without music; and there arose a certain -feeling of indignation that an important school and church official -should partly derive his means of subsistence from money obtained by -begging. - -Owing to the insufficiency of accommodation the school was a centre of -illness, until the building was enlarged. - -The Rector, Ernesti, was very old--he was a learned man, but was not -able to control either masters or boys. The former quarrelled among -themselves, and neglected their duties; the boys were undisciplined, -and the many calls on their time for musical performances made their -education difficult. When Ernesti was appointed there were one hundred -and twenty boys in the lower school; there were now only fifty-three. - -The scholarships had plenty of applicants, but the better class of -citizens sent their sons to the other schools. The lowest classes of -the Thomas School consisted of boys of the worst character, who went -about the town barefoot and begging. - -[Sidenote: _Kuhnau's troubles_] - -All reform which might result in curtailing his salary was opposed by -Ernesti, and the cantor seconded his opposition. Things therefore grew -worse and worse till his death in 1729. In 1730 the superintendent -reported that the school had run wild, and that there were so few -scholars that it was proposed to close the lower classes altogether. As -to the singing, it must have been very bad. The slow processions in the -worst of weather, the running up long flights of stairs to sing before -the doors of the higher "flats" ruined the voices. Kuhnau complained -in 1717 that the trebles lost their voices before they had learned to -use them. In addition to this, they were undisciplined and often feeble -and miserable from illness, so that they did not offer an attractive -material for the cantor to work upon. - -Kuhnau worked his hardest to remedy this state of things, but without -avail. In reply to his very reasonable request that at least two -trebles should be set apart for church music only, and not allowed to -run about the streets and attend funerals for money, the Council took -no further steps than to allow 4 guelden for this purpose, and that two -boys should be released from the winter processions. - -When from 1693 to 1729 a house in the Bruehl, one of the chief streets -of Leipsic, was used for the performance of operas during the fairs, -much damage was done to the musical tendencies of the inhabitants of -Leipsic. The students of the University, who had formerly taken an -important part in the performance of the church cantatas, now left -Kuhnau (after he had been at the trouble of training them), and joined -the chorus of the opera. The trouble was most acute when Telemann was -organist of the Church of St Matthew. He had been a student in the -University, had composed an opera, and had formed a musical society -amongst the students. Looking upon him as one of themselves, they -entirely left Kuhnau, who had to supply the music for the churches -as best he could. A new and operatic style of music came into vogue -under Telemann at St Matthew's Church, which became very popular; -and his musical society became the most important in Leipsic. There -were sixty members, who practised twice a week from 8 to 10 in the -evening, and their performances, which took place during fair time, -became important. This "Musical Union" practised in the coffee-houses, -and members of the public were admitted; its meetings had none of the -formality of school practice, but were cheerful and attractive. Some of -its better instrumentalists obtained engagements in good bands, as at -Dresden, Darmstadt, Wolfenbuettel and Hamburg. - -Telemann's post, when he left, was successively occupied by good -musicians, and the union and opera were kept up; the cantor had, in -consequence, a hard time of it. At festivals and fairs, when he was -naturally anxious to do well before the public, he had nothing to rely -on but a few inefficient town musicians and unruly schoolboys. - -The organ at the Thomas Church was "belaboured first by one, then by -another pair of unwashed hands," the director of the music being either -unable to play it, or absent. Kuhnau begged that a regular organist -should be appointed, but he begged in vain. The Council, like everyone -else, were more interested in the attractions of the opera than in the -serious music of the two important churches. - -[Sidenote: The Thomas School] - -At last even the boys took to the opera. Those who had any voices got -engaged by an _impresario_, ran away from school, and returned only to -appear in the theatre during fair time, thus exciting the admiration -and envy of their former school-fellows. The music at the Thomas School -had reached its lowest ebb at the time of Kuhnau's death. - -[Sidenote: _The Successor to Kuhnau_] - -Kuhnau, the cantor of this School of St Thomas at Leipsic, died on June -5, 1722. Six candidates applied for the post--Fasch, a former pupil of -Kuhnau, and now capellmeister to the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst; Rolle, -musical director at Magdeburg, and formerly organist of Quedlinburg; -Telemann, who had composed cantatas for St Thomas' Church, and operas -for the Leipsic theatre, cantor at Hamburg; G. F. Kauffmann, a pupil -of Buttstedt, and organist of Merseburg; Graupner, capellmeister of -Darmstadt; and Schott, the organist of St Matthew's Church at Leipsic. - -Telemann was elected, and arrangements were made for his installation, -when he wrote from Hamburg that he would not accept the office. The -Council were therefore, much against their will, obliged to elect -another, and their choice fell on Graupner, who had been nine years a -boy in the Thomas School, and was a pupil of Kuhnau. He was considered -one of the best composers for the harpsichord of the day. He was -backed by strong recommendations and testimonials from Heinichen, the -capellmeister of Dresden, but the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt refusing -to part with him, he was forced to retire. - -[Sidenote: _Bach offers himself_] - -At the end of 1722 Bach, after long and anxious deliberation, offered -himself for the appointment. - -He did not wish to leave his comfortable post at Coethen, and moreover -the position of cantor was somewhat less dignified than the office of -capellmeister. On the other hand, the education of his sons could be -better carried out at Leipsic, and the marriage of the Prince had to -some extent put him out of favour. After some three months' hesitation, -acting on the advice of friends, he went to Leipsic and performed his -test piece, "Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwoelfe" (Peters, 1290), on February -7, 1723. - -[Sidenote: _The Agreement_] - -On the retirement of Graupner Bach was chosen, with the proviso that -if he could not teach all the Latin required, they would pay a deputy -to do it for him. Not wishing to be behind his predecessor Kuhnau, -he undertook all the duties, but soon finding the Latin too much of -a task, he paid his colleague Pezold 50 thalers per annum to relieve -him of this part of his work. He had to sign an agreement to lead -a respectable and sober life; to be faithful and diligent in the -performance of his duties; to have a proper respect for the Council; -not to make the church music too long or too operatic; to instruct -the boys in instrumental as well as vocal music; to treat them with -humanity; not to send incapable singers to the New Church;[40] not to -make any journeys without permission from the Burgomaster; and not to -accept any office in the University without leave from the Council.[41] - -After signing this agreement, he had to pass an examination as to his -religious views, and on the 13th of May 1723, he was confirmed in the -appointment: though the installation did not take place till the 31st. - -[Illustration: St Thomas' Church, Leipsic] - -Bach's residence was in the left side of the school buildings: but in -1731 the building was enlarged and he for a year lived in a temporary -residence, for which the Council paid a rent of 60 thalers. - -This particular post of cantor was one of the most important in Germany -and had been always held by a distinguished man. The work was not -heavy, though the list of duties seems a long one; and he would have -time for his own engrossing occupation of composing. He still held the -rank of a capellmeister, and in addition to that of Coethen, he was -given honorary rank as capellmeister of the Court of Weissenfels in the -year he removed to Leipsic. - -[Sidenote: _Troubles with the Authorities_] - -And with the resumption of church work came difficulties of many kinds. -The authorities never, from first to last, recognised that they had one -of the world's greatest geniuses to deal with; in fact they did not -require a genius; all they asked was that their cantor should be able -to carry out the church music in a respectable conventional manner. -Bach, with his lofty ideals, was so often at variance with them that -the history of his life at Leipsic seems at first sight to consist of -one long turmoil and trouble. - -[Sidenote: Cloud and Sunshine] - -Yet there are bright spots in the picture; and nothing was able to -disturb the equanimity with which, in spite of external rubs, he for -twenty-seven years continued to pour forth his marvellous Passion music -and cantatas. - -It was very important from Bach's point of view that he should be in -a position to control and regulate all the church music that was -performed at Leipsic; and for this purpose he was obliged to take -steps to obtain control of the students' chorus, which now sang in the -University Church. The organist there was Goerner, a conceited and not -very competent musician, who had been in the habit of directing the -music after Kuhnau's death. - -Goerner persuaded the authorities that the cantor of St Thomas could -not possibly serve St Paul's[42] as well as St Thomas and St Nicholas; -and he therefore continued in his post as musical director to the -University. - -[Sidenote: _An Appeal to the King_] - -The music for the University Festivals had, however, been from time -immemorial conducted by the cantor; and Bach seems to have gained his -way in the matter. The cantor had a special payment for these services; -but Goerner had appropriated part of it. Bach tolerated this for two -years, and then addressed a letter to the King of Saxony explaining -that he, by right of office, conducted the music, but was only paid -half the official salary. The letter was dated September 14, 1725, and -on the 17th the Ministry of Dresden wrote to the University requiring -them to restore the salary to the petitioner, or to show their reasons -for not doing so. - -The University wrote justifying themselves, whereupon Bach, suspecting -that they had not properly stated the case, petitioned the King to -allow him to see a copy of their justification. He wrote a refutation -of this, and the business dragged on till May 23, 1726, when a -document, which seems to have been in Bach's favour, was presented to -the University, and the matter appears to have ended. He and Goerner -were both employed to compose the music for extra festivals, but Bach -the more often.[43] - -Though Bach put all his energy into the music at the two chief -churches, he took care not to be merely a cantor. He had formerly -been, and still held honorary rank as capellmeister; and having a -very proper pride in himself and his profession, he now always called -himself Director Musices and Cantor. Considerable importance is -attached in Germany to such titles as Professor, Doctor, Capellmeister, -Musicdirector, etc., which have a recognised order of precedence; and -it is significant of the conditions that prevailed between Bach and his -church authorities that the latter nearly always persisted in giving -him the lower title of cantor. - -[Sidenote: 'Matthew Passion' Music] - -The first performance of the _Matthew Passion_ music took place in -Holy Week of 1729. In his efforts to improve the choir, he had asked -the Council to allow nine of the scholarships to be allotted to boys -with voices: and he hoped that the magnificent Passion music he had -just composed and performed would show them the importance of providing -better material; but all was in vain. They took no notice of his -request, and showed a complete ignorance of the value of their cantor's -work. - -About this time he became conductor of the Musical Union, which had -been founded by Telemann, but even here troubles arose. The Union -was expected to strengthen the choir at St Thomas' Church. No money, -however, being available to pay the students who took part, they -naturally fell off. Yet when the church music deteriorated the Council -were the first to blame the cantor. - -[Sidenote: _Bach is admonished_] - -They now began to observe, or imagine they observed, neglect of duty -on his part, and addressed various warnings and admonitions to him. -He became defiant and refused to explain, whereupon they said that -he was incorrigible. The chief trouble arose over the teaching of -Latin. We have already seen that the Council had originally offered -to pay a deputy to do this part of the cantor's work, but that Bach -had undertaken the whole. Finding it too irksome, however, he had -himself paid Pezold to act as his deputy, but the Council, considering -Pezold incompetent, wished to employ one Kruegel. Instead of settling -the matter by insisting on Bach's doing the work himself, they showed -their petulance by bringing charges against him of not having behaved -with propriety, of sending a member of the choir into the country -without giving notice to the authorities, of going a journey without -permission, of neglecting his singing classes, and, in short, of doing -nothing properly. At first it was proposed to put him down to one of -the lowest classes, next to refuse payment of his salary, and at the -same time to admonish him. His doing "nothing" consisted in composing -and conducting an enormous number of church cantatas, including the -_Matthew Passion_. - -But the Council merely required hack work of him, and no doubt as they -paid him to do hack work (which could probably have been equally well -done by an inferior musician) they had a right to demand it. - -He had, it is true, given over half the singing practices to the choir -prefect, but this was only in accordance with long established custom, -and no one had previously complained. Moreover the Council themselves -had refused Bach's request for a more efficient choir, and it was -only natural that he should not take much interest in the drudgery of -teaching an unruly rabble, when he was occupied with work which was to -prove so much more important to the world at large. - -[Sidenote: Vestry Squabbles] - -In the constant state of conflict between masters, boys, Council and -Consistory, Bach chose to go his own way. With the Rector, Ernesti, who -troubled himself little about the musical arrangements, he had been on -excellent terms. - -Several stories are told of the petty tyranny sought to be exercised -over the great man by an ignorant and fussy vestry. Thus, Bach -insisted, for sufficient reasons, on his right of choosing the hymns -and ignoring those selected by Gaudlitz, the subdean of St Nicholas. -Gaudlitz reported him to the Consistory, who sent him a notice that -he must have the hymns sung which were chosen by the preacher. He -therefore appealed to the Council, showing that it had been the custom -for the cantor to select the hymns. This caused a squabble between the -Council and the Consistory, but it is not known how the matter ended. - -Another instance occurred over the announcement of the performance of -a _Passion_ music, for which the Council suddenly discovered that -their permission was necessary. The work had been performed several -times previously, and the irritating restriction was entirely uncalled -for. Bach simply reported to the superintendent of the Consistory that -the Council had forbidden the performance; and thus produced another -quarrel between the two bodies which was to his advantage. - -[Sidenote: _Inefficiency of Musicians_] - -Bach had not only to organise and train his choir, but to teach some -of his pupils to play on instruments, since the town musicians were -only seven in number, four wind and three string players. Money was not -forthcoming to pay professional musicians, though there were plenty in -Leipsic. Bach therefore got hold of the more gifted of his pupils and -taught them instruments, and many of them became accomplished artists. - -The regulations ordered that two hours of singing practice should be -held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 12 to 2; but as this -arrangement interfered with the cantor's dinner hour, his colleagues -petitioned that it should be changed. The Council refused to alter the -regulation, and in consequence Bach soon began to absent himself. - -[Sidenote: _Confiscation of Fees_] - -As the Council could not withhold his salary, they not only confiscated -certain fees collected for various outside duties but also contrived -that he should obtain no benefit from a legacy left to be divided among -the teachers and poorer scholars of the School. Bach was silent for -a time, but, when at last forced to speak, he wrote a long letter, -showing how absolutely inadequate were the means placed at his -disposal: incompetent town players, with mere boys to complete the -bands; singers who, not having had time to be trained, were obliged -to be admitted to the vacant places before they had any knowledge of -music; choirs with only two voices to a part, one of whom would often -be, or pretend to be, ill. - -Bach's letter irritated the Council, who, however, let the matter drop -after expressing their opinion on it. - -The Council acted according to their lights. Though they would not -give Bach the means he required for carrying out the music properly, -they could understand when an organ required repairing, and voted sums -of money from time to time for this purpose, and for the purchase of -violins, violas, violoncellos for church use; and they allowed Bach -to purchase Bodenschatz's Florilegium Portense[44] for the use of the -scholars. They did not actively hinder Bach's development, but they -had no conception of the greatness of the man they had to do with. -They curtailed his income in a moment of anger, but soon afterwards -reinstated it. - -[Sidenote: _Bach tries to leave Leipsic_] - -Bach became thoroughly hurt, and sought for a means of leaving -Leipsic. The friend of his boyhood, Erdmann, now held a post at -Dantzic, under the Emperor of Russia, and to him Bach applied, in an -interesting letter which is still extant.[45] He describes his wish to -leave Leipsic under four heads: (1) that the post was by no means so -advantageous as he was led to expect; (2) that many of the fees had -been stopped; (3) that the place is very dear to live in; (4) that the -authorities were strange people, with small love of music, who vexed -and persecuted and were jealous of him. Bach asked Erdmann to find him -a post at Dantzic, but nothing came of it, for he remained at Leipsic. -In spite of the high prices of necessities, he saved enough to leave -behind him a well-furnished house, a sum of money and a collection of -instruments and books. Like many other good organists he had his rubs -with an unthinking vestry, but got over them. - -The Rector, Ernesti, died in 1729, and in 1730 Bach's Weimar friend, -Gesner, was appointed: a member of the Council saying that he "hoped -that they would fare better in this appointment than they had done in -that of the cantor."[46] - -The new rector was in most respects the opposite of Ernesti. He was -energetic; had the power of governing, with a special talent for the -management of schoolboys. He was a brilliant scholar, and did much to -revive the study of Greek as part of a mental and moral training rather -than as a mere intellectual gymnastic. - -The Council were delighted, and did everything for him. As he was in -delicate health they not only had him carried to and from the school -in a chair, but remitted his duty of inspecting the school once every -three weeks. He smoothed over the disputes among the masters so that -they were no longer at enmity among themselves; won the affection of -his pupils by his new methods of instruction, his interest in their -welfare, and the enforcement of discipline and morality. - -The State, he said, had need of every kind of talent: and if he saw -boys working at something useful, which was not actually school work, -he would encourage them. He also revived the Latin prayers morning and -evening, which had been replaced by prayers in the German language. - -Between him and Bach there grew up a strong friendship. He helped the -music in every way he could: himself applying to the Council for the -books, etc., required by Bach. - -[Sidenote: _Gesner's Appreciation_] - -[Sidenote: A Vast Combination] - -Gesner, in his appreciation of Bach, appends a note in his edition of -the Institutiones Oratoriae of Quintilianus, to the author's remark on -the capacity of man for doing several things at once, such as playing -the lyre, and at the same time singing and marking time with the foot. -He says, "All this, my dear Fabius, you would consider very trivial -could you but rise from the dead and hear Bach: how he, with both -hands, and using all his fingers, either on a keyboard which seems to -consist of many lyres in one, or on the instrument of instruments, of -which the innumerable pipes are made to sound by means of bellows; -here with his hands, and there with the utmost celerity with his feet, -elicits many of the most various yet harmonious sounds: I say, could -you only see him, how he achieves what a number of your lyre-players -and six hundred flute-players could never achieve, presiding over -thirty or forty performers all at once, recalling this one by a nod, -another by a stamp of the foot, another with a warning finger, keeping -tune and time; and while high notes are given out by some, deep tones -by others, and notes between them by others. Great admirer as I am of -antiquity in other respects, yet I am of the opinion that my one Bach, -and whosoever there may chance to be that resembles him, unites in -himself many Orpheuses, and twenty Arions."[47] - -Gesner did all he could to smooth away Bach's troubles, and probably -the latter was much happier than under the disorder which prevailed -while J. H. Ernesti was rector. Moreover, after one more dispute, -Bach and the Council at last learned to understand one another, and -quarrelled no more. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[39] The three fairs, called "Messe," are held at Easter, Michaelmas -and New Year. Leipsic is at these times crowded with merchants from all -parts of the world. - -[40] _i.e._ the Church of St Matthew. - -[41] Spitta, vol. ii. p. 186. - -[42] _i.e._ the University Church. In Bach's time there were six -churches at Leipsic--St Thomas, St Nicholas (or Nicolai), St Paul (or -University Church), St Matthew (or New Church), St Peter (or Petri), -and St John. - -[43] According to Spitta, vol. ii. p. 223. But Goerner's name appears in -the "Chronicle" far more often than that of Bach in connection with the -music for these festivals. - -[44] See Glossary. - -[45] Spitta quotes it in full, vol. ii. p. 253. - -[46] Spitta, vol. ii. p. 242. - -[47] Quoted by Bitter, vol. i. p. 303. This appreciation of the skill -required to conduct a musical performance is remarkable as coming -from one who, not being musical, might be expected to think, with the -majority of non-musicians, that the conductor merely has to "beat time." - - - - -Chapter VI - - Home life at Leipsic--Personal details--Music in the family - circle--Bach's intolerance of incompetence--He throws his wig at - Goerner--His preference for the clavichord--Bach as an examiner--His - sons and pupils--His general knowledge of musical matters--Visit - from Hurlebusch--His able management of money--His books and - instruments--The Dresden Opera--A new Rector, and further - troubles--Bach complains to the Council. - - -[Sidenote: _Home Life_] - -Let us now turn for a moment from this account of troubles and see -what the man was like in his own home. We have fairly full accounts -from which to draw a picture. It was related in chapter i. how the -various members of the Bach family clung together, meeting once every -year at various towns. The same traits are found in the household. -The pupils and sons all loved him. His character was amiable in the -extreme, but at the same time such as to command respect from all. Of -his hospitality, especially towards artists, we have special mention; -no musician passed through Leipsic without visiting him. He never -cared either himself to blame, or hear others find fault with, his -fellow-musicians. Of the Marchand incident he would never willingly -speak. He was modest in the extreme, and never seemed to know how much -greater he was than all the musicians he was fond of praising. - -In the midst of all his occupations he found time for music in the -family circle, and in later years he used to prefer playing the viola, -as he was then "in the midst of the harmony." He would occasionally -extemporise a trio or quartet on the harpsichord from a single part of -some other composer's music: if the composer happened to be present, -however, he would first make sure that no possible injury would be done -to his feelings. - -Though kindly and generous in his criticisms of others, he would never -tolerate superficiality and incompetence. He was therefore looked upon -as an excellent examiner when a new organist was to be appointed to a -church. He was quick-tempered, like most musicians in matters of music. -It is related that on one occasion, when the organist of the Thomas -Church, Goerner, made a blunder, he pulled the wig off his own head, -threw it at Goerner, and, in a voice of thunder, cried: "You ought to be -a shoemaker." - -His favourite instrument was the clavichord, on account of its power -of expression: and he made his pupils chiefly practise on this. He -learned to tune it and the harpsichord so quickly that it never took -him more than a quarter of an hour. "And then," says Forkel, "all the -twenty-four keys were at his service: he did with them whatever he -wished. He could connect the most distant keys as easily and naturally -together as the nearest related, so that the listener thought he had -only modulated through the next-related keys of a single scale. Of -harshness in modulation he knew nothing: his chromatic changes were as -soft and flowing as when he kept to the diatonic genus." - -Of his conscientiousness in examining organs and organists, Forkel -ironically remarks, it was such that he gained few friends thereby. -But when he found that an organ-builder had really done good work, and -was out of pocket by so doing, he would use his influence to obtain -further payment for the man, and in several cases succeeded. - -If he happened to be away from home with his son Friedemann on a -Sunday, he would make a point of attending the church service. He would -criticise the organist; would tell his son what course the fugue ought -to take (after hearing the subject), and would be delighted if the -organist played to his satisfaction. - -He did his best for his sons and pupils; in fact he treated the latter -as sons. He sent his two eldest sons to the University of Leipsic, and -used his influence to get appointments for them and their brothers. -On the marriage of his daughter Elizabeth with his pupil Altnikol, he -obtained an organistship for him at Naumburg without informing him -beforehand. - -[Sidenote: Of Many Parts] - -Though he would have nothing to say to musical mathematics, his -knowledge of everything to do with the art and practice of music was -astounding. He was intimate with every detail of organ construction; -he not only tuned but quilled his own harpsichords, and, as we shall -see later, he invented new instruments. When he was shown the newly -built opera house at Berlin, he observed the construction of the dining -saloon, and said that if a person whispered in a corner, another -person, standing in the corner diagonally opposite would hear every -word, though no one else could do so. Experiment proved this to be a -fact, though neither the architect nor anyone else had discovered it. - -An amusing story is told of a visit paid to him at Leipsic by -one Hurlebusch, a superficial and exceedingly conceited organist. -Hurlebusch had the reputation of being angry if his listeners praised -him instead of being so overcome with his playing that they could -say nothing. His visit to Bach was made, not to hear but to be heard -by, and to astonish, the great man. Bach took him to the harpsichord -and listened attentively to a very feeble minuet with variations. -Hurlebusch, taking Bach's politeness as a recognition of his great -talent, showed his gratitude by presenting Friedemann with a printed -collection of very easy sonatas, recommending him to practise them -diligently. His host, who could hardly repress a smile, thanked him -politely, and took leave of him without in the least betraying his -amusement. - -When we think that the education of his large family, the hospitality -to strangers, the journeys to try organs in various places, were all -accomplished on an income of not much over L100 a year, we must admire -the business-like capacity of the man, even though all due allowance -is made for the difference in the purchasing power of money in those -days.[48] But he managed to collect a by no means contemptible library -of music and theological books; for in his simple piety he took great -interest in religious questions. He also possessed a goodly number of -keyboard instruments, several of which he gave to his sons on their -obtaining appointments. Of stringed instruments he possessed enough for -the performance of concerted music in the home circle. Some few of his -personal belongings are preserved in the De Wit collection at Leipsic, -not twenty yards from his residence. They consist of his clock, a few -pictures and trifles belonging to his study table, and show at once -that they come from a house of refinement and comfort. - -[Sidenote: _Preference of a Simple Home Life to Riches_] - -In later life he heard and studied with great pleasure the works of -Fux, Handel, Caldara, Keiser, Hasse, the two Grauns, Telemann, Zelenka, -Bendax, and others. He knew most of these personally, and received -Hasse and his wife Faustina as visitors at Leipsic. He often went to -Dresden from Leipsic to hear the opera there, and used to say to his -son "Friedemann, shall we not go and hear the pretty little Dresden -songs again?" He was, says Forkel, far too deeply interested in his art -and his home life to enrich himself by travelling and exhibiting his -powers, though he might, especially at the time in which he lived, have -easily become wealthy by so doing. He preferred the quiet homely life, -and the unbroken work at his art, and was contented with his lot. The -"glory of God," not fame, was his object. But though his home life and -his work were a source of so much happiness, the external horizon began -to be stormy again. - -[Sidenote: More Storm] - -Gesner resigned his post in 1734, and was succeeded by the Conrector, -Joh. August Ernesti, a young and learned man, who, however, had no -sympathy with music.