Young Genius DISCOVER Bach in Thuringia Authentic Places Charming Festivals 6 Wechmar Home of Bach’s Ancestors 8 Eisenach Johann Sebastian Bach’s Birthplace Little baroque castles, restored 12 Ohrdruf organs, medieval church spires—each Latin Pupil and “Kurrende” Singer Bach location is worth discovering. 16 Arnstadt First Position as an Organist and a Fistfight 19 Dornheim Wedding 22 Mühlhausen A Fleeting Performance 25 Weimar Court Organist and Chamber Musician 30 Erfurt Main Seat of the Family 33 Altenburg Organ Inspector 38 Thuringian Bach Festivals » Thuringian Bach Festival » Bach-Festival-Arnstadt » Ohrdruf Bach Festival » Bach Biennale Weimar » Thuringian Organ Summer » Eisenach Bach Festival » Other Festivals for Early Music in Thuringia Content BACH CYCLING EXPERIENCE ROUTE Underway with ) T Johann Sebastian Bach — 20 Bildkuns THE YOUNG BACH g Orphan, Child Prodigy, and Organ Freak © V GmbH By Dr. Beate Agnes Schmidt — 34 ar M INTERVIEWS Dr. Jörg Hansen, Director of as Müller, wei the Bach House in Eisenach — 11 M Midori Seiler, Baroque Violinist — 29 o: Tho T ho Christoph Drescher, Managing Director p of the Thuringian Bach Festival — 39 isenach ( e Prof. Myriam Eichberger, Intendant M of the Bach Biennale Weimar — 43 DIRECTIONS s, Bach Museu T Map of Thuringia — 4 us B Interviews: SERVICE First-hand opinions Overview with Addresses and on Bach’s le page: Bach T Further Information — 48 Ti music Editorial Discover Bach in Thuringia! The Thuringian Bach was young medieval atmosphere of Mühlhausen, and rebellious. Born into a widely- Bach composed the Town Council branched family tree of musicians, Cantata “Gott ist mein König”, which is Johann Sebastian Bach spent half the only cantata from this period pre- his life here. served in print. And Bach’s enchant- ing matrimonial church in Dornheim Apart from his birthplace of Eisenach is part of the Bach Cycling Experience and the residence city of Weimar, it Route, which leads all the way back to This is where is the charming little towns like Ohr- Bach’s ancestors in Wechmar. to find the music! druf, Arnstadt, and Mühlhausen that Undoubtably, Johann Sebastian An overview of Thuringian recount the adventurous stories about Bach spent his most creative years Bach Festivals the young Bach. One time, for instance, in Weimar. For this reason, not only Bach insulted one of his choristers Goethe’s and Schiller’s names are during his time in Arnstadt, prompt- associated with the lively cultural city. ing a fistfight. On another occasion, For all of ten years, Bach lived and he extended his four-week study trip worked in Weimar as the court organ- to Lübeck to more than three months ist at the Weimar castle, as the concert without permission. In spite of these master of the court orchestra, and as small differences, his Thuringian a productive composer. Inside the employers already appreciated Bach massive walls of the Bastille, you as a highly-gifted organist, concert can listen to the story about why Bach master, and composer. Everywhere he was arrested and forced to spend a went, he was much better paid than month here because of his “stubborn the colleagues who were there before conviction”. and after him. Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthplace When one follows the trail of the in Eisenach is a must-see on this jour- young genius, one also discovers a ney. Along with the Wartburg castle number of Gothic and baroque church- with its rich tradition, you should allow es of historical significance along time to visit the cleverly-conceived with freshly renovated half-timbered Bach Museum. A short, live concert houses and magnificent castles in the there awaits every visitor. midst of picturesque landscapes. The best timing for your trip would Above all, one finds the authentic be to enable you to visit one of the Bach venues that still exist today. many Bach festivals that take place at After its reconstruction, the Wender particular times of year, or as a year- Enjoy nature and discover more about the musician organ of the Bach Church in Arnstadt round concert series. on the Bach Cycling gleams in the original splendour of Experience Route the Baroque period. A hidden church Enjoy discovering, listening, and being library in Ohrdruf holds literary trea- amazed! sures from Bach’s school years. In the Erfurt–Hamburg 363 km – 3:40 h via ice Erfurt–Hannover Erfurt–Halle 219 km – 3:03 h via ice 157 km – 0:32 h via ice A 38 Halle A 71 Halle A 38 Göttingen Mühlhausen Erfurt–Frankfurt/Main 257 km – 2:11 h via ice Erfurt–Düsseldorf 400 km – 4:04 h via ice Altenburg Eisenach Weimar Erfurt A 4 Wechmar Frankfurt/Main Arnstadt