March 2005 Newsletter

March , 2005 Volume 17 Number 3

Letter from the President

Dear Members:

A new year has begun and with it we are welcoming a new person. Cody Obst, on the staff of the Calgary Waldorff School, is our accompanist and substitute conductor. We enjoy his talents and hope this will be a long time relationship. Ariel Gonzalez has a heavier teaching load and could no longer come to our rehearsals. Thanks for doing such an excellent job with us, Ariel. We will miss your flying fingers.

Ariel was one of the performers at the Children’s Concert, as part of the varied program. The large audience again tried out the many instruments loaned to us by Carla Hos, Jack Searchfield, St. John’s Music, Carl Duguid of Soby’s Music, and Ed Agopian with the Mt. Royal Youth orchestra. The generosity of these people, and our other volunteers, contributed to a fun afternoon.

If you missed the new sound of the string players using our new baroque bows last December, you will have a chance again at our next concert, March 20. The soloists will be: Linda Brown (piccolo trumpet), Katie Partridge (soprano), Betty Hicks (contralto), Michiel Schrey (tenor), Gene Wu (bass). We are all working to bring you a fitting celebration of Bach’s birthday. Please join us, bring some friends, and have a piece of birthday cake at the reception after the concert.

Speaking of a birthday, I’m sure the Society members join me in wishing Janet Youngdahl good health as she awaits the birth of her baby in May. Adjustments will have to be made, but the Bach choir hopes we’ll be in Janet’s plans for our next season.

The Society would always welcome a donation of your time. Could you help at a reception, or revamp and maintain our website? If so, don’t hesitate to call me at 931-4018.

Sincerely, Constance Jackson

J.S. Bach Biography - his childhood (Eisenach 1685-1695 and Ohrdruf 1695-1700)

Johann Sebastian Bach’s parents were Johann Ambrosius Bach (1645-1695) and Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt (1644-94), daughter of a furrier and town councilman in Erfurt, Valentin Lämmerhirt (d 1665). Another Lämmerhirt daughter became the mother of Bach’s cousin J.G. Walther. Elisabeth’s elder half-sister Hedwig Lämmerhirt was the second wife of Ambrosius Bach’s uncle, Johann Bach, organist of the Predigerkirche in Erfurt. Elisabeth and Ambrosius, who had worked in Eisenach since 1671 as a Hausmann and a musician at the ducal court of Saxe-Eisenach, were married on April 8, 1668, and the couple had eight children, five of whom survived infancy, as well as Johann Sebastian, the youngest, whose date of birth, March 21, 1685, was carefully recorded by Walther in his Lexicon, by Sebastian himself in the family genealogy, and by his son as the co-author of Bach’s official obituary. It is supported in church records with the date of his baptism as March 23, 1685, in the register of Saint Georg’s Church. His godfathers were Johann Georg Koch, a forestry official, and Sebastian Nagel, a Gotha Stadtpfeifer. The house in which J.S. Bach was born no longer exists, but it was a house on Fleischgasse (now Lutherstrasse) that Ambrosius Bach bought in 1674 after gaining Eisenach citizenship.

Since the time of the Reformation, all children in Eisenach were required to attend school between the ages of five and twelve, and although there is no documentary evidence of it, Sebastian Bach must have entered one of the town’s German schools in 1690. From 1692 he attended the Lateinschule, which offered him a sound humanistic and theological education. At Easter in 1693 he was 47th in the fifth class, having been absent 96 half-days. In 1694 he lost 59 half-days, but rose to the 14th rank and was promoted. At Easter in 1695 he was ranked 23rd in the fourth class, in spite of having lost 103 half-days (perhaps due to illness, but probably also due to the deaths of his parents). He stood one or two places above his brother Jacob, who was three years older and less frequently absent. Very little else is known about his Eisenach training, but he is said to have been an unusually good treble singer and probably sang under Kantor A.C. Dedekind at Saint Georg’s, where his father made instrumental music before and after the sermon and where his uncle, Johann Christoph Bach, was the organist. His musical education is a matter for conjecture: presumably, his father taught him the rudiments of string playing, but according to Emanuel Bach, his father had no formal instruction on keyboard instruments until he went to Ohrdruf to live with his brother.

