Leipzig's Rejection of J. S.

Bach, Part I
Author(s): Robin A. Leaver
Source: Bach, Vol. 3, No. 3 (JULY, 1972), pp. 27-39
Published by: Riemenschneider Bach Institute
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41639863 .
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Leipzig's

of J. S. Bach,
Rejection
By The Reverend Robin A. Leaver
Reading, England

Part

musicis oftenbornout of a composer

s personalfrustration
GREAT
and difficulty.
in the incrediblemusic
This is amplydemonstrated
of the deafBeethovenand the poverty-stricken
Mozart.J. S. Bach, too,
had to workunderdifficulty
and frustration,
but in his case it was not
- althoughhis lastmonthswerecloudedwith
due to anyphysicaldefect
- even thoughhe
blindness nor was it due to any lack of finance
"pleadedpoverty"in his famousletterto Georg Erdmannin October
arose frommisunderstandings
between him
1730. Bach's difficulties
and the Leipzigofficialdom.
the whole of his twenty-seven
Throughout
yearsin Leipzig,therewas hardlya timewhenhe was not at variance
withone or otherof thethreegoverning
bodiesin thetown- theTown
and theUniversity
authorities.
Council,theChurchConsistory,
I
When theirrespectedcantor,JohannKuhnau,died on June 5,
of a
1722, the town officialsbegan to preparefor the appointment
Six weekslatertheymet together
successor.
to considersix namesthat
had been submitted
to them.Only one reallyimpressedthem: Georg
PhilippTelemann.He was well knownin Leipzig,havingbeen theconductorof the University
CollegiumMusicumand a leading light in
musical
circles
duringhis student
days.Indeed,he becameKuhnau's
many
rivalin thathe was willingto exploitoperatictechniquesand effectsin
his churchmusic.This appealedto the studentswho transferred
their
the
traditional
Kuhnau
to
the
from
Telemann.
support
progressive
Kuhnaucomplainedto theTown CouncilwhichdecreedthatTelemann
and Kuhnaushouldalternateeveryotherweek in providinga cantata
in the Thomaskirche.1
In 1704 the Town Councilhad
forperformance
as
the
Telemann
organistand directorof music of the
appointed
in
he was the naturalchoiceforthe most
and
so
now
1722
Neukirche,
in
the town. Negotiationsbetween the
musical
position
important
Town Counciland Telemanncontinuedforfourmonths.Theycame to
an end when Telemannwithdrew.He had taken an appointment
in
Hamburgjust the yearbefore,1721, and it becameclear thathe was
not entirelyseriousin his applicationfor the Leipzig post, but was
usingit as a leverto obtaina bettersalaryfromHamburg.When the
Hamburgauthoritiesgave him what he wanted,he was no longer
in the Leipzigposition.
interested
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The Leipzig town councillorswere bitterlydisappointedas they

