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Johann Sebastian Bach, Volume I (Volume 1)
This monumental study of Johann Sebastian Bach ranks among the great classics of musicology. Since its first publication in 1873–80, it has remained the basic work on Bach and the foundation of later research and study. The three-part treatment describes in chronological sequence practically everything that is known of the composer's his ancestry, his immediate family, his associations, his employers, and the countless occasions on which his musical genius emerged. Author Philipp Spitta accompanies this biographical material with quotations from primary correspondence, family records, diaries, official documents, and more.
In addition to biographical data, Spitta reviews Bach's musical production, with analyses of more than 500 pieces, covering all the important works. More than 450 musical excerpts are included in the main text, and a 43-page musical supplement illustrates longer passages. Despite the scholarly nature of this work, it also has the rare distinction of being a study that can be read with considerable enjoyment and great profit by every serious music lover, with or without a substantial background in the history of music or musical theory.
In addition to biographical data, Spitta reviews Bach's musical production, with analyses of more than 500 pieces, covering all the important works. More than 450 musical excerpts are included in the main text, and a 43-page musical supplement illustrates longer passages. Despite the scholarly nature of this work, it also has the rare distinction of being a study that can be read with considerable enjoyment and great profit by every serious music lover, with or without a substantial background in the history of music or musical theory.
688 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 1992
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April 3, 2022
From reading Albert Schweitzer's two-volume consideration of Johann Sebastian Bach, I became aware that Philipp Spitta's earlier work was considered the ultimate biography. This book is the first volume of three. In over 600 dense pages, Spitta brings us through Bach's ancestors (who occupy nearly the first 200 pages), his training, and his early career.
The amount of research that went into this biography is staggering. Spitta not only dug through church and town records to establish Bach's genealogy, not only examined the far-flung manuscripts of Bach's countless compositions, but also did the same for every musician who crossed paths with Bach. He seems to have effectively rediscovered the German baroque milieu that Bach was born into. He reclaims the music of figures like Georg Böhm, Johann Pachelbel, and Dietrich Buxtehude, among many others. In the midst of working on this biography, in fact, Spitta compiled and published Buxtehude's complete organ works. If I want to play through some composer's music, I take for granted that I can find a published score somewhere. Spitta had to scour libraries and private collections for what were perhaps the only surviving manuscripts.
What is a blessing can also be a curse, however. It seems no tangent is too small for Spitta to spend a few pages on. And he tends to spill a lot of ink on needlessly effusive panegyrics to Bach's gifts. Maybe this is because he was writing at a time when Bach's works were not as well known as they are today. But I would rather read a biography that shows me a remarkable person in his or her own time and place. The deification of a small group of great composers has ultimately damaged the health of classical music. It makes it seem that there is nothing left to be said by today's musicians.
Another flaw in the book is Spitta's bias for German culture, and against other musical cultures. Specifically, he is very dismissive of the music of François Couperin, who dared to assign characteristic titles to his instrumental pieces. Rather than writing an Allemande or a Rondeaux, Couperin wrote "L'Auguste" or "Les Barricades Mystérieuses." In Spitta's day there was a major conflict between those like Johannes Brahms who believed abstract music was purer, and those like Richard Wagner who believed music should be combined with other arts to tell a story. Spitta would seem to fall into the Brahms camp. It's a shame he couldn't allow more than one way to create beautiful music.
One other challenge of reading this book is that the musical examples use Bach's original clefs. Rather than just the standard treble and bass clef, one has to decipher various G- and C-clefs. This can be a fun challenge, but it does make sight-reading more difficult, especially when there are more than three staves.
Overall it seems clear that Spitta's magnum opus is the standard by which all later Bach books must be judged. But it is not an easy book to read.
The amount of research that went into this biography is staggering. Spitta not only dug through church and town records to establish Bach's genealogy, not only examined the far-flung manuscripts of Bach's countless compositions, but also did the same for every musician who crossed paths with Bach. He seems to have effectively rediscovered the German baroque milieu that Bach was born into. He reclaims the music of figures like Georg Böhm, Johann Pachelbel, and Dietrich Buxtehude, among many others. In the midst of working on this biography, in fact, Spitta compiled and published Buxtehude's complete organ works. If I want to play through some composer's music, I take for granted that I can find a published score somewhere. Spitta had to scour libraries and private collections for what were perhaps the only surviving manuscripts.
