Homage Works for Thomas School Rectors
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Homage Works for Thomas School Rectors, Renovation

William L. Hoffman wrote (August 31, 2018):
Bach's tenure as Leipzig cantor reached its low point in 1730 as he chafed under the restrictive rules and conditions of the decrepit Thomas School where the governing Town Council continued to enforce disciplinary rules and deny proper musical resources to the cantor. In 1729 Bach as town music director had begun direction of the University-based Collegium musicum and ceased weekly sacred presentations as cantor. These council restrictions also covered Bach's predecessors such as Johann Kuhnau, as well as other restrictions placed on Bach and motivated by the council's so-called conservative "cantor faction," which considered Bach inferior because he lacked a university degree and was not fit to be considered a capellmeister. Bach’s working supervisor was the Thomas School rector (headmaster).

Bach continually sought to affirm his authority over musically-related matters, notably his "Short But Most Necessary Draft for a Well-Appointed Church Music," to the council, 23 August 1730 (Dok 1: 22; NBR 151), which elicited no response, and his later letter to school friend, Georg Erdmann, in Danzig, 1 October 1730, seeking other employment (Dok 1: 23, NBR 152). Yet throughout his Leipzig tenure, Bach respected positions of authority while challenging particular people in those positions over him. Musically, Bach created sacred works annually for the Town Council Installation, from 1723 to 1749, as well profane works for the rectors and remodeling of the Thomas School, which were initially discussed in Werner Neumann's 1975 New Bach Edition (NBA) Critical Commentary, KB I/39, Festmusiken für Leipziger Rats- und Schulfeiern / Huldigungsmusiken für Adelige und Bürger (Festive music for Leipzig city and school celebrations, and homage music for nobles and burghers), https://www.baerenreiter.com/en/shop/product/details/BA5040_41/: "Content")..

Six Varied School Works: 1729-34

Between the death of the first Rector, Johann Heinrich Ernesti in 1729 and the arrival of the second Ernesti, Johann August (no relation) in late 1734, following the most successful tenure of Johann Matthias Gesner, Bach could have presented as many as six varied works, mostly involving parody yet mostly with one reperformance. The Ernesti 1729 funeral work was the Motet BWV 226, Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf” (The Spirit helps in our weakness, Romans 8:26), followed by tributes to Gesner with the 1732 encore of scholar homage Cantata BWV 36c, a 1734 doubleheader of Italianate Cantata BWV 209 and farewell Cantata BWV Anh. 210, the large-scale BWV Anh. 18 for the rededication of the Thomas School, BWV Anh. 18, and finally, the later 1734 work, BWV Anh. 19, for the second Ernesti's arrival. Bach presented four profane cantatas with parody music (BWV 1162-Anh. 18, Anh. 210, Anh.19), and BWV 36c as well as Cantata 209. Recent scholarship suggests that Bach repeated scholarly homage Cantata BWV 36c, for Gessner's 40th birthday, 9 April 1731.

Bach served under three Thomas School rectors: Johann Heinrich Ernesti (1652-1729), Johann Mathias Gesner (1691-1761), and Johann August Ernesti (1707-1781). The first Ernesti was rector when Bach came to Leipzig in 1723. Following Ernesti’s death, Bach’s friend, scholar and school reformer, Gesner (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Matthias_Gesner), served from 1730 to 1734, and was succeeded by the second Ernesti (no relation to the first), with whom Bach had conflicts (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_August_Ernesti). Both Ernestis were educated at the University of Leipzig. Further information on the second Ernesti, Johann August, is found in Carol K. Baron’s lead article, “Tumultuous Philosophers, Pious Rebels, Revolutionary Teachers, Pedantic Clerics, Vengeful Bureaucrats, Threatened Tyrants, Worldly Mystics: The Religious World Bach inherited,” in her Bach in Leipzig study.¹

Gesner in summary, "had changed Bach's employment conditions," says Klaus Eidam in his Bach biography,² "his ability to work on his music, his influence, his housing opportunities, his entire life." Besides getting the Thomas School a thorough renovation, including the cantor's residence, Gesner freed Bach of onerous, unnecessary responsibilities. An admirer of Bach's music from their service at the Weimar Court, Gesner enabled "Bach to assume his social position as a truly great musician and to assert his influence at the school as well," particularly "to have a say in the admission of the students." Gesner restored Bach's salary, freed him from teaching Latin, allowed him to travel, replaced outdated teaching and administrative methods, and modernized the curriculum. Bach reported directly to Gesner, instead of going through the second-ranking Assistant Rector, who often was a lackey for the Town Council's cantor faction. "Gesner stands out as the only superior in Bach's twenty-seven years of service in Leipzig who recognized, admired and fostered his greatness as a musician, says Eidam." Here is Gesner's description of Bach the performer and director https://theoryofmusic.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/js-bach-performing-by-jm-gesner-1738/. On a personal note, the renovation of the family quarters, where previously five of the Bachs' children had died, meant "there would be no more deaths among their children there." Leipzig's provincial, debilitating politics also would limit outsider Gesner. The council reined in his reforms and prohibited him from teaching at the university. After four years, he moved to Gottingen University as a professor with diplomatic rank at the court of Hanover.