met again late in the year to begin the processall over again. This
a formerstudentof the Thomasschule,
time theypreferred
Christoph
ter of Darmstadt.Negotiationswere opened and
Graupner,Capellmeis
continuedinto thefollowingyear,1723,onlyto be abruptly
terminated
whenGraupner'semployer,
the Landgraveof Hesse Darmstadt,
refused
to releasehim.2So in the springof 1723,the Councilhad to beginfor
the thirdtimeto finda successorto Kuhnau.At the Councilmeeting
held on April9, a councillorstatedthat"sincethe bestman could not
be obtainedmediocreones [i.e.,candidates}wouldhave to be accepted."3
On April22 it was the samecouncillorwho was the firstto recordhis
vote for Bach, who was unanimously
elected.4Thus Bach's entryinto
the life of Leipzigwas farfromauspicious.He was regardedas being
musician;he was not the person the
merelya mediocre,third-rate
Councilwould have chosen,but, underthe circumstances,
he was the
onlyone worthconsidering!
It wouldseemthatthe laterdifficulties
betweenBach and the town
officialsoccurredbecause of a basic misunderstanding
the
concerning
natureof theworkof thecantor.Essentially
theCouncilsaw thatit was
the dutyof the cantorto be primarily
a teacherin the Thomasschule,
whoseteachingoverflowed
intothechurches
whentheboyscouldmake
use
of
what
had
learned
from
the cantor.In the examipractical
they
nationand evaluationof thecandidates,
theCouncilhad timeand again
stressedthatthe new cantormustbe faithful
to the teachingdutiesin
the Thomasschule.
Telemannhad indicatedthathe would not become
cantorif he had to teachnon-musical
subjectsin theschool.The Council
had reluctantly
accededbecausehe was the man the councillors
wanted
and theywere preparedto make sacrificesto securehim.5However,
whenTelemannwithdrew,
the teachingobligationof the cantorbecame
theirmajorconcern.In theproceedings
of the Councilof December21,
1722, it was notedthatone candidatecould not teachand, therefore,
could not be considered,
and it was resolvedthatthe othersshouldbe
examined"especiallywithregardto teaching."6
At the Councilmeeting
of April 22 when Bach was elected,beforethe votes were cast,one
councillorannouncedthatthe successfulcandidate"mustaccommodate
himselfto the instruction
of theyouth,"and anotherreportedthatBach
"had the teachingequipment"and was willingto teach."He [Bach}
had formallyundertakento give not only public but also private
instruction."7
On May 5, 1723, Bach gave his finalundertaking:
That I shallset theboysa shiningexampleof an honest
mannerof life, serve the School industriously,
and instrua
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tfreboysconscientiously.
.. .
Give due obedienceto the HonourableInspectorsand
Directorsof the School in each and everyinstruction
which
the sameshallissuein thenameof the Honourableand Most
Wise Council.. . .
attendto the instruction
in the School.. . .
Faithfully
And if I cannotundertake
thismyself,
arrangethatit be
done by some othercapable personwithoutexpenseto the
Honourableand Most Wise Councilor to the School.8
Bach was officially
installedas theLeipzigcantoron June1, 1723.
In a letterof Superintendent
it is revealed
Deylingto the Consistory,9
thatbeforethatmonthwas out, Bach had persuadedanotherto take
over his non-musical
teaching.At a cost of 50 Thaler per annum,he
was releasedfromhis pedagogicaldutiesin the Thomasschule
by appointingthe tertlus,Carl FriedrichPetzold,as his deputy.This was
and it highlights
the misunderclearlya definitebreakwithtradition,
In bothBach'spreliminary
and
standingbetweenBach and officialdom.
final writtenundertaking
that he would performall the duties of
these
cantor,therewas a clausethatstatedthatif he could not perform
From
teachingdutieshe should,at his own expense,providea deputy.10
the attitudesthe Counciladoptedbeforeand afterhis appointment,
we
gatherthatit regardedthis clause as somethingthatwould rarelybe
been a regularteacherin the
applied. The cantorhad traditionally
and the only time he would need a deputywould be
Thomasschule,
whenhe was ill or temporarily
absent.Bach,on the otherhand,interthat
the
clause
to
mean
he
was responsibleforcertainareas of
preted
in
that
it
the
but
was of littleconsequencewho did
school,
teaching
thatteachingso long as it was done. The Councilwas lookingfor a
but Bach was lookingfora positionthatwouldmake demands
teacher,
on him as a Christianmusicianand composer.In his letterof resignationas organistof the Blasiuskirche,
Mhlhausen,of 1708, he had
that
his
aim
was
"to
work
toward
the goal . . . [of] ... a
explained
churchmusic,to thegloryof God."11Fromthe Council's
well-regulated
point of view, theirnew cantorhad brokenwith traditionand had
as cantor.But fromBach's
abdicatedfromhis fundamental
responsibility
pointof view,he was merelyreleasinghimselffroman onerouschore
in orderto be freeto carryout therealworkof beingcantor- directing
and school.Afterall, thecontract
musicin thechurch,town,university
supportedhis action in providinga deputy,and, anyway,the Town
Councilhad been willingto releaseTelemannfromthe teachingobli29

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gation,so whynot SebastianBach? From this basic misunderstanding