[49] He was at first on excellent terms with the -cantor, and was godfather to two of his sons; but, unfortunately, his -want of appreciation of music led, within a short time, to trouble. -Poor Bach seems at Leipsic to have been rarely free from disputes and -worries. It is true he was proud, sensitive, and irritable, where the -dignity of his art or his own personal rights were concerned; but that -the fault was not all on his side is shown by his friendly relations -with the Dukes of Weimar and Coethen, and with all true artists. His -reputation throughout Germany was by this time enormous; and in Leipsic -itself he was considered by all except the Council and Consistory, -as the "glory of the town." It is true his compositions were heard -with more respect than appreciation; but his fame as an organist, -harpsichord player, and learned musician was recognised at Leipsic as -elsewhere. - -[Sidenote: War with Rector] - -[Sidenote: _The Appointment of a Choir Prefect_] - -The trouble with Ernesti was not of an uncommon nature; where there -is a want of appreciation of music on the part of learned men, there -is very apt to be jealousy of the reputation and influence of its -professors. Disputes arising from this cause seem to have been not -at all rare in Germany at the time. Ernesti hated music, and was -undignified enough to make sarcastic remarks to any boy whom he -happened to see practising an instrument. He endeavoured, being young -and active, to intermeddle in the musical arrangements, with serious -results. There is preserved in the "Acta" of the Town Council, a -"Complaint" by Bach, dated August 12, 1736, to the effect that the -Rector Ernesti had exceeded his powers by promoting the prefect of -the second choir to be prefect of the first. This may appear at first -sight an unimportant matter; but, as Bach points out, the prefect of -the first choir must not only be chosen on account of his voice and -character, but he must also have the ability and knowledge to conduct -the music when the cantor is not able to be present. It stands to -reason, therefore, that the cantor is the only person who can make -the selection. On the following day Bach addressed another letter to -the Council saying that Ernesti had threatened to reduce and flog -any boys who obeyed the cantor's directions; that he (Bach) had not -allowed the "incompetent Krause" (the prefect chosen by Ernesti) to -conduct the motet at St Nicolai, but had requested a student, Krebs, -to do so; that the boys were afraid to obey Bach in consequence of -the rector's threats; and that his authority, which was necessary for -the proper performance of the music, would be destroyed if this kind -of thing were allowed to go on. The quarrel continued; Bach wrote two -more letters, and, since the Council would not move, he appealed to the -Court at Dresden. Ernesti also wrote stating his side of the question. -This Krause was a _mauvais sujet_, was deeply in debt, and had a bad -character, and the rector wished to give him a chance of recovering his -character before leaving school. In order to settle the matter, the -Council finally ordained that as it was Krause's last term he was to -remain prefect to the end of it. - -Bitter says that the fault lay as usual on both sides: but with this -we cannot agree. Bach was a man nearly twice as old and experienced as -the rector; and he was undoubtedly within his rights in insisting on -choosing those responsible for carrying out the music. On this occasion -Ernesti said he was "too proud to conduct a simple chorale." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[48] A rough estimate of this difference may be made thus: The Council -paid 60 thalers = L9 a year for a "dwelling" for Bach during the -alterations to the Thomas School. Such a "dwelling" or "flat" would now -cost about L60 a year. An income of L100 in those days would therefore -represent the purchasing power of about L630 now: not a large sum on -which to give nineteen children a first-class education, and send two -to the university. - -[49] For his installation Bach composed a cantata "Thomana sass annoch -betruebt"--"St Thomas School was still in grief." From the _Leipsic -Chronicle_, 1734, quoted in _Centralblatt_, 1884. - - - - -Chapter VII - - Bach obtains a title from the Saxon Court--Plays the organ - at Dresden--Attacked by Scheibe--Mizler founds a musical - society--Further disputes--Bach's successor chosen during his - life-time--Visit to Frederick the Great--Bach's sight fails--Final - illness and death--Notice in the _Leipsic Chronicle_--The - Council--Fate of the widow and daughter. - - -At the end of 1736 Bach went to Dresden where he was given the title -of composer to the Saxon Court. He had applied for a title three years -before, in the hope that it would place him in a better position with -regard to the Council and Consistory; but it was in vain that he hoped -for this. Neither his works nor his titles were able to impress them. - -[Sidenote: _An Adverse Criticism_] - -We learn from a Dresden newspaper of that date that he played from -two to four in the afternoon of December 1st on the new organ in the -church of St Paul, in the presence of the Russian Ambassador, von -Kayserling, and many artists and other persons who heard him with very -great admiration. In the same year, 1736, was published a book of -hymns with their melodies by Schemelli, as a second volume to the book -of Freylingshausen, to which Bach had in his early days contributed -some of the music. On the 14th of May, 1737, there appeared a severe -criticism of the way in which Bach wrote out all his _manieren_ or -grace notes, instead of leaving them for the performer to add at his -discretion. The music thereby loses all its charm of harmony, says the -critic, and the melody becomes incomprehensible. He wonders that a man -should give himself so much trouble to act against reason. The writer -was J. A. Scheibe, a young man who had failed in a competition for an -organistship in which Bach was one of the examiners. The attack was -answered by Birnbaum, a friend of Bach's, in an interesting critical -analysis of Bach's works. This was answered by Scheibe, and the dispute -went on for some time, other writers joining in it, until, as Bitter -remarks, "all their powder was exhausted." Bach, however, worked away -without troubling himself about the matter. - -In 1738 Mizler,[50] a pupil of Bach's, founded a society for raising -the status of music. Though it was successful, the great musician was -not induced to join it until 1747, nine years later, when he handed -into the society a triple canon in six voices on the chorale "Vom -Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her" as an "exercise." It is to Mizler's -society that we owe the preservation of the portrait by Hausmann, now -in the Thomas-schule, which is reproduced in this work: and still -further have we to thank it for the account of his life, on which all -later biographies are based. - -[Sidenote: Disputes] - -[Sidenote: _A Successor Chosen_] - -Spitta gives accounts of further disputes. On one occasion a prefect -having punished some small boys at Bach's special order, the rector -ordered him to be publicly flogged, whereupon the prefect immediately -left the school rather than suffer such indignity. A boy happening -to pitch a hymn at St Nicholas too low for the congregation to sing, -Bach was summoned before the Council and told to see that it did not -happen again. The rector threatened to confiscate the boys' money -if they obeyed the cantor and accused Bach of being accessible to -bribery. In the _Leipsic Chronicle_ for 1749 we read that on June 8th -Gottlob Harrer was chosen as the future cantor of St Thomas, "when -Capellmeister and Cantor Herr Sebastian Bach should die." The text of -the cantata performed before the Council on this occasion was "The rich -man died and was buried." The Council seemed indeed anxious to get rid -of the great man who had done more than all others to make their city -famous. - -[Sidenote: _Visit to Frederick the Great_] - -[Sidenote: 'Only One Bach'] - -There is little more to relate. Bach from time to time made his -journeys to various towns, and paid visits to Erfurt, where his cousin, -Joh. Christoph, and Adlung were settled. As he advanced in years he -gave up these journeys. The last he made was to the Court of Frederick -the Great at Potsdam in 1747. His son Emanuel had been capellmeister -to Frederick since 1740; and the king had frequently, and always with -more insistence, thrown out hints that he would like to hear the great -artist. Bach being much occupied, and disinclined for travelling, did -not accede to the king's wishes until they amounted to a positive -command. Then, taking Friedemann with him, he started for Potsdam, -which he reached early in May. The story of the meeting with Frederick -is variously told. We will tell it in Friedemann's own words: "When -Frederick II. had just prepared his flute, in the presence of the -whole orchestra, for the evening's concert, the list of strangers -who had arrived was brought him. Holding his flute in his hand he -glanced through the list. Then he turned round with excitement to the -assembled musicians, and, laying down his flute, said, 'Gentlemen, -old Bach is come.' Bach, who was at his son's house, was immediately -invited to the castle. He had not even time allowed him to take off his -travelling clothes and put on his black Court-dress. He appeared, with -many apologies for the state of his dress, before the great prince, -who received him with marked attention, and threw a deprecating look -towards the Court gentlemen, who were laughing at the discomposure -and numerous compliments of the old man. The flute concerto was given -up for this evening; and the king led his famous visitor into all the -rooms of the castle, and begged him to try the Silbermann pianos, -which he (the king) thought very highly of, and of which he possessed -seven.[51] The musicians accompanied the king and Bach from one room -to another; and after the latter had tried all the pianos, he begged -the king to give him a fugue subject, that he could at once extemporise -upon. Frederick thereupon wrote out the subject (afterwards used in -the musical offering), and Bach developed this in the most learned -and interesting manner, to the great astonishment of the king, who, -on his side, asked to hear a fugue in six parts. But, since every -subject is not adapted for so full a working out, Bach chose one for -himself, and astounded those present by his performance. The king, who -was not easily astonished, was completely taken by surprise at the -unapproachable mastery of the old cantor. Several times he cried 'There -is only one Bach.' On the following day he played on all the organs -in the churches of Potsdam, and again in the evening on the Silbermann -pianos. From here he paid a visit to Berlin, where he was shown the -opera house."[52] - -A newspaper account of the visit to Frederick varies in several details -from the above; but as the account of the son, who was with Bach, and -perhaps an eye-witness, is the more trustworthy, we have not thought it -necessary to trouble our reader with the second account.[53] - -[Sidenote: _Last Illness_] - -In the following year the enormous strain he had all his life put upon -himself began to take its effect. Although of unusual strength, the -work had worn out his body. First his eyes, which had been used day -and night from the time he copied his brother's book by moonlight, -began to give way. The weakness gradually increased, and pains began -to trouble him, yet he could not believe that he was near his end. -Friends persuaded him to undergo an operation at the hands of an -eminent English oculist, who was then in Leipsic. But the result of two -operations was that he lost his sight altogether, and his health was so -broken down by them that he never again left his house, while he was in -constant pain till his death. - -[Sidenote: Death] - -But he continued to work, even through his hours of greatest suffering. -He set the chorale "When we are in the greatest need" in four parts, -dictating them to Altnikol, his son-in-law. An extraordinary thing -happened ten days before his death; one morning he was able to see well -and to bear daylight; but a few hours after an apoplectic stroke, -followed by a violent fever, completely overcame him. The attentions of -the two best doctors in Leipsic could not avail against the illness, -and at a quarter past eight o'clock in the evening of July 28, 1750, he -breathed his last. - -[Illustration: St John's Church, Leipsic] - -He was buried in St John's churchyard, and, like that of Mozart, his -grave was forgotten and lost. The churchyard was altered early in the -nineteenth century, to allow of a new road being made, and his bones -with those of many others were removed. Some remains lately discovered -on the south side of the church are supposed with good reason to be -those of Bach; but nothing is known for certain. - -On his deathbed he had dictated to Altnikol the chorale "Vor deinen -Thron tret ich hiemit." The _Leipsic Chronicle_ notices his death as -follows: "July 28, at eight in the evening the famous and learned -musician Herr Joh. Sebastian Bach, composer to His Majesty the King of -Poland and Elector of Saxony; Capellmeister to the Courts of Coethen and -Weissenfels, Director and Cantor of the school of St Thomas, died." -Here follows a sketch of his life. "The Bach family came from Hungary, -and all, as far as is known, have been musicians, from which perhaps -arises the fact that even the letters b, a, c, h, form a melodic -succession of notes."[54] - -That is all; not one word of regret. Nor do we find that much notice -anywhere was taken of the death of the great man. A meeting of the -Council took place shortly afterwards in which, while no expressions -of sympathy were heard, the remark was made, "Herr Bach was a great -musician no doubt, but we want a schoolmaster, not a capellmeister"; -and they proceeded at once to arrange for the instalment of Harrer. - -[Sidenote: _Fate of the Widow and Children_] - -The sons of the first marriage took possession of all music that was of -value, and sold the rest of the property. Goerner, Bach's former rival, -undertook the duties of guardian to his younger children, and seems to -have fulfilled the task with propriety and reverence. Bach's widow was -allowed her husband's salary for six months, after which, receiving no -help from her stepsons, she supported her younger children as well as -she could, and becoming gradually poorer, died in an almshouse and was -buried in a pauper's grave. The youngest daughter, Regina, lived till -1809, and was supported by charity in her old age. - -The family of Joh. Sebastian Bach gradually died out, and is now -extinct, the last representative, a farmer of Eisenach, having died in -1846. - -Bach's music fell more and more into oblivion, and for a time his name -seems to have been forgotten. In 1883 a room in the Thomas-schule was -used as the English Church, and on the first floor a smaller room was -used as the vestry. In the latter was a cupboard in which the communion -plate and surplices were kept. The writer was told that this cupboard -had formerly been full of music MSS., and that during the years of -oblivion, whenever a Thomas-schule boy wanted a piece of paper to wrap -up his "Butterbrod" he was allowed to tear out a sheet of paper from -one of Bach's manuscripts.[55] - -Thus after his death were treated the family and works of the man "to -whom music owes as much as religion does to its founder." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[50] See Glossary. - -[51] These pianos were made in the years 1746-7 after the invention of -Cristofori of Florence, who was the first to use the hammer action. -This action, however, did not suit Bach's touch, and though he praised -the tone, he does not appear to have become possessed of one. The -writer was shown one of the above-mentioned Silbermann pianos in the -Palace of Sanssouci at Potsdam in 1884. - -[52] See page 79. - -[53] It can be found in Bitter, vol. ii. p. 317, Spitta, vol. iii. p. -231, and elsewhere. - -[54] h being the German term for B[natural]. - -[55] This story may or may not be true--we give it for what it is worth. - - - - -Chapter VIII - -The Cantatas and the Chorale - - -[Sidenote: _Characteristics of Bach's Music_] - -The prevailing characteristics in Bach's compositions are intense -earnestness of purpose, and, in his church music, a deep religious -feeling, too deep for the ordinary everyday person to appreciate; an -absolute absence of anything extraneous, such as concessions to singers -and performers, or to the fashion of the day. When Bach writes florid -or highly ornamental passages, they are not intended merely to exhibit -the skill of the performer--their most important purpose is the exact -expression of the words or emotions in hand. In this he and Beethoven -were at one. Their difficulties of execution arise from the necessities -of artistic expression, and such difficulties will be found in all the -truest and best art, the art that lives beyond the fashion of the hour. - -Bach, like Beethoven, suffered from the influx of a superficial kind of -music which so easily captivates an unthinking public. - -The proximity of the Dresden Court, with its Italian Opera Company -and the opening of an opera-house in Leipsic itself, had much the -same effect in attracting the Leipsic public away from the solidity -and severity of the cantor (whom, all the same, they never ceased to -respect) as the Rossini fever had in the beginning of the nineteenth -century at Vienna with regard to Beethoven's music. Bach, however, -was in a worse position than Beethoven, for he lived and worked in a -small circle of German towns, and only in the domain of church music. -Teutonic to the backbone, he expressed his thoughts in his own way -without swerving to the right or left. He never had occasion to try and -please any but a North German public, and he mostly endeavoured only -to please himself, and promote the "glory of God" in his own way, by -adhering strictly to what his genius told him was right; and posterity -has endorsed his views. - -Beethoven, on the other hand, lived at a time when communications -between countries were beginning to be more rapid and frequent. The -French Revolution, and the constant wars brought about by the ambition -of Napoleon, though temporarily hostile to the actual practice of art, -had the effect of making whatever art was produced more cosmopolitan, -and therefore more easily appreciated outside the artist's country. -Thus Beethoven's music soon became known in England: and at the very -time when the Rossini fever was causing him to be forgotten in Vienna -(the town of his adoption) the English Philharmonic Society was -negotiating with the great composer for the composition of a symphony, -and these negotiations, as is well known, resulted in the production of -the greatest symphony the world has yet seen. - -[Sidenote: _Bach and Handel_] - -It is customary to compare the two musical giants of the first half -of the eighteenth century, Handel and Bach. Both were born in the -same year, 1685, Handel being the senior by one month only: both were -natives of small German towns, within a few miles of each other. Both -received their earliest musical education in Germany, but with the -difference that Bach, coming of a family of professional musicians, -there was never any thought of bringing him up to any other profession, -while Handel's father, a surgeon, had all the prejudices of his time -and profession against music, and did his best to stifle his son's -proclivities, till they became too strong for him to longer withstand. - -After early childhood the ways of the composers were widely different. -While Bach was painfully acquiring the technique of his art, by making -long journeys on foot to hear and get instruction from eminent German -organists, by practising assiduously day and night, and by copying all -the best music he could lay hands on, Handel was playing the violin and -harpsichord in the German opera conducted by Keiser at Hamburg. - -At the age of twenty-one Handel went to Italy and remained there three -years studying, and successfully composing operas for the Italians, who -called him "Il caro Sassone,"--"the dear Saxon." At twenty-one Bach -was organist of a small and unimportant German town, still working -hard to improve his technical powers in every direction. Everyone -knows that Handel made his first reputation as a composer of Italian -operas which are completely forgotten, and not till he was fifty-five -years old did he begin that series of oratorios or sacred dramas by -which he is immortalised. Bach, on the other hand, making the organ -and the chorale his starting point, continued all his life to compose -sacred music--"church music" as it was called, and never wrote for the -theatre. Handel, domiciled in England, knew his public and knew them -so well that he wrote works which not only became popular at once, but -have never ceased to be popular. Bach either did not know, or did not -care to please his public, and wrote far above their heads, so that for -a time after his death he was forgotten entirely: only when Mozart, -and afterwards Mendelssohn, became acquainted with the wonders of his -genius did the public, almost against their will, begin to appreciate -what a giant had been on the earth in those days.[56] - -[Sidenote: _Ein feste Burg_] - -Bach's place in Lutheran Church history is very important. He is -connected directly with the Reformation through the chorale, which -Luther so much encouraged as a means of spreading the new views of -religion. Bach was a strict Lutheran; and the chorale, or hymn to be -sung by the congregation, was perhaps the most important expression of -Lutheran religious feeling. The words will explain this perhaps better -than anything else, if we take an example at random from the Leipziger -Gesangbuch, in literal prose translation--_e.g._ No. 171: "A strong -castle is our God; a good defence and weapon; he freely helps us in all -trouble that can meet us. The ancient wicked enemy is in earnest; his -cruel armour is great power and much deceit: there is none like him on -the earth. - -"We can do nothing of our own power, we are soon lost: but there -fights for us the right man, whom God himself has chosen. Dost thou ask -his name? Jesus Christ is his name, the Lord of Sabaoth. There is no -other God; he is bound to win the day. - -"And if the world were full of devils, who would devour us, we need not -fear much, for we shall conquer. The prince of this world, however sour -he may appear, can do nothing against us: a word is able to slay him," -&c. - -[Sidenote: A Notable Chorale] - -This is one of the chorales assigned to the Festival of the -Reformation, and one can imagine with what force it would appeal -to those disposed towards Luther's teaching. Its well-known melody -was composed by Luther, and it was used by Bach as the foundation -of a cantata which is considered by Zelter to have been composed in -celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Reformation in 1717, but -the composer re-arranged it in 1730. The orchestra contains three -trumpets, one flute, two oboes, one oboe di caccia, two violins, viola, -violoncello, organ and figured bass. - -The first chorus set to the words of the first verse has the following -vigorous opening, the orchestra playing an independent accompaniment. -(For convenience of English readers we quote from Novello's octavo -edition.) - -[Music: A stronghold sure our God re-] - -[Music: - - A stronghold sure our God remains, - A shield and hope unfailing -][57] - -This is worked in bold fugato (both chorus and orchestra taking the -subject or the counter-subject), for thirty-six bars, which are then -repeated, note for note, to the words: "In need His help our freedom -gains, o'er all we fear prevailing." - -A short quotation may serve to give some idea of the fulness of the -writing and the boldness of the counterpoint, of which the effect, when -sung with proper energy, is overwhelming. - -[Music: In need his help our freedom gains] - -The words "our old malignant foe" follow, with the new fugue subject - -[Music: Our old malignant foe] - -occupying twenty-four bars. - -Then - -[Music: - - Would fain work us woe - would fain] - -&c. treated fugato for twenty bars; and each line is worked in the same -way. - -[Sidenote: A Massive Chorus] - -The whole chorus is 221 bars in length, and is a masterpiece of massive -choral and orchestral writing, in keeping with the sentiment of the -words. It opens with three trumpets, drums, violoncello, and organ -manual, the pedal being silent for the first twenty-three bars. At -the twenty-fourth bar (the first quoted on page 97) the pedal enters -with the 16 feet Posaune, and makes a bold canon of eight bars, with -the melody played in the highest register of the trumpet. The canon -concludes with a drum passage on the dominant; and fresh canons between -trumpet and pedal occur at bars 49, 88, 122, 147, 178 and 200. - -These seven canons are all formed on the musical phrases of the -tune: and one might almost look upon the chorus as a gigantic -"choral-vorspiel" with long vocal and instrumental interludes between -the phrases given out by the trumpets and pedal. - -[Sidenote: A Florid Duet] - -The second verse is set as a duet for treble and bass, still in the key -of D. After a ritornello, the bass enters with the words "all men born -of God our Father, at the last will Jesus gather," set to exceedingly -florid passages, above which floats the melody in the treble voice. - -[Music: - - Our utmost might is all in men, - All men born of God our] - -A bass recitative, commenting on the preceding sentiments follows, and -then a treble aria, "Within my heart of hearts, Lord Jesus, make thy -dwelling." In the fifth number the whole chorus sings the melody in -unison, now changed to 6/8 time, and with a very florid accompaniment. - -[Music: If all the world with fiends were filled.] - -This is followed by a tenor recitative, "Then close beside Thy -Saviour's blood-besprinkled banner, my soul remain," &c., a duet for -alto and tenor, "How blessed then are they, who still on God are -calling;" and the cantata concludes with the chorale simply harmonised -in four parts, "That word shall still in strength abide," in the form -familiar to English congregations. - -[Sidenote: _Fertility of Invention_] - -We have given a fairly full description of this fine cantata in order -to show our readers what is meant when it is said that Bach based -his church music essentially on chorale. Most of the cantatas are -constructed in the same kind of way, _i.e._ a chorale is used as the -chief subject. But that Bach did not merely work on a fixed model is -shown by the fact that no two of the one hundred and ninety cantatas -published by the Bachgesellschaft are alike. Nothing astonishes us -more than the enormous fertility of invention shown in these wonderful -works, the variety of detail, and yet the unity of purpose. The one -idea of the composer was the religious effect to be obtained by the -highest efforts of art devoted to the service of God. Except in -Germany, they are rarely heard in their proper place as part of the -church service: but the mere reading through of the scores produces -a most profound effect, and creates a perpetual astonishment in the -reader at the enormous resources of the composer. - -Bach is generally considered as the greatest composer for the organ, -but his organ works, wonderful as they are, seem small in comparison -with these marvellous cantatas, all different and yet all connected, as -it were, by an underlying unity of purpose. - -[Sidenote: _The Choral-vorspiel_] - -Bach took the melody of "Ein feste Burg" for one of his finest -choral-vorspiele (Peters, 245, No. 22). This is a particularly -interesting composition, since it is the only chorale in which we -obtain any clue to Bach's methods of registering. In Walther's MS. are -given a few indications "a 3 clav." for three manuals. The left hand is -to begin with the fagott, sixteen feet, and the right hand on the choir -with the "sesquialtera." The piece was doubtless intended for the organ -at Muehlhausen which was renovated and enlarged under Bach's directions, -and which had three manuals, containing on one a sixteen feet "fagott," -and on another a combination producing a "good sesquialtera tone." It -is one of the larger choral-vorspiele, containing fifty-eight bars. - -It is worth while noticing how Bach, in this, and all other -choral-vorspiele, does not adhere literally to the notes of the melody, -but introduces ornamental passages, or lengthens and shortens notes -to serve his purpose, or introduces the subject in augmentation and -diminution. This was the regular custom amongst German organists. The -choral-vorspiel is, in its simplest form, merely intended to prepare -the congregation for the melody that is to be sung, but instead of a -mere bald playing through of the tune, as is usual in English churches, -the organist was expected to use his art in elaborating it. - -[Sidenote: 'Surprising Variations'] - -Bach, in his younger days, was accused of over-elaborating, not only -the vorspiele, but the accompaniment. It was a fault of youth, and -hardly called for the official censure that the Council at Arnstadt -thought fit to administer. He was practically his own teacher. If he -had been under the guidance of an older and more experienced organist, -he would undoubtedly have curbed his zeal for "surprising variations." - -At that time he seems to have lost sight of the fact that he was -expected to accompany the congregation. He forgot all about them, -and gave free rein to his imagination so that the "congregation were -confounded." And well they might be, by the following example of his -accompaniment. - -[Music: "WER NUR DEN LIEBEN GOTT LAESST WALTEN." - -_From the Leipziger Gesangbuch. As sung._ - - Wer nur den lieben Gott laesst walten - und hoffet auf ihn allezeit.] - -[Music: BACH'S METHOD OF ACCOMPANYING WHEN AT ARNSTADT. - -_Peters 244, Variante zu No. 52._ - - Wer nur den lieben Gott laesst walten - und hoffet auf ihn allezeit] - -He was in reality not suited to be a mere accompanist--his genius was -too great to be tied down to the formal notes sung by the congregation, -and a far lesser man would have suited this kind of work better. His -choral-vorspiele are masterpieces of organ work; his extemporised or -written accompaniments are artistic, but quite impracticable. - -But when he harmonises a chorale in vocal parts for his choir to sing -with the congregation, his genius shines forth in the most exquisite -harmonic combinations possible. Examples abound, and a volume might -be written on this subject alone. We can only indicate here a few -instances of various treatments of the chorale. - -Every one knows the opening double chorus in the _Matthew Passion_. -After an instrumental introduction full of dignity and solemnity, built -chiefly on tonic and dominant pedals (E minor), the first chorus sings, -"Come ye daughters, weep with me, behold the Lamb as a bridegroom." -The second chorus exclaims, "Whom? How?" while the first continues its -course, and a "Soprano ripieno" chorus enters with the chorale-- - -[Music: - - O thou begotten son of God. - Who on the cross wast slain.] - -The work is now performed every Good Friday in the Thomas Church at -Leipsic. The organ gallery occupies the whole of the west end of the -nave and two side aisles. On each side are placed the singers, the -soprano and alto parts being sung by women. This chorale is sung by the -boys of the Thomas Schule, some forty in number, and the effect of the -contrast of tone bringing it in is overwhelming. Poor Bach, with his -miserable little rabble of a choir with three voices to a part, can -hardly have realised how his music would sound many years after his -death, when performed by a large body of enthusiastic and intelligent -musicians. - -The next chorale in the work is - -[Music: O Holy Jesu how hast thou offended,] - -harmonised for four voices, and accompanied by violins, flutes, oboes, -violas and basses, in unison with the respective voices and figured -bass organ part. This accompaniment is used for all the succeeding -chorales, and we may remark that the melody is given to the two flutes -and two oboes as well as the first violins, that it may be made -prominent. - -All the other chorales in this work, six in number, are thus arranged -and accompanied. The well-known Phrygian melody - -[Music: Herzlich thut mir verlangen.] - -occurs no less than five times, sometimes harmonised in the Ionian, -sometimes in the Phrygian mode, and he has arranged it in the latter -mode as a very beautiful vorspiel for the organ (Peters 244, No. 27). - -We may here remark that in playing the organ choral-vorspiele no notice -is to be taken of the _fermata_, which are only used when the melodies -are sung.