1. Bach composed “Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf” (The Spirit helps in our weakness, Romans 8:26; http://www.bach-cantatas.com/VD/BWV226.htm, "Discussions in the Week of October 3, 2016 (4th round); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbq5sW2hWLE), as an 8-voice (2 choirs) motet for the Gedächtnispredigt (memorial sermon) at the funeral service, October 30, 1729, for Johann Heinrich Ernesti, rector of the Thomas School and Professor of Poetry at the University of Leipzig, who had died a couple of days earlier (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Heinrich_Ernesti). Bach’s rapport with him had been mostly friendly, unlike his dealings with his successor, Johann August Ernesti, who was not related. During the tenure of the first Ernesti, who became rector in 1684, the Thomas School declined significantly and successor Gesner undertook various reforms as well as a major renovation and expansion that included the Bach family residence in the school building.

2. Cantata BWV 36c, “Schwingt freudig euch empor” (Soar in your joy up, http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV36-D4.htm), tribute for an unknown scholar in 1725, probably was revived with minor textual changes for Gesner's 40th birthday, 9 April 1732,³ as renovation of the family quarters at the Thomas School began. According to recent scholarship of Peter Wollny, director, Bach-Arkiv Leipzig, the aria (no. 7) has a melody sketch reference in the autograph score (https://www.bach-digital.de/rsc/viewer/BachDigitalSource_derivate_00000633/db_bachp0043_page058.jpg).⁴ "Bach’s score, from the spring of 1725, tells us nothing about the occasion and purpose of this congratulatory cantata," says Klaus Hoffmann's 2013 liner notes to the Masaaki Suzuki recording (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Pic-Rec-BIG/Suzuki-S03c%5BBIS-2041-SACD_booklet%5D.pdf). "Some information can, however, be gleaned from the text: the congratulations are addressed to a teacher, and the day of the celebration is when ‘the years renew themselves’ (ninth movement), in other words his birthday. The references to the ‘constant teachings’ and the ‘silver embellishment of age’ suggest many years of service and a man who has reached a considerable age; the reference to him as a ‘man of outstanding merit’ and of ‘highest honour’ (fourth movement) indicates that he had attained an elevated rank. Remarks concerning his renown as a teacher (second movement) and his widespread recognition (ninth movement) reinforce this impression. So far, however, all of these hints – plus other references in the text – have proved insufficient to permit us to identify this learned gentleman."

3. Cantata BWV 1162=Anh 18, “Frohe Tag, verlangte Stunden” (Joyous day, desired hour) was composed and presented for the reopening consecration of the renovated Thomas School, in front of the large, multi-story building, next to the Thomas Church, on Thursday, 5 June, 1732, at the beginning of the new school year.⁵ This celebratory two-part, 10-movement secular work provided materials for Bach to parody in both secular and sacred music. Its madrigalian three choruses and three arias were parodied in Cantata BWV Anh. 12, Frohes Volk, Vergnügte Sachsen (Happy folk, contented Saxons) for the name day of the new Saxon Elector, Augusts III, on August 3, 1733 at Zimmermann’s Garden. Its festive opening chorus was parodied at the opening chorus in the Ascension Oratorio, BCW 11, of 1735 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJeqUaqfkYk). It’s sixth movement, “Geist und Herz sind begierig” (Heart and spirit are most eager), opening Part 2, “after the speeches,” may have been parodied in the bass aria, “Domine Deus, Rex coelestis” (Lord God, heavenly King), of the Missa Kyrie-Gloria in F Major, BWV 233/3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMPkP5ka5CU). It's third movement, "Väter unsrer Linden-Stad" (Fathers of our linden-town) may be a multiple parody also found in homage Cantata 30a/5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrLS3Xe56ig, http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV30-D5.htm) and an early version of Cantata 195/6 (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV195-D4.htm)