betweentheLeipzigofficialsand Bach thatcharacgrewtheantagonism
terizedtherestof his life.
In preparingfor his firstEaster in Leipzig, Bach transgressed
the dictatesof traditionand incurredthe wrathof the Council.The
with
"Honouredand MostWise Council"had decreedthatin accordance
should
music
be
tradition
the
Good
perFridaypassion
longstanding
formedin the two principalchurches,
Strictlyspeaking,in
alternately.
1724 it shouldhavebeen the turnof theNikolaikirche,
but,apparently,
Bach had takenthe initiative(for good musicalreasons) and had had
a bookletof wordsprintedthatindicatedthatthe passionmusicwould
- forthe secondyearin succession!
in theThomaskirche
be performed
Bach and insistedthatthereshouldbe no break
The Counciloverruled
in the Nikolaiwithtradition:the passionmusicwould be performed
eventhoughit wouldinvolvetheCouncilin additionalexpense.12
kirche,
The followingyear traditionwas brokenagain, but this time Bach
officialswho had broken
thatit was the townand university
contended
custom.On the deathof Kuhnau,Grner,the organist
withestablished
takenover the deceasedcantor's
had temporarily
of the Nikolaikirche,
On Bach'sappointment,
Grner
Paulinerkirche.
dutiesin theUniversity's
a
short
within
continuedservingthe Paulinerkirche.
while,
Indeed,
and Grnerwas appointeddirector
partof Bach'ssalarywas withdrawn
thiswas his duty,and because
of music.Bach believedthattraditionally
he could not receivea satisfactory
hearingin Leipzig,he appealedto
in the land by writingthreedetailedlettersof
the highestauthority
Two
to AugustusII, King of Polandand Electorof Saxony.13
complaint
died,and a stuyearslater (1727) the Queen,ChristianeEberhardine,
and Bach
Gottschedto writean ode of mourning,
dentcommissioned
in the Paulinerkirche.
Grnercomto set it to musicforperformance
on
explainingthatthiswas an encroachment
plainedto the University
A letterwas drawnup forBach to sign thatsaid in
his prerogatives.
effectthathis was a specialoccasionthatwouldnot set any precedent.
weremade forBach to sign it. But he refused
A numberof attempts
becausehe believedthatit was his rightas cantorto performmusic
If anyoneought to sign such a document,it
in the Paulinerkirche.
functions
shouldbe Grnerwho had takenover the cantor'straditional
of the"Worshipful
at theinstigation
University."14
on September8, 1728, that the
It was notedby the Consistory
GottliebGaudlitz,had complainedabout
deaconof the Nikolaikirche,
decreed
Bach'schoiceof hymnsat the Vesperservices.The Consistory
thatin the futurethe cantorshouldsubmitto the preacher'schoiceof
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Bacn repliedin a letterstatingthat

hymnsbeforeand afterthesermon.15
tradition.
Bach points
brokewithestablished
thisdecreeof theConsistory
out thatthis functionhad alwaysbeen performed
by the cantorand
The subjectof hymnscame up again in a memonotby thepreacher.16
randumto Superintendent
Deyling,datedFebruary16, 1730, in which
to a breakin tradition.
drewattention
the Consistory
Duringthe prevous Adventseason,"theNiceneCreedhas been omittedand it has been
desiredto sing and introducenew hymns,hithertounknown,but such
Whetheror not this is
an arbitrary
procedureis not to be tolerated."17
a directcriticismof Bach is difficultto say with certainty,
except
each
thatit does fall into the typeof accusationBach and officialdom
at
a
it
time
when
Bach
was
and
occurred
the
other,
broughtagainst
had
the
the
Council
From
out
of
favour.
beginning
charged
particularly
the teachingdutiesof his
Bach withbreakingwithtradition
concerning
to point out furthertransgressions
officeand took everyopportunity
fromthe traditions
of the town.Bach, forhis part,was quick to point
itselfhad brokenwiththe past it held
out occasionswhenofficialdom
and
so dear. He regardedthe Leipzig officialsas being inconsistent
in demanding
thathe shouldkeep theletterof thehallowed
hypocritical
were pleased to
of Leipzigwhen the councillorsthemselves
traditions
lay themon one whenit suitedthem.
Matterscameto a headduringAugust,1730. In theminutesof the
Councilmeetingheldon August2, it was statedthatwithregardto his
teachingdutiesthe cantor"had notconductedhimselfas he should. . .
A councillorwas of
and admonished."
forwhichhe mustbe reproached
do
the opinionthat"not onlydid the cantor nothing,but he was not
of the fact... a changewouldbe
even willingto give an explanation
The feelingagainst
a breakwould have to come sometime."
necessary,
his income,"since,"
Bach was unanimousand it was agreedto restrict
Later
"the cantorwas incorrigible."18
as anothercouncillorcommented,
Dr. Born "has spokenwith the
it was reportedthat Vice-Chancellor
to work."19
Bach responded
cantorBach,but he showslittleinclination
the
to thesecomplaintswitha counter-complaint
dilatoryway
against
in whichthe Councilprovidedforthe musicof the Church.Bach subto the Council: "A Shortbut Most
mitteda lengthymemorandum
NecesesaryDraft for a Well-AppointedChurchMusic With Certain
ModestReflections
on the Decline of the Same."In it he explainsthat
he
parts.In pracideally requiredtwentypeople for the instrumental
and
adds, "modestyforbidsme to
tice, he could only call on eight
This
of theirqualitiesand musicalknowledge."
speak at all truthfully
the
but
from
students
made
could
be
University,
up by using
deficiency
31

