BACH NOTES the Journal of the London Bach Society Spring 2010
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BACH NOTES The Journal of the London Bach Society Spring 2010 18-30 BACH CLUB LAUNCHED ne of the highlights himself in an appropriately of the LBS’s 2009 deferential way – deferential OBachfest was the that is according to the launch of the 18-30 Bach convention of the time. At Club on Friday 13 November the age of twenty-two, he in the gracious surroundings married second cousin of London’s Foundling Maria Barbara at Dornheim Museum. This setting was in October 1707. Little chosen in tribute to Handel’s information has survived 250th anniversary and the about her, but the marriage Picture Gallery was full for is assumed to have been the occasion. very happy and it secured A new initiative to mark Paul Bach’s early domestic life. Steinitz’ centenary, the Bach This year marks three Club will feature regularly Les Mélomanes, RAM Early Music Prize Winners in 2009 anniversaries in the Bach at future Bachfests and, as it help launch new 18-30 Bach Club Family: JSB 325th, his second grows, at other times of the year. wife Anna Magdalena’s 250th Ventures into commissioning are planned as a reflection (d.1760) and Wilhelm Friedemann’s 300th (b.1710). So of the inspiration behind the founding of this Club here is an opportunity to reflect on Bach the family - JSB’s tenure as Director of Music of the Leipzig man, with all the parental ups and downs that Collegium Musicum, the students musical entailed. Tragedy struck in 1720 with Maria society that met each Friday evening Barbara’s sudden death, a shattering blow during winter at Zimmermann’s Coffee to Bach. Newfound happiness swiftly 1 House in Katharinenstrasse , at which followed in 1721 on his marriage to new works of the day including Anna Magdalena, who not only bore Bach’s Coffee Cantata BWV 211 him a further thirteen children, but were premièred and no doubt also became stepmother to Maria discussed in the Coffee House Barbara’s four surviving ones, atmosphere of the time the highly gifted but wayward Wilhelm Friedemann and FAMILY BACH the able Carl Philipp Emanuel he picture of Bach that among them. What Bach might lingers in the mind is have been like often provokes usually that of an older, heated discussion and there is T sometimes disappointment that bewigged, rather ‘podgy’ looking man as portrayed in the portraits what we ‘think’ he was like cannot by Haussmann painted at Leipzig be regarded as gospel truth. Few in the 1740s. We forget that he was letters and documents survive that once a slender, vigorous young man, reveal very much about him. Those possibly rather arrogant and quick- that do are published in the New Bach tempered, although he always presented Reader2. The Young Bach at Arnstadt More about The Bach Club inside... Bernd Göbel (1985) In this edition… Anna Magdalena – her 250th, SBP at Bath, Pen Portrait – Peter Schreier, A New Organ for St. George’s Hanover Sq, Chopin’s 200th, The Bach Club, Bach Notelets 1 A few minutes’ walk from Leipzig’s St. Thomas Church 2 Ed by Mendel & David, revised by Christoph Wolff, published WW Norton & Co ANNA MAGDALENA BACH (b. 1724 by Anna Magdalena) both had personal and social For her 250th difficulties to overcome. So any perception that such problems are merely a 21st century phenomenon can be hey say that behind every successful man there is a quickly dispelled. Knowledge of life with the Bachs reveals Twoman! more common ground and creates another bridge between In Bach’s case there were two - his wives Maria Barbara the centuries that helps to draw the composer and his (d.1720) and the better known Anna Magdalena (d.1760). treasury of music perhaps ever closer to us today. Between them, they not only bore twenty children, but were also the rocks that kept this ever-growing family on an A matchless partner even keel during their respective lives. Whether Bach was Anna Magdalena was born into a musical family. A gifted ‘successful’, as we interpret the meaning today, is a matter musician herself, she became a successful professional of conjecture. He did not know great wealth nor did he singer and later appeared in concerts with her husband achieve the social status he probably coveted. Evidence that as circumstances allowed, for example with the Leipzig supports this lies in his original burial being in the cemetery Collegium, within the family circle or when accompanying at the Johanniskirche (St. John’s Church) where people of his 3 Bach on his many trips away from the city. Bach’s Cantata for ‘station’ were laid to rest . It is fair