What is a blessing can also be a curse, however. It seems no tangent is too small for Spitta to spend a few pages on. And he tends to spill a lot of ink on needlessly effusive panegyrics to Bach's gifts. Maybe this is because he was writing at a time when Bach's works were not as well known as they are today. But I would rather read a biography that shows me a remarkable person in his or her own time and place. The deification of a small group of great composers has ultimately damaged the health of classical music. It makes it seem that there is nothing left to be said by today's musicians.
Another flaw in the book is Spitta's bias for German culture, and against other musical cultures. Specifically, he is very dismissive of the music of François Couperin, who dared to assign characteristic titles to his instrumental pieces. Rather than writing an Allemande or a Rondeaux, Couperin wrote "L'Auguste" or "Les Barricades Mystérieuses." In Spitta's day there was a major conflict between those like Johannes Brahms who believed abstract music was purer, and those like Richard Wagner who believed music should be combined with other arts to tell a story. Spitta would seem to fall into the Brahms camp. It's a shame he couldn't allow more than one way to create beautiful music.
One other challenge of reading this book is that the musical examples use Bach's original clefs. Rather than just the standard treble and bass clef, one has to decipher various G- and C-clefs. This can be a fun challenge, but it does make sight-reading more difficult, especially when there are more than three staves.
Overall it seems clear that Spitta's magnum opus is the standard by which all later Bach books must be judged. But it is not an easy book to read.
March 20, 2017
Review: Considered to be the most in depth biography of JS Bach and his family; published in 1873. It is very detailed indeed and apart from J. S. Bach’s life and music, it also covers Bach’s family tree and music of the other Bach relatives. The first volume covers Bach’s life till his departure from Weimar in 1717. It has been said that what was missing in this biography was not worth knowing. I fully agree. Comparing with all the other Bach’s biographies I have read to date, this is the most complete one.
Notes:
Bach family produced over 50 known musicians and several known composers over nearly 200 years.
Bach Family Partial Tree (source: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Fami...)
Veit Bach (? – 1578) had four sons:
1. Veit (Vitus) Bach (? – 1619)
2. Caspar Bach (~1570 – 1640)
3. Johann(es) [Hans] Bach (1550-1626)
4. Lips (Philippus) Bach (~1552 - ?)
Lips’ son – Wendell (~1580 - ?) was great grandfather of Johann Ludwig Bach (1677 – 1731), who in turn was JS Bach’s cousin. JS Bach performed some cantatas of Johann Ludwig’s at Leipzig. I have enjoyed his cantatas and motets. Listened as well to a suite in G.
Veit’s son Johann(es) [Hans] Bach (1550-1626) had three sons. He was called der Spielman. He was JS Bach’s great-grandfather. Apart from being a musician, he was also a carpet-weaver, and died of plague.
1. Johann(es) [Hans] Bach (1604-1673)
2. Christoph Bach (1613-1661)
3. Heinrich Bach (1615-1692)
First of them - Johann(es) [Hans] Bach (1604-73) had 3 sons. He was an organist in Prediger-Kirche in Erfurt.
1. Johann Christian Bach (1640-1682) – was educated in Erfurt and settled in Eisenach. Had 2 sons musicians:
a. Johann Jacob Bach (1668-1692) – joined Johann Ambrosius in Eisenach.
b. Johann Christoph Bach (1673-1727) – became Cantor and Organist at Unter-Zimmern. In 1698 moved to Gehren as Cantor.
2. Johann Aegidius Bach (1645-1713) – was director of the town musicians in Erfurt and the organist in the church of St. Michael. He had two sons musicians.
a. Johann Bernhard Bach (1676-1749). He was a second cousin of J. S. Bach. He was born in Erfurt. He took up a position of organist in Erfurt in 1695, and then took a similar position in Magdeburg. He replaced Johann Christoph Bach as organist in Eisenach in 1703. Amongst his surviving music there are four orchestral suites. It is known that J.S. Bach had individual parts prepared for performance by his orchestra.
b. Johann Christoph Bach (1685-1740)
3. Johann Nicolaus Bach (1653-1682) was town musician and died of the plague.
The second one - Christoph Bach(1613-1661) had 3 sons and was JS Bach grandfather. He was in service at the Court of Weimar. In 1640 he moved to Prettin in Saxony, and eventually to Arnstadt as a court and town musician.