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therewas no encouragement
for the studentsas the honorarium
that
had been customarily
paid was no longeravailable. (Bach was again
chargingthe Council with a break in tradition.)The cantoralso
observedthat"the factthat so manypoorlyequippedboys,and boys
notat all talentedformusic,havebeenaccepted[intotheThomasschule]
to date has necessarily
caused music to decline and deteriorate."
He
for
normally
requiredthirty-six
good singers Sundayworship;admittedly
he had fifty-four
of themwere
boysto choosefrom,but onlyseventeen
able
to
really
sing!20
Here again is demonstrated
the contrastbetweenthe Council's
pedagogicalconcernand Bach's musicalconcern,a factthatwas to be
underlinedin the protracted
betweenBach and the rector
controversy
of the Thomasschule,
Ernestiwas the educaJohannAugustErnesti.21
tionalistpar excellencewithoutmuchfeelingfor,norunderstanding
of,
music.Khler,writingin 1776,observedthat"whenhe [Ernesti]came
on an instrument
he would exclaim:'What?
upon a studentpracticing
"22
You wantto becomea beertoo?'
For him the studyand the
fiddler,
a
of
music
were
waste
of
It
time.
is hardlysurprising
thata
practice
clashcame betweenthe two men.As one readsthe accountof the unfortunate
affair,one cannothelp but thinkthatthe Councilwas more
in favourwith Ernestithan with Bach. Moreover,Ernestihad an influential
friendin theCouncil.Khlercontinues:"By virtueof thehigh
in
regard which he was held by Burgomaster
Stieglitz,he [Ernesti]
managedto be releasedfromthe dutiesof inspectionof the School."23
It was the sameStieglitzwho,afterBach'sdeath,expressedtheopinion
that "the School needed a Cantor and not a Capellmeister."24
But,
the debate,the main plankof Bach's appeal to the Council
throughout
and to the King was thatErnestihad brokenwiththe tradition
of the
schooland was, in fact,introducing
innovationsto the detriment
of
musicbothin churchand school.Bach appealedagain and again to the
to suggestthatthe councilCouncil,and its silencemaybe interpreted
lorsknewthatthe cantorwas in the right,but theywere in sympathy
withtheirrector.
As one examinestheevidenceit becomesclearthatBach was misunderstood
by, and was out of favourwith,the Leipzig officialsfor
the
virtually whole of his servicein the town.Thingsgot so bad for
him in 1730 thathe wroteto Georg Erdmannin Danzig complaining
that"the authorities
are odd and littleinterested
in music,so I must
live amidalmostcontinualvexation,envy,and persecution;
accordingly
I shallbe forced,
withGod's help,to seekmyfortune
elsewhere."25
Howin
Bach
further
to
be
humiliated.
ever,
stayed Leipzig only
32