Elisabeth Bach was buried on May 3, 1694, and on November 27, Ambrosius married Barbara Margaretha, née Keul, the daughter of a former mayor of Arnstadt. At age 35, she had already been twice widowed. Her first husband had been a musician, Johann Günther Bach, and her second a theologian, Jacobus Bartholomaei. Both marriages had taken place in Arnstadt, and she brought to her third marriage two little daughters, Catharina Margareta and Christina Maria, one child by each of her previous husbands. A month before Ambrosius’s own second marriage on October 23, 1694, he and his family had celebrated the wedding of his eldest son, Johann Christoph in Ohrdruf. The music on that occasion was provided by Ambrosius Bach, Johann Pachelbel from nearby Gotha, and other friends and family members. This was probably the only occasion on which (the then nine-year-old) Sebastian Bach met Pachelbel, his brother’s teacher. Barely three months after remarrying, on February 20, 1695, Ambrosius Bach died after becoming ill some weeks before this time. On March 4th, the widow appealed to the town council for help, but she received only the legal minimum due her, and as a result, the household broke up. Sebastian and Jacob were taken in by their elder brother, Johann Christoph, the principal organist at Ohrdruf.

Both were sent to the Lyceum. Jacob left at the age of 14 to be apprenticed to his father’s successor at Eisenach. Sebastian stayed on until 1700, when he was nearly 15, and thus came under the influence of an exceptionally enlightened curriculum. Inspired by the educational philosophy of Comenius, Sebastian’s education included such subjects as religion, reading, writing, arithmetic, singing, history, and natural science. Sebastian entered the fourth class probably in March of 1695, and he was promoted to the third class in July. On July 20, 1696, he was first among the seven new boys and fourth in the class. On July 19, 1697, he was first, and was promoted to the second class. On July 13, 1698, he was fifth, and on July 24, 1699, he was second and promoted to the first class in which he was fourth when he left the school on March 15, 1700 and went to Lüneburg.

In the published obituary of 1754, Carl Philipp Emanuel stated that his father had received his first keyboard lessons from Johann Christoph at Ohrdruf, and in 1775 in a reply to Forkel, he said that Christoph might have trained him simply as an organist and that Sebastian became “a pure and strong fuguist” through his own efforts. That is the likely circumstance since Johann Christoph is not known to have been a composer of very many works. The larger of the two organs at Ohrdruf was in almost unplayable condition in 1697, and Sebastian no doubt picked up some of his expert knowledge of organ building while helping his brother with these extensive repairs. Johann Christoph lived until 1721, and the brothers were on good terms, but little else is actually known about Sebastian Bach’s life during the Ohrdruf years, except that Sebastian probably taught himself composition by copying the works of several composers. Most probably he took this compilation manuscript with him when he went to Lüneburg. As for its contents, Forkel implied that the manuscript contained works by seven famous composers, but according to the obituary written by C.P.E. Bach, the manuscript contained works by Froberger, Kerll, and Pachelbel, as one might expect since Johann Christoph’s teacher was Pachelbel.

There are no indications in any of Bach’s surviving scores to establish a date when he began to compose for the first time, but it is reasonable to assume that it was while he lived in Ohrdruf, since his contemporaries and, indeed, his own sons began composing original music before reaching the age of 15. The earliest organ chorales in the Neumeister Manuscript, as well as such works as BWV749, BWV750, and BWV756, provide plausible examples of pieces composed around 1700. They are characterized by sound craftsmanship and observance of models provided by Pachelbel. In all of these early works, J.S. Bach endeavors to break away from musical conventions and find independent answers.

J.S. Bach Biography - Lünenberg (1700-1702)

According to the school register, Johann Sebastian Bach left Ohrdruf "ob defectum hospitiorum" (for lack of board and lodging). Clearly Johann Christoph no longer had room for his brother, since his wife had given birth to two children in the years since Sebastian's arrival, and by March of 1700, a third child was expected. According to local tradition, Christoph's house was only a small cottage, ill-equipped for so many people. The problem seems to have been solved by Elias Herda, Kantor and a master at the Lyceum. He had been educated in Lüneburg, and no doubt it was he who arranged for Sebastian to go north. Similarly, Herda probably also helped Georg Erdmann, a schoolmate of J.S. Bach, three years older, who left the school for the same reason. According to C.P.E. Bach's account, the two boys traveled together, and they must have reached Lüneburg before the end of March, since both were entered in the register of the Mettenchor (Matins Choir) by April 3, 1700. They probably sang in the choir within a matter of days for the Holy Week and Easter services.

