ROBERT L. MARSHALL TRAUTE M. MARSHALL AND Exploring the World of J. S. Bach A TRAVELER’S GUIDE Exploring thE World of J. S. Bach Germany, ca. 1720. Johann Baptist Homann, Postarum seu Veredariorum Germaniam et Provincias Adiacentes. Neu vermehrte PostCharte durch gantz Teutschland . . . revised edition (Nuremberg). Detail. Exploring thE World of J. S. Bach A Traveler’s Guide Robert L. Marshall and Traute M. Marshall Published in cooperation with the American Bach Society University of Illinois Press Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield This publication is sponsored by the American Bach Society and produced under the guidance of its Editorial Board. For information about the American Bach Society, please see its website at www.americanbachsociety.org. © 2016 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 c p 5 4 3 2 1 ∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Marshall, Robert Lewis, author. | Marshall, Traute M., 1942– author. Title: Exploring the world of J.S. Bach: a traveler’s guide / Robert L. Marshall and Traute M. Marshall. Description: Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield : University of Illinois Press, 2016. | “Published in cooperation with the American Bach Society.” | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: lccn 2015047399 (print) | lccn 2015048837 (ebook) | isbn 9780252040313 (cloth : alk. paper) | isbn 9780252081767 (pbk. : alk. paper) | isbn 9780252098574 (ebook) Subjects: lcsh: Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685–1750—Homes and haunts—Germany. | Germany— Description and travel. | lcgft: Guidebooks Classification: lcc ml410.b13 m272 2016 (print) | lcc ml410.b13 (ebook) | ddc 780.92—dc23 lc record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015047399 contEntS vii Foreword by George B. Stauffer x Preface xvi Introduction xxvii Notes on Usage xxix Maps Part One: J . S. Bach’s Principal Residences (Chronological) 3 Chapter 1. Eisenach 1685–95 15 Chapter 2. Ohrdruf 1695–1700 21 Chapter 3. Lüneburg 1700–1702 29 Chapter 4. Arnstadt 1703–7 41 Chapter 5. Mühlhausen 1707–8 49 Chapter 6. Weimar 1703, 1708–17 63 Chapter 7. Köthen 1717–23 73 Chapter 8. Leipzig 1723–50 • Part Two: T owns Certainly or Presumably( ) Visited by J. S. Bach (Alphabetical) • • • 99 Altenburg and Rötha 110 Celle and Ebstorf • 102 Ammern 114 Collmen • 103 Bad Berka 115 Dornheim 104 Berlin 117 Dresden v • 130 Erfurt 174 Nienburg • • 135 Freiberg 175 Pomßen • 137 Gehren 177 Potsdam 138 Gera 181 Sangerhausen 140 Görlitz 183 Schleiz 142 Gotha 185 Stöntzsch 145 Halle 185 Störmthal 150 Hamburg 188 Taubach • • 154 Heiligengrabe 188 Waltershausen • 156 Karlsbad 190 Wechmar 158 Kassel 192 Weißenfels 161 Kleinzschocher 199 Weißensee 163 Langewiesen 200 Wiederau • • 164 Langula 202 Zeitz • 165 Lübeck 204 Zerbst • 170 Merseburg 206 Zschortau 171 Naumburg 209 Appendix: Bach’s Travels: An Overview 215 Bibliography 227 Illustration Credits 231 Index forEWord It is with great pleasure that the American Bach Society, in collaboration with the University of Illinois Press, publishes Exploring the World of J. S. Bach: A Traveler’s Guide. The Society’s first venture into special publications, The Organs of J. S. Bach: A Handbook, issued in 2012, proved to be such a happy undertaking that the Soci- ety’s Editorial Board quickly settled upon the idea of creating a companion volume, a guide to the Bach sites in Germany. That a new sites guide, in English, was needed was apparent for many of the same reasons that spurred the publication of the organ handbook. The opening of Thuringia and Saxony after the fall of the Socialist government in 1989 and the reunification of Germany the following year have suddenly made the region where Bach lived and worked easily accessible to tourists for the first time in almost half a century. The rapid restoration and reconstruction of towns, churches, and palaces known to Bach and the establishment of new, visitor- friendly museums also call out for an up- to- date guide. While a number of books discussing the Bach sites are available in German and ostensibly could be translated into English, none capture the full range of recent developments such as the rebuilding of the Church of our Lady in Dresden (the site of Bach’s triumphant organ concert before the Elector’s musicians in 1736), the reimagining of the facade of the University Church in Leipzig (where Bach performed the Trauer- Ode, Laß Fürstin, laß noch einen Strahl in 1727), or the re- creation of the Royal Palace in Potsdam (where Bach improvised on Silbermann fortepianos before Frederick the Great in 1747). In addition, no existing guides incor- porate the most recent findings of Bach research, a field that has flourished in the past twenty- five years with the opening of long- inaccessible