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II
was the age of the encyclopedia.
The aim
The eighteenth
century
withinreachof his handon shelves
"tohaveknowledge
was foreveryone
was what the spiritof the
labelledA, B, C, D, etc. The Encyclopedia
it
and
what
purchased."26
EphraimChamberswas the first
age required,
or UniversalDictionaryof Artsand Sciences
withhis Cyclopedia,
, published in 1728 in two volumes.This was followedby all kinds of
publishedin all the major centersin Europe,including
encyclopedias
the famousthreevolumesof the firstedition of the Encyclopedia
1769-1771.
Brittanica,
at producinga trulyuniversaldictionary
look
All of theseattempts
in
monumental
when
with
the
compared
encyclopedia sixtyquitepuny
eightpackedfoliovolumesthatappearedin Leipzigbetween1732 and
UNIVERSAL LEXICON aller
1754. This was the Grossesvollstndiges
und
Knste
The
, publishedbyJohannHeinrichZedier.27
Wissenschafften
of
a
in
workis a veritablemineof information,
value
its
being
special
studies
of
the
of
its
and
own
personalities
bio-bibliographical
preceding
rich in information
It is particularly
generations.
regardingthe predeof Bach and is a major reference
cessorsand contemporaries
work in
Bach studies.28
An interesting
factconcerning
thisLexicon
documentary
is thatevena briefperusalof its columnsdevotedto musicalpersonaliWalthers Musicalisches
tiesrevealsits dependenceon JohannGottfried
Lexicon
, whichwas publishedin Leipzigin 1732.29Manyof the entries
in Zedierare takenalmostverbatim
fromWalther.
The firsttwo volumesof Zediers Lexiconappearedin 1732 and
thanthe letter"A." The thirdvolumewas pubproceededno further
lishedthe following
year (1733) and includedmaterialbeginningwith
the letter"B." Waltherhad includeda numberof entrieson members
of the Bach family,and, since a distinguished
memberof thatfamily
musicalpost in Leipzig,one would expectthe
heldthe mostimportant
to give similarcoverage,which,indeed,it
greatLeipzig encyclopedia
themusicalBachs is as follows(shown
does.The firstentryconcerning
the dependence):
alongsidethe entryin Waltherto demonstrate
Walther (1732)
Bach (Joh. Christoph)ein 38
Jahrlang gewesenerOrganistzu
Eisenach,und Vater der dreyen
OrBrder,neml. des Jenaischen
Hrn.Joh.Nielas,welcher
ganistens,
an 1669den lOtenOctob.gebohren

Zedler (1733)
Bach (Jo. Christoph) war zu
Eisenach 38 Jahr lang Organist,
und hatte3 Shne,nemlichJohann
und JoNielas,JohannChristoph,
hann Friedrich.Der erste ward
Organistenin Jena, welcher an
33

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und
worden,an. 1695 in nur besagter 1669. den 10. Oct. gebohren,
Dienste
Stadtzu diesem
gelanget, an. 1695 in nurbesagterStadtzu
und insonderheit
wegenseinerver- diesem Dienst beruffenward,er
Clavierebekanntist; des ist sonderlich
fertigten
wegenseinerverferbisheroin Rotterdam,
jetzoaberin tigtenClavieresehrbekannt.Der
Musici, andereSohn ist ein Musicus,und
Engellandsichbesindenden
und
welcherJoh.Christoph
heisset,
hat sich erstlichin Rotterdam,
Ersich
auf dem Claviereinformiret,
furthund Hamburg aufgehalten,
aucheine geraumeZeit vorheroin
nachheroaber sich nach England
Erfurtund Hamburgaufgehalten
Or- begeben,allwoer aufdemClaviere
hat; und des Mhlhusischen
Der drittewar Organganistensan der S. Blasii-Kirche, informiret.
an derS. BlasiiFriedrich, istzu Mhlhausen,
Nahmens, Johann
welcheran 1730 verstorbenist; Kirche,hat verschiedene
Clavierhat verschiedeneseine Clavier- insonderheit
aber dergleichen
VoVoaber dergleichen
insonderheit
cal-Stckegesetzet,welche aber
cal-Stckegesetzet,so aber nicht
wordensind.Ist an 1703 nicht zum Druck gekommen,er
gedruckt
den 31 Martii,im 60 Jahreseines ist im 60. JahreseinesAltersgestorben.31
Altersgestorben.30
Bach (Jo. Christoph)was in
Bach (Joh. Christoph)for 38
Eisenach
and
was
the
38 yearsas Organist,
at
yearsOrganist Eisenach,
had
3
of thethreebrothers,
father
sons,
namely,
JohannNiclas,
namely
the Organistat Jena, Hr. Joh. Johann Christophy,and Johann
The firstwas Organistin
Niclas,who was bornAnno 1669, Friedrich.
who
was born Anno 1669
October10, succeededto thisposi- Jena,
tion in the town just mentioned 10 Oct., and was called to this
Anno 1695, and is particularlyposition in the town just menknownfor the claviershe builds; tionedAnno 1695; He is particuthe musicianformerlyliving in larlywell-knownfor the claviers
but now in England he builds. The second son is a
Rotterdam,
who is called Joh.Christophand musician, firstlyin Rotterdam,
timein Eron the clavier, thenfora considerable
gives instruction
after
whichhe
and
furt
also
Hamburg,
sojournedpreviously
having
to
who
went
in
Erfurt
and
time
forconsiderable
England,
gives inthird
the
clavier.
The
on
struction
Hamburg;and the Organistat St.
at
in
Blasius' Church in Mhlhausen, was Organist Mhlhausen, St.
who died Blasius'Church,and has composed
namedJohannFriedrich,
Anno 1730. Has composedvarious variousfinepieces forthe clavier,
for voices which
finepiecesfortheclavier,and par- and particularly
34