[58] - -[Sidenote: Uses of the Chorale] - -Besides the choral-vorspiele, and the introduction of the melody in -conjunction with a chorus, and the harmonisation in four parts, with -orchestra doubling the voice parts, Bach makes many other uses of the -chorale. In the _Christmas Oratorio_, for example, he combines it -with recitative, the melody being freely accompanied by the orchestra, -and interspersed with recitative passages of the nature of interludes -between the lines. Or he harmonises it in four parts, with free -orchestral interludes. - -The above quoted melody appears in the _Christmas Oratorio_ with -brilliant orchestral accompaniment and interludes, three trumpets, -drums and two oboes being used besides the strings and organ. - -Erk has collected 319 chorales in two volumes (Peters), extracted -from the church cantatas, &c., and has given full particulars of -the sources. Sometimes they are worked up as fugues. Thus, the tune -composed by Kugelmann about 1540, and generally known in England as the -"Old Hundredth," appears in the cantata "Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu -Ende" in the following form, the voice parts being doubled by strings, -cornet, two oboes, three trombones and organ. - -[Music: Nun lob mein Seel.] - -The choral-vorspiele published in the Peters' edition number about -143--besides several sets of partitas or variations on chorales, and -many "Varianten," or different workings of the same vorspiel. - -Although this eminently national German and Lutheran form of religious -art sank deeply into Bach's soul, and more or less influenced and -coloured all his compositions for the Church, he was accused at Leipsic -of being too proud to demean himself to conducting or accompanying a -mere chorale! - -What he did was to allow his genius full play on a form which intensely -interested him, and to exhibit it in new and original aspects. - -[Sidenote: _Orchestration_] - -The orchestration of the cantatas is of great interest. It is generally -known that Bach did not usually employ the orchestral instruments in -the modern manner, but made each play an independent counterpoint. -Thus there were as many contrapuntal parts as there were voices -and instruments combined; and a cantata was described as being, -for example, "in nine parts, for one oboe, two violins, one viola, -one violoncello, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices with organ -continuo," or as a "concerto for four voices, two oboes, viola and -continuo." Sometimes, as in "Erforsche mich Gott," there is a violin -obbligato above the voice parts in the final four-part chorale. In -other cantatas it is noted that the "cantus firmus (the chorale-melody) -is in the soprano," or other voice. In the opening chorus of "Herr Gott -dich loben wir," the cantus firmus is in the soprano, the other voices -sing throughout, making the interludes which are usually allotted to -the instruments. - -Bach was fond of dividing his violas. Thus, part of "Gleichwie der -Regen und Schnee" is scored for four voices, two flutes, two violins, -_four violas_, fagotto, violoncello and continuo. - -Or parts are written for a viola and a taille (the tenor viol). In "O -Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort," the scoring is for three oboes, two violins, -viola and continuo, with a tromba da tirarsi (slide trumpet) in unison -with the soprano throughout. The cantata "Ich hatte viel Bekuemmerniss," -known in England as "My spirit was in heaviness," was composed and -performed at Weimar on the third Sunday after Trinity, 1714, on his -being made Concertmeister there. It is labelled "Per ogni tempi," -"suitable for any season." It has one oboe and one fagotto, besides the -usual strings. - -[Sidenote: A Mannerism] - -"Es ist nichts gesundes" is scored for three flutes, cornet, three -trombones, two oboes, the usual strings and four voices. Here the -cantus firmus is given out by the organ in the bass with figures, - -[Music] - -and there is no further reference to it until long after the chorus -have entered, and have been singing contrapuntal passages, when, -without any warning as it were, the three flutes, cornet, and three -trombones, which have hitherto been silent, bring in the chorale in -four parts, the voices and strings continuing their contrapuntal -course. The effect is so peculiarly Bach-like that we cannot refrain -from quoting a few bars. - -[Music: FROM THE CANTATA "ES IST NICHTS GESUNDES AN MEINEM LEIBE." NO. -25. - -_Bars 14 to 17._ - -Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem] - -[Music: meinem Leibe] - -The above quotation is only a specimen of what is found throughout -a long chorus, all the sections of the chorale being introduced in -turn, with a never-ceasing flow of counterpoint in the voice parts, -accompanied in the same way by strings. - -If we examine the voice parts we shall find that they practically -amount to a double canon, the tenor imitating the bass, the treble -imitating the alto. But the canon is not carried out with an iron-bound -rule which would crush all beauty out of the music; on the contrary, -the imitations are quite free and unconstrained. Each voice must have -its melody, even if collisions occur now and then, such as between -alto and tenor bar 15, last quaver: alto and bass just previously to -this: the consecutive sevenths in the treble and alto bar 16, third and -fourth quavers, or the entry of the tenor on F[natural] bar 17, against -the F[sharp] in the bass. This rough and healthy vigour is thoroughly -characteristic; the parts must express themselves by their melody; if -they happen occasionally to collide, this is of much less importance -than that their vigorous melody should be sacrificed in order to -sweeten the harmony. - -[Sidenote: Technical Skill] - -The string accompaniment must also take its part. The instruments -are all treated as individuals, not merely as filling up harmonies. -Therefore they do not reiterate one note in each chord, but move about. -The wind instruments play in four part harmony which is complete in -itself. It might perhaps appear that this is merely a display of -learning and contrapuntal skill, but a close examination of Bach's -most elaborate works will reveal the fact that the greater the -contrapuntal task he sets himself, the more expressive is the music. -Such choruses exhibit the highest possible technical skill, but all -this is as nothing compared to the wonderfully artistic effect that -the composition as a whole produces. - -In some cases Bach writes an organ obbligato part in addition to the -"continuo," or figured bass. Thus the opening symphony of "Wir danken -dir, Gott, wir danken dir," composed for the election of the Town -Council at Leipsic in 1737, consists of the "Prelude" of the violin -solo suite No. 6 transposed to D, - -[Music] - -on the obbligato organ, with accompaniments for three trumpets, drums, -two oboes, strings and continuo (to be played on another organ[59]). - -Bach seems to have tried every kind of experiment with his orchestra. -For instance in "Freue dich erloeste Schaar" an aria is accompanied by -a flute, a muted violin, the rest of the strings pizzicato, and the -organ part to be played staccato. One peculiarity, however, of his -orchestration is that the combination of instruments he chooses for a -particular movement remains the same throughout. Rests occur in the -parts, but there is no variety of treatment within the movement. Thus -in the above-mentioned aria the lower strings having begun pizzicato -play pizzicato throughout, the first violins remain muted throughout, -and the organ plays staccato throughout. Again, in the opening chorus -of "Es ist nichts gesundes," referred to above, the wind never plays -anything but the chorale in four parts. Of variety there is plenty, but -it is not produced by modern methods. - -Bach was just as careful in the choice of instruments for his -particular effects as in the choice of stops in organ playing. Many of -the instruments he used are now obsolete, and their intonation must -have been very faulty. Yet if they had the particular tone colour -he considered fitting he would not hesitate to employ them, to the -exclusion of, or together with, the more manageable instruments such -as the violin, viola, oboe, &c. Amongst the obsolete instruments he -employed to accompany the voices in his cantatas and Passion music -were violoncello piccolo,[60] viola da gamba,[60] taille,[61] viola -d'amore,[60] cornet,[60] oboe d'amore,[62] oboe da caccia,[60] -lituus,[60] violetta,[60] violino piccolo.[60] - -[Sidenote: Cantatas] - -Some of the cantatas are called solo cantatas; they consist of a series -of movements usually founded on a chorale, for one or more solo voices, -and contain no choruses, though occasionally a chorale is to be sung by -the congregation. - -The cantatas are often called by Bach "Concertos." Thus "Bereitet die -Wege" for fourth Sunday in Advent is entitled "Concerto a 9, 1 oboe, 2 -violini, 1 viola, 1 violoncello, soprano, alto, tenor, bass, col basso -per organo di J. S. Bach." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[56] Burney devotes nearly a whole volume to Handel, and only one -paragraph to Bach. - -[57] The original tune would be, with the above words-- - -[Music: A stronghold sure our God remains] - -[58] See Griepenkerl's Introduction to Peters, vol. 244. - -[59] According to Gesner the keyboard of the Rueck-positiv (back choir) -of the St Thomas' organ stood apart from the chief organ, and was used -by Bach to conduct from (see the frontispiece of Walther's Lexicon, -1732). If there was an organ obbligato part, it would be played on this -manual, while another person played the _continuo_ on the chief organ. - -[60] See Glossary. - -[61] See p. 108. - -[62] A minor third below the oboe, and of more pathetic tone. - - - - -Chapter IX - -The Matthew Passion and B Minor Mass[63] - - -[Sidenote: _The Lutheran Services_] - -It was Luther's chief intention to make the congregation take more part -in the service of the Church than they had formerly done. The first -thing therefore was to diminish or abolish the use of Latin; and the -people were made to sing what they could understand and appreciate. - -Luther translated a number of excellent old church hymns, and made -new tunes for them, being assisted in this work by friends. The newly -arranged hymns were to take the place of the Graduals, Offertories, &c. - -He also translated and reorganised the chief parts of the Mass; thus -the Kyrie became "Gott Vater in Ewigkeit," the Gloria, "Allein Gott in -der Hoeh sei Ehr," the Creed, "Wir glauben all an einen Gott," and the -Agnus Dei, "Christe du Lamm Gottes." - -The Preface, the Benedictus, and Hosanna were left in Latin. - -Besides the chorales, he instituted the motet for the choir, which was -accompanied ordinarily by the organ, but on high festivals by cornets -and trombones. The style of the motets was that of Palestrina and -Orlando Lasso, and the texts were chosen from the Bible, especially the -Psalms. On days of humiliation, a long Litany and several Latin hymns -were sung instead of the Gloria. In Holy Week and on Palm Sunday and -Good Friday, instead of the Epistle, the Story of the Passion was sung -antiphonally from one of the gospels by two priests before the altar. - -But several inconveniences gradually arose. In spite of Luther's urgent -order, "A priest _must_ be able to sing," there were, in course of -time, only a few who could, and those sang badly--most priests could -not even keep to a single note. - -Let us imagine an unbroken monotone or monotonous chant badly intoned, -of the length of perhaps over one hundred verses; and the service, -being lengthened by the addition of hymns, &c., occupied sometimes from -four to five hours, all in one wearisome unison, and entirely deprived -of the variations which gave life to the Catholic service. Moreover if -anyone came late or left early he was severely reprimanded. - -[Sidenote: The German Mass] - -Luther said, "We arrange the German Mass as well as we can; our -successors will improve it." But for a hundred years after his death -men held most conscientiously to the letter of his sayings, and when -alterations were made, they were done so sparingly that they were -of little effect. The Latin songs were almost all assigned to other -services, _e.g._ the "Rex Christe" was assigned to the vespers, the -"Crux fidelis" to Thursday in Holy Week, and the singing of the Passion -before the altar was changed to a mere reading from the pulpit. - -But when read, only a very small portion of the congregation either -heard or understood it in a large and well-filled church; and soon -there arose disorders, especially when the old Protestant strictness -of discipline began to decline, and the Thirty Years' War had produced -much roughness in manners. A way out of the difficulty was found, -which must be mentioned, though it only lasted a few years. It was -certainly conceived in accordance with Luther's principles, but it -was soon found to be entirely impracticable. The congregation were -_themselves_ to sing the Passion story. For this purpose a song was -composed by Paul Stockmann ("Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod") containing -all the chief points in the story. Not only did the composition prove -entirely unsatisfactory in itself, but can one imagine four and thirty -strophes of eight lines each being sung straight away to one of the -dullest and most monotonous melodies that was ever composed! - -During this period, however, Figural music had, outside the Church, -been gradually developing in a freer and more easily appreciated -manner, and was therefore becoming widely cultivated. - -[Sidenote: _Introduction of Figural Music_] - -It found favour with the people, since there was no law against -its use, so that it began to enter the Church, not in ordinary -services, but on festivals. The result was most favourable. We find -expressly stated the attention and the devout pleasure with which -the congregation listened to the conjunction of song and strings. -Gradually, therefore, this music was received into favour, first on -festivals and afterwards on Sundays in the principal churches, and that -without any special care that the text and expression had any regular -connection with particular parts of the Liturgy, much less with the -special subject of the sermon. The cantor and music director in fact -did not know beforehand what the subject was to be. - -Everything else that had been used from former times remained, except -that after Frederick Augustus, Elector of Saxony, entered the Roman -Church in 1697, and organised such splendid services in his Court -church as had never been before heard in North Germany, more freedom -was allowed in the Lutheran churches. - -The celebration of the Passion remained as before, and we have only to -add that during the Fast and Advent weeks all instruments, including -the organ, had to be silent, even during the singing of the thirty-four -strophes. - -[Sidenote: _The Origin of Bach's Passion Music_] - -At last there came to the head of spiritual affairs at Leipsic a man -of decided character, highly esteemed as a learned theologian, a very -impressive preacher, and respected for his strictness of teaching -and life, Salomon Deyling, Doctor and Professor of Theology, &c. -(1677-1755). He could no longer endure the state of things in Passion -Week, and, since in 1723 the great and famous Sebastian Bach had -become cantor of the Thomas School and music director of the two chief -churches at Leipsic, he associated himself with him in order to see if -his ideas could be put in practice. The idea which he propounded to -Bach was this: "The early arrangement of the service was the best, but -was only suitable to its own date: we must try and make our arrangement -on the model of the earliest, but in keeping with modern requirements. - -"On each Palm Sunday and Good Friday the history of the Passion of -the Lord is made known antiphonally, according to one or other of the -Evangelists, exactly in accordance with the sacred writer's words! -Who could improve on this? They must be sung, how else are they to be -understood by all? But they must be sung by some one who can sing! -namely by you: and so that everything may sound well and be impressive -they must be musically sung, and accompanied. - -"Your best singer, who can pronounce clearly and well, must sing the -words of the Evangelist in recitative, and, in order to produce more -impression and life and variety, the other persons of the story must -be represented by other singers, and the Jewish people by a chorus. At -the chief points in the story there will be pauses, during which, by -means of an aria, the congregation shall lay to heart what they have -heard; and that all of us shall be refreshed from time to time, there -shall be well chosen verses from all the known hymns, in which the -congregation can join. Now, your business is to carry all this out in -a connected and artistic manner." And thus arose Bach's Passion music, -which completely fulfilled everything that was expected of it. However -few there were who could understand and honour and enjoy them as art -works, these services, and Bach's method of treating them, were gladly -received by the congregation, and the performance of such oratorios -became every time a truly edifying and Christian artistic feast. - -This account refers of course chiefly to Leipsic. It is supposed that -the decay of the performance of the Passion was due to the pupils and -sons of Bach, who tried to improve on his and Deyling's arrangement -by the introduction of Italian and lighter methods, which, though -pleasing, were soon found to be unsuitable to the simple words of the -Bible and Hymn-book. - -[Sidenote: _Early Passion Services_] - -The custom of performing the Passion in an epic and dramatic form -during Holy Week is exceedingly ancient. It exists still in the -Catholic Church in an ancient traditional way, consisting of the -relation of the gospel narrative by one singer, the speeches of Jesus -by another, while a third represents the crowd called _turba_. Music -and the dramatic element are little represented, and the performers -only make use of accent or intonations. In the Reformed Church the -performance of the Passion in German, and in artistic style, did -not take place earlier than the last half of the sixteenth century. -Winterfeld finds the earliest Passion music arranged for chorus after -the Gospel of St Matthew in Keuchenthal's Gesangbuch, Wittenberg, 1573. -A short instrumental piece precedes it and another closes it, and for -the rest, only the words of the _turba_ are allotted to chorus. A -similar work is the Passion according to St John, which is found in -Selneccer's Gesangbuch, 1587, but here there are hymns to be sung by -the congregation. - -The Passion according to St John, of Bartholomaeus Gese, 1588, begins -with a five voice chorus, followed by the gospel narration by a tenor -in Plainsong. The words of Christ are usually sung by four chorus -voices, the words of Peter and Pilate by three voices, those of the -maid and servant of the High Priest by two voices, the _turba_ are in -five voices, and a five voice chorus concludes the work. - -Heinrich Schuetz, 1585-1672, in whose "Resurrection of the Lord" modern -forms are found, has very sparingly used similar forms in his Passions -according to all four Evangelists, but chiefly in the concluding -choruses. The Passions in Vopelius' Gesangbuch, 1682, show that the -early forms were still in use at that date. - -The Passion of Capellmeister Johann Sebastiani, 1672, at Koenigsberg, -shows an advance in form here and there; and here also for the first -time do we find the artistic use of hymn tunes, while in Schuetz -only the final movements of his Passions have any connection with -the chorale. The biblical narrative is no longer in plainsong, but -recitative, accompanied either by two violins or two violas and -bass, and this is the first example of instrumental accompaniment in -a Passion music. The _turba_ are in four voice chorus, with a fifth -part in high tenor for the Evangelist. Two violins, four violas and -bass always accompany him. The hymns are directed only to have their -melodies sung, the remaining parts being played by the strings. - -A remarkable appearance was that of the Passion oratorios at Hamburg, -in which Handel, Keiser and Mattheson introduced the regular song -forms, the recitative, aria, and the duet of the opera, and in such a -method as only could be performed by very highly trained singers. At -first the words of Scripture in their original formed the basis. - -In 1704, however, an entirely new departure was made in "The bleeding -and dying Jesus" of Reinhold Keiser, with words by Hunold-Menantes. -Here there was no Evangelist, nor were words of the Scripture -introduced, but three cantatas or soliloquies, similar to dramatic -scenes, took an important place. They were called the "Lamentation of -Mary," the "Tears of Peter," and the "Lovesong of the Daughter of Zion." - -The novelty, which excited the fiercest criticism and raised a great -contest, did not take root, although through its means a new way was -opened up. For this attempt led the Hamburg Councillor Brockes to write -a musical poem of a similar kind, in which the evangelist was retained -in order to fill the gaps between the scenes. - -This composition, which was greatly admired, was set to music by -Keiser, and afterwards by Handel, Mattheson and Telemann. The first -performance of Keiser's setting took place in Holy week in 1712, and it -is of special interest, since Bach took some of the words for the arias -in his _St John Passion_. - -[Sidenote: Passion Settings] - -In the _Matthew Passion_ Bach follows that of Sebastiani with the -addition of new forms derived from the drama, but enriched and ennobled -by the mind of the Master. Scripture words and hymns no longer -satisfied his contemporaries or himself; and as long as the kernel -of the work was scriptural, according to use consecrated by time, no -objection could be made to the introduction of what had already been -accepted in other services in the Church. Only the soliloquies, those -theatrical scenes in which biblical persons appear with words other -than biblical, he would not introduce, for it was too like the stage. -Thus in a form, which though new, was intimately connected with the -old, did the _Passions_ of Bach appear, and the congregation took part -by singing the chorales. It is not known for certain how many Passions -Bach wrote; the number is said to be five. - -Regarding the author and composer of the _St Luke's Passion_ nothing is -known for certain, for Bach gives neither in his copy. The arguments -for its being his work are that it is in his writing, and is possibly -a youthful composition, and that he recopied it in later years so -that it should not be forgotten; while the chief argument against its -genuineness is its insignificance. The Bachgesellschaft publish it with -the above reservation. - -It consists mostly of chorales in four parts with short recitatives -between them. There are few arias or choruses, and a sermon is to be -preached in the middle.[64] - -[Sidenote: _Matthew Passion_] - -The first performance of the _Matthew Passion_ took place on Good -Friday, 1729. The words, where not scriptural, are by Picander. All -the resources of art are employed in this tremendous work. A double -chorus, a ripieno chorus of sopranos, a double orchestra and double -organ part; a part for the Evangelist which calls forth the very -highest powers of the greatest singers; all the instruments known in -Bach's time are at various points brought into requisition. We have -already alluded (p. 104) to the effect of the opening chorus when -sung in the Thomas Church. The never-ceasing flow of quavers in 12-8 -time, the call to the contemplation of the Passion, the questioning -second chorus which finally unites with the first, the solemn and -dignified march of the orchestra, have a devotional expression which -has never been surpassed. Throughout the work the words of the Saviour -are accompanied by strings alone in four parts, with the continuo -(which was never omitted in those days). The chorales, which are of -frequent occurrence, are to be sung in unison by the congregation, and -harmonised by the choir and instruments. The words of the _turba_ or -Jewish people are always allotted to double choruses, which throw the -expressions backwards and forwards at each other in a turbulent manner -(see p. 123). - -The disciples are also represented by a double chorus, as are the -Christian congregation; and the music of the various double choruses -is in keeping with sentiments which might be supposed to actuate the -singers. The arias which fill the "pauses" suggested by Deyling are -allotted to an alto, soprano, tenor, or bass, and are accompanied, in -addition to the organ, by two flutes, or two oboi d'amore, or oboi da -caccia, or by a viola da gamba, or by a violin solo with string band. - -After Bach's death this magnificent work was performed at St Thomas -Church till the end of the seventeenth century, when it was laid aside -until revived by Mendelssohn in 1829, just one hundred years after its -first performance. - -[Music: - - Ja nicht auf das Fest auf dass nicht ein Aufruhr werde - Weissage] - -[Sidenote: _B Minor Mass_] - -The gigantic B Minor Mass was gradually composed. At first it -was to have been a "missa brevis," but the rest was added later. -Hilgenfeldt[65] makes the following remarks on it:--"This Mass is -one of the noblest works of Art, full of inventive genius, depth of -feeling, and astonishing artistic power: there is no other of the -same calibre which can be compared to it. It was originally written -for the Saxon Court, and was first performed at Dresden. On his other -compositions of the same kind Bach has expended far less energy. It is -possible that a Protestant artist such as he was could not entirely -enter into the religious point of view which he was obliged to take in -composing for the Catholic Church, and several of his other masses are -merely collected from portions of his cantatas." - -This is, however, also the case with the B minor Mass: thus the -Crucifixus occurs in the cantata "Weinen Klagen," the Hosanna in -"Preise dein Gluecke," the Agnus in "Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen." - -The Mass is dedicated to Frederick Augustus in the following words:-- - -"ILLUSTRIOUS ELECTOR,--GRACIOUS MASTER,--To Your Royal Highness I offer -in deepest devotion this small fruit of the knowledge to which I have -attained in music, with the most humble prayer that you will look upon -it, not according to the poor composition, but with your world-renowned -clemency, and therefore will take me under your powerful protection. - -"I have for some years had the direction of the music in the two chief -churches at Leipsic, but have suffered several disagreeable things, and -my income has been reduced though I am myself blameless; but these -troubles would be easily overcome if your Highness would grant me the -favour of a decree, after conference with your Court orchestra. - -"The gracious granting of my humble prayer would bind me to -everlastingly honour you, and I offer myself to do anything with -obedience that Your Royal Highness may require of me in the way -of composing church or orchestral music, and to give unwearied -industry, and to dedicate my whole strength to your service.