250 years of Bach

by Paul A. Schons

Originally published by the Germanic-American Institute in July, 2000

This year and this month mark 250 years since the death of Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach died on July 28, 1750 in Leipzig where he had lived and worked since May of 1723. A North American Bach page with many links is at: http://www.jsbach.org/ a special site dedicated to Bach in the year 2000 and with information on various Bach festivals and 250th year events is located on the Web at: http://www.ozemail.com.au/~slweiss/bach2000.htm
Of course there are major 250th year events in Leipzig, where Bach worked in his mature years, and at the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, where Bach was the musical director. (The church of St. Thomas is still standing and still in use. Should your travels take you to Leipzig, you may wish to attend a Bach concert in the church in which he worked.)

The great master of Baroque music was born on March 21, 1685 in Eisenach, Thuringia. Bach is known for a vast number of compositions, but probably the best known of his many works are, The Brandenburg Concertos, The Well-Tempered Clavier and the Mass in B Minor. In addition to the music Johann Sebastian Bach composed, he gave the world additional music through his sons who were also composers of great merit. Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Christian Bach all rank among the masters of musical composition.

Bach’s first position was as a member of the orchestra of Johann Ernst, the Duke of Weimar. At age 18 (1703) he was appointed organist in Arnstadt. In Arnstadt he would begin his growth to the genius he would become. His relations in Arnstadt were not all happy however. There were numerous clashes. No doubt the most serious event was the occasion on which he insulted the bassoonist so greatly that the two of them fell to fisticuffs on the streets of Arnstadt causing significant local scandal! Bach left the city for a new position in Mühlhausen.

In 1707 Bach was appointed to a position at the Church of St. Blasius in Mühlhausen. On October 17th of that year he married his cousin, Maria Bach. In the Mühlhausen years he began his outpouring of great music. His famous Toccata and Fuge in D Minor along with many other compositions which would add to his fame were composed during this period.

He resigned the Mühlhausen position in 1708 and secured a position as the court organist in Weimar. In addition to his performances in Weimar he continued his prolific output of compositions. In 1717 he accepted a position at Köthen (near Halle) as musical director. Tragedy struck during the Köthen years; his wife, Maria died suddenly in 1720. It was also during that period that he married his second wife (1721), Anna Magdalena Wilcken.

In 1722 the position of cantor in Leipzig was opened. Bach was very interested and applied for the position where he would spend his mature years and develop his talents to their full potential. Securing that appointment, however, was not an easy matter. Bach was still young and certainly had not yet achieved the reputation by which we know him today. The Leipzig position was first offered to one of the most famous musicians of the day, Georg Philipp Telemann. Telemann did not accept the position, however, opening the way for Bach. The contest was not yet won, though. The officials at Leipzig next offered the position to another prominent composer, Christoph Graupner. Graupner too, was unable to accept the position at that time. It was thus that the position was offered to young Bach as a third choice. In fact, Bach was never regarded highly as a composer during his lifetime. He was respected as an excellent performer, but the respect he now has as a composer came much later.

During the first 50 years after his death few were interested in his music. The beginnings of the recognition of Bach as the great composer of his age began in 1802 when Johann Forkel published a book on Bach, Life, Genius and Works, and started the process of publishing his music. Shortly thereafter the composers Devrient, Mendelssohn and Schumann fostered the appreciation and continued publication of Bach’s works.