1. Georg Christoph Bach (1642-1697) – the founder of the Franconian branch of the Bachs. He was a composer too, but no works have been found.
2. Johann Ambrosius Bach (1645-1695) had 4 sons musicians. He was town-musician in Eisenach and father of great J.S. Bach. Married in 1668. Played alto viola.
a. Johann Christoph Bach (1671-1721) had 5 sons. In 1686 he was moved to Erfurt to be instructed for three years by Johann Pachelbel. In 1690 he was appointed organist of the principal church in Ohrdruf. He married in 1694.
i. Tobias Friedrich Bach (1695-1758)
ii. Johann Bernhard Bach (the younger) (1700-1743) - he followed his father in the post of organist at St. Michael in Ohrdruf.
iii. Johann Christoph Bach (1700-1756)
iv. Johann Heinrich Bach (1707-1783)
v. Johann Andreas Bach (1713-1779)
b. Johann Balthasar Bach (1673-1691)
c. Johann Jacob Bach (1682-1722)
d. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
1. Wilhelm Friedemann Bach [45] (1710-1784)
2. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach [46] (1714-1788)
3. Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach [47] (1715-1739)
4. Gottfried Heinrich Bach [48] (1724-1763)
5. Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach [49] (1732-1795)
6. Johann Christian Bach [50] (1735-1782)
3. Johann Christoph Bach (1645-1693). Twin of Johann Ambrosius Bach. Married late – in 1679. Was working as musician in Arnstadt.
The third son of Johann(es) [Hans] Bach (1550-1626) - Heinrich Bach (1615-1692) was an organist in Arnstadt. He inherited his father’s character, and his gay and innocently jovial nature. He had 3 sons musicians:
1. Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703) – In 1665 was appointed to be Organist to the church in Eisenach and worked there till his death. He was considered as second on J.S. Bach in Bach family. He was succeeded by Bernhard Bach. I have listened to his 3 symphonies: WI20, WI10 and WI6. He has been considered a master in concerted choral music. I have listened to his motets.
He had 4 sons musicians.
a. Johann Nicolaus Bach (1669-1753) – was an Organist to the Town and University of Jena. Visited Italy. Composed Missa Brevis (two parts only – Kyrie and Gloria). Listened with pleasure. He was also composed an operetta about two freshman students in Jena.
b. Johann Christoph Bach (1676-?) – became a music teacher.
c. Johann Friedrich Bach (c1682-1730) – worked as an Organist in Muhlhausen and shown inordinate love of drink.
d. Johann Michael Bach (1685-?) – became an organ builder.
2. Johann Michael Bach (1648-1694) – took position of organist at Gehren, near Arnstadt. Married Katharina Wedemann. Their youngest daughter married J.S. Bach. Listened to some of his cantatas. One of them “Ach, bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ” is discussed in the book.
3. Johann Günther Bach (1653-1683) – appointed a permanent deputy of his father in 1682.
Johann Sebastian Bach early life
Born in Eisenach on 31st of March 1685 (as per new Gregorian calendar). Lost his mother in 1694.and his father in 1695. J.S moved to live with his brother: Johann Christoph Bach in Ohrdruf. In 1700 Bach was enrolled in the prestigious St. Michael's School in Lüneburg. He spent there two years, and after that was offered a job at Weimar court. A few months later he became an organist in the New Church in Arnstadt.
After a few years, some tension built up due to Bach’s unauthorised several months absence, when he went on foot 450 km to Lubeck to visit the great organist and composer Dietrich Buxtehude. He was to be away for four weeks only and extended his absence to sixteen instead.
In 1706, Bach applied for a post as organist at the St. Blasius Church in Mühlhausen. He was accepted and married Maria Barbara Bach, his second cousin, a few months later. During his stay there he organised renovation of the organ. In 1708 Bach wrote Gott ist mein König, a festive cantata for the inauguration of the new Council (BWV 71). I found it very beautiful, especially considering his young age at the time of its writing. Soon after he composed the cantata BWV 196 for wedding of the pastor (who had married him with Maria Barbara) with his wife’s aunt.
Bach at Weimar
In 1708, Bach left Mühlhausen, returning to Weimar this time as organist and from 1714 Konzertmeister at the ducal court. From 1714 to 1717 Bach was commissioned to compose one church cantata a month and he managed to cover most occasions of the liturgical year. I have examined the following cantatas:
1. Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182 (performed on Palm Sunday 25 March 1714), in 8 parts.
2. Jubilate (third Sunday after Easter): Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12 (22 April 1714), in 7 parts. Its opening chorus uses descending tetrachord which is similar to Dido’s lament of Purcell.
3. Pentecost: Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten! BWV 172 (Weimar version in C major: 20 May 1714)
4. Third Sunday after Trinity: Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21 (C minor, Weimar: 17 June 1714; D minor, Köthen/Hamburg: 1720). It includes a dialogue between a soul in distress and Jesus. Very beautiful.
5. Oculi (Third Sunday of Lent): Widerstehe doch der Sünde, BWV 54 (4 March 1714?), in 3 parts only. It contains very rhythmic first aria sung by counter-tenor. It’s about resisting sin.
6. 11th Sunday after Trinity: Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199 (12 August 1714: Weimar version in C minor; restaged in Köthen in a version in D minor), in 8 movements on one soprano voice.
7. First Sunday of Advent: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61 (2 December 1714)
8. Christmas Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 63 (25 December 1714), in 7 parts, has a festive character
9. Sunday after Christmas: Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn, BWV 152 (30 December 1714)
10. Sexagesima (Second Sunday before Lent): Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt, BWV 18 (early version in G minor, Chorton: 24 February 1715) in 5 parts, with the first instrumental piece representing falling rain – quite interesting.
11. Easter: Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret, BWV 31 (Weimar version: 21 April 1715)
12. Trinity: O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad, BWV 165 (16 June 1715)
13. Fourth Sunday after Trinity: Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe, BWV 185 (14 July 1715). It’s about heart and being good to others.
14. 20th Sunday after Trinity: Ach! ich sehe, itzt, da ich zur Hochzeit gehe, BWV 162 (25 October 1716 or possibly 3 November 1715)
15. 23rd Sunday after Trinity: Nur jedem das Seine, BWV 163 (24 November 1715)
16. Fourth Sunday of Advent: Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn, BWV 132 (22 December 1715)
17. Second Sunday after Epiphany: Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange? BWV 155 (19 January 1716). The second part “Du musst glauben, du musst hoffen”, sung by tenor and alto is worth remembering.
18. 16th Sunday after Trinity: Komm, du süße Todesstunde, BWV 161 (6 October 1715 or 27 September 1716)
In 1717 Sebastian went to Dresden to meet some of the musicians there, including Zelenka. He also met there highly regarded French clavier and organ-player, Jean Louis Marchand. Bach was urged by his friend to challenge Marchand to a competitive performance. Marchand accepted but on the day of the challenge left Dresden in the morning. Bach’s fame was greatly enhanced.
Following death of Weimar’s Kapellmeister Johan Samuel Drese, Sebastian expected to take up his position. Instead it was offered to Telemann, and when nothing came of this, to Drese’s son. In the meantime, Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach to serve as his Kapellmeister (director of music) in 1717 and Bach let Weimar.
Notes:
Bach family produced over 50 known musicians and several known composers over nearly 200 years.
Bach Family Partial Tree (source: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Fami...)
Veit Bach (? – 1578) had four sons:
1. Veit (Vitus) Bach (? – 1619)
2. Caspar Bach (~1570 – 1640)
3. Johann(es) [Hans] Bach (1550-1626)
4. Lips (Philippus) Bach (~1552 - ?)
Lips’ son – Wendell (~1580 - ?) was great grandfather of Johann Ludwig Bach (1677 – 1731), who in turn was JS Bach’s cousin. JS Bach performed some cantatas of Johann Ludwig’s at Leipzig. I have enjoyed his cantatas and motets. Listened as well to a suite in G.
Veit’s son Johann(es) [Hans] Bach (1550-1626) had three sons. He was called der Spielman. He was JS Bach’s great-grandfather. Apart from being a musician, he was also a carpet-weaver, and died of plague.
1. Johann(es) [Hans] Bach (1604-1673)
2. Christoph Bach (1613-1661)
3. Heinrich Bach (1615-1692)
First of them - Johann(es) [Hans] Bach (1604-73) had 3 sons. He was an organist in Prediger-Kirche in Erfurt.
