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Johann Sebastian Bach: Organists
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In 1703 Bach was hired as an organist in a church in Arnstad, Germany, which gave him time to practice on his favorite instrument and to develop his talent. He got into trouble on several occasions, once for fighting with a fellow musician and once for being caught entertaining a "strange maiden" in the balcony while he was practicing the organ. In 1705 Bach obtained a month's leave to visit a church in Lübeck, Germany, to hear the organist there. Bach was so impressed that he remained there for four months without sending word back to Arnstad about what he was doing. After returning to Arnstad, he began composing long organ preludes. After
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What made Bach apply in 1720 for the post of organist at St. Jacobi in Hamburg is not immediately clear, in view of his extremely favorable conditions in Cöthen. Probably what attracted him was the famous four-manual Schnitger organ of 1689-93 (Bach had hitherto never had a really large and fine instrument at his disposal), and possibly ... the prospect of working with the renowned cantata-poet Erdmann Neumeister, who as principal minister of the St. Jacobi church was among the supporters of Bach's application. This was unsuccessful, however, despite Bach's enthusiastically received organ concerts, since the application was bound up with a not inconsiderable contribution to the church funds. Another, and perhaps the deciding, reason for moving away from Cöthen may be looked for in the domestic tragedy which befell Bach in the summer of 1720, a few months before his journey to Hamburg. While, with the court orchestra, he was entertaining his prince, who was taking the waters in Carlsbad, his wife Maria Barbara, whom he had married in 1707 and who was the mother of his later famous sons Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel, died. However, a year later he found a new life-partner in the court singer Anna Magdalena Wilcke.
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No doubt under the influence of Buxtehude, Bach wanted to present Mühlhausen with what he called "well-ordered church music." He soon discovered that his pastor, Johann Frohne, was an advocate of Lutheran Pietism. Frohne preferred simplicity in both the liturgy and the music, and the former organist, Johann Georg Ahle, had followed his wishes to a large extent. The very simple musical scores in the choir library reflected this approach. Bach soon became friendly with Reverend George Eilmar, an out-spoken enemy of Pietism, who is thought to be the librettist of at least three cantatas which Bach wrote during the Mühlhausen tenure. The brilliant setting of Cantata No. 71, Gott ist mein König (God Is My King), written for the installation service of the city council on Feb. 4, 1708, certainly must have antagonized Reverend Frohne and members of the congregation who were in the audience.
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The little Johann did not long enjoy the protection of his parents, for he was left an orphan when only ten years old. But already he had received indelible musical impression from hearing his father play on the violin, an instrument which he himself learnt very early. When the father died, Sebastian was taken under the care of his elder brother, John Christopher, who was organist at a small village near Eisenach. The brother, a hard and stern specimen, gave the boy lessons in music until he began to realise that the boy would soon outstrip himself, and then, with jealousy most contemptible in a brother, began to put all the obstacles in his way that he could think of. There was one particular volume of music in the brother’s collection that Sebastian eagerly desired to get hold of for the purpose of study. But the book was kept under lock and key, and it was a long time before he could lay his hands on it. Then, at night whenever there was sufficient moonlight for the purpose, he managed by degrees to copy out its contents.
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Bach's primary reputation came from his organ playing, not his compositions. He was in constant demand as a recitalist and organ consultant. Typical is the reaction of Crown Prince Frederick of Sweden, who heard Bach play in Cassel in 1714. Frederick was so astonished at his virtuosity that he took a diamond ring from his finger and gave it to Bach. The musical historian Johann Mattheson, writing in 1716, refers to him as "the famous organist" of Weimar. In 1713 Bach was invited to succeed Friedrich Zachau, the teacher of George Frederick Handel, in the Liebfrauenkirche at Halle.
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Bach went to Mühlhausen as organist in 1707. There he married his cousin Maria Barbara Bach, who was to bear him seven children. In 1708 he was made court organist and chamber musician at Weimar, and in 1714 he became concert master. Prince Leopold of Anhalt engaged him as musical director at Köthen in 1717. Three years later his wife died, and in 1721 he married Anna Magdalena Wülken, a woman of considerable musical cultivation who eventually bore him 13 children. In 1723 he took the important post of music director of the church of St. Thomas, Leipzig, and of its choir school; he remained in Leipzig until his death.
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