--With -ever-increasing faithfulness, I remain, Your Royal Highness' most -obedient Servant,--JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH." - -This letter was handed in to the Court at Dresden when Bach was there -on a visit, July 27th, 1733. The reader will remember that he was at -this time in conflict with Ernesti, and the Council;--the title of -"Hof compositeur," Court composer, was not however given him until -1736. Though Hilgenfeldt says the B minor Mass was first performed at -Dresden, it is doubtful whether it was ever performed outside the two -chief churches at Leipsic, and even there it was only done in parts. -On a score of the "Gloria" made in 1740 the note occurs "on the feast -of the Nativity." The "Sanctus" also was originally intended as a -Christmas piece. The "Kyrie" is of great length; its score occupies -forty-six pages in the Bach Gesellschaft edition. Like the rest of -the choral portions, it has five voices, two sopranos, alto, tenor -and bass. The orchestra consists of two flutes, two oboi d'amore, two -bassoons, strings and continuo. - -The Gloria is scored for three trumpets, drums, two flutes, two oboes, -two bassoons, strings and continuo. It will be observed that for the -joyful music of the Gloria the tone of the oboe proper was considered -more suitable than the perhaps more plaintive tone of the oboe -d'amore, which is used in the Kyrie. - -At the very outset the hearers are made aware that a work of unusual -proportions is commencing. The words _Kyrie eleison_ are sung in a -massive five part adagio with independent orchestral parts, coming to -a full close at the end of the fourth bar. Here an instrumental "largo -ed un poco piano" commences and continues for twenty-five bars; it -foreshadows the vocal fugue, of which the following is the impressive -subject: - -[Music: Kyrie eleison] - -After this fugue has been worked at considerable length there is an -instrumental interlude, and it recommences, the bass leading off with -the subject in the tonic. The Christe eleison is set as a duet for -two sopranos in D major, and the second kyrie as a fugue, alla breve, -in four parts, in which the instruments double the voices. It has the -following stirring subject: - -[Music: Kyrie eleison] - -The "Gloria" begins in D major, and consists of eleven movements, -opening with a vigorous five part chorus vivace. - -[Music] - -"Quoniam tu solus Sanctus" is a bass aria accompanied by Corno di -caccia, two fagotti and continuo. There are no other instruments. - -The Creed contains seven movements. The words "Credo in unum deum" -are a fugue on the ancient Plainsong, which is in semibreves, with a -perpetually moving bass on the organ in crotchets. The only orchestral -instruments are two violins, which play independent parts. - -[Sidenote: "Et incarnatus est"] - -"Et incarnatus est" for five voices is based on an arpeggio figure -imitated in all the parts: - -[Music: Et incarnatus est] - -The "Crucifixus," one of the most impressive movements, is founded on -a chromatic ground bass, which recurs thirteen times, the four part -chorus singing various harmonies above it. This is the form of the -Passacaglia, and the same bass was used by Bach in the opening chorus -of the cantata, "Jesu, der du meine Seele," though in a very different -manner. "Et resurrexit" is another movement conceived in Bach's -happiest mood. It is in D major, like the Gloria, and has, if possible, -even more energy and swing. This is the vigorous opening phrase: - -[Music: Et resurrexit.] - -and it is repeated for the words "Cujus regni non erit finis." - -"Et in Spiritum sanctum" forms a bass solo accompanied by two oboi -d'amore. - -"Confiteor unum baptisma," a closely knit fugue on two subjects, is -in five parts with an independent organ bass. After a time the tempo -becomes adagio, and one of the most overpowering effects in the whole -of music introduces the words "et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum"; -as it were the whole of creation is called to witness the supreme -miracle of the resurrection of the dead. - -[Sidenote: The Sanctus] - -The Sanctus is a six part chorus; the voices move for the most part in -flowing triplets, the bass generally in an octave figure. After a time -the triplets give way to the following powerful passage: - -[Music: Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.] - -after a few bars of which the triplets are resumed. - -"Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria ejus," is a six part fugue, and -"osanna" is a double chorus. The "Dona nobis pacem" has the same -opening passage as the Rathswahl cantata. The work from beginning -to end is on a gigantic scale, in which each separate movement is a -masterpiece from every point of view. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[63] A considerable portion of this chapter is from an article by A. F. -Rochlitz in the _Allg. Musik Zeitung_, 1831. - -[64] See Conrad E. F. "Echt oder unecht? Zur Lucas Passion." - -[65] P. 115. - - - - -Chapter X - - The _Wohltemperirte Clavier_--"The Art of Fugue"--"Musical - Offering"--Bach as a Teacher--Bach's Works in England. - - -The _Wohltemperirte Clavier_ was gradually compiled and formed into -a complete work in two parts. The first part was completed at Coethen -in 1722, and entitled "The well tempered clavier, or preludes and -fugues through all tones and semitones, both with major and minor -thirds. For the edification and use of young musicians who are eager to -learn, and for the recreation of those who are already facile in this -study. Collected and prepared by Johann Sebastian Bach, Grand-ducal -Capellmeister and Director of Chamber music to the Court of Coethen, -Anno 1722." - -[Sidenote: _The Wohlt. Clavier intended for Clavichord_] - -The expression "well-tempered" refers to the equal temperament, of -which Bach was so strong an advocate, and many of the pieces would -be impossible with any other system of tuning. There is sufficient -internal evidence to show that these delicate and beautiful compositions -were primarily intended for the clavichord, as this instrument -had a power of expression which was denied to all the other keyed -instruments of that period. It is a mistake therefore to play them -on the harpsichord, and Spitta is right in his assertion that they -require for their adequate performance the very best pianoforte that -the skill of modern makers can produce. The larger number of the -pieces in the first collection were written at Coethen, and probably -quickly after one another. According to a tradition they were written -on one of his journeys, when he had not access to an instrument. -Schumann considered that many of the preludes were not originally -connected with the fugues. Bach made three copies which still exist. -He never had any intention of publishing a work which would scarcely -meet with success among the general public from its difficulty. The -second part was completed in 1740 or 1744. The only autograph is in -the British Museum, add. MS. 35,021, of a page of which we give a -photograph. It is written on large paper, fourteen staves to a page. - -Gerber says that Bach valued the work highly for its educational value, -and played it through no less than three times to him. - -It was first printed by A. F. C. Kollmanns in London in 1799, but this -impression was never published. The three first editions were those of -Hoffmeister and Kuehnel,[66] Simrock in Berlin, and Naegeli in Zurich, -all in 1801. The first English edition was that of Wesley and Horn, -1811. - -[Music: Preludium] - -[Sidenote: _Various readings_] - -That by Hoffmeister and Kuehnel was edited by Forkel, who, selecting -from a great number of copies, published many of the fugues in a -shortened form, believing that these were Bach's last arrangements of -them. It is well known that Bach constantly polished and improved his -works; and the number of different readings of the _Wohltemperirte -Clavier_ would fill a large volume. Amongst the more noticeable -varieties of reading is that of the E minor prelude in Part I. In -Litolff's edition (Koehler) and Novello's (Best) there is a florid -melody in the right hand, above the chords, which accompany the moving -bass. In Chrysander's edition it is explained that Bach's more mature -taste led him to discard the florid passages, and it is accordingly -published from a later MS. with only the chords on the first and third -beats of the bar, the melody being entirely omitted.[67] - -The "Art of Fugue" is a series of workings of a single subject in many -different ways. Like the _Wohltemperirte Clavier_ it was primarily -intended for educational purposes. Forkel gives the following account -of it: - -[Sidenote: _Art of Fugue_] - -"This excellent and unique work was not published till 1752, after -the composer's death, but was for the most part engraved during his -life by one of his sons. Marpurg, at that time at the helm of musical -literature in Germany, wrote a preface to the edition, in which much -that is good and true is said concerning the work. - -"But this 'Art of Fugue' was too lofty for the great world; it became -only known in the very small world of _connoisseurs_. This small world -was soon provided with copies; the plates were useless, and were -finally sold by Bach's heirs as old copper."... - -"The last fugue but one has three subjects, the third being the notes -b, a, c, h. This fugue was however interrupted by the blindness of the -author, and could not be finished. - -"To make up for the unfinished fugue, the editors added at the end -the four voice chorale 'Wenn wir in hoechsten Noethen sein,' which he -dictated to his son-in-law Altnikol on his death-bed." - -The work was brought out at the Leipsic Fair of Easter 1752. Mattheson -was loud in his praise saying it would astonish all French and Italian -fugue-makers. But the work was in reality finished. The MS. was -complete, and the engraving was being done under the author's direction -when he died in 1750. No one could fulfil his intentions, and the -engravers simply went on engraving everything that came to hand, both -sketches and completed movements, and it was full of printer's errors. -Hauptmann clearly shows that the last (unfinished) fugue is certainly -Bach's own work, but that it has no connection with the "Art of Fugue," -which closes in reality with the fugue for two claviers. The series of -fugues are all on one subject; the unfinished work leaves the subject, -and has nothing to do with the other fugues. We have therefore Bach's -last work complete, and the incomplete portion is due to a mistake of -the first publishers. - -[Sidenote: _Musical Offering_] - -"The Musical Offering" is a series of fugues and canons on a subject -given to Bach at Potsdam by Frederick the Great. The work consists of-- - - 1. Fuga (ricercata) for three voices. - 2. Fuga (ricercata) for six voices. - 3. VIII. Canons. - 4. Fuga canonica in epidiapente. - 5. Sonata (Trio) for flute, violin, and bass. - 6. Canon perpetuus for flute, violin, and bass. - -It is headed: - -"Regis Iussu Cantio, Et Reliqua Canonica Arte Resoluta." - -The dedicatory letter will explain its purpose: - -"MOST GRACIOUS KING,--To Your Majesty is proffered herewith in humblest -obedience a musical offering, whose most excellent portion originates -from your noble hand. I recall with respectful pleasure the peculiarly -royal favour with which during my visit to Potsdam your Majesty was -pleased to play to me a fugue theme, and to require me immediately to -work it out in your presence. Obedience to your Majesty's command was -my duty. I however soon remarked, that for want of proper preparation -the working out was not as good as so excellent a theme required. I -therefore resolved to work out this most royal theme properly and to -make it known to the world. This project is now fulfilled to the best -of my ability, and it has no other object than in some small way to do -honour to the fame of a monarch, whose greatness and power both in the -arts of peace and war, and especially in that of music are acknowledged -and admired by all. I make bold to add this humble request: that your -Majesty will accord a gracious reception to this small work, and by so -doing still further extend your royal condescension.--Your Majesty's -most humble and obedient servant, - - THE AUTHOR. - - "LEIPSIC, _July 7, 1747_." - -This dedication however only referred to a portion of the work, which -was gradually completed and engraved later. The epithet _ricercata_ -perhaps refers to the mechanical difficulty of the pieces. - -The six Great or English Suites are so called according to Forkel[68] -because they were written for some Englishman of rank. The same -authority says that the six little French suites received their name -because they are in French taste. It does not appear that the composer -gave either of these names. Both sets seem to have been written at -Coethen. - -[Sidenote: _Bach as a teacher_] - -All accounts agree as to Bach's wonderful capacity for teaching, and -we have a description of his methods from one of his pupils, H. N. -Gerber,[69] which we make no apology for quoting in full: - -"He went to Leipsic to study partly law and partly music under the -great Joh. Seb. Bach.... In the first six months he heard much -excellent church music and many concerts under Bach's direction, but -no opportunity arose which gave him courage to approach the great -man, until at last he mentioned his wish to one of his friends called -Wilde (afterwards organist at St Petersburg) who introduced him to -Bach. Bach received him in the most friendly manner and at once called -him 'Fellow-countryman.'[70] He promised to give him instruction, and -asked whether he had practised fugues diligently. At the first lesson -he placed the 'Inventions' before him. When Gerber had studied these -to Bach's satisfaction, he was given a number of suites, and then the -_Wohltemperirte Clavier_. This work Bach played through three times -to him with unapproachable art; and my father counted those amongst -his most enjoyable lessons when Bach, under the excuse that he felt -indisposed to teach, would seat himself at one of his excellent -instruments, and the hours passed like minutes. The end of a lesson -was taken up with figured bass-playing, for which Bach would choose -the violin solos of Albinoni; and I must confess that the skill with -which my father performed these basses in Bach's manner, and especially -in the flow of the parts amongst each other was unsurpassable. This -accompaniment was so beautiful in itself that no solo part that I have -heard could give me so much pleasure." Gerber was for two years under -Bach. - -Forkel[71] tells us that the first thing he taught was his own peculiar -touch, and for this purpose the pupil was kept for several months at -finger exercises, in fact they sometimes lasted from six to twelve -months; but when the pupil's patience began to flag he was given little -pieces which Bach composed specially for him, such as the six little -preludes for beginners, and the two-part inventions. He wrote these -during the lesson, and was thus able to make them suit the particular -requirements of the pupil. Together with the finger exercises the pupil -had to practise all manner of ornaments, and Bach demanded the severest -possible application from all his pupils. - -As soon as possible he was made to learn whichever of Bach's greater -works suited him. In order to lighten the difficulties, Bach played the -piece through to the pupil, and said, "that is how it must sound." - -One can, says Forkel, scarcely enumerate the many advantages of such -a method. Even if it were only that the pupil is roused to emulation -through the pleasure of hearing such a performance, the advantage would -be very great. But in addition to this he obtains at once a grip of the -piece in its complete form, instead of having to work it out bit by -bit as he gradually overcomes the mechanical difficulties. - -The instrument on which Bach taught was the clavichord, on account -of its expressive quality which trained the ear to fine shades of -tone; he would have nothing to say to mere finger training apart from -understanding the music, and insisted on the cultivation of both art -and technique together. - -[Sidenote: _Method of teaching Composition_] - -In teaching composition Bach did not begin with dry counterpoints -leading to nothing, as in his time was done by all other teachers; -still less did he trouble his pupils about tone-relationships, which in -his opinion concerned only theorists and instrument makers. He started -at once with pure four part figured bass, and insisted on the proper -leading of the parts, because this would give the clearest insight into -the harmonic progressions. He then went on to the chorale, to which -he at first set the basses and made the pupil only write the tenor -and alto, afterwards gradually making him write the bass. He insisted -at all times not only on the greatest possible purity in the harmony, -but on the natural and flowing connection of all the single voices. -The models he himself has left are known to every connoisseur, and his -inner voices are often so singable that they might serve for the upper -part. This style had to be striven for by the pupil, and until he had -reached a high degree of proficiency Bach did not consider it wise to -allow him to try inventing on his own account. He took for granted that -all his composition pupils had the faculty of thinking in music. If any -had not this faculty he was advised not to attempt composition. - -As soon as the above-mentioned preparations in harmony were finished, -he began with two voice fugue, and in this, and all composition -practice, the pupil was strictly forbidden to use the clavier. Those -who were obliged to do so he called "Knights of the keyboard." - -In fugue he was especially careful about the part writing--no voice -must merely fill in the harmony, or break off before it had finished -what it had to say. He looked upon his voices as persons, who conversed -together as in private society, in which it would be unseemly for -anyone to disturb the conversation either by uninteresting remarks, -or by not finishing his sentences. On the other hand, he allowed his -pupils as much freedom as possible with regard to intervals. They might -try any experiments they liked as long as no damage was done to the -purity of the harmony, or the inward meaning of the movement. He tried -all possible experiments himself, and was glad to see his pupils do -so. The whole of his system is to be found in Kirnberger's "Kunst des -reinen Satzes" (Art of pure writing).[72] - -[Sidenote: _Pupils_] - -Among his pupils were his sons, of whom an account has already been -given. The others were the following:--Johann Caspar Vogler, who began -studying under him at Arnstadt and Weimar, and, according to Bach's own -showing, was a very fine organist. He became organist and Burgomaster -at Weimar. - -Gottfried August Homilius, subsequently music director of the three -chief churches at Dresden, and cantor of the Kreuzschule. He was also -of considerable reputation as an organist and church composer. Died -1785. - -Christoph Transchel, who died in 1800 at Dresden, was an esteemed -teacher and clavier player. He was the owner of a considerable musical -library. - -Johann Ludwig Krebs eventually became Court organist and music director -at Altenburg, where he died in 1803. He was a very good organist -and composer. Bach's pun, "Ich habe in meinem Bache nur einen Krebs -gefangen," "I have only caught one Crab in my stream," was intended to -show the esteem in which he held him.[73] - -J. G. Goldberg of Koenigsberg was declared by Bach to be one of his best -pupils on the clavier and organ. - -Altnikol, his son-in-law, a fine organ player, and organist at -Naumburg. He helped his father-in-law considerably during his blindness. - -John Philipp Kirnberger, born 1721, died at Berlin in 1783, was Court -musician to Princess Amelia of Prussia, and celebrated as a theorist -and composer. - -Johann Friedrich Agricola (1720-1774) became composer to the Prussian -Court. He was more known by his theoretical works than his compositions. - -Johann Christian Kittel, who was organist at Erfurt and died in 1809, -was a thorough harmonist, a clever and learned organist, an able -composer, and a good teacher. - -Johann Schneider, Court organist and first violinist at Saalfeld, and -afterwards organist of the Nicolai Church at Leipsic. He was also a -pupil of Graun. - -Johann Martin Schubart (1690-1721) was Bach's first pupil; he became -organist at Weimar, but died early. - -A pupil named Voigt is mentioned by Emmanuel Bach as having come to his -father after he (Emmanuel) had left the house. Perhaps he is the author -of a "Conversation between an organist and his deputy about music," -mentioned by Walther. - -Gotthilf Ziegler, organist and music director at St Ulrich, Halle, was -a renowned teacher, composer and writer. - -Ernst Bach, his cousin, was Capellmeister at Eisenach, having first -studied law, and become a barrister. He was also a composer and -organist. - -J. H. Muethel, organist in Riga, a good performer and composer. Gerber -gives a long account of him, and Burney praises his playing and -compositions.[74] - -[Sidenote: _Bach's music in England_] - -We have seen that the first attempt to publish the _Wohltemperirte -Clavier_ was made in London. England was early in its recognition of -the composer, chiefly through the efforts of Samuel Wesley (1766-1837) -who, becoming acquainted with his works, eagerly propagated a knowledge -of them. Wesley's edition of the _Wohltemperirte Clavier_ was published -in conjunction with C. F. Horn in 1810; and through his influence, -Forkel's "Life" of Bach was translated and published in 1820. He became -famous for his performances of Bach's organ fugues, or as they were -called in those days "pedal fugues," and perhaps the name of his third -son, Samuel Sebastian, may have some connection with his admiration for -Sebastian Bach. - -In 1849 the English Bach Society was founded, having as its objects -the collection of the compositions and the performance of the works of -J. S. Bach. It gave the first performance of the "Matthew Passion" in -England at Hanover Square Rooms in 1854 under Sterndale Bennett. After -a few more performances the society was dissolved in 1870, and its -library given to the Royal Academy of Music. - -In 1875 the "Bach Choir" was formed under the conductorship of Mr -Otto Goldschmidt, for the performance of the B minor Mass, which was -effected in 1876 at St James's Hall, and the society was then placed -on a permanent footing for the purpose of performing works of Bach and -other composers. In 1885 Mr Otto Goldschmidt was succeeded by Professor -Villiers Stanford, under whose _baton_ many of Bach's important works -have been performed. - -Bach is perhaps best known in England at present by his organ works, -which are familiar to all competent organists, and his violin solos, -which Herr Joachim has done so much to propagate. The _Wohltemperirte -Clavier_ is a household word to every earnest musician, and his -_Passions_ of _St Matthew_ and _St John_, besides the _Christmas -Oratorio_ and a few cantatas, are frequently performed in London -churches. - -Selections from the organ works have been published in England from -time to time: by S. Wesley, by Coventry and Hollier (with the pedal -part arranged by Dragonetti for double bass), by Best and by Novello -with Best as editor. A complete edition is being brought out by Sir F. -Bridge and Mr J. Higgs. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[66] Afterwards the firm of C. F. Peters, Leipsic. - -[67] See Forkel, p. 64. - -[68] P. 56. - -[69] Father of the author of Gerber's Lexicon. - -[70] Gerber was a Thuringian. - -[71] P. 38. - -[72] Forkel, pp. 40, 41. - -[73] See page 49. - -[74] In addition to the above-mentioned professional pupils, all -amateurs living near obtained at least a few lessons from "so great and -celebrated a man."--Forkel, p. 42. - - - - -Chapter XI - - The Christmas Oratorio--The Magnificat--The Lost - Works--Instrumental Works--Bach's Playing--The Manieren, or Grace - Notes. - - -Bach never wrote an oratorio in the sense of a sacred dramatic work -to be performed on a stage without action. We have shown that the -Passion settings are a portion of the Lutheran Lenten services; and the -church cantatas take much the same place as the anthem in the English -Cathedral service, with the difference of greater length, orchestral -accompaniment, and an opportunity for the congregation to take part in -the final chorale. - -[Sidenote: _Christmas Oratorio_] - -The so-called _Christmas Oratorio_, dated 1734, is nothing more than a -series of six cantatas, to be sung during the service on six successive -days at Christmas time. Each begins with a chorus which is followed by -several arias and recitatives, and each ends with a chorale, besides -which, chorales are also interspersed in the body of the work. The -second cantata opens with a most exquisite symphony, of a pastoral -nature something akin to the pastoral symphony in the "Messiah," but -longer, and with the most subtle orchestral effects; especially are the -passages for two oboes interchanging with the strings most beautiful; -and the chief "motive" of the symphony recurs in the accompaniment of -the closing chorale. The character of the choruses is for the most part -one of triumphant joyfulness, and the arias have all the tender effects -which Bach so well knew how to produce. - -[Sidenote: _Easter Oratorio_] - -The _Easter Oratorio_ is a short cantata without a chorale. - -The motets are compositions in several movements for unaccompanied -voices, from three to eight in number. The movements are interspersed -with chorales harmonised in four parts. The seventh motet, "Ich -lasse dich nicht," though as fine as any, is considered to be almost -certainly not by Bach, and is therefore only given as an appendix in -vol. 39 of the Bach Gesellschaft edition. The appendix also gives a -figured bass and instrumental accompaniment to No. 2. "Der Geist hilft -unsrer Schwachheit auf." - -Motets by Bach and other composers are sung in the Thomas Church at -Leipsic, and in the Kreuz-Church at Dresden at vespers on Saturday -afternoons. - -[Sidenote: _Secular Works_] - -Bach also wrote a few secular vocal works. Among these are several -birthday, wedding and funeral cantatas--odes for important personages; -some "Dramme per Musica," two of which, the "Choice of Hercules," and -"Toenet ihr Pauken" are taken bodily from the _Christmas Oratorio_, -other words being adapted to the music; a cantata for the dedication -of a new organ at Stoermthal, a comic cantata in praise of coffee. Some -of the secular cantatas were composed for the Concert Society which -met once a week about 1736 in a coffee-house in the Katharinen-strasse -at Leipsic, and of which Bach was the director. Among these was "The -strife between Phoebus and Pan." - -[Sidenote: _Smaller Masses and Magnificat_] - -Besides the B minor Mass Bach wrote four "short" masses of much -smaller calibre, four "Sanctus," and a "Magnificat" in D major of great -power and beauty. This work appears in two forms, of which one is much -finer than the other, and is therefore considered to be the latest. It -was the custom to intersperse the singing of the Latin Magnificat with -four chorales, but this custom not coinciding with Bach's sense of the -fitness of things, he added the chorales as an appendix to his score. - -The work is for a five part choir, with arias, a duet, and a trio. -The trio is a remarkable canon, or rather piece of canonic imitation -in the voice parts, to the words "suscepit Israel puerum suum," to -which the strings play an accompaniment, while the oboes play in their -highest register the chorale "meine Seel' erhebt den Herren" ("my -soul doth magnify the Lord"). And, as showing Bach's sense of form, -the whole work is welded together by a fresh working of the material -of the opening chorus, at the words "sicut erat in principio et -nunc.... Amen." We have remarked on this kind of construction in the -second cantata of the _Christmas Oratorio_,[75] and it is not at all -infrequent with Bach. - -Except opera and oratorio Bach wrote every kind of work that was -known in his day. The Bach Gesellschaft completed the publication of -his works in full score in 1898 in some sixty large quarto volumes. -Complete editions of the vocal works in pianoforte score and the -instrumental in full score have been published by Peters, and by -Breitkopf and Haertel of Leipsic, while the editions of selected -portions published from time to time since the beginning of the -nineteenth century are innumerable. - -But when we say "complete edition" it must be understood as referring -only to the works that have been preserved, for a large number seem to -have been lost when the great man died: before his property was valued -for probate there was an unseemly scramble for his manuscripts among -his elder sons. - -[Sidenote: _The "year courses"_] - -Mizler, in his "Necrology," tells us the bare fact that there were five -"year courses" of cantatas, _i.e._ sets of cantatas for each Sunday -and holy day throughout the year. The Lutheran ecclesiastical year -contains fifty-nine such days (six Sundays in Lent and three in Advent -are excluded). The five courses would therefore require no less than -295 cantatas. Of these W. Friedemann took three "year courses," since -he could use them in his post of organist at Halle, but his wretched -circumstances forced him afterwards to part with them one by one. - -Forkel only knew of "eight to ten motets for double chorus," and -twenty-one church cantatas, two five-voice masses, a mass for two -choirs, of which the first choir is accompanied by strings, the second -by wind, a double-chorus Passion with text by Picander (this must be -the "Matthew Passion"), a Sanctus, some motets, a single fugue for four -voices, and a comic cantata. - -The other two "year courses," which included about ninety cantatas, and -the two known Passions, went to C. P. Emmanuel Bach. - -[Sidenote: MSS. of Works] - -The MSS. of the larger number of the existing works of Bach are in the -Royal Library and in that of the Joachimsthal at Berlin. Many of these -are in autograph. The parts are of more value than the scores, since -they are not only more carefully copied, but contain the corrections -for performance. - -Bach used to wrap up his scores and parts in covers on which the name -of the work and title of the composer were fully given, while on the -MSS. themselves nothing was given. If the cover were lost, therefore, -the composer's name was lost. Many works by other composers are found -in Bach's handwriting, both score and parts. - -[Sidenote: _Difficulties in the way of publication_] - -The Bach Gesellschaft has been at immense pains to search for all that -exists of Bach's compositions. In vol. vi. they give a long account of -the difficulties they had to contend with in publishing the B minor -Mass; the owner of the autograph score, placing every difficulty in -their way, would neither sell it nor lend it to them, and finally tried -to dispose of it secretly to some unknown person. They were obliged, -therefore, to publish it from such copies as they could collect; but -almost immediately after they had done so they obtained access to the -precious MS. and were able to publish an appendix, giving whatever -variations from their own edition were found there. - -Of Bach's instrumental compositions the most important are, as we have -indicated, those for the organ and other keyed instruments. He has left -many orchestral works, but these have not the significance of his organ -and clavier music, for the symphony, in the modern sense, was not yet -developed. - -[Sidenote: _Bach's playing_] - -His playing is thus described by the poet Schubart:--"J. S. Bach was -a genius of the highest order, his soul is so peculiar, so gigantic, -that centuries will have to pass before he is reached by anyone. He -played the clavier, the fluegel, the cymbal with equal creative power, -and the organ--who is like him? who will ever equal him? His fist was -gigantic; he could, for example, stretch a 12th with the left hand, and -perform running passages between with the three inner fingers; he made -pedal runs with the greatest possible exactness, he drew the stops so -silently that the hearer almost sank under the magic effect; his hand -was never weary, and lasted out through a whole day's organ playing. - -"The comic style was just as familiar to him as the earnest; he was -equally a virtuoso and composer. What Newton was as a philosopher Bach -was as a musician. He had such a wealth of ideas, that no one except -his own great son can come near him; and with all this he combined also -the rarest talent for teaching." - -[Sidenote: _The Grace notes_] - -With respect to the Manieren or grace-notes attacked in the "Kritische -Musikus" by Scheibe, a friend of Bach's answered the attack by saying -that by means of these signs no performer would now be able to destroy -the effect of a piece by applying his own method; those who went wrong -would be put in the right way, and the honour of the master would be -retained. - -The four chief ornaments are-- - -The Vorschlag (appoggiatura) - -[Music: Appoggiatura Written Played] - -It appears more in the parts than in the scores, and seems to have been -mostly added after they were written out. When Bach required it to be -played slowly he wrote out its exact value in full-sized notes. - -The Trill (_tr._) seems to have been put down rather recklessly, -perhaps on account of fashion. Thus, the oboe sometimes has trills -given it which are quite impossible to perform. - -Each composer had his own method of writing the various signs and there -was of course hopeless confusion. There is no doubt that the trill was -used to mean three different things, at the choice of the performer: -namely, the vibrato of the violin and tremulant of the organ, or a real -trill, or simply a _tenuto_. The sign [Music] appears to be equivalent -to _tenuto_, thus [Music] - -Notes which are neither detached (gestossen) nor slurred, nor held -out, must be sustained for half their value, but if the word _ten._ -appears above them they must be given their full value. These notes are -generally quavers and crotchets in moderate and slow tempo, and they -must not be played weakly, but with a refined and quite gentle touch. -Some of the signs can be interpreted by the fact that they are written -out in full in the parts. In this way Reitz has shown the Schleifer -(Glide) [Music: crotchet with glide] to mean [Music: crotchet preceded -by two ascending demisemiquavers] It was called in French _Coule_, -sometimes written [Music] The Pralltriller or half trill [Music] is -lengthened when over long notes. It means no precise number of notes. -This is J. S. Bach's own explanation, - -[Music] - -It will be seen that all four signs mean the same thing, and no turn -is to be played as in the shake. According to C. P. Emmanuel Bach it -must be so rapid that one does not perceive any loss of time from the -principal note.