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Table of Contents

Bach’s attitude towards art—His birth—Death of his father—Removal to Ohrdruf—Performances in the Ohrdruf choir—Removal to Lüneburg—His industry as a boy—Expeditions to Hamburg and Celle—Joins the Court Orchestra at Weimar—Is appointed organist at Arnstadt—Troubles with the church authorities—Successfully competes for a new post.

Bach’s attitude towards Art

The life and character of John Sebastian Bach have a peculiar interest, not only for musicians and amateurs of music, but for every one who can appreciate sterling worth, combined with genius of the highest rank, and a modesty as great as it is rare. “Anyone,” said Bach, “could do as much as I have done if he worked as hard.” And this capacity for hard work is perhaps not the least among the many remarkable characteristics of the man. We find in him little of that desire for applause, for recognition, which is usually one of the strongest motives in an artist. He was content to labour as few men have laboured, in a remote corner of Germany, simply for art, and art alone. His greatest works never saw the light of publication during his life-time: he seemed to compose just because he obeyed the inward spirit of genius which drove him onward, and though his chamber works became fairly well known, his larger compositions were rarely performed outside the church or place for which they were composed. “The sole object of all music,” said he, “should be the glory of God and pleasant recreation,” and the “glory of God” was the mainspring of every action of his simple and pious life.

The House at Eisenach in which J. S. Bach was born

He was born on or about March 31st, 1685[7] at Eisenach in Thuringia, under the shadow of the famous Wartburg. A house still standing in the Frauenplan is pointed out by tradition as his birthplace, and contains a tablet to that effect. He was the youngest son of John Ambrosius Bach, at that time Court and Town musician of Eisenach, a place which had a good reputation for its music.

The lofty artistic and moral standard which permeated the whole of the numerous members of the Bach family seems to have culminated in the subject of this sketch. We have seen that for many generations they had been musicians, and had held the chief posts as organists and town musicians throughout Thuringia; and John Sebastian naturally had no other thought than to follow the family profession. Of the first few years of his life little is known. It is probable that he learned the violin from his father.

Goes to Ohrdruf

In January 1695, when he was not yet ten years old, his father died, and his eldest brother Johann Christoph, who was organist of St Michael’s Church at Ohrdruf and had married, now undertook to provide for him and educate him. Johann Christoph, who had been a pupil of Pachelbel for three years, taught his younger brother the harpsichord. Sebastian soon mastered all the studies and pieces he was given to learn, and began to aspire to higher things.

Boyhood Promise

His brother had made a MS. collection of compositions by Froberger, Fischer, Kerl, Buxtehude, Pachelbel, Bruhns, Böhm, and others, and this book was eagerly yearned for by Sebastian. The MS. was kept in a bookcase, shut in with a wire lattice-work, and his brother for some unknown reason denied him the use of it. Such was his zeal, however, that he managed to abstract it through the lattice-work, night after night, for six months, until he had copied the whole of it by moonlight! His pleasure in it was of short duration, for when he began to practise the music his brother discovered the copy, and was hard-hearted enough to confiscate it. No reason is assigned for his having done so, and Sebastian did not recover it until his brother’s death in 1721.

At Ohrdruf he joined the Lyceum,[8] where he laid the foundation of his general education, in Latin, Greek (from the New Testament), theology, rhetoric and arithmetic. He also took part in the chorus, whose duties were to perform in church on Sundays and festivals, as well as to sing motets at weddings and funerals, and at certain times to sing in the streets.[9] He became one of the principal singers, and had a fixed salary.

St Michael’s Church, Ohrdruf with the Lyceum, now the Burgerschule

Thrown on his own resources

When he was fifteen he was obliged to leave his brother’s house, and he now determined to make his own way independently of assistance from others. Recommended by Herda, the cantor of the Lyceum, he went to the school of the convent of St Michael at Lüneburg, accompanied by his friend Georg Erdmann, about Easter 1700, and both were admitted to the choir as discantists with a salary. Bach’s voice soon broke, but he remained three years at Lüneburg as accompanist at rehearsals, besides playing the violin when required and taking part in the band that played through the streets at the New Year. His salary was probably twelve thalers a year, besides free board and lodging, and a share in the profits of the processional performances in the streets.