1. Johann Christian Bach (1640-1682) – was educated in Erfurt and settled in Eisenach. Had 2 sons musicians:
a. Johann Jacob Bach (1668-1692) – joined Johann Ambrosius in Eisenach.
b. Johann Christoph Bach (1673-1727) – became Cantor and Organist at Unter-Zimmern. In 1698 moved to Gehren as Cantor.
2. Johann Aegidius Bach (1645-1713) – was director of the town musicians in Erfurt and the organist in the church of St. Michael. He had two sons musicians.
a. Johann Bernhard Bach (1676-1749). He was a second cousin of J. S. Bach. He was born in Erfurt. He took up a position of organist in Erfurt in 1695, and then took a similar position in Magdeburg. He replaced Johann Christoph Bach as organist in Eisenach in 1703. Amongst his surviving music there are four orchestral suites. It is known that J.S. Bach had individual parts prepared for performance by his orchestra.
b. Johann Christoph Bach (1685-1740)
3. Johann Nicolaus Bach (1653-1682) was town musician and died of the plague.
The second one - Christoph Bach(1613-1661) had 3 sons and was JS Bach grandfather. He was in service at the Court of Weimar. In 1640 he moved to Prettin in Saxony, and eventually to Arnstadt as a court and town musician.
1. Georg Christoph Bach (1642-1697) – the founder of the Franconian branch of the Bachs. He was a composer too, but no works have been found.
2. Johann Ambrosius Bach (1645-1695) had 4 sons musicians. He was town-musician in Eisenach and father of great J.S. Bach. Married in 1668. Played alto viola.
a. Johann Christoph Bach (1671-1721) had 5 sons. In 1686 he was moved to Erfurt to be instructed for three years by Johann Pachelbel. In 1690 he was appointed organist of the principal church in Ohrdruf. He married in 1694.
i. Tobias Friedrich Bach (1695-1758)
ii. Johann Bernhard Bach (the younger) (1700-1743) - he followed his father in the post of organist at St. Michael in Ohrdruf.
iii. Johann Christoph Bach (1700-1756)
iv. Johann Heinrich Bach (1707-1783)
v. Johann Andreas Bach (1713-1779)
b. Johann Balthasar Bach (1673-1691)
c. Johann Jacob Bach (1682-1722)
d. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
1. Wilhelm Friedemann Bach [45] (1710-1784)
2. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach [46] (1714-1788)
3. Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach [47] (1715-1739)
4. Gottfried Heinrich Bach [48] (1724-1763)
5. Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach [49] (1732-1795)
6. Johann Christian Bach [50] (1735-1782)
3. Johann Christoph Bach (1645-1693). Twin of Johann Ambrosius Bach. Married late – in 1679. Was working as musician in Arnstadt.
The third son of Johann(es) [Hans] Bach (1550-1626) - Heinrich Bach (1615-1692) was an organist in Arnstadt. He inherited his father’s character, and his gay and innocently jovial nature. He had 3 sons musicians:
1. Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703) – In 1665 was appointed to be Organist to the church in Eisenach and worked there till his death. He was considered as second on J.S. Bach in Bach family. He was succeeded by Bernhard Bach. I have listened to his 3 symphonies: WI20, WI10 and WI6. He has been considered a master in concerted choral music. I have listened to his motets.
He had 4 sons musicians.
a. Johann Nicolaus Bach (1669-1753) – was an Organist to the Town and University of Jena. Visited Italy. Composed Missa Brevis (two parts only – Kyrie and Gloria). Listened with pleasure. He was also composed an operetta about two freshman students in Jena.
b. Johann Christoph Bach (1676-?) – became a music teacher.
c. Johann Friedrich Bach (c1682-1730) – worked as an Organist in Muhlhausen and shown inordinate love of drink.
d. Johann Michael Bach (1685-?) – became an organ builder.
2. Johann Michael Bach (1648-1694) – took position of organist at Gehren, near Arnstadt. Married Katharina Wedemann. Their youngest daughter married J.S. Bach. Listened to some of his cantatas. One of them “Ach, bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ” is discussed in the book.
