Bach in Arts
Bach Statues, Monuments, Memorials & Plaques

Art-1954

Type:

Bach Column

Title:

Ans-Bach-Säule (Ans-Bach Column)

Location:

Martin-Luther-Platz. Ansbach, Bavaria, Germany

Description:

Aluminium sculpture shaped as a kind of upside down column: the pedestal is on the top of a column. On the column are silhouet portraits of J.S. Bach. The four sides of the 'block' on top show:
1. a relief portrait of Bach with Bach's signature,
2. a sphere with music notation, "Das Königliche Thema",
3. a stone relief showing Bach's portrait divided in four parts, in the center a alumnium plate with the text "B.A.C.H.", music notation with the dates 1685-1750, and a silhouet portrait
4. a kind of gramophone record with Bach's signature and the text "Musikalisches Opfer"

Measures:

Material: Aluminium
Heith: about 5 metres

Creator:

Creator: Jürgen Goertz (b Albrechtshagen, Lkr. Gnesen 1939), German sculptor from Sinsheim
Signed (portrait): July 25, 2003
Unveiled: July 25, 2003.

Buy item at:

See Source/Links below.

Comments:

Copyright Photos 01-14: by Peter Bach jr. (2014); Photo 21: by Andreas Apfelbacher (2013) (from Ansbach Plus Website)
Note 1: An amusing note for persons with music knowledge. Görtz (the sculptor) forgot (deliberately?) in the note line prefixing the bass key and the b (flat) sign in the first grade, so that it now read (h) A-C-H instead of BACH.
Note 2: Look at the pic with the name of Bach in the background on the house (Photo 03). It is nor related to the sculpture nor to Bach. It's a label that – as a whole – says "Clothes Ansbach", while Ansbach is the name of that city not at all related to the name of Bach. The photographer (Peter Bach) was looking for a position just to cut off the "Ans" of the name of the town. What remained, was the name "Bach" behind the memorial. "That is how I love photography!, he says.

Sources/Links:
Bach über Bach [German]
Musikergeschenke nicht als Musikergeschenke
Hither & Thither: Ans-Bach-Säule (Van der Krogt)
Ans-Bach-Säule (Ansbach Plus) [German]
Ans-BACH-Säule enthüllt [German, PDF]

Contributors: Aryeh Oron (October 2016); Peter Bach (October 2016)