[76] - -The Mordent [Music: crotchet with mordent] is to be played [Music: two -demisemiquavers descending, then dotted quaver on the initial note] -the lower note being either a semitone, as above, or a tone, as in the -little E minor fugue (Peters, 242). - -FOOTNOTES: - -[75] P. 144. - -[76] This description of the _Manieren_ is extracted from the -Introduction to vol. vii. of the Bach Gesellschaft Edition. - - - - -Chapter XII - - Innovations in the Fingering and Use of Keyed and Stringed - Instruments. - - -At Weimar Bach had devoted a considerable part of his energies to -the clavier, as his official duties demanded. The harpsichord, being -deficient in expression and in duration of sound, required rapidity of -movement and polyphonic writing to produce its due effects. Bach did -what was possible, however, to use the legato style on it, and on the -other hand introduced on the organ, as far as it would bear it, the -rapid execution peculiar to the harpsichord. - -[Sidenote: _The fingering of keyed instruments_] - -Before his period the fingering of keyed instruments had not been -reduced to any systematic method. Michael Praetorius in his _Syntagma -Musicum_ thinks the matter of no importance, and that if a note was -produced clearly and distinctly it was a matter of indifference how it -was done.[77] - -[Music] - -At the beginning of the eighteenth century the necessity of some method -seems to have dawned on musicians; up to that time the thumb and little -finger had hardly been used, owing to their shortness. In order to play -legato on the organ, the middle fingers were made to go under and over -each other. Daniel Speer, in 1697, gives the following fingering for -the scale of C (for convenience we alter it to English numbering):-- - -[Music] - -Mattheson taught-- - -[Music] - -J. F. B. C. Majer, a Swabian organist about the same time, taught-- - -[Music] - -There is no advance in these fingerings on the book by Ammerbach, -published in 1571. - -The right thumb it will be seen was unused, and hung helpless--the -fingers being stretched out flat to reach the keys. - -In order to bring the thumb into use, Bach caused the fingers to be -curved and to remain over their respective keys, so as to be able to -strike them accurately and rapidly. The thumbs had to pass under the -fingers, and to take an equal part with them in the playing. - -[Sidenote: _Bach's method of fingering_] - -The new kind of fingering was made the more necessary by the use of all -the keys equally; for hitherto only a few keys had been used. The hand -and arm were to be held horizontally, the wrist straight; the fingers -bent in the natural position assumed by the hand when about to grasp -any object. Each finger had to fall without disturbing the others; -and Bach devoted an immense amount of labour to make his fingers -independent and equal in strength. He could perform trills with all -fingers equally well, and could play melodies at the same time with -the other fingers. After a finger had held down a note as long as was -necessary it was drawn towards the inner part of the hand on leaving -the key. The wrist and elbows were kept perfectly quiet. The method was -the same for both organ and harpsichord. The keys were not struck but -pressed down. Bach raised his fingers so little that their movement was -hardly noticeable. They were, however, still passed over one another, -as well as the thumb, and in order not to break the legato effect, the -finger passed over was drawn back before leaving the key. This method -was particularly applicable to the clavichord, one of Bach's favourite -instruments. - -He liked the upper row of keys to be shallower than the lower, so that -he could slip down from one to the other without change of finger. - -[Sidenote: Other Fingering Methods] - -But others were at work on the same ground. Couperin, organist of St -Gervais at Paris, published in 1717 his "L'art de toucher le clavecin." -J. G. Walther used the thumb, and has left some organ chorales with -this indicated. - -Heinichen and Handel also used the thumbs, and bent their fingers over -the notes, so that they struck the right ones unconsciously. - -Two short pieces with Bach's fingering in his own hand have come down -to us--the rules laid down by his son C. P. Emanuel differ from them -considerably--thus Emanuel limits the crossing to the thumb; Sebastian -prescribes crossing of fingers as well. - -Sebastian, in fact, retained all that was advantageous in the old -system and engrafted on it the use of the thumb, etc. His son, who was -the forerunner of modern piano-playing, simplifies his father's rules. -His compositions were of a far less complicated nature than those of -his father, and he therefore was able to use simpler fingering. - -The hammer-like stroke required for the modern piano effectually -banished the crossing of fingers over one another, by which pressure -only, not a blow, could be obtained. The loss of Bach's complete -method of fingering (which is not adapted for the piano) causes his -compositions to be more difficult to the modern player than they were -to him, but this does not hold good of the organ, the nature of which -remains the same as in his time. - -He played equally in all keys, and for this purpose had his instruments -tuned in equal temperament, as is universally the case at present. -Experiments had been made in this method of tuning by Werkmeister, who -died in 1706, and, later, by J. G. Neidhardt. - -[Sidenote: _Equal temperament_] - -The early experiments in tempering must have led to curious -results--thus the major-thirds were flattened; and yet only when -three major-thirds are sharpened (CE, E G[sharp], G[sharp] (A[flat]) -C) do they reach a purely tuned octave. Bach mastered the problem -for himself. He tuned his own harpsichord and clavichord, making the -major-thirds rather sharp; and he must have flattened the fifths as -we do. His son Emanuel speaks of his testing the fifths by tuning -their octave below, and making this a fourth below the starting -point. What he did was the result of practical experiment, for he -would have nothing to do with mathematical theory. He always quilled -his harpsichord himself; and he made a point of practising the -clavichord, since the expression possible on this instrument made the -ear keener and more sensitive to the possibility of effect on the more -inexpressive harpsichord. - -Spitta considers that Bach's genius in a way foresaw the advent of a -more perfect instrument than either the clavichord or harpsichord--an -instrument which should combine the expression of the first with -the power of the latter, and at the same time approach the organ in -possibilities of legato and sustained sounds. Such an instrument is the -modern pianoforte. - -[Sidenote: _The Lute-harpsichord_] - -In 1740 Bach planned a lute-harpsichord, and got Zacharias Hildebrand, -an organ-builder, to make it under his direction. It had gut strings, -two to each key, and a set of octave metal strings. It had also cloth -dampers, which made the instrument sound something like a real lute; -and when these were raised, it sounded like a theorbo--it was in size -shorter than an ordinary harpsichord (Adlung Mus. Mech. II., p. 139). - -Although Bach was concertmeister, or leader of the orchestra at Coethen, -it is not to be supposed that he had any extraordinary facility on the -violin. Quantz, in "Versuch einer Anweisung, etc.," rightly considers -that for such a post, at any rate in those days, it was more necessary -that the holder should be a good all-round musician with sufficient -facility to execute the ordinary orchestral music, than that he should -be a "virtuoso"--and not every virtuoso makes a good leader. - -[Sidenote: _Knowledge of stringed instruments_] - -His knowledge of the construction of stringed instruments was -sufficient for him to invent a new one while he was at Coethen, in -order to meet the demands made on the performer by his own music. -This instrument, which he called the viola pomposa, was something -between the viola and violoncello. It was played like a violin, and -had five strings tuned to the four strings of the violoncello, with -the addition of E above the first string. This additional string -makes the performance of his sonatas for violoncello comparatively -easy. Thus in the sixth violoncello sonata, which is expressly written -for five strings, in the third bar of the saraband the chords [Music] -are comparatively easy with the additional string; and in the gavotte -[Music] the first chord would be played with two open strings, which is -impossible with a four-stringed instrument. He also altered the tuning -of his violoncello, as in the fifth sonata, where he lowers the first -string to G[78] and obtains the chords [Music] etc. - -[Sidenote: Practical Knowledge] - -It seems impossible that he could have himself performed his violin -and violoncello sonatas; they tax the highest efforts of the best -performers of the present day; but his knowledge of stringed -instruments and their possibilities is shown by these compositions -to have been as profound as his knowledge of the organ. No mere -theoretical knowledge could have sufficed to enable him to write -these things; he must have had a wider practical knowledge than any -but the best _virtuosi_, and to this he united his enormous genius for -composition. - -It appears natural that the German violinists, with their feeling for -full harmony, should have cultivated the art of double-stopping on -stringed instruments, rather than that of pure melody and tone. It -is said that Bruhns the organist, Buxtehude's pupil, while playing -in three and four parts on his violin, would sometimes sit before an -organ, and add a bass on the pedals.[79] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[77] In "The Compleat Tutor for the Harpsichord or Spinnet, wherein -is shown the Italian manner of Fingering, &c." by S. and S. Thompson, -the date of which is later than 1742, since it contains the minuet in -_Samson_, the little finger is never used in a scale, and fingers are -made to go under one another, in the way the thumb is used nowadays. -The English numbering is used; and the example of an ascending and -descending scale on p. 153 shows the chaotic condition of things. - -[78] Our readers will remember the familiar case in Schumann's -pianoforte quartet, where he lowers the C string to B[flat] for a -particular effect. De Beriot _raises_ his fourth (violin) string to A -for certain passages. - -[79] M. Vivien, a pupil of Leonard, and one of the first violins in the -orchestra at Brussels about 1876, had a violin of which the bridge was -cut nearly flat at the top. This enabled him to play on three and (with -a little extra pressure of the bow) four strings at once, by which he -produced very full effects. - - - - -Chapter XIII - - The Organs in Leipsic Churches--Bach's Method of Accompanying--The - Pitch of Organs. - - -[Sidenote: Thomas Church Organ] - -There were two organs in the Thomas Church, the larger of which dated -from 1525. In 1721 it was enlarged by Scheibe, a builder of whom Bach -had a very good opinion. In 1730 it was again improved, by giving the -choir organ a keyboard of its own, instead of its being acted on by the -great key-board as was formerly the case. - -The organ contained:-- - -GREAT - - 1. Principal (open diapason), 16 ft. - 2. Principal (open diapason), 8 " - 3. Quintadena, 16 " - 4. Octave (our principal), 4 " - 5. Quinta, 3 " - 6. Superoctava (our fifteenth), 2 " - 7. Spiel-Pfeiffe, 8 " - 8. Sesquialtera gedoppelt, - 9. Mixture, 6, 8 and 10 ranks. - -BRUSTWERK[80] - - 1. Grobgedackt, 8 ft. - 2. Principal (open diapason), 4 " - 3. Nachthorn, 4 ft. - 4. Nasal, 3 " - 5. Gemshorn, 2 " - 6. Cymbal, 2 ranks. - 7. Sesquialtera, - 8. Regal, 8 ft. - 9. Geigenregal, 4 " - -RUECKPOSITIV[81] - - 1. Principal, 8 ft. - 2. Quintadena 8 " - 3. Lieblich Gedacktes, 8 " - 4. Klein Gedacktes, 4 " - 5. Traversa, 4 " - 6. Violino, 2 " - 7. Raschquint gedoppelt, - 8. Mixtur, 4 ranks. - 9. Sesquialtera, - 10. Spitzfloet, 4 ft. - 11. Schallfloet, 1 " - 12. Krumbhorn, 16 " - 13. Trommet, 8 " - -PEDAL - - 1. Sub-bass von Metall, 16 ft. - 2. Posaune Bass, 16 " - 3. Trommeten Bass, 8 " - 4. Schalmeyen Bass, 4 " - 5. Cornet, 3 " - - -There were also Tremulant, Vogelgesang, Zimbelstern-Ventils and ten -bellows. The organ loft has been twice enlarged, first in 1802, and -afterwards in 1823. It now accommodates the whole of the large double -chorus and double orchestra employed in performance of the Passion -music on Good Friday. - -The smaller organ was built in 1489. In Bach's time it stood in a -gallery opposite the large organ. It was of very little use, and in -1740 was sold to St John's Hospital. It had three manuals, pedal, and -twenty-one stops, and was only employed on high festivals. As it was at -a considerable distance from the other organ, difficulty was felt in -keeping the two choirs together. This gallery remained, and was used -for musical purposes, till 1886. - -The organ of the Nicolai Church was built in 1598, repaired in 1692, -and in 1725 was thoroughly renewed by Scheibe at a cost of 600 thalers. - -[Sidenote: Leipsic University Organ] - -The organ at the University Church was the best in Leipsic at that -time. It consisted of:-- - - -GREAT - - 1. Principal (open diapason), 16 ft. - 2. Quintatoen, 16 " - 3. Principal (open diapason), 8 " - 4. Schalmei, 8 " - 5. German Flute, 8 " - 6. Gemshorn, 8 " - 7. Octave, 4 " - 8. Quinte, 3 " - 9. Quintnasat, 3 " - 10. Octavina, 2 " - 11. Waldfloete, 2 ft. - 12. Mixture, 5 and 6 ranks. - 13. Cornet, 3 ranks. - 14. Zink, 2 " - -BRUSTWERK - - 1. Principal, 8 ft. - 2. Gamba, 8 " - 3. Grobgedackt, 8 " - 4. Octave, 4 " - 5. Rohrfloete, 4 ft. - 6. Octave (fifteenth), 2 " - 7. Nasat, 2 " - 8. Sedesima, 1 " - 9. Schweizer Pfeife, 1 " - 10. Largo (No. of feet not stated). - 11. Mixture, 3 ranks. - 12. Clear Cymbal, 2 " - -THIRD MANUAL - - 1. Lieblich Gedackt, 8 ft. - 2. Quintatoen, 8 " - 3. Flute douce, 4 " - 4. Quinta Decima, 4 " - 5. Decima Nona, 3 " - 6. Hohlfloete, 2 " - 7. Viola, 2 " - 8. Vigesima Nona, 1-1/2 " - 9. Weitpfeife, 1 " - 10. Mixtur, 3 ranks. - 11. Helle Cymbal, 2 ft. - 12. Sertin (perhaps serpent), 8 " - -PEDAL - - 1. Principal, 16 ft. - 2. Quintatoen, 16 " - 3. Octave, 8 " - 4. Octave, 4 " - 5. Quinte, 3 " - 6. Mixtur, 5 and 6 ranks - 7. Quinten-bass, 6 ft. - 8. Jubal, 8 " - 9. Nachthorn, 4 " - 10. Octave, 2 " - 11. 2nd Principal, 16 " - 12. Sub-bass, 16 " - 13. Posaune, 16 " - 14. Trompete, 8 " - 15. Hohlfloete, 1 " - 16. Mixtur, 4 ranks. - -The organ had been tried by Bach on its completion in 1716, who wrote -a very elaborate report.[82] It may be of interest to quote some of -Bach's remarks, 1. He says that the space occupied is too confined to -admit of easy access to some of the parts, in case of repairs being -required. This was, however, not the fault of the builder Scheibe, as -he was not allowed the space he asked for. - -2. The wind must be made to come more equally, so as to avoid heavy -rushes of wind. - -3. The parts quite fulfil the description in all respects; and the -contract, with the exception of the Schallmey and Cornet, which were -changed by order of the college for a 2 ft. Octave (15th) and 2 ft. -Hohlfloete, is completed. - -4. The defects of intonation must be done away with; and the lowest -pipes of the Posaune and Bass Trumpet made to speak less roughly and -harshly. The instrument to be frequently and thoroughly tuned in good -weather. - -5. The keys have too great a fall, but this cannot be helped, owing to -the narrowness of the structure. - -6. Finally, the window behind the organ should be built up as far as -the top of the organ, or covered with an iron plate, to prevent damage -by weather. - -The above list of 54 stops is given by Spitta, who quotes from the -"Acta" of the university; but a MS. chronicle of Leipsic, discovered -after 1880, of which the references to musical matters are quoted -in the "Musikalisches Centralblatt" for 1884, has the following -entry:--"1716, June. This summer the beautiful Pauliner organ, which -consists of 67 stops, was finished." A complete list of the stops -follows, but is not given in the "Musikalisches Centralblatt." - -During the concerted music, the organist had to accompany from figured -bass, and the voice part was rarely given him, as the cantor would -not trouble to write it out, though Bach, with his characteristic -thoroughness did so in many cases. - -[Sidenote: _Bach's method of playing from figured bass_] - -There exists a specimen of Bach's method of playing from figured bass -in a MS. accompaniment to a violin sonata of Albinoni, by H. N. Gerber, -a pupil of Bach.[83] It contains a few autograph corrections by Bach -himself, and it may be taken, therefore, as an example of the manner -which Bach approved of. It is described by Spitta as of no melodic -character, as being in four parts throughout, and as not adhering -strictly to the harmonies given by Albinoni where an improvement was -possible. The adornment of a figured bass accompaniment by a melody in -the right hand was only possible to the greatest artists, such as Bach -himself; and it soon went out of fashion. - -During the seventeenth century it was the custom for performers to -elaborate the melody written by a composer, and naturally Bach's -were treated in this way. But it was complained that he left little -for the performer to add, for he "indicated all the _manieren_, the -small ornaments, and everything else that is understood by 'Method' -in playing, by actual notes," and the performer could therefore not -impress his own individuality on the piece.[84] Bach was particular -to show exactly what he required; and it is evident that there was at -this time a school of musicians rising, who objected to superfluous -ornaments on the part of the performer. J. S. Petri objects to -extemporised shakes and right hand melodies. Scheibe objects to -contrapuntal accompaniment. Kirnberger says that the accompanist should -aim at simplicity, and only add such ornaments as were absolutely -necessary. - -If the pedal was employed, the left hand helped with the harmonies. But -if the bass moved rapidly the pedals only played short notes to mark -the essential harmonic progressions; or the bass was even omitted, as -the other instruments played it. For accompanying the solo voices in -arias and recitatives the Gedact 8 feet was usually used alone, and -was sometimes therefore called the "Musik gedact": it is the same as -the English stopped diapason. The chords in a recitative were not held -long, even if the bass notes were. They were played arpeggio, as on a -harpsichord. But Petri considers that if there is a very soft stopped -flute, the chords may be held in the tenor register and the changes of -harmony indicated by a short pedal note. - -[Sidenote: Organ-playing] - -Staccato playing was universal on the organ, but Bach and his pupils -insisted on a legato style, and gradually eliminated the staccato, -though in accompanying they still kept to it. The tradition of Bach's -style of accompaniment was carried on by Kittel a pupil of Bach, who -spread the knowledge of it through Thuringia, and one of Kittel's -pupils, M. G. Fischer of Erfurt, continued it. He died in 1829, and -was heard by Grell of Berlin (b. 1800, d. 1886), who described the -performance to Spitta. He played the bass with considerable power, and -accompanied it by short chords in the right hand on another manual, -thus agreeing with Petri's direction that the organist is to accompany -in as short a style as possible, and to withdraw the fingers after -striking the chord. - -But this was by no means Bach's only method of accompanying, for he -demands in the majority of cases a legato accompaniment, and sometimes -a "melodic" manner. In his _Matthew Passion_ and some of his cantatas -the organist is to play short chords in _recitativo secco_. - -He considered the Gedact peculiarly adapted for purposes of -accompaniment; and in many passages he dispensed with part or the -whole of the bass instruments. - -In order not to drown the voices, or make the organ too prominent, no -reeds or mixtures were allowed to be used in accompanying. They were -reserved for solo organ work, in which Bach made use of astonishing -combinations of stops. Orchestral effects were produced by the -contrasts of tone-colour in the different groups of instruments, -string, brass, reeds and flutes. To these the organ, making use of -diapason work only, formed a background, and it was not allowed to -predominate over them. - -[Sidenote: _The number of performers in a cantata_] - -Bach, in 1730, fixed the number of voices requisite for the -performance of a cantata at twelve, and of instrumentalists, excluding -the organist, at eighteen. His sympathies were so much more with -instrumental than vocal music, that he treated the voice merely as -an instrument capable of expressing words. The influence of Handel's -works, in which the voice parts were of more importance than those of -the instruments, brought about the change of arrangements by which the -singers outnumbered the instrumentalists. - -Students and admirers of Bach's music have often wondered how he could -have got boys to overcome the immense difficulties of its execution. -They certainly complained of the difficulties, but execution was at -that time, owing to the Italian influence, more studied than now. -Boys were made to practise shakes diligently every day. They were -not expected to enter very much into the spirit of the music; it -sufficed if they sang the notes correctly. Moreover there were plenty -of falsetto sopranos and altos, and these could, of course, take the -upper parts. The tenor voice became a soprano, the bass an alto. A -falsetto soprano could sing up to E and F above the treble stave. - -[Sidenote: _The pitch of organs_] - -The pitch question at Leipsic must have caused considerable difficulty. -The organ at St Thomas' Church was a tone higher than that of St -Nicholas,[85] and many of the cantatas have the organ (continuo) parts -in two keys, for the two organs. There must have been a separate set -of string and wind instruments for each church; for the frequent -alterations of strings by so great an interval as a tone would hardly -conduce to good intonation. - -There were in fact two recognised pitches in use, called chorus pitch -and chamber pitch. Of these the chamber pitch was used for ordinary -orchestral performances, and was a tone lower than the chorus pitch, to -which the organ was usually tuned. This would cause no inconvenience if -the orchestras were not used in the churches; but it is very strange -that such a troublesome arrangement should have been allowed to -continue after it had become the custom to employ the orchestra every -Sunday. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[80] The portion in front of the main organ and therefore behind the -performer. - -[81] See Glossary. - -[82] Given by Spitta, vol. ii. p. 289. - -[83] It is given by Spitta as a supplement to vol. iii. It is worth -noticing that the right hand plays the three upper notes in each chord, -the left only playing the bass; and this is how harmony exercises are -still written in Germany. - -[84] There are organists still living who have not forsaken the ancient -custom of adding small ornaments to the written notes. - -[85] This is referred to by Berlioz in his "Instrumentation." Organ -builders would frequently use the higher pitch to save the expense of -the largest pipes, unless carefully watched. - - - - -Chapter XIV - - Bach as "Familien-Vater"--As a choirmaster--His eagerness to - learn all that was new and of value in music--He finds time to - conduct public concerts--His self-criticism--Bach was never a - poor man--His reputation was gained by his playing rather than - compositions--Portraits--Public monuments. - - -[Sidenote: _Bach as Familien-Vater_] - -One often hears in Germany the expressions "Familien-Vater," -"Haus-Vater," applied as terms of special commendation to public men, -in the sense that their private life is of estimable character, that -they do their duty well by their families instead of spending their -whole energy in accumulating money or fame. To no artist could these -terms be more fittingly applied than to the subject of this memoir. -We have seen that he was unremitting in his efforts to give his sons -and pupils the best possible education, and helped them forward in -every way he could when they entered their professions, and how he -secretly obtained a post for his son-in-law, Johann Christoph Altnikol, -as a kind of wedding-present. Forkel says he was a "_vorzueglich -guter_ (particularly excellent) _Haus-Vater, Freund_ (Friend) _und -Staatsbuerger_ (Citizen). His company was pleasant to everyone, whether -a stranger or an intimate, and anyone visiting him was sure of a -courteous reception, so that his house was seldom without guests." - -[Sidenote: _Choice of Sponsors_] - -An interesting feature in his private life is his choice of persons to -act as god-parents to his children. They were seldom his own relations, -but persons of distinction, who might be able to help the children -on in their subsequent career. Among them were Bach's great friend, -Prince Leopold of Coethen, his brother Prince August Ludwig, his sister -Princess Elenore, Privy Councillor Von Zanthier, Dr Gilmar, one of the -chief men in the church at Muehlhausen; Gesner, rector of the Thomas -School. Though far from seeking wealth, Bach was sufficiently a man of -the world to see the value of ensuring a respectable position both for -himself and his sons by any legitimate means in his power. - -[Sidenote: _Bach as choirmaster_] - -As a choirmaster Bach seems to have been a failure. He was far too -irritable to be able to control boys, and the task was evidently -extremely distasteful to him. Though he was sympathetic in the extreme -with those who were in earnest in matters of art, it is very clear that -he had not the tact and patience required for elementary teaching. One -can well imagine how the stupidity and incompetence of many of the -boys who came under him must have galled his ardent nature; and he was -quite unfit to be a schoolmaster. Yet it is evident that he gained the -confidence of some boys from the fact of his having trained them to -assist him in the orchestra. - -Of his own boyhood at Lueneburg a remarkable story is told to the effect -that when his voice broke he for some days spoke and sang in octaves. -It is of course quite conceivable on acoustical grounds that the -first harmonic may have been prominent enough to be heard with the -fundamental note; and that he, being a musician, observed a phenomenon -which would escape an ordinary boy. - -[Sidenote: _Bach's eagerness to know all that was new_] - -Throughout his life he was ever eager to become acquainted with -everything new that was of any value. New organs, new compositions, -newly-invented instruments, were all a source of interest to him. Thus, -directly Silbermann of Freiburg had made a few of his "fortepianos" in -imitation of the new invention of Cristofori, Bach was eager to try -them. But the hammerlike blow required was quite foreign to Bach's -method of playing, in which the fingers were always kept as close as -possible to the keys; and though he praised the tone, he rather freely -condemned the touch. Silbermann was exceedingly angry and would not -have anything to do with Bach for a long time; but he, nevertheless, -set to work to improve the touch, and after some fifteen years of -patient labour succeeded in producing the satisfactory instruments -which Bach played on at Potsdam shortly before his death. Hilgenfeldt -considers that the general use of the pianoforte took its origin from -these perfected instruments. - -[Sidenote: _Public concerts_] - -In the midst of all his occupations Bach found time to conduct public -concerts, of which Hilgenfeldt quotes the following advertisement: - - "NOTICE OF THE MUSICAL CONCERTS AT LEIPSIC." - - "The two public musical concerts or assemblies, which are held here - every week, are still flourishing. One is directed by Herr John - Sebastian Bach, Capellmeister to the Grand-duke of Weissenfels, - Music director of the Churches of St Thomas and St Nicholas; and it - takes place in the Coffee-house of Zimmermann, in Catherine Street, - every Friday evening from 8 to 10 o'clock; but during the Fair - twice a week, namely, Tuesdays and