The Michaeliskirche in Lüneburg had two schools associated with it: a Ritteracademie for young noblemen and the Michaelisschule for commoners. There were also two choirs: the "chorus symphoniacus" of about 25 voices was led by the Mettenchor, which numbered about 15 singers and was limited to poor boys. Members of the Mettenchor received free schooling at the Michaelisschule, up to 1 thaler per month according to seniority, their keep, and a share in fees for weddings and other occasions. Bach's share in 1700 was recorded as being 14 marks. From the arrangement of the pay sheets, it has been deduced that both Bach and Erdmann were trebles. Bach was welcomed for his unusually fine voice, but it soon broke, and for eight days he spoke and sang in octaves. From that time, he made himself useful as an accompanist and/or string player.

Bach's studies at the school included orthodox Lutheranism, logic, rhetoric, Latin and Greek, arithmetic, history, geography, and poetry. The Kantor was August Braun, whose compositions have not survived, and the organist was F.C. Morhard, about whom no details are known. The organ was repaired in 1701 by J.B. Held, who had worked at Hamburg and Lübeck. Held lodged at the school, and he may have taught Bach something about organ building. There was a fine music library, which had been carefully kept up to date. But whether choirboys were allowed to consult it is uncertain. If Braun made good use of it, Bach must have learned a great deal from the music he had to perform, but his chief interests probably lay outside the school. At the Nikolaikirche was J.J. Löwe (1629-1703), a distinguished but elderly musician.

The Johanniskirche was another matter, for there the organist was Georg Böhm (1661-1733), who is generally agreed to have influenced Bach substantially. It has been argued that the organist of the Johanniskirche would not have been accessible to a scholar of the Michaelisschule, since the two choirs were not on good terms, and Bach's knowledge of Böhm's music must have come later, through J.G. Walther. But Emanuel Bach stated in writing that his father had studied Böhm's music, and a correction in a note to Forkel shows that his first thought was to say that Böhm had been his father's teacher. This hint is supported by the fact that in 1727 Bach named Böhm as his northern agent for the sale of Partitas Nos. 2 and 3. This fact implies that the two were on friendly terms, and it is more likely that they became acquainted between 1700 and 1702 than at any later time.

Bach traveled more than once to Hamburg, some 31 miles away, where he visited his cousin, Johann Ernst Bach, who was evidently studying there about this time. The suggestion that he went to hear Vincent Lübeck cannot be taken seriously, for Lübeck did not go to Hamburg until August 1702, by which time Bach had almost certainly left the area. He may have visited the Hamburg Opera, then directed by Reinhard Keiser, whose Saint Mark Passion he performed during the early Weimar years and again in 1726. However, there is no evidence that he was interested in anything but the organ and, in particular, the organist of St Katharinen, J.A. Reincken. Reincken's influence on the young Bach, both as a theorist and practitioner, would be difficult to overestimate.

J.A. Reincken (c1623-1722), a pupil of Sweelinck and organist of Saint Katharinen since 1663, was a father figure of the north German school of organists. Böhm may have advised Bach to hear him. Reincken's showy playing, exploiting all the resources of the organ, must have been a revelation to one brought up in the reticent traditions of the south. As for the organ itself, Bach never forgot it. In later years he described it as excellent in every way, saying that the 32' Principal was the best he had ever heard. He never tired of praising the 16' reeds. Whether he actually met Reincken before 1720 is uncertain. If he did, Reincken might have given him a copy of his Sonatas. Bach's reworkings of them, the keyboard pieces: Fugue in B-Flat BWV954, Sonata in a minor BWV965, and the Sonata in C Major BWV966, are more likely to have been composed soon after 1700 than 20 years later, when Bach no longer needed to teach himself composition.

Near the marketplace in Lüneburg was the palace used for visits of the Duke of Celle-Lüneburg and his court. The principal ducal residence and seat of government lay in Celle, some 50 miles to the south. The duke, married to Eleanore Olbreuse, a Huguenot of noble birth, was a pronounced francophile and maintained an orchestra consisting largely of Frenchmen, which played in both Celle and Lüneburg. Thomas de la Selle, dancing master at the Ritteracademie, next door to Bach's school in Lüneburg, was also a member of the Celle orchestra. Emanuel Bach knew that his father was often able to hear this "famous orchestra" and by hearing it to become acquainted with French musical taste. It cannot be ruled out that Bach occasionally helped out as an instrumentalist when the court orchestra played in the ducal residence in Lüneburg.