4-5. Bach honored Gesner, noted reformer, scholar and humanist, on October 4, 1734 with two cantatas: a lost festive departure homage work, BWV Anh. 210 (1990), “Wo sind meine Wunderwerke” (Where are my works of wonder, Dok 5: B 350a, NBA KB I/41 ), probably in front of the Thomas School (https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00001521?lang=en),⁶ and possibly an intimate soprano solo Italian cantata, BWV 209, “Non sa che dolore” (He knows not what is pain, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCmTd3VHRMQ), probably at Zimmermann’s Coffeehouse. The only surviving movement of Cantata BWV Anh. 210 may be the soprano minuet-style aria with oboes and strings, "Gott, wir danken deiner Gute" (God, we thank thy goodness, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_x41ZwRWQ8: 4:54) from the August 1727 Cantatas 193(a) for Augustus the Strong and the Leipzig Town Council. They may be derived from a lost secular cantata of Bach’s Cöthen period, says Christine Fröde.⁷

Cantata 209 for solo soprano (?Anna Magdalena) is a tribute to a departing scholar (unknown librettist, based on poetry of Guarini [1538-1612 and Metastasio [1698-1782]). The suggested scholar departures are Thomas School rector Gesner, on October 4, 1734, to his posting in Ansbach, or Bach student and music/science scholar Lorenz Christoph Mizler (1711-78), who also had Ansbach connections, moved to Wittenberg in 1735 to study law and medicine and returned to Leipzig in 1736 and established his learned society, and eventually moved to Poland. Ansbach jurist Lorenz Albrecht Beck (1723–1768), is the scholar, suggests Bach Digital (https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000264?lang=en). Cantata 209 is discussed in detail at http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV209-D3.htm with an update (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Lent-Cantatas.htm, "Bach Judica Cantata?"). The next evening, 5 October 1734, Bach presented Augustus' election Cantata 215 on the Market before the royal family, as he was beginning to parody this and Cantatas 213 and 214 for the Christmas Oratorio.

6. Six weeks after Gesner’s departure, on November 21, 1734, for successor J. A. Ernesti, Bach presented another lost parodied academic homage work, Cantata BWV Anh. 19, “Thomana saß annoch betrübt” (St. Thomas sat till now in grief).⁸ Little also is known about this festive nine-movement work that survives in a Breitkopf printed text in Reimer’s Chronicle, but it appears that the emphasis is on obsequious poetry with four extended recitatives, three perfunctory arias, an arioso, and a closing chorus that may be a parody of the closing chorus from the 1729 dramma per musica extravaganza, Cantata BWV 201, The Contest Between Phoebus and Pan, “Geschwinde, ihr wirbelnden Winde” (Hurry, you whirling winds, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npi_8gjYIHc). This also may be a double parody of the closing movement, "Live long and flourish, mighty Flemming," of the homage Cantata BWV Anh. 10, "So kämpfet nur, ihr muntern Thöne" (Contend ye then, ye tones so lively). All three works with trumpets and drums probably were performed by Bach's Collegium musicum.

Gesner Tenure Happy Time

Bach's happiest time in Leipzig during Gesner's tenure until 1734 involved both professional and personal satisfaction. He turned to the Dresden Court in 1733 to petition the new Elector Augustus III to have the title of court composer with the Kyrie-Gloria of the B-Minor Mass, another virtual parody, and soon began to present court homage cantatas annually until 1742. He selectively wrote only a handful of other homage cantatas at the same time, most notably the comic Coffee Cantata 211 in 1734/35, the Wiederau Cantata 30a in 1737, and the Peasant Cantata 212 in 1742. Bach also selectively composed parodies involving major sacred works such as the gospel oratorio form and Mass movements. He began in 1731 with the virtual parody of the St. Mark Passion, using the core two choruses and three arias from the 1727 Funeral Ode, BWV 198, for the Saxon electress. This cantata and a select few other memorial works were presented in a sacred context but utilized texts that were decidedly profane: the Johann Christoph Gottsched ode (http://www.uvm.edu/~classics/faculty/bach/BWV198.html), the earlier 1716 Weimar Cantata BWV 1142, "Was ist, das wir Leben nennen," for Prince Johann Ernst to a presumed Salomo Franck text including chorales (1), the 1729 Cantata BWV 1143, "Klagt, Kinder, klagt es aller Welt" for the funeral of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen to a Picander text (https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000305?XSL.Style=detail), with a motet setting of Psalm 68:21 for the sermon.