Fridays. The members of these - musical concerts consist for the most part of students, and there - are always good musicians among them, so that often, as is known, - some of them become in time celebrated performers. Every musician - is allowed to perform publicly in these musical concerts, and there - are usually some among the audience who are able to judge the value - of a competent musician." - -[Sidenote: _Self-criticism_] - -Bach was a severe critic of his own works. Hilgenfeldt tells us that -many of those which did not come up to his ideal of what they should -be were cast aside by him, and that such of his youthful works as he -considered worth keeping were constantly improved by him and brought to -a higher standard. Thus, the first movement of the third organ sonata, -which originally belonged to the _Wohltemperirte Clavier_, was altered -to the extent of having large portions cut out, and others essentially -changed and improved, so that phrases of small significance obtained an -importance of which no signs appeared in the earlier composition. - -[Sidenote: _Teaching_] - -He reserved his teaching for those who could really profit by it, and -if he found that a pupil had not sufficient talent, he would, with -every kindly courtesy, recommend him not to seek his living by music. -The result was that a strong feeling for the dignity and value of art -was spread by his pupils, who for the most part attained to important -positions in their profession. One of his pupils, Doles, whose name had -a place of honour in the old Gewandhaus at Leipsic, was Cantor of St -Thomas for thirty-four years (after the death of Harrer), and was held -in great esteem as a teacher and composer. - -[Sidenote: _A good standing always maintained_] - -Though at no time rich, Bach was never a poor man. The various payments -in kind, such as rent-free dwelling, garden produce, etc., were almost -sufficient to support him, and to make his salary available for -self-improvement, for journeys, and for the education of his children. -And that he was able to collect more than eighty theological works, -at a time when books were an expensive luxury, and that he could give -no less than three clavichords with pedals at once to his son, Joh. -Christian, shows that his position was one of comfort. - -[Sidenote: _Recognition on his death_] - -Though the Council and the _Leipsic Chronicle_ took little notice of -his death, it appears that the Society founded by Mizler caused a -funeral ode by the then rector, Dr Ventzky, to be set to music and -performed; and he seems to have been much mourned outside Leipsic, as -the chief support of serious German music. - -Not as a composer, but as a performer, however, was he mourned. It was -reserved for later generations to fully appreciate what Hilgenfeldt -describes as the "spiritual and everlasting" side of his genius. In -those days the composer and performer were one and the same person. -No one was considered an artist who could only perform, however well, -if he could not also compose; and, especially on the organ, good -improvisation was considered the chief qualification of a musician. He -was expected to be in a position to extemporise at any time and under -any conditions a fugue, or a set of variations on any theme given to -him; and his ability in this respect was the criterion by which he was -judged. It was natural, therefore, that Bach's fame during his lifetime -should rest more on his extempore performances than on his written -compositions, which, remaining in manuscript, would probably serve -chiefly as models for his pupils to work from. - -[Sidenote: _Portraits and Statues_] - -Four portraits of Bach are known to have been painted. One, which seems -to have been the first, is a half length picture showing him in a dress -coat of the fifth decade of the eighteenth century. It belonged to -Kittel, and was kept by him as a kind of sacred possession, only to be -shown on special occasions, or as a reward to a diligent pupil. It was -in a massive gold frame, and hung behind a curtain over the harpsichord -in Kittel's study. On his death it came into the possession of the -church of which he was organist. - -The second was also a half-length, and belonged to his son Carl Philip -Emanuel. It was painted by Hausmann. - -The third, also by Hausmann, is shown in our frontispiece. It is -preserved in the Thomas School, and, according to Becker, was painted -on his becoming a member of the Leipsic Musical Society. A fourth, -preserved in the Joachimsthal Gymnasium at Berlin, was formerly in -the possession of Princess Amalie of Prussia, and seems to have been -painted by Geber. - -A few good copper engravings were made from the various portraits, -and a number of bad lithographs from the engravings. Some successful -plaster busts have also been made from the pictures. - -Germany is much given to honouring those of her sons who have -distinguished themselves in art by erecting memorials to them in public -places: but not till nearly one hundred years after his death was such -a monument thought of for Bach. In 1840, Mendelssohn gave an organ -recital in the Thomas Church, with the object of opening a fund for -this purpose with the proceeds, and on April 23, 1843, a medallion by -Knauer was solemnly unveiled on the walls of the Thomas Church. The -opportunity was taken of performing many of Bach's compositions; and -amongst those present was the last descendant of the great man, with -his wife and two daughters. This was William Bach, then 81 years of -age, a son of the Bueckeburger Bach. - -In 1864 a large new organ was erected in the New Church at Arnstadt -"in honour of Johann Sebastian Bach," containing his portrait over the -keyboards: and in 1884 a Bach festival was held at Eisenach on the -occasion of the unveiling of a fine bronze statue of the composer in -the Market-place. - - - - -Catalogue of Bach's Vocal Works - - - _Matthew Passion._ First performed, 1729. English edition, - Novello. - - _St John Passion._ Probably written at Coethen, and much - altered before it received its present form. English edition, - published by Novello. - - _St Luke Passion._ Of doubtful authenticity. English edition, - Novello. - - _Mass in B minor._ - - " _F._ - - " _A._ Written in 1737. Partly borrowed from other works. - - _Mass in G minor._} - _ " G major._} Adapted from cantatas. - - These four "Missae breves" contain the Kyrie and Gloria, the only part - of the Mass retained in the Lutheran Service in Latin. - - _Magnificat in D._ Written for the Christmas Festival at St - Thomas' Church, and sung at vespers after the sermon. Edition with - English words, Novello. It is for five voices, three trumpets, two - flutes, two oboes, strings and organ. - - _Sanctus in C._ } Sung after the morning sermon, as an - _ " D._ } introduction to the Communion Service. - _ " D minor._} - _ " G._} - - -CHURCH CANTATAS - -_The numbers refer to the Bachgesellschaft Edition._ - - 2 _Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein._ Second Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 3 _Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid._ Second Sunday after - Epiphany. Chorale Cantata. - - 58 _Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid._ Second Sunday after - Christmas. Solo Cantata for soprano and bass. - - 135 _Ach Herr, mich armen Suender._ Third Sunday after - Trinity. Chorale Cantata, Leipsic. - - 162 _Ach, ich sehe, itzt, da ich._ Twentieth Sunday after - Trinity. - - 114 _Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost._ Seventeenth Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 26 _Ach wie fluechtig, ach wie nichtig!_ Twenty-fourth - Sunday after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 33 _Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ._ Thirteenth Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 72 _Alles nur nach Gottes Willen._ Third Sunday after - Epiphany. - - 68 _Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt._ Tuesday in Whitsun-week. - English edition, "God so loved the World," Novello. - - 42 _Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbaths._ First Sunday - after Easter (Quasimodogeniti). - - 186 _Arg're dich, o Seele nicht._ Seventh Sunday after Trinity. - - 128 _Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein._ Ascension Day. - - 131 _Aus der Tiefe rufe ich, Herr, zu dir._ Composed for Dr. - G. C. Gilmar, Pastor of Muehlhausen. - - 38 _Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu dir._ Twenty-first Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 131 _Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu dir._ Composed at Muehlhausen - about 1707. - - 185 _Barmherziges Herze, der._ Fourth Sunday after Trinity. - - 132 _Bereitet die Wege, bereitet._ For no special season. - Weimar, 1715. Words by Salomo Franck. - - 87 _Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinem Namen._ Fifth - Sunday after Easter. - - 6 _Bleib' bei uns, denn es will Abend._ Tuesday in Easter - Week. English edition, "Bide with us," Novello. - - 39 _Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot!_ First Sunday after - Trinity. - - 148 _Bringet dem Herrn Ehre._ Seventeenth Sunday after - Trinity. - - 63 _Christen, aetzet diesen Tag._ Christmas. - - 4 _Christ lag in Todesbanden._ Easter Day. - - 121 _Christum wir sollen loben schon._ Christmas. Chorale - Cantata. - - 7 _Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam._ St John's Day. - Chorale Cantata. - - 95 _Christus, der ist mein Leben._ Sixteenth Sunday after - Trinity. - - 141 _Das ist je gewisslich wahr._ Third Sunday in Advent. - - 122 _Das neu gebor'ne Kindelein._ First Sunday after Christmas. - Chorale Cantata. - - 40 _Dazu ist erscheinen der Sohn._ Christmas. - - 195 _Dem Gerechten muss das Licht._ Wedding Cantata. - - 15 _Denn du wirst meine Seele nicht in Hoelle lassen._ Monday - in Easter Week. Composed at Arnstadt, probably in - 1704. See p. 27. - - 157 _Der Friede sei mit dir._ Purification; also for Easter. - - 196 _Der Herr denket an uns._ Wedding Cantata. - - 112 _Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt._ Second Sunday after - Easter (Misericordias). - - 31 _Der Himmel lacht, die Erde jubiliret._ Monday in Easter - Week. One of the few cantatas containing a chorus for five - voices. The instrumental introduction is called "Sonata." - - 75 _Die Elenden sollen essen._ First Sunday after Trinity. - - 76 _Die Himmel erzaehlen die Ehre._ Second Sunday after Trinity. - - 116 _Du Friedensfuerst, Herr Jesu Christ._ Twenty-fifth Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 104 _Du Hirte Israel, hoere._ Second Sunday after Easter - (Misericordias). English edition, "Thou Guide of Israel," Novello. - - 77 _Du sollst Gott, deinen Herren, lieben._ Thirteenth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 23 _Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn._ Quinquagesima (Estomihi). - - _Ehre sei dir Gott gesungen._ Part V. of Christmas oratorio. - English edition, Novello. - - _Ehre sei Gott in der Hoehe._ Christmas. Incomplete. - - 80 _Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott._ Reformation Festival, - English edition, "A Stronghold Sure," Novello. Composed 1717, when - Bach went to Coethen. This was the first cantata published in the - nineteenth century. It was also arranged to Latin words, beginning, - "Gaudete, omnes populi." - - 134 _Ein Herz, das Seinen._ Wednesday in Easter Week. Coethen, - between 1717 and 1723. - - 24 _Ein ungefaerbt Gemuethe._ Fourth Sunday after Trinity. - - 136 _Erforsche mich Gott, und erfahre._ Eighth Sunday after - Trinity. Leipsic, 1737 or 1738. - - 66 _Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen!_ Tuesday in Easter Week. - - 83 _Erfreute Zeit im neuen Bunde._ Purification. - - 126 _Erhalt' uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort._ Sexagesima. - Chorale Cantata. - - 173 _Erhoehtes Fleisch und Blut._ Tuesday in Whitsun-week. The - music was originally written for a Serenade for the birthday of - Prince Leopold of Coethen. The MS. Serenade is in the Royal Library at - Berlin. - - 175 _Er rufet seinen Schafen mit._ Wednesday in Whitsun-week. - Solo Cantata for tenor and bass. - - 172 _Erschallet,ihr Lieder._ Whitsunday. - - 184 _Erwuenschtes Freudenlicht._ Wednesday in Whitsun-week. - - 19 _Es erbub sich ein Streit._ Michaelmas Day. - - 9 _Es ist das Heil uns kommen her._ Sixth Sunday after - Trinity. - - 45 _Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist._ Eighth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 176 _Es ist ein trotzig und verzagt Ding._ Trinity Sunday. - - 108 _Es ist euch gut, dass ich hingehe._ Fourth Sunday after - Easter (Cantata). - - 25 _Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe._ Fourteenth - Sunday after Trinity. Edition with English words, "Lo, there is - no soundness within my body." Rieter-Biedermann. - - 90 _Es reifet euch ein schrecklich._ Twenty-fifth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 187 _Es wartet Alles auf dich._ Seventh Sunday after - Trinity, 1737. Music is used for Mass in G minor. - - _Fallt mit Danken._ Part IV. of Christmas oratorio. English edition, - Novello. - - 52 _Falsche Welt, dir trau._ Twenty-third Sunday after - Trinity. Solo Cantata for soprano. - - 30 _Freue dich, erloeste Schaar._ St John's Day, originally a - "Dramma per Musica" in honour of the Saxon Minister, Von Hennicke. - Composed in 1737, and arranged as a church cantata, 1738, after Bach - had received the title of Court Composer. It is in the "Lombardic" - style introduced by Vivaldi, consisting of frequent syncopation. - - 35 _Geist und Seele wird._ Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. - - 129 _Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott._ Trinity Sunday. - - 91 _Gelobet seist du, Jesus Christ._ Christmas. Chorale - Cantata. Words by Martin Luther. - - 18 _Gleich wie der Regen und._ Sexagesima. The orchestration - is unusual, consisting of four violas, fagotto, violoncello and organ. - - 191 _Gloria in excelsis Deo._ Christmas. Rearranged from - the B minor Mass. - - 79 _Gott der Herr, ist Sonn' und Schild._ Reformation Festival. - - 106 _Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit._ For no special season. - English edition, "God's time is the best," Novello. Called "Actus - tragicus," probably a funeral cantata. Muehlhausen about 1708. - - 43 _Gott faehret auf mit Jauchzen._ Ascension Day. English - version, "God goeth up with shouting," Novello. - - 71 _Gott ist mein Koenig._ Election of Town Council at - Muehlhausen, 1708. See p. 36. - - 191 _Gott ist uns're Zuversicht._. Wedding Cantata. - - 28 _Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr._ First Sunday after Christmas. - - 120 _Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille._ Election of Town - Council at Leipsic. In the score the letters J.J. (Jesu juva) - frequently occur. - - 169 _Gott soll allein mein Herze._ Eighteenth Sunday after - Trinity. For alto solo. - - 171 _Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm._ Circumcision. - The first chorus occurs with modifications as part of the "Credo" - of the B minor Mass. - - 67 _Halt' im Gedaechtnis Jesum Christ._ First Sunday after - Easter (Quasimodogeniti). Edition with English words, "Hold in - remembrance Jesus Christ," Rieter-Biedermann. - - 96 _Herr Christ, der ein'ge Gottes Sohn._ Eighteenth Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. Words by Elizabeth Creutzinger. - - 102 _Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem._ Tenth Sunday after - Trinity. - - 105 _Herr, gehe nicht in's Gericht._ Ninth Sunday after - Trinity. - - _Herr Gott, Beherrscher aller Dinge._ Wedding Cantata. Incomplete. - - 130 _Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir._ Michaelmas Day. - - 16 _Herr Gott, dich loben wir._ Circumcision. Chorale Cantata. - - 113 _Herr Jesu Christ, du hoechstes Gut._ Eleventh Sunday after - Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 127 _Herr Jesu Christ, wahr'r Mensch und Gott._ Quinquagesima - (Estomihi). Chorale Cantata. - - _Herrscher des Himmels._ Part III. of Christmas oratorio. - English edition, Novello. - - _Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben._ Part VI. of Christmas - oratorio. English edition, Novello. - - 73 _Herr, wie du willt, so schick's mit mir!_ Third Sunday - after Epiphany. - - 147 _Herz und Mund und That und Leben._ The return of Mary - from Egypt. - - 182 _Himmelskoenig, sei willkommen._ Annunciation. Originally - composed for Palm Sunday. - - 194 _Hoechst erwuenschtes Freudenfest._ Dedication of the - organ at Stoermthal. - - 55 _Ich armer Mensch, ich Suendenknecht._ Twenty-second - Sunday after Trinity. For tenor solo. - - 85 _Ich bin ein guter Hirt._ Second Sunday after Easter - (Misericordias). - - 84 _Ich bin vergnuegt mit meinem Gluecke._ Septuagesima. - - 48 _Ich elender Mensch wer wird mich._ Nineteenth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 133 _Ich freue mich in dir._ Christmas. Chorale Cantata. - Leipsic, 1737. - - 49 _Ich geh' und suche mit._ Twentieth Sunday after Trinity. - - 109 _Ich glaube lieber Herr, hilf meinem._ Twenty-first - Sunday after Trinity. - - 82 _Ich habe genug._ Purification. - - 188 _Ich habe meine Zuversicht._ Twenty-first Sunday after - Trinity. The copyist directs that the "organ concerto" of - "Wir muessen durch viel Truebsal" in D minor (arranged from - the Clavecin Concerto in that key) is to be used as an - "introduction." Words by Picander. - - 92 _Ich hab' in Gottes Herz und Sinn._ Septuagesima. Chorale - Cantata. Words by Paul Gerhardt. - - 21 _Ich hatte viel Bekuemmernis._ "Per ogni tempi," "For all - times." English edition, "My spirit was in heaviness," Novello. - Composed on his being made concert-meister at Weimar, and performed - there on the third Sunday after Trinity, 1714. - - 162 _Ich, ich sehe, jetzt da ich zur Hochzeit gehe._ Solo Cantata - for soprano, alto, tenor, bass. - - 158 _Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest._ Purification. Solo - Cantata for tenor and bass. The violetta occurs in the score. - - 174 _Ich liebe den Hoechsten von ganzem._ Whitsunday. Solo - Cantata for alto, tenor, bass. - - 177 _Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ._ Fourth Sunday after - Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 156 _Ich steh' mit einem Fuss im Grabe._ Third Sunday after - Epiphany. - - 160 _Ich weiss, dass mein Erloeser._ Monday in Easter Week. - - 56 _Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen._ Nineteenth Sunday - after Trinity. For bass solo. - - 164 _Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo._ Thirteenth Sunday after - Trinity. Solo Cantata for soprano, alto, tenor, bass. - - 167 _Ihr Menschen, ruehmet Gottes._ St John's Day. Solo - Cantata for soprano, alto, tenor and bass. - - 193 _Ihr Pforten zu Zion._ Election of Town Council. - - 103 _Ihr werdet weinen und heulen._ Third Sunday after - Easter (Jubilate). - - 97 _In allen meinen Thaten._ For no special season. Words - by Dr Paul Flemming. - - _Jauchzet, frohlocket._ Christmas oratorio. Part I., English version, - Novello. - - 51 _Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen._ Fifteenth Sunday after - Trinity. Solo Cantata for soprano. - - 78 _Jesu, der du meine Seele._ Fourteenth Sunday after - Trinity. In this cantata the ground bass of the "Crucifixus" - of the B minor Mass is used. Edition with English words, "Jesu, - Saviour, who by dying," Rieter-Biedermann. - - 41 _Jesu, nun sei gepreiset._ Circumcision. Chorale Cantata. - English edition, "Jesus, now will we praise Thee," - Novello. - - 22 _Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwoelfe._ Quinquagesima (Estomihi). - Bach's test piece for the Leipsic post after the death of Kuhnau. - Performed there, February 7th, 1723. - - 81 _Jesus schlaeft, was soll ich hoffen?_ Fourth Sunday after - Epiphany. - - 161 _Komm du suesse Todesstunde!_ Purification; also for the - Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity. - - _Kommt, eilet, lauft._ Easter oratorio. - - 181 _Leicht gesinnte Flattergeister._ Sexagesima. - - 8 _Liebster Gott, wann werd' ich sterben._ Sixteenth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 123 _Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen._ Epiphany. - Chorale Cantata. - - 32 _Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen._ First Sunday after - Epiphany. Called "Dialogue." Solo Cantata for soprano and bass. - - 137 _Lobe den Herren, den Maechtigen._ Twelfth Sunday after - Trinity. Leipsic, between 1742 and 1747. Words by Joachim Neander. - - 69 _Lobe den Herrn meine Seele!_ Twelfth Sunday after - Trinity. - - 143 _Lobe den Herrn meine Seele._ New Year's Day. - - 11 _Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen._ Ascension Day. Called - by Bach "oratorium festo ascensionis Christi." Part of this - cantata is used in the B minor Mass. - - 115 _Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit._ Twenty-second Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 149 _Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg._ Michaelmas Day. - - 124 _Meinen Jesum lass' ich nicht._ First Sunday after Epiphany. - Chorale Cantata. - - 10 _Meine Seel' erhebt den Herren._ Return of Mary from - Egypt. Chorale Cantata. - - 189 _Meine Seele ruehmt und preist._ For no special season. - - 13 _Meine Seufzer meine Thraenen._ Second Sunday after - Epiphany. Solo Cantata for soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices, - accompanied by wind instruments and organ, no strings being used. - - 155 _Mein Gott, wie lang'._ Second Sunday after Epiphany. - - 154 _Mein liebster Jesus ist verloren._ First Sunday after - Epiphany. - - 125 _Mit Fried' und Freud' ich fahr' dahin._ Purification. - Chorale Cantata. - - 150 _Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich._ For no special season. - - 101 _Nimm' von uns Herr, du treuer Gott._ Tenth Sunday after - Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 144 _Nimm, was dein ist, und gehe hin!_ Septuagesima. - - 192 _Nun danket alle Gott._ For no special season. - - 50 _Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft._ For no special season. - - 61 _Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland._ First Sunday in Advent. - First composition in A minor. Inside the cover of this cantata - Bach has written the order of the service for the morning of - Advent Sunday, 1714, at Leipsic. See p. 44. - - 62 _Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland._ First Sunday in Advent. - Chorale Cantata. Second composition in B minor. - - 163 _Nur Jedem das Seine!_ Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity. - Solo Cantata for soprano, alto, tenor and bass. - - 34 _O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe._ Whitsunday. - English edition, "O Light Everlasting," Novello. - - _O ewiges Feuer._ Wedding Cantata. Incomplete. - - 20 _O Ewigkeit du Donnerwort._ First Sunday after Trinity. - - 60 _O Ewigkeit du Donnerwort._ Twenty-fourth Sunday after - Trinity. Solo Cantata for alto, tenor and bass. - - 165 _O heil'ges Geist- und Wasserbad._ Trinity Sunday. Solo - Cantata for soprano, alto, tenor, bass. - - 118 _O Jesu Christ mein's Lebenslicht._ The accompaniment - is for two litui, cornet and three trombones; no strings or organ. - It was probably intended for the open air (perhaps for a funeral) - as it is the only cantata with no continuo part. - - 119 _Preise Jerusalem den Herrn._ Performed in the Nicolai - Church on August 30, 1723, at the election of Town Council. It was - also performed by Mendelssohn on the unveiling of the Bach Memorial - at Leipsic, April 23, 1843. - - 46 _Schauet doch und sehet._ Tenth Sunday after Trinity. - - 153 _Schau' liebe Gott wie meine Feinde._ Second Sunday - after Christmas. - - 53 _Schlage doch! gewuenschste Stunde._ Funeral Cantata - for alto solo. - - 180 _Schmuecke dich o liebe Seele._ Twentieth Sunday after - Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 36 _Schwingt freudig euch empor._ First Sunday in Advent. - - 64 _Sehet welch' eine Liebe._ Christmas. - - 159 _Sehet, wir geh'n hinauf._ Quinquagesima (Estomihi). - - 117 _Sei Lob und Ehr' dem hoechsten Gut._ For no special season. - - 57 _Selig ist der Mann._ Christmas. Solo Cantata for soprano and - bass. - - 88 _Siehe ich will viel Fischer._ Fifth Sunday after Trinity. - - 179 _Siehe zu dass deine Gottesfurcht nicht._ Eleventh Sunday - after Trinity. - - 65 _Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen._ Epiphany. Edition with - English words, "They all shall come from Saba," Rieter-Biedermann. - - 44 _Sie werden Euch in den Bann thun._ Sunday after Ascension - Day (Exaudi). - - 183 _Sie werden Euch in den Bann thun._ Sunday after Ascension - Day (Exaudi). - - 190 _Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied._ Circumcision. Incomplete. - Performed 25th of June 1730, at the second Jubilee celebration of - the Augsburg Confession. - - 145 _So du mit deinem Munde bekennest._ Easter Day, and Wednesday - in Easter Week. - - 151 _Suesser Trost, mein Jesus koemmt._ Christmas. - - 168 _Thue Rechnung Donnerwort._ Ninth Sunday after Trinity. Solo - Cantata for soprano, alto, tenor, bass. - - 152 _Tritt auf die Glauben's Bahn._ First Sunday after Christmas. - - _Und es waren Hirten auf dem Felde._ Part II. Christmas oratorio. - English edition, Novello. - - 110 _Unser Mund sei voll Lachens._ Christmas. - - 142 _Uns ist ein Kind geboren._ Christmas. - - 170 _Vergnuegte Ruh' beliebte._ Sixth Sunday after Trinity. - For alto solo. - - 140 _Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme._ Twenty-seventh Sunday - after Trinity. Leipsic, 1742. Words by P. Nicolai. - - 70 _Wachet, betet, seid bereit allezeit._ Twentieth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 86 _Warlich ich sage euch._ Rogation Sunday. - - 14 _Waer' Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit._ Fourth Sunday after - Epiphany. - - 138 _Warum betruebst du dich mein Herz._ Fifteenth Sunday - after Trinity. Leipsic, 1737. Words by Hans Sachs. - - 94 _Was frag' ich nach der Welt!_ Ninth Sunday after Trinity. - Chorale Cantata. - - 98 _Was Gott thut das ist wohlgethan._ Twenty-first Sunday - after Trinity. - - 99 _Was Gott thut, das ist wohlgethan._ Fifteenth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 100 _Was Gott thut, das ist wohlgethan._ For no special - season. Words by S. Rudigast. - - 111 _Was mein Gott will das g'sche all' zeit._ Third Sunday - after Epiphany. Chorale Cantata. - - 89 _Was soll ich aus dir machen._ Twenty-second Sunday - after Trinity. - - 107 _Was willst du dich betrueben._ Seventh Sunday after - Trinity. - - 12 _Weinen, klagen, sorgen, zagen._ Third Sunday after Easter - (Jubilate). The opening chorus is on the same ground bass as the - "Crucifixus" of the B minor Mass. - - 37 _Wer da glaubet und getauft wird._ Ascension Day. - - 17 _Wer Dank opfert der preiset mich._ Fourteenth Sunday - after Trinity. Edition with English words, "Whoso offereth praise," - Reiter-Biedermann. - - 59 _Wer mich liebet der wird mein._ Whitsunday. - - 74 _Wer mich liebet der wird mein._ Whitsunday. Solo Cantata - for soprano and bass. - - 93 _Wer nur den lieben Gott laesst walten._ Fifth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 47 _Wer sich selbst erhoeht der soll._ Seventeenth Sunday - after Trinity. - - 27 _Wer weiss wie nahe mir mein Ende._ Sixteenth Sunday - after Trinity. English edition, "When will God recall my spirit," - Novello. - - 54 _Widerstehe doch der Suende._ For no special season. - Alto solo. - - 1 _Wie Schoen leuchtet der Morgenstern._ Annunciation. - Chorale Cantata. - - 29 _Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir._ Election of Town - Council at Leipsic, 1737. - - 146 _Wir muessen durch viel Truebsal._ Third Sunday after - Easter (Jubilate). - - 166 _Wo gehest du hin?_ Fourth Sunday after Easter (Cantate). - Solo Cantata for alto, tenor, bass. - - 178 _Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns haelt._ Eighth Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata. - - 139 _Wohl dem der sich auf seinen Gott._ Twenty-third Sunday - after Trinity. Chorale Cantata, Leipsic, between 1737 and 1744. - - 5 _Wo soll ich fliehen hin._ Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity. - Chorale Cantata. - - -FUNERAL ODE - - _Lass, Fuerstin, lass noch einen Strahl._ Called "Weeping - Leipsic." Written for the death of Princess Christiane Eberhardine, - wife of Augustus the Strong. - - -MOTETS - - _Jesu meine Freude._ Five voices. English edition, "Jesu, - priceless treasure," Novello. A hymn by Franck in six stanzas. - - _Der Geist hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf._ Eight voices. Written - for the funeral of the Rector Heinrich Ernesti, 1729. The composer - added a figured bass for the organ. English edition, "The Spirit - also helpeth us," Novello. - - _Furchte dich nicht._ Eight voices. English edition, "Be not - afraid," Novello. - - _Komm Jesu, komm._ Eight voices. - - _Lob und Ehre und Weisheit und Dank._ Eight voices. English - edition, "Blessing, Glory and Wisdom," Novello. - - _Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied._ Psalm 149, eight voices. - English edition, "Sing ye to the Lord," Novello. - - _Ich lasse dich nicht._ Eight voices. This motet is by some - attributed to Joh. Christoph Bach. English edition, "I wrestle and - pray," Novello. - - A Latin motet for two choruses heard by J. L. Gerber at Christmas, - 1767, is lost. - - _Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden._ Psalm 117. Four voices. - - -SECULAR CANTATAS - - _Drama: Geschwinde, ihr wirbelnden Winde._ The contest between - Phoebus and Pan. - - _Weichet nur, betruebte Schatten._ For soprano voice. - - _Amore traditore._ For bass voice, accompanied by cembalo - only. - - _Drama: Zerreisset, zerspringet, Zertruemmert die Gruft._ For - the name-day of Dr A. F. Muller. Leipsic, Aug. 3, 1725. - - _Drama: Schleicht, spielende Wellen._ For the birthday of - Augustus III. - - _Drama: Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten._ For - a University celebration, Leipsic, 1726. - - _Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd._ - - _Non sa che sia dolore._ For soprano solo. - - _O holder Tag, erwuenschte Zeit._ Wedding Cantata for soprano - solo. - - _Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht._ In praise of coffee. - - _Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet._ Complimentary Cantata to Carl - Heinrich von Dieskau. - - _Mit Gnaden bekroene der Himmel die Zeiten._ - - _O angenehme Melodei._ Soprano solo. - - _Durchlauchster Leopold._ Serenade for two solo voices and - orchestra. - - _Schwingt freudig euch empor._ For the birthday of a teacher. - - _Die Freude reget sich._ For the birthday of Professor Rivinus. - - _Drama: Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen._ Complimentary - Cantata to a Saxon Princess. The opening chorus from - Christmas oratorio. - - _Toenet ihr Pauken! erschallet Trompeten!