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forvoices,which,however, have not been put into print.He

ticularly
have not been printed.[Johann [JohannChristoph,
Sr.] died in the
Christoph,Sr.] Died March 31, sixtiethyearof his life.
1703, in the sixtiethyear of his
life.32
's entrieson the Bach familyhad begun with Johann
Walther
BernardBach (1676-1749) who was at thattime courtmusicianand
omitstheentryand beginswith
Zediercompletely
organistin Eisenach.33
thisrecasting
of JohannChristoph
of Walther'streatment
Bach.Zedier's
clearerthanWalther'sbut does notadd anynew inforentryis certainly
omissionis the reference
to the date of
mation,and theonlysignificant
Sr.
in
s
The
next
Zedier
death.
JohannChristoph
entry
again slavishly
followsWalther:
Walther
Zedler
Bach ( Joh.Michael) erstberhr- Bach (Jo. Michael) war berhrten Joh. Christophszu Eisenach ten
JohannChristophs,
Organisten
Bruder,gewesenerOrganistund
zu Eisenach,Bruder,und ward zu
zu Gehren,einem
Stadt-Schreiber
Fleckenund Amt am Thringer Gehren,einem Fleckenund Amt
Walde, Hrn. Johann Sebastian am Thringer
Walde,Organistund
hat
Bachs ersterSchwieger-Vater,
hatsehrviel KirchStadt-Schreiber,
sehr viele Kirchen-Stcke,
starcke
en-Stcke,starcke Sonaten, und
Sonaten,und Clavier-Sachengewelcheaber
gesetzet,
nichts Clavier-Sachen
setzt,wovonaber gleichfalls
nichtzumDruckgekommen
sind.35
gedrucktwordenist.34
Bach (Joh.Michael) thebrother Bach (Jo. Michael) was the
of theafore-mentioned
of the afore-mentioned
JoJoh.Chris- brother
hann
at
former
Christoph,
organistin EisenOrganist
toph Eisenach,
and Town Clerk at Gehren, a ach, and was in Gehren,a small
small town and bailiwickin the town and bailiwickin the ThurThuringianForest,firstfather-in-ingian Forest,the organistand
law of Hrn.JohannSebastianBach, town clerk,has composedmany
has composedmanychurchpieces churchpiecesand excellentsonatas
and excellentsonatasand clavier and clavierpieces,whichhave not
pieces, but which,likewise,have been put into print.
notbeenprinted.36
Again the dependenceof Zedler on Walthercan be clearlyseen.
The two entriesare identical,apart from one importantomission.
to the fact
The entryin thegreatLeipzigLexiconcontainsno reference
35

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thatJohannMichaelBachwas thefirstfather-in-law
of thecantor,
Johann
SebastianBach.The factappearsto havebeen deliberately
omitted.
Walter'sLexiconhas fourentriesdevotedto members
of themusical
The last and longestentryis the now famousfirstprinted
Bach family.
of J. S. Bach.37Zedierused Walther
's Lexiconas his source,
biography
and it could be expectedthatthe monumental
work
Leipzig reference
wouldat least reproduce,
if not add to, the entryin Waltherconcerning thetown'scantor.In fact,Zedier's nextentriesafterJohannMichael
Bach readthus:
"Bach,(Wilhelm) sieheWilhelmusNeubrigensis.
Bacha,sieheBassa.
Bacha,sieheFoliumBarbaricum."
In otherwords,all reference
to JohannSebastianBach has been
editedout of the text.
carefully
This is a surprising
fact,especiallywhenone examinessubsequent
volumesof Zedler'sLexicon.Volume 15 appearedin 1737 and containedtwo and a half columnsdevotedto Bach's predecessor,
Johann
Kuhnau.38
The entryis substantially
the same as Waltherapart from
one or two minoromissions;indeed,Zedier slavishlyfollowsWalther
in repeating
ad nauseamthedetailsof thechapterof someof Kuhnau's
works.39
Walther'sbriefentryon Kuhnau'spredecessor,
literary
Johann
almostunalteredin volume34.40
Schelle,is reprinted
Butwhatis of greaterinterest
is theentryconcerning
GeorgPhilipp
Telemann,the man whomthe Leipzig officialshad wantedto appoint
as cantorin successionto Kuhnau.Telemannreceivesgreatercoverage
thanKuhnau in thatalmostfourcolumnsare given over to him.41
As
could be expected,the substanceof the entryis takenfromWalther42
additional
but, unlikehis normalpractice,Zedier includessignificant
material.
Waltherhad concludedhis entryon Telemannby givinga list
of his publishedworksdown to the year 1730. Waltheritemizesnine
worksor collections;Zedier continuesfromWalther'snine and brings
the total listingto thirty-two.
There was obviouslygreat interestin
Leipzigin Telemann.J. S. Bach,the town'scurrentcantor,figuresnowherein Zedler'sLexicon
. One cannothelpbut drawtheconclusion
that
the omissionwas a deliberateact of censorship
on the partof officials
in Leipzig.J. S. Bach had failed,in theireyes,in his duties,and therefore did not deserveto be immortalized
withinthe pages of their
greatencyclopedia.
36

