J. S. Bach – Legacy
In the last years of his life and after his death, Bach's reputation declined: his work was considered old-fashioned compared to the new "Classic" style that was emerging. He was long forgotten, however, he was remembered as an interpreter and teacher, and father of his famous sons (the most notable C. P. E. Bach). His most appreciated compositions during that period were his keyboard works; in this field, other composers kept acknowledging his mastery.
Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin were among his most prominent admirers. On a visit to Thomasschule, in Leipzig, Mozart listened to a performance of one of the motets (BWV225) and exclaimed, "Now, here is something from which we can learn something"; when confronted with the scores for the motets, Mozart sat down, put the scores around him, in both hands, on his knees, and on the chairs next to him. Forgetting everything around him, he did not stand up until he had looked at all Bach’s music.
Beethoven was also a devotee, learning the Well-Tempered Clavier as a child and later calling Bach "Urvater der Harmonie" (The real father of Harmony) and his famous quote: "Nicht Bach, Sondern Meer" - No brook, but ocean”, using the literal meaning of his name. Chopin often locked himself before his concerts and played Bach’s music.
The revival of the composer's reputation among the great public was prompted in part by the biography written in 1802 by Johann Nikolaus Forkel, which was read by Beethoven and others. Goethe came closer to Bach’s works relatively late, through a series of performances of keyboard and choral works in Bad Berka, in the years of 1814 and 1815. In a letter dated from 1827, he
compares the experience of listening to Bach’s music to the "Dialogue of eternal harmony with ourselves." But Felix Mendelssohn was the one who did the most to revive Bach's reputation with his performance of St. Matthew Passion in 1829, in Berlin. Hegel, who saw the presentation,
later proclaimed Bach as the "great and true protestant, robust and so to say the erudite genius who only recently we have learned to appreciate his enormous value." The promotion of Bach by Mendelssohn and the growth of his reputation went on in subsequent years.
The “Bach Gesellschaft” - Bach’s Society was founded in 1850 in order to promote his works, and, later, after the second half of the nineteenth century, to publish his complete works.
Thereafter, Bach's reputation has remained consistently high. During the 20th century, the process of musical recognition as well as the educational value of his works continued, perhaps most notably because of the promotion of his suites for Cello performed by Pablo Casals. Another development has been the increasing number of executions reported historically, which strives to present the music the way the composer wanted it to be presented. For instance, the recordings with harpsichords in Baroque tuning rather than the modern grand piano, and the use of small choirs or solo voices instead of great choral strengths that were widely used in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The contribution from Johann Sebastian Bach to music or, borrowing a term popularized by his student Lorenz Christoph Mizler, "his musical science" are frequently compared to the geniality of William Shakespeare in English literature and Isaac Newton in physics.
Bach – Yesterday and Today
Bach’s power and strength are so great today, 250 years after his death, that this date is reverently and gratefully remembered almost everywhere in the world by those who worship him. In 1998, the last time we were in Leipzig, St. Thomas Church, where the genius lies, was almost completely closed for concerts, church services, visits etc. The two major organs would be quiet for some time so that the church could be prepared for the big day, and only the great altar, where is his tombstone, remained open for the public and for worship. There was also a small organ (which must be there). His fans are of all races, creeds and colors, confirming the sentence said by one of them, our Villa-Lobos: "Bach's music is a folk background of all nations." A lot of material has been written based on the letters B-A-C-H!
But who was Bach? He was born on March 21st, 1685, into a family of organists, conductors, finally, German workers of music, who occupied music stations during six generations. He died on July 28th, 1750. Orphan at the age of 10, he was raised by his older brother. He worked in various places, always in Germany, and married twice (widower of Barbara, married Anna Magdalena), and had a total of 20 children, a very romantic detail in his profile. He enjoyed a good health and only his myopia/short-sightedness, worsen by writing by candlelight, weakened his vision. But he lived happily with modesty and simplicity, walking between the ideal and the daily work. He wanted to beautify the Protestant service.
All the descriptions we have indicate he was a straight man, of good character and fair.
In tests and organ contests, he was severe and rigorous, and ended up getting enemies because of this. He did not speak ill of his colleagues’ performances or compositions, but he admired those who were great.
Often, he got involved in discussions with civil or church leaders, but who does not? He dedicated himself to family and work and was friendly with his students.
His library contained the Bible, Song Books, 50 volumes of Theology and Luther's works. Bach’s full profile shows his great religiosity. It was something spontaneous.
The subject interested him. The SDG (Soli Deo Gloria) is in many of his works, and there is a dedication honoring God on the cover of the most important work to teach organ - the Orgelbüchlein - which he modestly titled "Little Organ Book."
He had a consistent theological knowledge and formulated theology in tunes, especially in the choirs of the early mentioned book and cantatas. He used all his soul as a mystic thinker with symbols and numerology in an unusual language and made his students face, from the beginning, all sorts of difficulties with the instrument, because he thought this was the best way to do it. And Bach the executer? Everyone would like to know his technique as an interpreter. The organs that he played disappeared, like many of his manuscripts. Indications of his own are rare, but it is certain that his virtuosity was admired by all Germany, where, after the episode with the French Marchand, he was known as a national hero, such as Luther and later Kant.
He did not have to leave his country or to attend college to get a great recognition. We know that the speed of his feet was so great that his feet seemed to have wings as they flew on the pedals maintaining, however, enough immobility of the body even when doing crossings, hands and feet leaps, ultimately, without great lively corporal movements.
But he was not just technique, so that he recommended that his students play the choirs with expressiveness and know the contents of the words of the song so that they can express themselves better.
Concerning the registration, he gave few indications. Here and there the name of a record, signs of f, p, full organ, always using his great experience and good taste. |
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The genius remained forgotten for almost 60 years. More contemporarily, Albert Schweitzer, an organist, a philosopher, a theologian, a physician and a holder of the Nobel Prize, was his great scholar and called him the poet-musician. He really was all that, and we could still cite Gevaert’s words: "Bach's music is like the Gospel; the public may know him by Matthew, by Mark, Luke or John the second, all different, but always Gospel." Bach was the fifth Evangelist. Thank you for having lived. We're still feeling you here (and what a responsibility for us, Lutherans...)
Text: Anne Schneider - Titular Organist - Martin Luther Church - Porto Alegre, RS – Brazil
Photo: Anne Schneider with the master Bach - Thomaskirche, Leipzig.
http://www.anneschneider.net