_ For the birthday - of the Queen of Saxony, December 1733. See p. 145. - - _Drama: Preise dein Gluecke._ For the anniversary of the election - of Augustus III. as King of Poland, 1734. - - _Drama: Angenehmes Wiederau._ Persons represented--Fate, - Happiness, Time, and the river Elster. The opening chorus from - the cantata "Freue dich erloeste Schaar." - - _Drama: Auf schmetternde Toene der muntern Trompeten._ For - the name-day of King Augustus III. - - -WORKS KNOWN TO BE LOST - - Three Passions. It is known that Bach wrote five Passions, - from information given by his son C. P. Emanuel, and his pupil - Agricola in Mizler's Necrology. - - A great funeral ode on the death of Prince Leopold of Coethen. - - Several Cantatas. - - - - -Catalogue of Instrumental Works - - -ORGAN - -_The numbers refer to the volumes in Peters' edition in which each work -will be found._ - - _Six sonatas for two manuals and pedal (240)._ These sonatas - and the passacaglia were written for his young son, W. Friedemann, - to practise on the pedal clavichord. Many of the trills, which are - necessary on this instrument, are intended to be omitted when the - pieces are played on the organ. According to tradition the date is - 1723. The first movement of the sonata in D minor appears in 1722, - as the prelude in that key in Part I. of the Forty-eight. - - _Passacaglia in C minor (240)._ - - _Trio for two manuals (243) and pedal in D minor._ This trio - is overladen with grace notes in the fashion of the day. The - performer is recommended by Griepenkerl to exercise his taste as - to which he retains or omits. - - _Pastorale in F (240)._ In four movements. Mostly copied - singly. Forkel possessed a copy in which all four movements were - combined in a whole. - - _Preludes and Fugues (241)._ - - _In C._ - - _In G._ The subject of the fugue is the same as that of the - opening chorus in the cantata, "Ich hatte viel Bekuemmernis." - - _In A._ - - _Fantasia and Fugue in G minor (241)._ Composed at Coethen, - probably as an act of homage to Reinken. In one copy the fantasia - is called "prelude." In another copy the fugue is in F minor with - a remark, "The very best pedal-piece by Herr Joh. Seb. Bach." - - _Prelude and Fugue in C (241)._ - - _A minor._ - - _E minor._ - - _B minor._ The Peters' edition is from the original MS. in the - possession of Sir Herbert Oakeley. - - _Prelude and Fugue (242) E flat._ From the "Clavieruebung." - The fugue, like those of Buxtehude, is in three movements. - - _Toccata and Fugue (242) in F._ The compass of the pedals in - this toccata shows that it must have been written for the organ in - the Lutheran Church at Coethen. (See Glossary "Orgel-buechlein.") In - the Bachgesellschaft edition the toccata is called fantasia. - - _In D minor._ Called Dorian from the flat being omitted from - the signature. The toccata is called "prelude" in some copies. - - _Preludes and Fugue (242) in D minor._ The prelude has no - pedal part. The fugue is arranged from the earlier violin solo fugue - in G minor (228). - - _In G minor._ - - _Fantasia and Fugue (242) in C minor._ - - _Prelude and Fugue in C (242)._ This was originally in E major. - The fugue is in two portions, divided by nine bars of florid passages. - It was transposed to C for some of the old organs which had only two - octaves of pedals. In Kirnberger's MS. it is called "Preludio con - Fantasia con Pedal." - - _Toccata and Fugue in C (242)._ The toccata is separated from - the fugue by a very beautiful aria, in which a melody is accompanied - by chords and staccato bass, the only instance of the kind in Bach's - organ works. In one MS. the toccata is called "Preludium." - - _Prelude and double Fugue (242) in A minor._ - - _Prelude and Fugue (242) in E minor._ - - _Prelude and Fugue (243) in C major._ - - _In G._ - - _In D._ The prelude is in two movements. The work, which - is very brilliant, is inscribed "Concertata" as if intended more for - concert than church use. In one copy the work is called simply - "Piece d'orgue, von Joh. Seb. Bach." - - _Toccata and Fugue in D minor (243)._ - - _Prelude and Fugue in C minor (243)._ In some MSS. this is - in D minor. - - _Fugues (243) in C minor._ On a theme by Legrenzi. A second - subject appears in the course of the fugue, which after being worked - independently is finally united to the first in a double fugue. - - _In G minor._ - - _In B minor._ The subject is by Corelli. - - _In C minor._ Probably written for pedal clavichord. Composed - at Arnstadt. - - _Canzona in D minor (243)._ In two movements. It was popular, and - many copies appear to have existed. - - _Fantasias (243) in G._ In three movements of which the tempi are - indicated by Bach. "Tres Vitement," "Grave," "Lentement." From the - number of copies which exist this fantasia, also called "Piece - d'orgue," appears to have been very popular. - - _In C minor._ In five voices. In some MSS. called "Prelude." - - _Prelude in A minor (243)._ - - _Fifty-six short Chorale-preludes (244)._ - - _Three sets of Chorale Variations called "Partite" (244)._ - - _Some Canonic Variations on the Christmas hymn "Vom Himmel hoch da - komm ich her" (244)._ - - _Seven Chorale-preludes (244)._ - - _Sixty-three "Larger and more artistic Chorale-preludes" (245 and - 246)._ - - _Four Concertos for two manuals and pedal (247)._ Arranged - from the Violin Concertos of Vivaldi. The originals were, like - Handel's "Concerti grossi," for four violins, one or two violas, - violoncello, bass and continuo. - - _Eight small Preludes and Fugues (247)._ For the instruction - of his son Friedemann. - - _Allabreve pro organo pleno (247)._ Organo pleno means a - complete organ, as opposed to a positiv, or one manual instrument. - It has the same kind of sense as our expression "Full orchestra," - and does not mean that the full force is to be employed the whole - time. - - _Prelude in C (247)._ Without pedal. - - _In G "pro organo pleno" (247)._ - - _Fantasia in C (247)._ Without pedal. - - _Fugue in C (247)._ The pedal only enters in the last five bars, - and is used in Buxtehude's manner, merely to complete the harmony. - - _Prelude in G (247)._ Composed at Weimar. - - _Fugue in G minor (247)._ - - _Fantasia and Fugue in A minor (2067)._ An early work, in - some MS. called "Preludio e Fuga per il cembalo," so that it - was probably intended for the pedal clavichord. - - _Fugue in G (2067)._ - - _Little Harmonic Labyrinth (2067)._ Consisting of three movements - called "Introitus," "Centrum," "Exitus." Starting in the key of C, - it perpetually modulates, chiefly by enharmonic changes, and finishes - by a return to C. - - _Fugue in G (2067)._ - - _Fugue in D (2067)._ - - _Concerto in G (2067)._ Called also "Fantasia." - - _Trio for two manuals and pedal in C minor (2067)._ - - _Aria in F for two manuals and pedal (2067)._ - - _Eleven Chorale-preludes (2067)._ - - -ORCHESTRA - - _Concerto in F (261)._ For violins, piccolo, three oboes, and two - corni di caccia, with accompaniment for two violins, viola, - violoncello and bass. - - _Concerto in F (262)._ For violin, flute, oboe, and trumpet - concertante, with accompaniment for two violins, viola, violoncello - and bass. - - _Concerto in G (263)._ For three violins, three violas, three - violoncellos and one bass. Rearranged as the introductory "symphony" - to the cantata "Ich liebe den Hoechsten." - - _Concerto in G (264)._ For violin and two flutes concertante, - with accompaniment for two violins, viola, violoncello and bass. - - _Concerto in D (265)._ For clavecin, flute and violin concertante, - with accompaniment for one violin, viola, violoncello and bass. - - _Concerto in B flat (266)._ For two violas, two violas da gamba, - with accompaniment for violoncello and bass. - - _Overture or Suite in C major (267)._ For two violins, viola, - two oboes, bassoon, violoncello and bass. - - _Overture or Suite in B minor (268)._ For two violins, viola, - violoncello, flute and bass. - - _Overture or Suite in D major (269)._ For two violins, viola, - bass kettle-drums, two oboes, and three trumpets. - - - - -Works for Cembalo, Clavichord, Spinet, &c. - - - _The Forty-eight Preludes and Fugues. Part I. (1 and 1a). - Part II. (2 and 1b)._ For clavichord. See p. 131. - - _Sonatas (213) in A minor._ From a sonata for two violins, - viola da gamba and bass in Reinken's "Hortus Musicus." - - _In C major._ Arranged from Reinken's "Hortus Musicus." - - _In D minor._ Arranged from the sonata in A minor for violin - alone (228). - - _Prelude and Fugue in E flat (214)._ - - _Fugue in B minor (214)._ - - _Suites in A minor (214)._ - - _In E flat._ - - _In G._ - - _Preludio con Fughetta in F (214)._ - - _In G._ - - _Prelude in G (214)._ - - _The adagio of violin solo sonata in C arranged for clavier (214)._ - - _Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor (207)._ - - _Prelude and Fugue in A minor (207)._ Composed at Coethen. - - _Toccata and Fugue in E minor (210)._ The toccata is in three - movements. - - _Toccata and Fugue in F sharp minor (210)._ Allegro moderato, - lento, fugue (for three voices) allegro moderato fugue (for four - voices). - - _Toccata and Fugue in C minor (210)._ The toccata is in two - movements--allegro moderato and adagio. - - _Fantasia and Fugue in A minor (208)._ - - _Fantasia and Fughetta in B flat (212)._ These are written on - one stave, with figures for the harmony. - - _In D._ - - _Capriccio sopra la lontananza del suo fratello dilettissimo - (208)._ See p. 28. - - _Toccata and Fugue in D minor (210)._ The toccata contains - three movements--allegro moderato, allegro, adagio. - - _Four Duets (208)._ For right and left hand. - - _A Prelude with Fugue on the notes B, A, C, H (212)._ Apocryphal. - - _Six Partitas in B flat, C minor, A minor, D, G, E minor - (205)._ From the Clavieruebung, Part I. - - _Concerto "in the Italian style" (207)._ From the Clavieruebung, - Part II. - - _Suite in B minor (208) or Partita._ From the Clavieruebung, - Part II. The work is entitled "an overture after French taste, - for a clavicymbal with two manuals." - - _Air with thirty variations for harpsichord with two manuals - (209)._ From the Clavieruebung. The theme is in the bass. - The work was composed for his clever pupil, J. T. Goldberg, - at the request of Baron Kayserling, who presented Bach with - a snuff-box containing one hundred louis d'or in return for it. - - _Six little Preludes (200)._ - - _Little two-part Fugue in C minor (200)._ - - _Fifteen two-part Inventions (201)._ - - _Fifteen three-part Inventions; also called Symphonies (202)._ - - _Six little Suites called the French Suites (202)._ From Anna - Magdalena's first book. - - _Six large Suites called the English Suites (203)._ - - _Toccata and Fugue in G minor (211)._ The toccata is in three - movements. - - _Prelude and Fugue in A minor (211)._ - - _Fantasia and Fugue in D (211)._ The fantasia is in five - movements. - - _Prelude and Fughetta in D minor (200)._ - - _ " " E minor (200)._ - - _Prelude and Fugue in A minor (200)._ - - _Two Fantasias in C minor (207, 212)._ - - _Two Fugues in C (200)._ - - _Two Fugues in D minor (212)._ - - _Fugues in A major (212)._ - - _ " E minor._ - - _ " A minor._ - - _Twelve little Preludes or exercises for beginners (200)._ No. 3 - is also intended for the lute. Some of these are found in the - "Clavierbuechlein fuer W. F. Bach." - - _Part of a Suite in F minor (212)._ - - _Unfinished Fugue in C minor (212)._ - - _Sixteen Concertos arranged from the Violin Concertos - of Vivaldi (217)._ - - _Art of Fugue (218)._ See p. 134. - - _The Musical Offering (219)._ See p. 135. - - _Fantasia in A minor (215)._ - - _Air varied in G minor (215)._ - - _Toccata in G (215)._ In three movements. - - _Overture in F._ Consisting of "Overture," "Entree," "Minuet," - "Trio," "Bourree," "Gigue," all in the same key. - - _Fantasia in G minor (215)._ - - _Capriccio in E (215)._ "In honour of J. C. Bach of - Ohrdruf." - - _Fantasia con imitazione in B minor (216)._ It is doubtful - whether this is intended for organ or pedal harpsichord. - - _Sonata in D (216)._ Modelled on Kuhnau. - - _Two Fugues in A (216)._ - - _Three Minuets (216)._ - - _Minuet in G minor (1959)._ - - _Adagio and Presto in D minor (1959)._ - - _Prelude in E flat (1959)._ - - _Fugue in B flat (1959)._ From a fugue by J. C. Erselius. - - _Sixty-nine Chorale Melodies with figured bass._ Published in - 1736. - - -_Of doubtful authenticity (1959)_: - - _Sarabande with 16 Partite._ - - _Passacaille in D minor._ - - _Suite in B flat._ - - _Allemande_ } - _Courante_ } _in A._ - _Gigue_ } - - _Fantasia._ Through all keys. Attributed to J. D. Heinichen. - - _Fantasia in G minor._ In five movements. - - _Fantasia and Fugue in D minor._ - - _Fugue in G minor._ - - _Scherzo in D minor._ - - _Andante in G minor._ - - _Fugue in B flat._ An extension of a sonata movement in - Reinken's "Hortus Musicus." - - _Fugues_-- - - _In C._ - - _" E minor._ - - _" G._ - - _" D._ - - _" (a) E minor._ - - _" (b) E minor._ - - _Chaconnes_-- - - _In A._ - - _" G._ - -Of works not already mentioned, the "Bachgesellschaft" publishes in -vol. xlii., Part II., the following apparently authentic compositions:-- - - _Prelude and Fugue in A minor._ - - _Concerto and Fugue in C minor._ - - _Prelude in B minor._ - -_Of more doubtful authenticity_: - - _Fantasia in C minor._ Molto allegro. - - _Toccata quasi fantasia con fuga, A major._ - - _Partie, A major._ - - _Allemande in C minor._ - - _Gigue, F minor._ - - _Allemande and Courante, A major._ - - _Allemande in A minor._ - - _Two Fantasias and Fughettas._ - - _An Unfinished Fugue in E minor._ - - -KEYED INSTRUMENTS WITH ACCOMPANIMENT. - - _Concerto in F (248)._ For clavecin and two flutes concertante, - with accompaniment for two violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto in G minor (249)._ For clavecin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola, violoncello and bass. - - _Concerto in F minor (250)._ For clavecin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto in D major (251)._ For clavecin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto in A major (252)._ For clavecin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola, violoncello and bass. - - _Concerto in E major (253)._ For clavecin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto in D minor (254)._ For clavecin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola and bass. The first allegro is arranged as - the introductory symphony of the Cantata, "Wir muessen durch viel - Truebsal." - - _Concerto in A minor (255)._ For clavecin, flute and violin, with - accompaniment for two violins, viola, violoncello and bass. - - _Concerto in C (256)._ For two clavecins, with two violins, - viola and bass. - - _Concerto in C minor (257)._ For two clavecins, with two - violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto in C minor (257b)._ For two clavecins, with two - violins, viola and bass. Arranged from the concerto for two violins. - - _Concerto in D minor (258)._ For three clavecins, with two - violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto in C (259)._ For three clavecins, with two violins, - viola and bass. - - _Concerto in A minor, after a concerto for four violins by Vivaldi - (260)._ For four clavecins, with accompaniment for two violins, - viola and bass. - - -FOR OTHER INSTRUMENTS. - - _Concerto in A minor (229[86])._ For violin, with accompaniment - for two violins, viola and bass. Also arranged for clavecin and - strings in G minor. - - _Concerto in E (230[87])._ For violin, with accompaniment for - two violins, viola and bass. - - _Concerto (231[87]) in D minor_. For two principal violins, with - accompaniment for two violins, viola and bass. Also arranged for two - clavecins and strings in C minor (_257b_). - - _Three Sonatas and three Suites for violin, without accompaniment - (228)._ Composed at Coethen. The fugue of the sonata in G minor - is also arranged for organ in D minor. The sonata in A minor is also - arranged for clavecin alone in D minor (213), and the suite in E major - in the same key for clavecin. The prelude in E forms the obbligato - organ part of the opening chorus of the cantata "Wir danken dir." - - _Six Sonatas for (232 and 233) Violin and Figured Bass._ - - _Six Sonatas for Flute or Violin and Clavier (234 and 235)._ - - _Suite in A for Violin and Clavier (236)._ - - _Sonata in E minor for Violin and Clavier (236)._ - - _Fugue in G minor for Violin and Clavier (236)._ - - _Sonata in C for two Violins and Clavier (237)._ - - _Sonata in G for Flute, Violin and Clavier (237)._ - - _Trio for Flute, Violin and Clavier (237)._ From the "Musical - Offering"; the clavier part supplied from the figured bass by - Kirnberger. - - _Six Sonatas or Suites for the Violoncello (238)._ - - _Three Sonatas for the Viola da Gamba and Clavier (239)._ - - _Clavierbuch of Anna Magdalena Bach, 1725._ Contains twenty - easy pieces, consisting of minuets, polonaises, rondos, marches, - and one song. - - _Principles of Thorough-bass for his pupils._ Dated 1738, and - preserved by J. P. Kellner. It is divided into two parts for - beginners and advanced pupils. The author says, "The ultimate - end and aim of thorough-bass should only be the glory of God - and recreation of the mind. Where these are not kept in view - there can be no real music, only an infernal jingling and - bellowing." The complete work is quoted as an appendix in - Spitta, vol. iii. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[86] Pianoforte score. - -[87] Pianoforte score. - - - - -Bibliography - - -~Adlung~ (J. A.). Musica mechanica organoedi, 1768, (notes in). - -~Bach~ (J. S.). Eine Biographie, mit Portrait. Cassel, 1855. - -~Bachgesellschaft.~ The complete works of Bach in 60 volumes, with -important introductory notices; published by the Bach Society of -Leipsic. Breitkopf & Haertel, 1851 to 1898. - -~Bitter~ (C. H.). Joh. Seb. Bach. Berlin, 1865: 2 vols.; and 1880: 4 -vols. - -~----~ Die Soehne Sebastian Bachs. 1883. In Waldersee's Sammlung -musikalische Vortraege, vol. v. - -~Brockhaus.~ Conversationslexicon. Leipsic, 1833. - -~Bruyck~ (C. D. van). Technische und aesthetische Analysen des Wohlt. -Clav. 1867. - -~Conrad~ (E. F.). Echt oder unecht? Zur Lucas-Passion. Berlin. - -~David~ (E.). La vie et les oeuvres de J. S. Bach. In "Bibliotheque -Contemporaine." Paris, 1882. - -~Ersch und Gruber.~ Allgemeine Encyclopaedie. Part VII. Leipsic, 1821. -(Article by C. M. von Weber.) - -~Fetis.~ Biographie Universelle des Musiciens. 2nd edition. 1889. - -~Forkel~ (J. N.). Ueber Johann Sebastian Bachs Leben. Kunst und -Kunstwerke. Leipzig, 1802. - -~----~ An English translation of the above appeared in 1820, and a -French edition, with notes by F. Grenier, was published at Paris in -1876. - -~Franz~ (R.). Ueber J. S. Bachs Magnificat. 1863. - -~----~ Ueber Bearbeitungen aelterer Tonwerke, namentlich Bach'scher und -Haendel'scher Vocal-musik. 1871. - -~Frommel~ (G.). Haendel und Bach. 1878. - -~Fuchs~ (H.). Le Bicentenaire de Bach. La Passion selon Saint Matthieu -a Bale. 1885. - -~Gerber~ (E. L.). Lexicon der Tonkuenstler. Leipsic, 1790. - -~----~ Lexicon der Tonkuenstler. Leipsic, 1812. - -~Grosser~ (P. E.). Lebensbeschreibung. Nebst einer Sammlung -interessante Anekdoten. Breslau, 1834. - -~Hauptmann~ (M.). Erlauterungen zu J. S. Bach's Kunst der Fuge. 1841. - -~Hilgenfeldt~ (C. L.). Leben Wirken und Werke. - -~Hiller~ (J. A.). Lebensbeschreibungen beruehmter Musikgelehrten und -Tonkuenstler. Part I. 1784. - -~Hirschung.~ Historisch-literarisches Handbuch beruehmter Personen. Vol. -i. 1794. - -~His~ (W.). Johann Seb. Bach: Forschungen ueber dessen Grabstaette. 1895. - -~Iliffe~ (F.). The Forty-eight Preludes and Fugues of J. S. Bach, -analysed 1897. - -~Johnston~ (H. F. H.). Passion Music. 1858. - -~Junghaus~ (W.). J. S. B. als Schueler der Partikularschule in Lueneburg. - -~Kuhnau~ (J. C. W.). Die blinden Tonkuenstler. 1810. - -~Ludwig~ (C. A). J. S. B. in seiner Bedeutung fuer Cantoren. - -~Mangold~ (C. A.). Bach's Passion, Ein Beitrag zur Characteristik der -Bachschen Compositionsweise. 1860. - -~Mendel.~ Musikalisches Conversations Lexicon. 2nd edition, 1881. -Berlin. - -~Meyer~ (Dr P.). Joh. Seb. Bach. Vortrag in "Oeffentliche Vortraege -gehalten in der Schweiz." 1871. - -~Minerva.~ Zur Erinnerungsfeier an J. S. Bach's Todestag. Jena, 1850. - -~Mizler~ (L. C.). Musikalische Bibliothek, vol. iv., Part I., pp. -158-176. Leipsic, 1754. An article compiled by P. Emanuel Bach and J. -F. Agricola. - -~Mosewius~ (J. T.). J. S. B. in seinen Kirchen-Cantaten und -Choralgesangen. 1845. - -~----~ J. S. B.'s Matthaeus-Passion Musikalisch-aesthetisch dargestellt. -1852. - -~Oordt~ (A. M. van). Een Kort Woord over Bach. 1873. - -~Polko~ (E.). Unsere Musikklassiker. - -~Poole~ (R. L.). Life of Bach, in Hueffer's "The Great Musicians." 1881. - -~Reissmann~ (A.). Leben Johann Sebastian Bach's. - -~Riemann~ (H.). Analysis of J. S. Bach's Wohltemperirtes Clavier. 1893. - -~Rochlitz~ (A. F.). Allg. Musik Zeitung, 1831, (article in). - -~Schaeffer.~ J. Seb. Bach's Cantata, "Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen" -in den Ausgaben von R. Franz und den leipziger Bach-Verein Kritisch -beleuchtet. 1877. - -~Schauer~ (Dr J. K.). Lebensbild. Jena, 1850. - -~Schick~ (M.). J. S. B. Lebensbild. - -~Schiffner~ (A.). Sebastian Bach's Nachkommenschaft. 1840. - -~Schilling~ (Dr G.). Universallexicon der Tonkuenst. Stuttgart, 1835. -(Article by A. B. Marx.) - -~Shuttleworth~ (Miss Kay). "Life of Bach." - -~Siebigke.~ Museum beruehmter Tonkuenstler. 1801. - -~Spitta~ (P.). John Sebastian Bach. 2 vols. 1873-80. - -~----~ The above, translated by Clara Bell and J. A. Fuller Maitland. -Novello, London, 1884. 2nd edition, 1899. - -~----~ Die Passions-Musiken von Seb. Bach, 1893, in "Sammlung -gemeinverstandlicher wissenschaftlicher Vortraege." Serie 8, Heft 176. - -~----~ Ueber die Beziehungen S. Bach's zu C. F. Hunold und Mariane von -Ziegler, in Curtius E. Historische und Philologische Aufsaetze. 1884. -Berlin. - -~Taylor~ (Sedley). The Life of J. S. B. in relation to his work as a -Church Musician and Composer. 1897. - -~Todt~ (B.). Vademecum durch die Bachschen Cantaten. 1895. - -~Tudor~ (H.). Das Heroentum in der Deutschen Musik. An essay on the -music of Bach, Beethoven and Wagner. 1891. - -~Walther~ (J. G.). Musikalisches Lexicon. 1732. Contains a short -article on J. S. Bach. - -~Westphal~ (R.). Allgemeine Theorie der Musikalischen Rhythmik. Mit -besonderer Beruecksichtigung von Bach's Fugen, &c. 1880. - -~Winterfeld~ (C. von). Der evangelische Kirchengesang. Leipsic, 1847. - -[Illustration: The performance of a Church Cantata - -From Walther's Lexicon, Leipsic, 1732] - - - - -Glossary - - -~Ahle~, Joh. Rudolph, was born 1625, and, after holding a post at -Erfurt, became organist and burgomaster of his native town Muehlhausen. -His chorale tunes are still popular in Thuringia. On his death in 1673 -he was succeeded by his son Joh. Georg, who was a member of the Town -Council, and poet laureate to the Emperor Leopold I. - -~Boehm~, Georg. Is described by Walther as a fine composer and -organist of St John at Lueneburg. Bach modelled some of his early -chorale-preludes, notably "Wir glauben all' an einen Gott" on Boehm's -style. - -~Brust-positiv.~ The name given to the choir manual when its pipes -stand in front of the rest of the organ, as in many of the old English -cathedral organs. - -~Buxtehude~, Dietrich, 1637-1707, organist at the Marien-Kirche at -Luebeck. His organ fugues, toccatas, &c., are of great importance as -having furnished Bach with his earliest models. The fugues are usually -in three portions, as in Bach's great E flat fugue (Peters, 242). Many -of his organ works have been published by Spitta. - -~Caldara~, Antonius. Born at Venice 1678, a pupil of Legrenzi and -Fux, and the writer of many operas, and much church music. He was -successively Capellmeister at St Mark's, the Court of Mantua, and -to Charles VI. at Vienna. He was a clever imitator, but had little -inventive genius. On coming to Germany, his style improved in vigour. -Bach admired him sufficiently to copy his Magnificat in C. - -~Cantor~, Choirmaster. The office is rarely held by the organist as in -England, since the cantor has to conduct the "Hauptmusik" with a baton -while the organist plays. - -~Cembalo~, or clavicymbal, or clavessin, or clavecin, for which Bach -wrote his clavier works, was in shape like the modern grand piano, but -its interior construction was something after the model of the organ. -It had, in common with the organ, the defect of being unable to produce -piano or forte by the touch alone, this being done by stops. A complete -cembalo had the compass of [F on fourth ledger line below bass clef] -to [G on fourth ledger line above treble clef] and two manuals. Each -note had four strings producing 4, 8, and 16 ft. tone, two being of 8 -ft. The strings were sounded by plectra made of quill, called jacks. -The instruments were sometimes also provided with organ pedals. It will -be seen at once that a piece played on 16, 8 and 4 ft. stops would -sound far fuller than when played on the modern piano with only unison -strings. - -The cembalo was used to play the basso continuo in all concerted music -outside the church; and even in a concerto for clavier, a second -cembalo appears to have accompanied. The lute or regal, however, -sometimes took its place, for convenience of porterage. - -Transposing clavicymbals, and clavicymbals with keyboards at both ends -were in use. The tuning was very troublesome, and had to be done before -each performance. Other names were Gravecymbalum, Fluegel, Schweinskopf, -Steertstueck. The claviorganum was a combination of clavicymbal and -positive. - -~Choral~ is the German name for the Plainsong of the Roman Church. -After the Reformation the name Choral (English "Chorale") was given to -the hymns which were either translated from the Latin, or originally -written in the fourteenth century by Johannes of Salzburg, Muscatblueet, -Hans Foltz, Michel Beheim, Johannes Gosseler, Joerg Breining, and -Heinrich von Laufenberg, and which took a firm hold on the German -people through the efforts of Martin Luther, Michael Vehe, W. Heintz, -Joh. Hofmann, and others. The peculiar variety to be observed in the -metrical construction of the German Chorale is directly traceable -to the influence of the Volkslied, for Luther himself wrote sacred -words for secular melodies. Other names connected with the chorale -are Valentin Triller, Veit Heefen, Count Albrecht the younger of -Brandenburg, Culmbach, Speratus, Spengler, Hans Sachs, Schensing, -Decius Graumann, Joh. Walter, a friend and fellow-worker of Luther, L. -Senfl, von Bruck and Fink. Later poets were Nic. Hermann, P. Nicolai, -Calvisius Hassler, &c., H. and J. Praetorius, Neumark, Flemming, -Teschner, Gerhard and Crueger. The music of the chorale was brought to -perfection by J. S. Bach. - -~Chorale-Cantatas~, those in which a complete hymn is carried out, -each verse forming as a rule a separate movement, whether for chorus -or solo voices, though occasionally a verse is omitted in the longer -hymns. Sometimes recitatives break the course of the chorale melody, -or the melody is played by the instruments and accompanied by vocal -recitative. The chorales chosen are always well-known ones, and among -the finest of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. - -~Church~ Music. The services at Leipsic were regulated by an act passed -in 1540 by Duke Heinrich applying to all Saxony. A morning service -called matins was celebrated at St Nicholas every Sunday at 5.30 A.M., -in which the Venite, Psalms, Te Deum and Benedicamus Domino were sung -by the choir, and directed by the St Nicholas cantor. - -Morning service took place at 7 at both St Thomas and St Nicholas; -a Latin motet was sung, followed by the Kyrie, Gloria in excelsis, -Collect in Latin, and at St Thomas a Litany was sung by four boys and -the choir alternately. The Gospel and Epistle and Creed were intoned -by the priest, and on certain days the Nicene Creed was sung in Latin -by the choir. The "Hauptmusik" (the cantata) followed the intoning or -singing of the Creed in Latin, and after it was finished the Creed was -sung by the congregation in German. This was followed by a sermon of -an hour's duration. The service concluded with the general confession, -the Lord's Prayer and blessing. Chorales were sung by the congregation -during the course of the service. - -At the mid-day service there were only a sermon and two congregational -hymns without the choir. It began at a quarter to twelve. At vespers, -the choir sang a motet, and the Magnificat in German, besides leading -the congregation in some hymns. At Christmas, Easter and Whitsuntide, -similar services were performed for three consecutive days, matins -beginning at five instead of half-past to allow more time for the -festival services. - -~Cithara~, Cither, a favourite instrument in the sixteenth century -of the guitar family, bearing 4, 5 or 6, or even 12 metal strings. -Praetorius condemns the four-stringed cithara as being "a vulgar -instrument only used by cobblers and tailors." In England it was kept -at barbers' shops for the amusement of customers waiting their turn. - -~Clarino.~ Lichtenthal C. Dizionario della Musica, Milan, 1826, says -"the clarino is, according to some, a species of small trumpet, of -which the tube is narrower than that of the ordinary trumpet, and which -gives a more acute sound; but Northerners hold that the word means the -ordinary trumpet." The word frequently occurs in Bach's scores. - -~Clavichord.~ A key-board instrument having brass strings which were -neither plucked with a quill as in the harpsichord, nor struck with a -hammer as in the pianoforte, but made to sound by a brass blade called -a tangent, which pressed against the string as long as the key was held -down. Although its tone had little power, the effects of crescendo, -diminuendo, and vibrato, called in Germany "Bebung," were entirely -under the player's control, and on this account it was a favourite -instrument with Bach. The clavichord was sometimes provided with pedals -for the use of organ students. - -~Clavicymbal.