Ohrdruf Dornheim A 71 Highway Würzburg/ Schweinfurt Country road A 73 Coburg Railroad track Erfurt–Würzburg 196 km – 1:32 h via ice ICE Train station Erfurt–Coburg 125 km – 0:34 h via ice Airport Weimar-Erfurt 4 1685 Birth in Eisenach 1695 Ohrdruf 1700 Lüneburg 1703 Weimar and Arnstadt Directions 1707 Mühlhausen 1708 Weimar 1717 Köthen 1723 Leipzig STAGES OF BACH’S LIFE Johann Sebastian Bach spent half of his life in Thuringia. Erfurt–Leipzig 140 km – 0:45 h via ice Erfurt–Berlin Death in Leipzig 303 km – 2:51 h via ice Mühlhausen 1750 BACH-ORGANS A 9 Listen to the young Berlin Bach’s music in authen- tic places! This symbol stands for a stylised organ, on which you can Altenburg Weimar push the pedal and play Eisenach Bach’s compositions. Erfurt It also offers the most Wechmar important information Erfurt–Dresden about his life there. 216 km A 4 2:15 h via ice Arnstadt Dresden Ohrdruf Dornheim EXPERIENCE-SPACES This symbol shows where you can experi- ence multi- media instal- lations about Bach’s life and work. Visit the newly conceived Bach exhibi- tion in Arnstadt and the experience-space in the Weimar Bastille. Listen to Bach’s organ works in the Divi Blasii church in Mühlhausen or to a fictional conversation between Bach and the / city council at the Alte Kanzlei. 0 5 10 15 20 km 5 Bach’s Ancestral Home Wechmar Wechmar is regarded as the birth- inside the museum by numerous other place of the Bach family of musi- family trees from various periods. cians. Johann Sebastian Bach, who himself researched his ancestors, Veit-Bach-Mill got as far as Veit (Vitus) Bach, (Obermühle or upper mill) who probably settled in Wechmar around 1600, after having left his This is probably where Veit Bach home for religious reasons, being played his cittern—for Johann Sebas- a Lutheran himself (it has not been tian Bach, this was “the beginning conclusively proven whether this of music for his descendants”. It was A living descendent of was in Hungary or Bohemia). Today, the idea of playing music to the beat Bach has lived in the old he is regarded as the progenitor of the mill that sounded best to him. schoolhouse for the past of the Bach family. The Veit-Bach-Mill has been restored 20 years! Elmar von Kolson to the way it looked in 1685 and can is the great-great-great- It is known that he was a baker, died be visited. The original panelled room great-great-grandson of in 1619, and left behind five sons. It is in Thuringian style dating from 1585 Johann Sebastian Bach and also known that Veit Bach was very was discovered during a demolition was invited to Wechmar by musical. Johann Sebastian Bach him- project around the turn of the millen- the local homeland asso- self described how his ancestor would nium. This is the reason why the mill ciation in the year 2000, play the cittern in time with the mill was rescued and restored to its origi- for the 250th anniversary wheel when he was milling grain in nal condition. Now it can be visited of Bach’s death. He imme- his “Ursprung der musicalisch- Bachi- upon advance reservation at the Bach diately fell in love with the schen Familie” (origin of the musical Ancestral Home. little town, moved back to Bach family). The cittern is a stringed the home of his ancestors, instrument dating back to the Renais- Old Schoolhouse and, together with his wife, sance resembling a modern-day refurbished the old school- mandolin. The oldest double schoolhouse in house. In 2011, the couple Thur ingia, with separate parts for boys was awarded the Order Bach Ancestral Home with Museum and girls, dates back to the year 1738. of Merit of the Federal From 1777 to 1822, Ernst Christian Bach Republic of Germany for The Bach ancestral home, also worked here as a cantor and boys’ its engagement. known as the Oberbackhaus school teacher. Thanks to him, the (upper bakery), was already the home Bach family recognised its Wechmar- of Veit Bach, and has been a Bach roots early on. CONTACT memorial site since 1994 with a muse- The surprisingly large village church Bach-Stammhaus um about the town of Wechmar dur- that was built between 1841 and 1843 Wechmar ing Veit Bach’s lifetime, the Bach her- in so-called round-arch style, and the Bachstrasse 4 itage there today, and exhibitions on Studnitz country estate with its mag- 99869 Wechmar Thuringian minstrels and instrument nificent rococo hall of 1749/50 are also Tel. +49 (0) 36256 22680 makers. The largest surviving family very worth visiting. www.bach-stammhaus- tree of the wide-spread family in the wechmar.de yard is impressive. It is supplemented 6 MAY I ASK? Minister Tiefensee, we are aware of the fact that you play the cello.