The exact date of Bach's departure from Lüneburg is not known, but it is likely that he completed two years of education and left school at Easter in 1702. It is unlikely that he remained in Lüneburg for any length of time after that, for he left without hearing Buxtehude, and he later took extraordinary pains to do so in the winter of 1705-1706. He probably visited relatives in Thuringia after Easter in 1702. It is definitely known is that he competed successfully for the vacant post of organist at Saint Jacobi in Sangerhausen (the organist was buried on July 9), but the Duke of Weissenfels intervened and had J.A. Kobelius, a somewhat older man, appointed in November. It is certain that Bach lived for a short time in Weimar, where he was employed at the court as a musician for the first two quarters of 1703. The court accounts have him listed as a lackey, but he described himself as a “Hofmusikant” (court musician). This was at the minor Weimar court, that of Duke Johann Ernst, younger brother of the Duke Wilhelm Ernst who was Bach's later employer from 1708 to 1717. Possibly the Duke of Weissenfels, having refused to accept Bach at Sangerhausen, found work for him at Weimar. Another possibility is that Bach owed his appointment to a distant relative, David Hoffmann, another lackey-musician at the same court.

Of the musicians with whom Bach now became associated, three are worth mentioning. G.C. Strattner (c1644-1704), a tenor, became Vice-Kapellmeister in 1695 and composed in a post-Schütz style. J.P. von Westhoff (1656-1705) was a fine violinist and had traveled widely, apparently as a diplomat, and is said to have been the first to compose a suite for unaccompanied violin in 1683. Johann Effler (c1640-1711) was the court organist. He had held posts at Gehren and Erfurt (where Pachelbel was his successor) before coming to Weimar in 1678, later moving to the court about 1690. He may have been willing to hand over some of his duties to Bach, and he probably did something like this, because a document from Arnstadt, dated July 13, 1703, (where Bach next moved) describes Bach as the court organist at Weimar, a post that was not officially his until 1708.

Editor's Website Picks

Interested in contacting other choral groups in Calgary? You will find the Calgary Region Arts Foundation client list at http://www.craf.org/clients4.html

The Academy of Ancient Music at http://www.aam.co.uk/ has program notes on works and shows pictures of artists, such as Bach. To find these, click on News and Features.

A little embarrassed that you don’t know some musical term like appoggiatura? You won’t be if you check out the Glossary page of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem at http://www.bach.org/bach101/suites/glossary.html

The Denton Bach Socety revisits Bach’s first Leipzig Christmas at http://www.dentonbach.com/archive/magnificat9.htm where you can find program notes, commentaries, pictures and the full texts of the Magnificat in Latin and English.

For a site with a multitude of links to all sorts of Bach info try http://www.bachfaq.org/

Interesting trivia about Bach can be found at: http://www.spiritsound.com/bachbits.html

Bach Cantatas Website URL: http://www.bach-cantatas.com

Don’t forget our own http://www.bachcalgary.org with newsletters back to September 2000, pictures of the choir and orchestra and profiles of our conductors.

Listening to the music of Bach

It’s a dilema. In a stress-filled world, inquiring minds want to know:

• Do we listen to the melodic elements of the music? After all, Bach’s melodies are inventive and astonishingly beautiful.
• Do we listen to the structures and counterpoint in Bach’s music? After all, Bach is justly famous for being the greatest master of counterpoint ever to have lived.
• Would it be best to listen for the smaller, symbolic details in Bach’s music? Bach is known to have had a special interest in word painting, the “Doctrine of Affections” and numerology. Is this the best place to direct our ears?
• Bach was a spiritual person. Should we therefore try to listen to his music as a “sermon in sound?”

Other questions seem equally pressing. Bach’s music relaxes us, soothes us, exites us, troubles us. Is it wrong to let the music relax us so much that we doze off? Is it wrong to tap one’s foot at a classical concert? Dare we laugh at a musical joke, or frown at a moment when Bach depicts something ugly in sound?

We cannot answer these questions for you. We can note that it is the astounding genius of Bach that makes these rather pleasant questions possible. We can say that the more we study and understand each of the elements of Bach’s music, the more we love it. (And when you attend a concert by the Calgary Bach Festival Society - please feel free to tap your foot, smile, laugh, frown or react to the music in any way that you like.)

Membership Information

The Calgary Bach Festival Society has a large library of cantatas which can be rented. If interested, please contact us at 282-8525 or e-mail Bill Zdep tcprint@telus.net

Volunteers are welcome and needed for several positions and projects. If interested, please contact us at 282-8525 or e-mail Bill Zdep tcprint@telus.net