~ See Cembalo. - -~Clavier~, literally Keyboard. The German name for all keyboard -instruments, such as the clavichord, harpsichord, spinet, instrument, -&c. The term is also applied to both the manuals and pedals of the -organ. - -~Clavierbuechlein~, little clavier book for Bach's son W. Friedemann, -when nine years old, in 1720. A diagram shows the keys and principal -ornaments, and one of the pieces is figured and called "Applicatio, -in nomine Jesu." Some of the pieces are composed by the boy himself. -Eleven of the preludes of the Wohltemperirte clavier first appeared in -this book; some of the pieces are by other composers as J. C. Richter -and G. H. Stoelzel of Gotha, and there are many of Bach's own fugues. - -~Clavierbuechlein~, vor Anna Magdalena Bach in 1720 and 1725. See p. 57. - -~Clavieruebung~, clavier practice. A work in four parts, consisting -of preludes, allemands, the Italian concerto, the French overture, -choralvorspiele, &c., intended, as the name implies, for educational -purposes. The work includes the well-known prelude and fugue for organ -in E flat, Peters 242, and the air in G with thirty variations written -for Goldberg. - -~College~ of Instrumental Musicians of Upper and Lower Saxony. The full -text is given by Spitta, vol. i. p. 145, _et seq._ The statutes enacted -that no member was to settle in any town where another member was -already settled; no member was to take lower fees than his predecessor; -no member was to boast that he played on a superior instrument to -others; offices were only to be obtained by proper examination; no -member was to sing immoral songs; every member must conduct himself -with propriety in social "attendances," and to see that his assistants -did the same; no member was to bring his art to disrepute by playing on -bagpipes, hurdy-gurdies, triangles, &c. - -No bad language was to be allowed, and all low company to be -avoided; apprentices must, before binding, produce credentials of -respectability, and must serve for five years with industry and -constant prayer. After an apprentice has served his five years he is -to serve another three as an "assistant," except when he marries his -master's daughter, in which case he shall only serve one year as -assistant. In case of dissension arising, the matter must be brought -before six master-musicians, who shall decide it. No man is to seek -to oust an old master; but if a man becomes too old to do his work, -an assistant shall be appointed who shall receive half the salary. -Every master is to see that his assistants are properly paid for -services rendered. In order that the art of music may not be brought -into contempt by inadequate performance, no man shall be allowed to -keep more than three apprentices at one time (for this would compel -him to employ properly qualified assistants to carry out concerted -music). A master neglecting to teach his apprentices could be punished; -and an apprentice running away could never become a member of the -college. However great the number of members, no man was to be refused -membership who was found, after due trial, to be properly qualified. -Questions of evil morals arising among members were to be decided by a -board of elders. - -~Concertmeister~, the leader of an orchestra who ranks immediately -after the conductor. In early times he was also the conductor of purely -instrumental music, while the capellmeister conducted whenever voices -were employed. The title is also bestowed as a mark of respect on -musicians of eminence who are not connected with an orchestra. - -~Concerto.~ A term applied to both vocal and instrumental concerted -music. Several of Bach's Cantatas are thus named; thus "Ein Herz das -seinen Jesum lebend weiss" is entitled "Concerto a quattro voci, -2 oboi, 2 violini, viola e continuo di J. S. Bach." Concertos for -instruments were in several movements, but usually three. There -was sometimes a single solo instrument, but more frequently there -were several. The fine concerto in G in two movements is for three -violins, three violas, three violoncellos and bass without a solo -instrument. The concertos of Handel and Vivaldi, &c., are orchestral -compositions in several movements with or without wind instruments. -The Italian Concerto is a piece in three movements for clavecin without -accompaniment. - -~Consistory.~ The authorities of an important church, somewhat -analogous to the Dean and Chapter of an English cathedral. - -~Continuo~ = Basso Continuo, the bass of a composition for voices -or instruments or both. It was always the lowest part, and was -usually provided with figures, that the accompanist might be able -to fill in the harmonies and keep the body of performers together. -It was performed on the organ, or cembalo or regal, according to -circumstances. The continuo of most of Bach's cantatas was written out -in two keys, to suit the two pitches in use, "Chorton" being a tone -higher than "Kammerton." All chamber music required the accompaniment -of a cembalo in figured bass; and even if there were one or more -"Cembali" obbligati a separate instrument would be employed for the -continuo. In all Bach's church compositions in which there is an organ -obbligato part, there is another organ part for the continuo. The -conductor stood near the organist, as may be seen in the frontispiece -to Walther's Lexicon. - -~Cornet~, Cornetto, Zink, consisted of a curved wooden tube covered -with leather and having holes for the fingers with a cup mouthpiece -like a trumpet. Two cornets hang on the wall near the organ in -Walther's illustration. - -~Drese~, Johann Samuel, 1654-1716, was organist of the Court at Jena, -and afterwards Capellmeister at Weimar. He composed sonatas for the -clavier, motets and operas. - -~Estomihi.~ Quinquagesima Sunday. - -~Figural~ Music. Florid music, or all church music that is not -Plainsong, or its Lutheran equivalent the chorale-melody. - -~Florilegium~ Portense, a work containing 115 "cantiones selectissimas" -of from four to eight voices, with figured bass for organ. A second -part contained 150 "concentus selectissimas" of from five to ten -parts. Published 1603 and 1621 by Bodenschatz, Cantor of Schulpforta, -and Pastor at Rehausen. A complete catalogue is given in Groves' -Dictionary, vol. i. p. 253. - -~French~ Overture. A form of opera overture consisting of a slow -introduction, followed by a fugue or fugato, and concluding with a slow -movement. This form was applied to the clavier by Bach in the "Overture -in the French style" (E. P. 208) of the B minor Suite or Partita. - -~Fux~, Joh. Joseph, born in Styria, 1660, organist, Court composer, and -Capellmeister at Vienna. A prolific composer of church music and opera, -but he is best known by his theoretical works, amongst which is his -Latin "Gradus ad Parnassum," a treatise on composition, which has been -through many editions. - -~Goerner~, J. Gottlieb, was appointed organist of the Nicolai Church at -Leipsic in 1721 and was also head of a "Collegium Musicum" or musical -society. In 1729 he succeeded Graebner as organist of St Thomas. He -was a mediocre musician, but put himself in rivalry with Bach, and is -reported by Scheibe to have "by his rudeness asserted his pre-eminence -among a large number of his equals." He gave Bach a good deal of -trouble by assuming the position and emoluments of director of music -to the University; but they appear to have worked amicably together -afterwards, and Bach, by will, appointed him guardian of his children, -an office which he appears to have satisfactorily fulfilled. - -~Hammerschmidt~, Andreas, born in Bohemia, 1611, organist of Freiberg, -afterwards at Zittau. According to Gerber, one of the greatest of -German contrapuntists. Walther gives a list of his compositions, which -are mostly for the church. His "Musical discourses on the Gospel" were -an important step in the development of oratorio. - -~Hunold~, Christian Friedrich. A poet, known as Menantes, who wrote -poems for the Hamburg Theatre 1700 to 1706; became a professor at -Halle, and was much at the Coethen Court, where he wrote texts for -Bach's cantatas. - -~Instrument.~ A name given to a keyed instrument of which the strings -went from side to side as in the obsolete square pianoforte, the -key-board being in the middle. - -~Inventions.~ The fifteen Inventions and Symphonies were entitled by -Bach "A genuine introduction whereby a clear method is shown to lovers -of the clavier, and especially to those who are eager to learn, not -only (1) of playing in two voices clearly, but also, on making further -progress, (2) of playing three obbligato parts properly and well; so -that they at the same time will learn to make good inventions and play -them themselves, and will also learn what is most important, the art -of cantabile playing; and will acquire a good taste in composition. -Prepared by J. S. Bach, 1723." - -~Keiser~, Reinhard, was for forty years the celebrated composer and -conductor of operas at Hamburg. He had as colleagues Telemann and -Matheson. He wrote 116 operas, and produced many by other composers, -particularly Handel's Rinaldo. Born near Leipsic, 1673, died 1739. - -~Kuhnau~, Johann, 1667-1722, Bach's predecessor as cantor at the -Thomas-schule, was a prolific writer on musical subjects. Amongst his -compositions are six Bible sonatas, representing scenes from Scripture -on the cembalo. He was the first to write chamber sonatas for the -clavier instead of for several instruments. He was also learned in -languages, mathematics, and law. He wrote passions, cantatas, &c., but -his style seems to have soon become antiquated, and his works could not -hold their own against the opera and the younger school. - -~Lituus.~ The cantata No. 118, "O Jesu Christ mein's Leben's Licht," -is scored for two litui, cornet and three trombones. There are no -string or organ parts, and the work is evidently intended for the open -air, perhaps for a funeral. There is no reason given for calling the -trumpets by their Latin name in this instance. - -~Lute.~ This instrument appears in the score of the St John's Passion. -It was sometimes used instead of a clavecin to accompany concerted -music. - -~Lute-Harpsichord.~ A keyed instrument with gut strings made after -Bach's design by Zacharias Hildebrand, an organ builder. See p. 157. - -~Matheson~, 1681-1764, wrote 89 volumes chiefly on musical subjects, -besides being a composer. He was a classical scholar, a student of -modern languages, law, and political science, a good musician, dancer, -and fencer. He appeared on the Hamburg stage as a singer, composed -and conducted operas there, became a great friend of Handel, was -made secretary of the English Legation, and cantor and canon of the -Cathedral. By his writings he materially helped forward the development -of the church cantata. - -~Mizler~, von Kolof, Doctor of Philosophy and historian, born 1711 at -Wurtemberg, was a good amateur musician. In 1731 he went to Leipsic to -study divinity and afterwards philosophy and music. Here he founded -a "Society for Musical Science," and became on friendly terms with -Bach, who seems to have given him some lessons. He wrote various -works dealing with the philosophy of music; and his chief importance -in connection with Bach was his "Necrology" in which he gives -valuable information concerning him. The work is in several numbers; -unfortunately that portion of it which deals with Bach is not in the -British Museum Library. - -~Motet.~ The character and scope of the German motet are thus described -by Spitta, vol. i. p. 54. "It is in several parts; it admits of no -obbligato instruments, and its subjects are set to a text of the Bible, -or to a verse of a hymn. The period of its fullest bloom was about -1600, when music was essentially polyphonic, vocal, and sacred." Under -the influence of harmony it gradually changed its form, introducing -solo voices and instruments, especially the organ. - -~Oboe~ da Caccia. Hunting oboe, bent like a knee, and differing but -slightly from the modern Cor Anglais, or English horn. It occurs very -frequently in Bach's scores. It is described in Grove's Dictionary as a -bassoon raised a fourth, carrying the bass tone of the latter upwards -rather than lowering the treble tone of the oboe a fifth. It is also -called by Bach, Taille de basson, or tenor of the bassoon. - -~Oberwerk.~ The Great organ. - -~Oberpositiv.~ A choir organ of which the wind-chest is placed above -the others. - -~Orgel-buechlein~, "Little organ-book." The first collection was made, -according to Bach himself, at Coethen between 1717 and 1723. The second -collection, consisting of six chorales, was published and sold by -Bach and his sons at Leipsic, Halle, and Berlin. The third collection -was continued till his death and was not published. The last portion -was dictated during his blindness to his son-in-law Altnikol. The two -unpublished parts were written on two staves only. The pedal compass -in the chorales extends to high F and F[sharp]. These notes were found -on the organ of the Lutheran Church at Coethen only. This organ is -described by Hartmann in 1803 as "an uncommonly powerful and excellent -instrument." It had 8 stops on the pedals, 10 on the great, 10 on the -choir. It is now reduced in size and ruined in order to obtain more -room in the church. - -~Partita.~ A name given to sets of variations for organ or cembalo, and -appropriated from the town pipers. - -~Pachelbel~, Johann, 1653-1706, born at Nueremberg, was assistant -organist at the Church of St Stephen in Vienna, whence he moved to -Eisenach as Court organist in 1677. From Eisenach he went to Erfurt -and to Gehren. In 1690 he became Court organist at Stuttgart; and -after a stay of three years at Gotha he became organist of a church at -Nueremberg till his death. He taught W. Friedemann Bach, and Bernhard, -son of Aegidius. According to Gerber, he improved church music, used -the overture form on the clavier, and continued the good work which -Froberger had begun in respect of clavier composition. Bach used his -chorales as models during the Arnstadt period. - -~Picander.~ A poet of considerable reputation in his time named -Christian Friedrich Henrici. Born 1700 at Stolpen. Went to the -University at Leipsic, 1720. Became a lawyer, but was afterwards able -to live by his poetical compositions, though he obtained important -posts in Leipsic. Died 1764. He wrote the text for many of Bach's -compositions. - -~Positiv.~ The name given to that portion of an organ and its manual -which corresponds to our choir organ. In a three manual organ there -are usually two choir manuals. The swell shutters, if any, are only -applied to a few stops, used generally on a fourth or "echo" manual. -Properly speaking the positive, called in Italian organs, piccolo, -had its foundation pipes pitched an octave higher than those of the -ordinary organ. Its diapason would therefore be a four-feet register. - -~Regal.~ Sometimes used to accompany secular cantatas instead of the -clavecin. It was also used for choir practices. In 1709 Kuhnau in a -Memorial to the Council says, "A new regal is needed, the old one being -constantly in need of repair." An inventory of the instruments at the -Thomas-schule between 1723 and 1750 mentions, "1 Regal, old and quite -done for"; "1 ditto bought 1696." - -The regal was a small reed instrument of the harmonium class, but with -small pipes to enhance the sound of the reeds. It could easily be -carried about, and was placed on a table when played. It could be made -so small as to take the size and shape of a large book, hence sometimes -called Book or Bible-regal. - -~Schubart~, Christian F. Daniel. Born 1739. Master of Philosophy, -Theatre director, Court poet of Stuttgart, a good amateur musician. -Was a good organist and held various posts. In 1777 to 1787 he was -imprisoned in a castle on account of some views expressed in his -political paper "Deutsche Chronik." Burney, who met him, remarks on his -great facility as a clavier player. He published several compositions -and works on music. - -~Schuetz~, Heinrich. 1585-1672. Brought opera from Italy to Germany and -also composed Passions. He was considered the best German composer of -his century. He wrote music to the Passions of Matthew, Luke and John -for the Court of Dresden, where he was Capellmeister. These are the -greatest works of the kind next to those of Bach. His compositions are -in the old church tones, but strongly influenced by the coming tonality -of modern music. - -~Solo~ Cantatas. Those written for one or more solo voices without a -chorus. They sometimes conclude with the chorale in four parts. - -~Spinet.~ Is defined by Hipkins ("The Pianoforte," p. 121) as "a -Jack keyboard instrument with one string to a note," as opposed to -the cembalo, harpsichord, &c., which had several strings to a note. -Adlung says the spinet was of limited compass, its lowest octave being -"short" and it was tuned a fifth above chorus pitch. It was sometimes -triangular in shape and could be placed on a table; its strings ran -from right to left of the performer, as in the "Instrument." - -~Rueck-positiv.~ The name given to the choir manual when its pipes stand -behind the rest of the organ. - -~Telemann~, G. Philipp. 1681-1767. A poet and musician who composed -no less than 600 overtures, 12 complete year courses of cantatas, 44 -passions, 32 compositions for the instalment of preachers, 32 so-called -oratorios, 20 coronation pieces, 40 operas, and a mass of other music. -Besides all this he is described by Walther as the "greatest Polygraph -that Germany can show," having written a number of books on music, -besides a quantity of bad poetry. He was successively organist and -director of the New Church at Leipsic (during which time he mastered -the English, Italian and French languages), Capellmeister in Sorau, -Concertmeister in Eisenach, Kapellmeister at Frankfort-on-the-Maine, -Music Director at Hamburg, where he formed one of the trio of -musicians, Keiser and Matheson being the others. He was on very -friendly terms with Bach and Handel. He was a candidate for the post of -Cantor at St Thomas, having during his previous residence in Leipsic -(1701-4) founded a flourishing "Collegium Musicum" among the students. -He had a great reputation throughout Germany. Bach copied some of his -music, and the influence of Telemann, at that time very popular, is -seen in Bach's cantata "Herr Gott dich loben wir." - -~Theorbo.~ A lute with an extra neck bearing the bass strings. - -~Tromba~ da tirarsi. A slide trumpet, the soprano of the trombone. -Often used in Bach's scores. - -~Viola~ d'amore. A tenor viol of a specially agreeable and silvery tone -(Walther). It sometimes had sympathetic strings, though these were not -a necessary adjunct. - -~Viola~ da gamba. Leg viol, the bass of the viol family, held between -the knees, like the violoncello, when played. It had six strings, the -lowest of which was the D below the bass stave, and its finger-board -was fretted. Its tone (like that of all the viol class) was weak -compared to the violoncello. - -~Viola~ pomposa, an instrument invented by Bach. See p. 157. - -~Violetta.~ This instrument occurs in the cantata "Herr Gott dich loben -wir" as an alternative of the "oboe di caccia." It is described by -Walther as a fiddle (Geige) playing an inner part, constructed like a -viola, or small viola da gamba. - -~Violino~ piccolo. A small violin whose lowest string was a fourth -higher than that of the violin. Its tuning was therefore C, G, D, A, an -octave above the viola. It frequently occurs in Bach's scores. - -~Violoncello~ piccolo, with five strings. This instrument occurs in the -score of a tenor aria in cantata No. 41, "Jesu nur sei gepreiset." The -additional string was tuned to E, and enabled the performer to execute -the very florid high passages which Bach writes. - -~Ziegler~, Christiane Mariane von, who wrote words for some of the -cantatas was born in 1695 at Leipsic. Began to publish poems when she -was fifteen. Left a widow in 1722, she devoted herself to writing -poetry and the practice of the keyboard instruments and lute, and -flute, and was held in honour by the most artistic society of her time. -Spitta gives an account of her life in Curtius' Historische Aufsaetze, -1884. See p. 197. - - - - -Index - - - Abel, Chr. F., 50 - - " Karl Friedrich, _id._ - - Accompanying, his method of, 103, 104 - - Ahle, Johann Georg, 33 - - Altnikol, Johann C., 170 - - Anhalt-Coethen, appointed capellmeister to Prince Leopold of, 48 - - Arnstadt, appointed organist at, 25; - details of organ at, 26, 27; - troubles with Consistory of, 29-33 - - "Art of Fugue," 134, 135 - - - "Bach Choir," 143 - - Bach as "Familien-Vater," 170 - - Bach Family, 3-18 - - Bach Gesellschaft, 148 - - Bach, Maria Barbara, his cousin, 33; - marries her, _id._; - her death, 51 - - Bach Society, English, 142 - - Bachs of Thuringia, the, 1, 2 - - Bibliography, 202-204 - - Birnbaum, his reply to Scheibe's attack on Bach, 85 - - Birth, his, 21 - - Blindness, his, 88 - - Boehm, becomes a pupil of, 23 - - Books and instruments, his, 80, 81 - - Boerner, 25 - - Burial, his place of, 89 - - Buxtehude, visit to, 28 - - - Cantatas and the chorale, 91 - - Carlsbad, visit to, 51 - - Cassel, visit to, 44 - - _Catalogue of Instrumental Works_, 191-195 - Orchestra, 194, 195 - Organ, 191-194 - - _Catalogue of Vocal Works_, 177-190 - Church Cantatas, 177-188 - Funeral Ode, 188 - Lost Works, 190 - Motets, 188 - Secular Cantatas, 189 - - _Cembalo, Clavichord, Spinet, &c., Works for_, 196-201 - Keyed instruments with accompaniment, 200 - Other instruments, 200, 201 - - Children, his, 57 - - Choirmaster, as, 171 - - Christmas Oratorio, the, 144 - - Clavichord, his favourite instrument, 78 - - "Clavier, the Wohltemperirte," 131 - - Coethen, appointed capellmeister at, 48; - leaves, 56 - - Death, his, 89; - notice of in the _Leipsic Chronicle_, _id._ - - Death of his Father, 21 - - Death of his first wife, 51 - - Dresden, competition with Marchand at, 46, 47; - journey to, 46; - plays organ at, 84 - - Drese, Samuel, 48 - - - Early studies, 22 - - Easter oratorio, 145 - - Effler, Johann, 25 - - Eilmar, G. C., 38 - - English Bach Society, 142 - - Erdmann, G., 46 - - Ernesti, Johann August, 81; - troubles with, 82, 83 - - Eyesight, failing, 88; - he becomes blind, _id._ - - - "Familien-Vater," Bach as, 170 - - Fasch, 65 - - Father, death of his, 21 - - Figured bass, his method of playing from, 165 - - Final illness and death, 89; - notice in the _Leipsic Chronicle_, _id._ - - Fingering, and use of keyed and stringed instruments, 152-155 - - Flemming, Field Marshal von, 47 - - Forkel, 39, 78, 170; - anecdote of Bach, 41 - - Frederick the Great, visit to, 86, 87 - - Frohne, J. A., 38 - - "Fugue, Art of," 134, 135 - - - Gesner, 81 - - Glossary, 205-218 - - Goerner, 78; - throws his wig at, _id._ - - Grace notes (Manieren), 149-151 - - Graupner, 65 - - - Halle, visit to, 43, 45 - - Hamburg, competes for organistship at, 52; - journey to, _id._ - - Hamburg and Celle, visits to, 24 - - Handel, his efforts to meet, 55, 56 - - Harrer, Gottlob, 86, 90 - - Hausmann, his portrait of Bach, 85 - - Heitmann, J. Joachim, 53 - - Herrings' heads, story of the, 24 - - Hildebrand, Zacharias, 157 - - Hilgenfeldt, 39, 172 - - Home life at Leipsic, 77 - - Hurlebusch, anecdote of, 79; - visit from, 79, 80 - - - Kauffmann, G. F., 65 - - Kirchoff, G., 46 - - Koch, Johann Sebastian, 36 - - Krebs, Johann Ludwig, 49; - Johann T., _id._ - - Kuhnau, 44 - - - Laemmerhirt, Tobias, 36 - - Last representative of his family, 90 - - Leipsic, appointed Cantor of, 66; - Cantor, duties of, 59-61; - differences with the Council, 70; - St Thomas's School at, 59 - - Leipsic church organs:-- - Thomas Church, Leipsic, 160-162 - University Church, Leipsic, 162-165 - - Lost works, 147 - - Luebeck, visit to, 28 - - Lueneburg, removes to, 22 - - Lute-harpsichord planned by Bach, 157 - - - Magnificat in D, 146 - - Marchand, competition with, 46, 47 - - Marriage to his cousin, 33, 36 - - Marriage to Anna Magdalena Wuelken, 56 - - Mass in B minor, 114 - - Mattheson, 54, 55 - - Mizler, 85 - - Money matters, his carefulness in, 80, 174 - - Muehlhausen, appointed organist of St Blasius at, 33; - resigns appointment, 39 - - "Musical Offering," 135; - dedication to Frederick the Great, 136 - - - Ohrdruf, removes to, 21 - - "Old Lutherans," the, differences with, 38 - - _Orchestration_-- - Accompanying, his method, 103, 104 - "Ein feste Burg" chorale, 94, 96, 101 - "Es ist nichts gesundes" cantata, 108-111 - "Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu Ende" cantata, 106 - Mass in B minor: - (Et incarnatus), 127 - (Et resurrexit), 128 - (Gloria), 127 - (Kyrie), 126 - (Sanctus), 123, 129 - Passion Music (St Matthew), 104, 105 - "Wir danken dir, Gott" cantata, 112 - - _Organs_-- - As an examiner of, 78 - Description of at Thomas Church, Leipsic, 160-162 - Description of at University Church, Leipsic, 162, 165 - Pitch of, 169 - - - Passion Music (St Matthew), 114 - - Personal details, 77 - - "Pietists" the, differences with, 38 - - Playing, his, 148 - - Portraits of Bach, Hausmann's, &c., 85, 175 - - Pupils, list of his, 140 - - - Reinken, 52 - - Rolle, Ch. F., 45, 65 - - - Saxe-Weimar, appointed chamber-musician to Duke of, 39; - his salary, 40 - - Saxon Court, appointed composer to the, 84 - - Scheibe, his attack on Bach, 85; - Birnbaum's reply, _id._ - - Schneider, J., 50 - - Schott, 65 - - Schubart, Johann Martin, 35, 49 - - Self-Criticism, 173 - - Silbermann's pianos, 87, 172 - - St Blasius, Muehlhausen, appointed organist of, 33; - repairs to the organ, 37; - resigns the post, 39 - - Statues of Bach, 176 - - Stauber, Pastor, 39 - - Stringed instruments, his knowledge of, 157-159 - - - Teacher, Bach as a, 137, 140 - - Telemann, 65 - - - Vogler, J. C., 49 - - - Walther, Johann Gottfried, 33, 40 - - Weimar, appointed chamber-musician to Duke of, 39; - his salary, 40; - joins the Court orchestra at, 25 - - Widow and daughter, fate of his, 90 - - "Wohltemperirte Clavier," the, 131 - - Wuelken, Anna Magdalena, marries her, 56 - - Works:-- - "Art of Fugue," 134, 135 - _Canon_, "Von Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her," 85 - _Cantatas_-- - "Denn du wirst meine Seele nicht in der Hoelle lassen," 27, 28 - "Erforsche mich Gott," 107 - "Es ist nichts gesundes," 108-110, 113 - "Freue dich erloeste Schaar," 112 - "Gleich wie der Regen und Schnee," 108 - "Gott ist mein Koenig," 36 - "Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu Ende," 106 - "Herr Gott dich loben wir," 107 - "Ich hatte viel Bekuemmerniss," 108 - "Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwoelfe," 66 - "Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland," 44 - "O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort," 108 - "The rich man died and was buried," 86 - "Thomana sass annoch betruebt," 81 - "Vor deinen Thron tret ich," 89 - "Wir danken dir, Gott," 112 - _Capriccio_ on the departure of his brother, 28 - _Chorales_-- - "An Wasserfluessen Babylon," 24, 52 - "Christ, der du bist der helle Tag," 25 - "Ein feste Burg," 43, 95, 96, 101 - "Es ist gewisslich an der Zeit," 24 - "O Gott, du Frommer Gott," 25 - "When we are in the greatest need," 88 - "Wie schoen leuchtet uns der Morgenstern," 28 - _Christmas Oratorio_, 106, 144 - Easter Oratorio, 145 - Magnificat in D, 146 - Mass in B minor, 114, 123-130 - "Musical Offering," 135 - Passion Music (St Matthew), 104, 105, 114 - Serenade, 51 - Toccata in G, 24 - Variations: "Allein Gott in der Hoeh sei Ehr," 28 - "Wohltemperirte Clavier," the, 131-134 - - _Works for Cembalo, Clavichord, Spinet, &c_, catalogue of, 196-201 - - _Works, Instrumental_-- - Catalogue of, 191-195 - Orchestra, 194, 195 - Organ, 191-194 - - _Works, Vocal_-- - Catalogue of, 177-190 - Church Cantatas, 177-188 - Funeral Ode, 188 - Lost Works, 190 - Motets, 188 - Secular Cantatas, 189 - -[Illustration: THE - -TEMPLE PRESS - -LETCHWORTH - -ENGLAND] - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Illustrations have been moved next to the text to which they refer, and -may not match the page numbers in the List of Illustrations. Sidenotes -not in italics were originally printed as page headers. - -The following apparent errors have been corrected: - -Advertisement page "_Second Edition_" changed to "_Second Edition._" - -p. vi "2 vols" changed to "2 vols." - -p. 4 "Gottlich" changed to "Gottlieb" - -p. 12 "Sax-Eisenach," changed to "Sax-Eisenach." - -p. 15 "Teleman" changed to "Telemann" - -p. 19 "all'an" changed to "all' an" - -p. 24 (note) "music, Berlin" changed to "music, Berlin." - -p. 27 "meine" changed to "meine" - -p. 63 "troulde" changed to "trouble" - -p. 73 "leave Leipzic" changed to "leave Leipsic" - -p. 85 "Von Himmel" changed to "Vom Himmel" - -p. 87 (note 51) "Sansouci" changed to "Sanssouci" - -p. 95 "viola violoncello," changed to "viola, violoncello," - -p. 108 "Reigen" changed to "Regen" - -p. 108 "Bekummerniss" changed to "Bekuemmerniss" - -p. 113 "di J. S. Bach" changed to "di J. S. Bach." - -p. 114 "an einem Gott" changed to "an einen Gott" - -p. 121 "unecht. zur" changed to "unecht? Zur" - -p. 122 "seventeenth" changed to "eighteenth" - -p. 124 "I have" changed to ""I have" - -p. 127 "Quoniam solus Sanctus" changed to "Quoniam to solus Sanctus" - -p. 135 "Wenn wir im hoechsten Noethen sind" changed to "Wenn wir in -hoechsten Noethen sein" - -p. 140 "Saetzes" changed to "Satzes" - -p. 145 "Der Geist hift unsere Schwachheit auf" changed to "Der Geist -hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf" - -p. 145 "Tonet" changed to "Toenet" - -p. 149 "1. The Vorschlag" changed to "The Vorschlag" - -p. 170 "Staatsburger" changed to "Staatsbuerger" - -p. 171 "Lueneberg" changed to "Lueneburg" - -p. 176 "Johnn Sebastian Bach" changed to "Johann Sebastian Bach" - -p. 179 "erzahlen" changed to "erzaehlen" - -p. 183 "Hochzeitgehe" changed to "Hochzeit gehe" - -p. 184 "meinem Thaten" changed to "meinen Thaten" - -p. 185 "ursprung" changed to "Ursprung" - -p. 186 "Geist" changed to "Geist-" - -p. 186 "gewuenschste" changed to "gewuenschte" - -p. 187 "Suesse Trost, mein Jesu kommt" changed to "Suesser Trost, mein -Jesus koemmt" - -p. 188 "erhoebt" changed to "erhoeht" - -p. 188 "spirit," changed to "spirit,"" - -p. 188 "auf seinem Gott" changed to "auf seinen Gott" - -p. 189 "plandert" changed to "plaudert" - -p. 189 "Dieskan" changed to "Dieskau" - -p. 189 "sache" changed to "sa che" - -p. 190 "wiederan" changed to "Wiederau" - -p. 192 "Orgelbuchlein" changed to "Orgel-buechlein" - -p. 196 ""Hortus Musicus.'" changed to ""Hortus Musicus."" - -p. 199 "Courante, A major" changed to "Courante, A major." - -p. 202 "alterer" changed to "aelterer" - -p. 203 "Schuler der Partikularschule in Lueneberg" changed to "Schueler -der Partikularschule in Lueneburg" - -p. 204 "Vortraege." changed to "Vortraege."" - -p. 204 "Beruechsichtigung" changed to "Beruecksichtigung" - -p. 212 "Freiburg" changed to "Freiberg" - -p. 213 "Teleman" changed to "Telemann" - -pp. 203, 213 and 216 "Kuehnau" changed to "Kuhnau" - -p. 217 "the English" changed to "the English," - -p. 218 "Historisches Aufsaetze" changed to "Historische Aufsaetze" - -p. 220 "organist ship" changed to "organistship" - -p. 220 "Kauffman" changed to "Kauffmann" - -p. 220 "Johann, T." changed to "Johann T." - -p. 222 "gesundes," changed to "gesundes,"" - -p. 222 "Bekummerniss" changed to "Bekuemmerniss" - -p. 222 "an noch" changed to "annoch" - -p. 222 "Got" changed to "Gott" - -p. 222 "Cappricio" changed to "Capriccio" - - -The following possible errors have not been changed: - -p. 14 Wuertemburg - -p. 14 Hoehenlohe - -p. 145 No. 2. - -In addition, many of the cantatas' incipits are truncated and/or omit -punctuation; these have been left as printed. - - -The following are used inconsistently: - -_baton_ and baton - -choralvorspiele and choral-vorspiele - -concertmeister and concert-meister - -deathbed and death-bed - -Gedact and Gedackt - -hammerlike and hammer-like - -keyboard and key-board - -lifetime and life-time - -Nachthorn and Nacht-horn - -Nicolai-Church and Nicolai-church - -Rueck-positiv and Rueckpositiv - -Schallmey and Schalmei - -Thomasschule and Thomas-schule - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BACH*** - - -******* This file should be named 43650.txt or 43650.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/3/6/5/43650 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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