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Whi Zedier had reachedthe end of the alphabetin sixty-four

omissionshad ocvolumes,it was foundthata numberof important
decidedto issue a supplement.Four supplecurred.It was therefore
mentaryvolumeswere published,but the plan was never completed,
was likelyto be as extensiveas the
probablybecausethe supplement
volumecame out in 1751,
originalLexiconlThe secondsupplementary
thatis, the yearafterBach's death.What is notableabout thisvolume
is thatit includedan entryon JohannSebastianBach.43Essentially
the
that
a
minimum
is
of
with
of
addition
to
it
Walther
entry
bring up to
in
the
cantor's
official
titles.
But thereis
date,consisting
mainly listing
that
one additionto, and one omissionfrom,Walthers briefbiography
indicatesthatBach was still out of favorin Leipzig.Waltherwrote:
". . . he became. . . afterthe deathof Mr. Kuhnau,Music Directorin
Zedier's entrycontainsan additionand reads: ". . . he beLeipzig."44
came. . . afterthedeathof Mr. Kuhnau,Music Directorand Cantorof
in Leipzig."Here again is a hintof the basic misthe Thomasschule
betweenBach and the town officials.It is knownthat
understanding
the title "Music Director"because it expressedthe
Bach preferred
of his office,as he saw it, in producingmusic.On the other
priority
to Bach as "Cantor,"presumably
hand,thetownofficials
alwaysreferred
becausethe title emphasizedthe teachingfunctionBach should have
in the Thomasschule.
performed
's briefbiography
he refersto the factthat
At the end of Walther
and adds: "This
the lettersBACH are melodicin theirarrangement
Zedier
factis the discovery
of theLeipzigMr. Bach."
repeatsthe informationbut refusesto call him the LeipzigBach. Leipzighad disowned
"
its cantor and thereforehe is plain "Herrn Bach"- "Leipziger
is omitted!
Editor'sNote: The concludingportionof thispaper will be publishedin the October,1972,issueof BACH.
FOOTNOTES
1Martin
theLifeandWorkof GeorgPhilipp
between
Ruhnke,
"Relationships
of the Dolmetsch
The Consort(AnnualJournal
Telemann,"
Foundation),
No, 24 (1967), p. 273 .
2Fordetailsof thecandidates
andthedeliberations
of theCouncilsee Philipp
on theMusicof GerSebastian
Bach:His WorkandInfluence
Johann
Spitta,
trans.ClaraBell and J. A. Fuller-Maitland,
many1685-1750,
London,1899
New York,1951), Vol. II, 181-184;CharlesSanford
Bach:
Terry,
(Reprint,
A Biography
(London,
1933),2 pp. 141-147.
3TheBachReader:A LifeofJohann
Bachin Letters
andDocuments,
Sebastian
referred
to
ed. HansT. DavidandArthur
London19662(hereafter
Mendel,
vonBach-Archiv
BandII:
as BR), 88; BachDokumente,
Herausgegeben
Leipzig,
zur Lebens
und Gedruckte
Dokumente
Johann
Fremdschriftliche
geschickte
37

