Johann Gottlob Krause (Bach's Pupil)

Born: January 14¹ or 24², 1714 - Großdeuben, 15 km south of Leipzig, Saxony, Germany
Died: not determined

Johann Gottlob Krause was born to Johann Krause (miller in Großdeuben). He was a school perfect. He had been "Externus" before applying in 1729 to the Thomasschule in Leipzig, where he enrolled on October 5, 1730, and studied from 1730 to 1737. His name has been perpetuated in the J.S. Bach literature not because of his musical talents, which appear to have been nugatory, but because he stood at the centre of a dispute betweeen J.S. Bach and Rector of the Thomasschule in Leipzig, J.A. Ernesti. In 1736 Ernseti appointed J.G. Krause head perfect, despite the young man's musical incompetence and in breach of the Kantor's longstanding prerogative in choosing the perfects. The matter was of no smasll concern to J.S. Bach, since the head perfect was expected to direct rehearsals and services during the Kantor's absences. The 'battle of the perfects' was fought between the two men for several months and J.S. Bach even appealed to the elector for support. He submitted a petition to the City Council of Leipzig: “since it was impossible for me to entrust to him [Krause] the conducting of the 1^st choir, particularly since the cantatas are performed by the 1^st choir and most of these are my compositions which are more difficult and intricate than most; nor could I entrust him with the other choir mainly on those special church holidays where I personally have to choose the cantatas according to the abilities of those who will perform them.” (Bach-Dokumente I). However, there seems never to have been any definitive settlement to the dispute.

Johann Gottlob Krause left the Thomasschule at Easter 1737 and matriculated at the University of Leipzig on May 7, 1737; nothing is known of his subsequent acitivities.

Sources:
1. Oxford Composer Companions J.S. Bach (Editor: Malcolm Boyd, OUP, 1999)
2. fine-print footnotes in the Bach-Dokumente
3. 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)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (June 2014, April 2020); Thomas Braatz (January 2011)

Links to other Sites

Bibliography

Literature: Richter 1907, Nr. 124; Dok I, Nr. 33, 40 und 63; Dok II, Nr. 382 und 406

Bach's Pupils: List of Bach's Pupils | Actual and Potential Non-Thomaner Singers and Players who participated in Bach’s Figural Music in Leipzig | Alumni of the Thomasschule in Leipzig during Bach's Tenure | List of Bach's Private Pupils | List of Bach's Copyists
Thomanerchor Leipzig: Short History | Members: 1729 | 1730 | 1731 | 1740-1741 | 1744-1745 | Modern Times
Bach’s Pupils Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2
Articles: Organizional Structure of the Thomasschule in Leipzig | The Rules Established for the Thomasschule by a Noble and Very Wise Leipzig City Council - Printed by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf Leipzig, 1733 | Homage Works for Thomas School Rectors