to say that he was revered solo soprano BWV 204 (dating 1726-27) might well have been by some and highly respected by most. composed with Anna Magdalena in mind, for scholars now Little is known about Maria Barbara, mother of Wilhelm believe that it was probably written for a family occasion. Friedemann (b.1710) and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (b.1714), However, performances of the weekly church cantatas except for the sad circumstances of her sudden illness and Bach provided for the Leipzig services would have been death in July 1720 aged just 36; Bach was away at the time precluded, with the soprano parts allocated to one of the and only learnt the news on his return home, by which date boys of the Thomanerchor. she had already Anna Magdalena’s been buried. He work as one of her was stunned. This husband’s copyists is in stark contrast to the way we surely helped to expect to receive compensate for such news today, any restrictions isn’t it? There that were placed were no emails or o n h e r p u b l i c mobiles then. p e r f o r m a n c e s , and invaluably H o w e v e r j u s t s o . E x a m p l e s s e v e n t e e n of her musical months later on h a n d w r i t i n g 3 December 1721 include various B a ch m a r r i e d c a n t a t a s , t h e twenty year-old Bach’s Lodgings at the Thomasschule (middle) Zimmermann’s Coffee House Violin Sonatas and Anna Magdalena Partitas, the Six Cello Suites among others. Apart from this Wilcke at Cöthen. Together for the next twenty eight 4 and her family and friends, her pleasures also included years, most of which were spent at Leipzig , they shared gardening and her delight at receiving a gift of carnations is a deep devotion and affection that not only enabled Bach to fulfil his considerable and demanding duties, but also well documented. sustained a large household, complete with students and other visiting friends and colleagues, and all given warm Anna Magdalena’s 250th anniversary in 2010 hospitality at their lodgings in the Thomasschule, next door to the Thomaskirche in Leipzig’s Thomaskirchhof. The Anna Life after Bach, however, was not so agreeable for her. Apart Magdalena Notebooks (1722) and (1725) Bach provided from the personal loss of her husband, family support was undoubtedly testify to the respect in which she was held limited and she knew great hardship, eventually dying in musically and to her importance in his life. penury on 27 February 1760 aged 59. The 250th anniversary of her death enables us to reflect upon the central role she Often referred to with endearments like ‘our most honoured played in Bach’s life as wife and mother, hostess to countless Mama’5, Anna Magdalena not only became step-mother to guests, a copyist, fellow musician and Confidante. During Bach’s surviving children by Maria Barbara, but she also arguably Bach’s most significant composing years, marriage bore him a further thirteen, a number of whom either died within days or after a few months, a hardship commonly to Anna Magdalena co-incided with his provision of the five borne by families alongside the poverty, medical and other cycles of church cantatas, the great Passions and Oratorios social inadequacies of the day. The Bachs also had their and his assembly of material for publication during the 1740s fair share of parental worries too. Sons Johann Gottfried among so much else. We remember Anna Magdalena with Bernhard (b. 1715 by Maria Barbara) and Gottfried Heinrich considerable affection. Margaret Steinitz 3 Possible remains re-buried at Thomaskirche in 1950 5 Johann Sebastian Bach, The Learned Musician, Wolff. 4 The Bachs left Cöthen for Leipzig in 1723 Published OUP, 2000, page 393 THE BACH CLUB CLUB LAUNCH REPORT GETTING STARTED hen Bach met up with his Students’ Musical ost musicians would agree that playing Society on Friday evenings at Zimmermann’s chamber music can be one of the most WCoffee House (page 2) in the fashionable rewarding aspects of playing an instrument. Katharinenstrasse it probably proved a welcome respite. M However when my ensemble, Les Mélomanes, decided They must have been lively occasions, an important platform that we would like to attempt to perform together for Bach to première his latest compositions and showcase regularly, we began to realise that there was far more new talent. Concertos probably featured sons and pupils preparation to take into account than simply the musical interpretations themselves. playing the solo parts and perhaps musicians travelling through the city would have taken the chance to see what My chamber group is extremely important to me.