3. Johann Günther Bach (1653-1683) – appointed a permanent deputy of his father in 1682.
Johann Sebastian Bach early life
Born in Eisenach on 31st of March 1685 (as per new Gregorian calendar). Lost his mother in 1694.and his father in 1695. J.S moved to live with his brother: Johann Christoph Bach in Ohrdruf. In 1700 Bach was enrolled in the prestigious St. Michael's School in Lüneburg. He spent there two years, and after that was offered a job at Weimar court. A few months later he became an organist in the New Church in Arnstadt.
After a few years, some tension built up due to Bach’s unauthorised several months absence, when he went on foot 450 km to Lubeck to visit the great organist and composer Dietrich Buxtehude. He was to be away for four weeks only and extended his absence to sixteen instead.
In 1706, Bach applied for a post as organist at the St. Blasius Church in Mühlhausen. He was accepted and married Maria Barbara Bach, his second cousin, a few months later. During his stay there he organised renovation of the organ. In 1708 Bach wrote Gott ist mein König, a festive cantata for the inauguration of the new Council (BWV 71). I found it very beautiful, especially considering his young age at the time of its writing. Soon after he composed the cantata BWV 196 for wedding of the pastor (who had married him with Maria Barbara) with his wife’s aunt.
Bach at Weimar
In 1708, Bach left Mühlhausen, returning to Weimar this time as organist and from 1714 Konzertmeister at the ducal court. From 1714 to 1717 Bach was commissioned to compose one church cantata a month and he managed to cover most occasions of the liturgical year. I have examined the following cantatas:
1. Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182 (performed on Palm Sunday 25 March 1714), in 8 parts.
2. Jubilate (third Sunday after Easter): Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12 (22 April 1714), in 7 parts. Its opening chorus uses descending tetrachord which is similar to Dido’s lament of Purcell.
3. Pentecost: Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten! BWV 172 (Weimar version in C major: 20 May 1714)
4. Third Sunday after Trinity: Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21 (C minor, Weimar: 17 June 1714; D minor, Köthen/Hamburg: 1720). It includes a dialogue between a soul in distress and Jesus. Very beautiful.
5. Oculi (Third Sunday of Lent): Widerstehe doch der Sünde, BWV 54 (4 March 1714?), in 3 parts only. It contains very rhythmic first aria sung by counter-tenor. It’s about resisting sin.
6. 11th Sunday after Trinity: Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199 (12 August 1714: Weimar version in C minor; restaged in Köthen in a version in D minor), in 8 movements on one soprano voice.
7. First Sunday of Advent: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61 (2 December 1714)
8. Christmas Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 63 (25 December 1714), in 7 parts, has a festive character
9. Sunday after Christmas: Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn, BWV 152 (30 December 1714)
10. Sexagesima (Second Sunday before Lent): Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt, BWV 18 (early version in G minor, Chorton: 24 February 1715) in 5 parts, with the first instrumental piece representing falling rain – quite interesting.
11. Easter: Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret, BWV 31 (Weimar version: 21 April 1715)
12. Trinity: O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad, BWV 165 (16 June 1715)
13. Fourth Sunday after Trinity: Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe, BWV 185 (14 July 1715). It’s about heart and being good to others.
14. 20th Sunday after Trinity: Ach! ich sehe, itzt, da ich zur Hochzeit gehe, BWV 162 (25 October 1716 or possibly 3 November 1715)
15. 23rd Sunday after Trinity: Nur jedem das Seine, BWV 163 (24 November 1715)
16. Fourth Sunday of Advent: Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn, BWV 132 (22 December 1715)
17. Second Sunday after Epiphany: Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange? BWV 155 (19 January 1716). The second part “Du musst glauben, du musst hoffen”, sung by tenor and alto is worth remembering.
18. 16th Sunday after Trinity: Komm, du süße Todesstunde, BWV 161 (6 October 1715 or 27 September 1716)
In 1717 Sebastian went to Dresden to meet some of the musicians there, including Zelenka. He also met there highly regarded French clavier and organ-player, Jean Louis Marchand. Bach was urged by his friend to challenge Marchand to a competitive performance. Marchand accepted but on the day of the challenge left Dresden in the morning. Bach’s fame was greatly enhanced.
Following death of Weimar’s Kapellmeister Johan Samuel Drese, Sebastian expected to take up his position. Instead it was offered to Telemann, and when nothing came of this, to Drese’s son. In the meantime, Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach to serve as his Kapellmeister (director of music) in 1717 and Bach let Weimar.
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