Lüneburg, like Eisenach, seems to have cultivated music with considerable energy. Besides the choir of which Bach became a member, there was a similar one belonging to the school of St John, and the rivalry which naturally arose led to collisions, which were put an end to by certain streets being allotted to each choir for its performances.

Earnest Student

Bach, being now above want, devoted the whole of his available time to self-improvement, in spite of the great demands made on him by his duties. He found in the library of the convent compositions by all the best composers up to that period—Hammerschmidt, Scheidt, Ahle, Briegel, Schütz, Rosenmüller, Michael, Schop, Jeep, Krieger, Selle, Crüger, and his own relatives Heinrich and John Christoph Bach. To these compositions we know that he devoted unremitting study, and at the same time worked with enormous industry day and night to improve his technique on keyboard instruments.

The organist of St John’s Church was Böhm, a native of Thuringia, and a man of considerable genius. He had studied in Hamburg, and his compositions show the influence of Sweelinck and of Reinken the organist of St Catherine’s Church. The distinguishing characteristics of his school were “technical neatness, pleasing ingenuity, and a taste for subtle effects of tone.”[10]

Bach was now learning all he could from Böhm, but in order to further advance himself he made several expeditions to Hamburg on foot, a distance of some 25 English miles.

Of one of these expeditions the following story is told. Bach, on his return journey, sat down outside an inn halfway between the two cities with not sufficient money in his pocket to avail himself of the excellent dinner that was being prepared, the odours of which reached him from the kitchen, when a window was suddenly opened and two herrings’ heads were thrown out. The herring in those days, as now, was one of the favourite articles of food in Germany, and the boy at once picked up the two heads. Inside each he found a Danish ducat. Who his benefactor was never became known to him; and the money not only paid for a dinner, but another journey to Hamburg as well.

From Reinken he obtained models for his early compositions of which Spitta mentions three as showing Reinken’s influence; organ arrangements of the two chorales “Es ist gewisslich an der Zeit,”[11] “An Wasserflüssen Babylon”;[12] and a toccata in G.

But Bach was not satisfied to study only the works of his own countrymen. About forty-five English miles to the south of Lüneburg is Celle, where the ducal court maintained a band which played French dance music, and where also French harpsichord music was held in considerable estimation. He took frequent opportunities of hearing this band, and so became familiar with the French style of music, which he admired, and much of which he copied.

Spitta considers that the chorale partitas “Christ, der du bist der helle Tag,” and “O Gott, du frommer Gott,”[13] were composed at Lüneburg, since they were certainly early works, and show the influence of Böhm, in the elaboration of the motives and the use of basso ostinato, &c. It would seem that there was no good organ at Lüneburg, for his compositions of this period are either for harpsichord or, if for organ, show that he was not yet experienced in writing for the latter instrument.

In 1703 Bach was invited by Johann Ernst, younger brother of Duke Wilhelm Ernst, to join his orchestra at Weimar as a violinist with the title of “Hof-musikus,” or Court musician. This brought him into contact with a great deal of instrumental music, especially Italian works, and among musicians he there met Westhoff, the Duke’s private secretary, a good violinist, and Johann Effler an organist.

First appointment

From Weimar he paid a visit to Arnstadt, only a few miles off, the former meeting-place of his family. Here he had an opportunity of trying the organ lately erected in the “New Church,” the organist of which was Börner, a man of no great attainments. The Consistory heard him, and, at once dismissing Börner, offered Bach the post: a high-handed proceeding, which they softened by making Börner “organist at Matins” and deputy to the Franciscan Church, on his full salary. Bach’s salary was raised by outside contributions, and the youth of eighteen found himself more highly paid than any of his fellow officials.

On August 14th, 1703, he was solemnly installed, and exhorted to industry and fidelity in his calling, and to act as an honourable servant and organist before God, the authorities, and his superiors. His official duties were to play on Sunday and Thursday mornings, and at one service on Mondays; so that he had ample leisure for study.

The Keyboards of Bach’s Arnstadt Organ now in the Rathhaus

The organ, which was a very fine one of two manuals, had the following stops: