Thomanerchor Leipzig (Choir)
Members 1731 |
The first choir roster from J.S. Bach's term of office is found in the voice parts for the turba choruses of the St. Matthew and St. John chorale Passions ("Torgauer version") by Johann Walter (1496-1570) newly copied in 1722 by Christian Gottlieb Gerlach (1704-1773). It dates from the year 1731 and contains the names of ten alumni of the third choir- the choir that was sent to the Leipzig Neukirche for singing motets (see Figure 2 below). Incidentally, the students there were called an to sing figural music if necessity demanded it. Their participation may bc inferred, for example, from a recorded note from 1722: Johann Kuhnau had opposed "lending" the alumni for the performance of a Passion in the Neukirche. The Kantor was emphatically forewarned by the sitting mayor and was forced to concede: die St. Thomas pupils had to assist with the Passion performance. |
Choir III (1731) |
B(ass): |
Praef | Neucke = Gottlob Heinrich Neicke (1709-1764?); age 22 years; Thomaner: 1724-1733 |
Lehman = Johann Christoph Lehmann (1709-1769); age 22 years; Thomaner: 1726-1731 |
Nitsche = Gotthelf Engelbert Nietzsche (1714-1804); age 17 years; Thomaner: 1730-1736 |
Sachse = Johann Gottfried Sachse (1711-unknown); age 20 years; Thomaner: 1726-1733 |
Ten.: |
Haupt = Johann Gottlob Haupt (1714-unknown); age 17 years; Thomaner: 1727-1735 |
Krause min[or] = Johann Gottlob Krause (1714-unknown); age 17 years; Thomaner: 1730-1737 |
Alt: |
Berger = Johann Gottfried Berger (1713-unknown); age 18 years; Thomaner: 1729 -1735 |
Braune = Johann Friedrich Braune (1714-unknown); age 17 years; Thomaner: 1727-1734 |
Dis[cant]: |
Suppius = Wilhelm Eusebius Suppius (1714-1738); age 18 years; Thomaner: 1727-1733 |
Ludewig minor = Friedrich Wilhelm Ludewig (1713-1780); age 18 years; Thomaner: 1730-1736 |
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Figure 2: Choir roster 1731, Bach-Archiv Leipzig, Go. S. 303, Discant voice part, inside bach cover. |
Sources:
1. Bernd Koska: Dissertation "Bachs Thomaner als Kantoren in Mitteldeutschland" (Beeskow 2018), Anhang VII.1 Die Alumnen der Thomasschule 1710-1760, English translation by Aryeh Oron (April 2020)
2. Andreas Glöckner, Sabine Thomas and Melvin Unger: Alumni and Externals in the Choirs of the Thomas School during Bach's Time in Bach, Vol. 40, No. 1 (2009), pp. 5-11 (Riemenschneider Bach Institute)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (April 2020) |
Short Histroy of the Thomanerchor Leipzig |