archives in the former East Germany and Russia and the renewed efforts of the Bach Expedition team of the Leipzig Bach Archive. For all of these reasons, the Editorial Board concluded that an entirely new handbook was required, rather than the translation of an existing German guide. But who would write it? vii By happy coincidence, distinguished Bach scholar and past president of the American Bach Society Robert L. Marshall and his wife Traute expressed interest in the project at an early stage of development. One cannot imagine a better set of tour guides. Robert, winner of the Kinkeldey Prize from the American Musicologi- cal Society and the Deems Taylor Award from ASCAP, is well known for his exact- ing scholarship and game- changing essays. The Compositional Process of J. S. Bach opened the world of source studies to American musicologists when it appeared in 1972, and articles such as “Bach the Progressive” and “Organ or Klavier? Instrumental Prescriptions in the Sources of Bach’s Keyboard Works” altered the way we think about Bach and the performance of his works. Traute, a native German, is an equally seasoned writer, editor, and translator. Her German translations of Charles Rosen’s The Classical Style and James Lyon’s Brecht in America have become standards in the German- speaking world, and her Art Museums PLUS: Cultural Excursions in New England takes the precise guidebook approach desired for the present undertaking. It was clear from the start that the Marshalls, blessed with broad experience, impres- sive Bach credentials, and a rich sense of humor were the perfect team to produce a handbook on the German Bach sites. Also auspicious for the present project was the American Bach Society’s long- standing ties with the University of Illinois Press. For almost two decades now the Society and the Press have collaborated on publications such as Bach Perspectives, About Bach, and The Organs of J. S. Bach. With the strong support of then-Director William Regier, the savvy guidance of then-Senior Acquisitions Editor Laurie Mathe- son, and the elegant design work of Jim Proefrock (so evident in the organ handbook), the project was able to move forward in a smooth, efficient, and effective way. It has been a delight to join forces once again with the UIP team. What the Marshalls have provided is far more than a straightforward guide to the Bach sites. In the course of discussing the activities of Bach in 51 German towns, they present an up- to- date overview of Bach biography, one that incorporates the very latest discoveries of Bach research. With substantial discussions of the architec- ture and art of the individual buildings and museums, the Marshalls also provide a concise study of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque art history. And by drawing on early guides to the postal and travel routes, they give us a sense of just how much time Bach spent in transit, and just how arduous many of his journeys actually were. Who would have thought that the trip from Leipzig to Kassel, a quick ride of less than three hours on the Intercity train today, took Bach at least a week in 1732, with overnight stops that probably included stays in Weißenfels, Erfurt, and Gotha? Although Bach did not venture abroad, it is obvious from the present guide that he viii spent much more time on the road than previously thought, traveling from town to town within Germany. But most importantly, by drawing on critical details, the Marshalls convey a vivid picture of Bach’s daily life. In 1730, disgruntled by deteriorating conditions for music- making in Leipzig, Bach reminisced to his school chum Georg Erdmann that he had been supremely happy in Köthen and had planned to spend the rest of his days there. The present volume shows that his employer in Köthen, Prince Leopold, spent the equivalent of almost $422,000 on a single stay at the Spa in Karlsbad. Why wouldn’t Bach have been happy in such an environment of luxury, as a prized and graciously supported keyboard virtuoso in the Prince’s retinue?! Exploring the World of J. S. Bach: A Traveler’s Guide, then, serves as a worthy companion to The Organs of J. S. Bach. It paints a broad portrait of Bach’s life and career and the political and cultural milieu that he was compelled to navigate. It surveys the cities, towns, and villages in which he made music, telling us what these sites were like in his time and what they are like today. In short, it presents a vibrant description of Bach’s world, in his day and ours. In their quest to track down the places where the great St. Thomas Kantor walked and worked, the Marshalls leave no Bach memorial tablet unturned. And in the process, they make a convincing case for some new ones. George B. Stauffer General Editor, American Bach Society ix