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referred
to as BD I), (Kassel,1969),
Bachs1685-1750(hereafter
Sebastian
p. 92.
4BR,90; BD II, 96.
5Terry,
op. cit.,p. 142.
6BR, 88; BD II, 88.
7BR,90; BD II, 96. Bachgavethisassurance
in a letter
to theCouncildated
intotheschoolnotonly
theboysadmitted
April19, 1723: "I willinstruct
lessons."
He alsostated
in theregular
classes. . . butalsoin private
singing
of the
shouldbe neededto assistme in theinstruction
that"in casesomeone
the said personout of myown
Latinlanguage,
[I] will . . . compensate
BR, 89.
pocket."
8BR,91-92.
9DatedJune29, 1723:seeBR,95; BD II, 115.Thelukewarm
attitude
toward
havebeenimproved
Bachcanhardly
uponwhen,at theinstallation
ceremony,
forSuperintendent
as PastorWeiss,deputizing
therewas confusion
Deyling,
a factthatwasstillbeing
and traditions,
theusualcustoms
failedto observe
of
with
intention
some
to sometenmonths
referred
later,perhaps
removing
hisoffice.
Bachfrom
10See notes8 and9.
11BR, 60; BachDokumente
BandI:
vonBachArchiv
, Herausgegeben
Leipzig,
to as
Bachs(hereafter
Sebastian
referred
vonderHandJohann
Schriftstcke
BD I), (Kassel,1963), p. 19.
12BR,96f;BD II, 139f.
13BR,98-104;BD I, 30-45.
14BR, 112;BD II, 171f.(See also I69f.)
15BR, 113; BD, II, 182.
16September
20, 1728:BR, ll4f.; BD I, 54f.
17BR, 119.
18BR, 119f.;BD II, 204f.
19BR, 120; BD II, 206.
20BR, 120-124;BD I, 60-64.
21See BR, 137-149;Terry,
op. cit.,207-242.
22BR, 137.
23Ibid.
24BR, 189.
25October
28, 1730: BR, 125,BD I, 67.
26PaulHazard,
in theEighteenth
, trans.
Century
J.LewisMay
European
Thought
1965),p. 220f.
(Harmondsworth,
27A facsimile
thetitlepages
was published,
Graz,1961-1964.
Although
reprint
in bothHalleand Leipzig,
indicate
thattheworkwaspublished
Leipzigwas
Zedierhadpublished
wasa Leipzigproduction.
Zedler's
baseandhisLexicon
in 22 foliovolumes
ofMartin
Luther
in Leipzigalonean edition
oftheworks
TheirHistory
between
1729 and 1734.See RobertCollinson,
Encyclopedias:
theAges,NewYorkandLondon,
1966,2
pp. 104-105.
Throughout
28See BD I, 279 andBD II, 522.
29A facsimile
KasselandBasel,1953.
waspublished,
reprint
30Walther,
op. cit.,63.
31Zedier,
op. cit.,III, col. 55.
32Translation
fromBR, 206,n.8.
33See BR,207.
34Walther,
op. cit.,63-64.
35Zedier,
op. cit.,III, col. 55.
36Translation
basedon BR, X 206,n.9.
37BR,46; BD II, 231.
38Zedier,
op. cit.,XV (1737), cols.2108-2111.
38

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35Cf.Walther;
op.cit.,349-350.
40Zedier,
op.cit.,550.
op. cit.,XXXIV (1742), col.2184;Walther,
4'Zedier,
op.cit.,XLII (1744), cols.644-647.
42Walther,
op. cit.,596-597.
43Zedier,
op. cit.,Supp.II, cols.1157-1158.
44See note37.

About

Our Authors

retiredas musicaldirectorand conMax Rudolf, who recently

is currently
ductorof the CincinnatiSymphony
Orchestra,
dividinghis
timebetweenteachingdutiesat the CurtisInstituteand a heavyguestconductingschedule.The third installmentof Dr. Rudolf's article,
"Stormand Stressin Music,"will appearin OctoberBACH.
at theUniversity
of Cincinnati
David Mulbury, assistant
professor
demand
as an organ
in
considerable
of Music,is
College-Conservatory
concluded
Bach's
will
be
His articleon
and lecturer.
recitalist
Passacaglia
in OctoberBACH.
and musicscholaris
Robin Leaver, Anglicanminister,
theologian,
and
faith
the
a
about
book
theologyof J. S. Bach.
completing
currently
The ReverendMr. Leaver,a WinstonChurchillFellow,is chaplainof
St. Mary'sChapel,CastleStreet,Reading,England.
and directorof the
co-founder
Sol Babitz, violinist,
musicologist,
author
is
the
of a numberof
in
Los
Music
Angeles
Laboratory
Baroque
and
violin
articlesdealingwithBaroqueperformance
technique.
practices
39

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