Also extant is an occasional cantata with possibly mixed sacred and profane texts (not extant), BWV 1148=Anh. 15, "Siehe, der Hüter Israel" (Lo now, the guard of Israel, Psalm 121:4, https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00001323?lang=en). It was composed for a “Day of Glory” Leipzig University graduation ceremony, presumably at the Paulinerkirche on 27 April 1724 (https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00001323?lang=en). Only the original text incipit survives, first cited in the Breitkopf fall 1761 Catalog, Bach under No. 8, Occasional Cantatas, C. Promotions and Joyous-day Cantatas, along with BWV 36c, "Schwingt freudig euch empor," 1725, possibly for Johann Heinrich Ernesti, university professor and Thomas school rector (Bach's boss). The festival scoring for this sacred work is listed: SATB, 3 trumpets, timpani, 2 oboes, strings, and cembalo. Three movements may survive, says Reinmar Emans:⁹ orchestral sinfonia, BWV 1045 (https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00001227?lang=en, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USsoVMtShTI), and the opening chorus and bass aria (no. 3), Cantata 104, "Du Hirte Israel, höre" (You Shepherd of Israel, listen; Psalm 80:1), for Misericordias Domini (2nd Sunday after Easter) 1724 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrEnQnNV4gQ, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DdHamF7FoE).

Bach began to consider the body of courtly drammi per musica as the basis for the Christmas Oratorio of 1734-35. Bach broke another tradition in 1734 by presenting a poetic Passion Oratorio of Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel for Good Friday vespers, in lieu of the traditional gospel Oratorio Passion. He decided after the spring 1735 church cantata presentations to present at least one annual cycle of Stölzel church cantatas, beginning at Trinity Time. These published conservative, pietist-leaning works surely pleased the cantor faction on the Town Council. On a personal note, Bach's two oldest sons, Friedemann and Emmanuel, left home, the former to become organist at the Sophia Church in Dresden and the latter to pursue a university degree at Frankfurt an der Oder while prized students Christian Friedrich Schmelli, Johann Ludwig Dietel, and Johann Ludwig Krebs would pursue careers.

The latter, Saxony-born, young Ernesti, as assistant rector beginning in 1731, courted favor with Leipzig Mayor Stieglitz, Superintendent Salmon Deyling, and poet Gottsched. "He was a man of signal gifts, and he knew how to use them," says Eidam (Ibid.: 235). He became a full professor of theology in 1742, preached at the university church, and served as Thomas School rector until 1747. "Beginning in 1736, Ernesti became involved in a protracted dispute with Bach on the appointment of a student prefect to lead musical performances to whom Bach objected," says Wikipedia (Ibid.). Normally, the cantor had authority over the prefect, who was responsible for directing the secondary choirs and filling in for the cantor. "This acrimonious conflict resulted in multiple letters to city officials and ultimately the king, despite the fact that Ernesti had served as godfather to Bach's" last two son in 1733 and 1735. "On the whole, the year 1737 became another of the lowest points in Bach's life," says Eidam (Ibid.: 266). The other event was the so-called Scheibe-Birnbaum Controversy (https://muse.jhu.edu/article/572819/summary), in which Bach was defended from criticism of Johann Adolph Scheibe that his music had a turgid [schwülstig] and confused style" and "an excess of art.” In part, Bach responded with a reperformance of his Cantata 201, the Contest Between Phoebus and Pan (https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/BachCantatas/conversations/messages/39600), which affirmed his artistic doctrine of high standards against superficiality.

FOOTNOTES

¹ Carol K. Baron, Chapter 2, Bach’s Changing World: Voices in the Community (University of Rochester (NY) Press, 2006: 63).
² Klaus Eidam, The True Life of J. S. Bach, trans. Hoyt Rogers (New York: Basic Books: 2001, Chapter 19: 215-235.
³ Cited in The Routledge Research Companion to Johann Sebastian Bach, ed. Robin A. Leaver (London& New York: Routledge, 2017: 519); also https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000051?lang=en, https://www.bach-digital.de/rsc/viewer/BachDigitalSource_derivate_00000633/db_bachp0043_page058.jpg.
⁴ Peter Wollny, Generalbaß- und Satzlehre, Skizzen, Entwürfe, Supplement NBA (Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag, 2011: 194f https://www.baerenreiter.com/en/catalogue/complete-editions/bach-johann-sebastian/nba/supplement/#content; see also Wollny, "Johann Sebastian Bachs weltliche Kantaten für städtische und universitäre Festakte in Leipzig" (Leipzig, 2008: 100, http://swb.bsz-bw.de/DB=2.355/SET=1/TTL=164/SHW?FRST=164&PRS=HOL&HILN=888.
⁵ See details at BCW http://bach-cantatas.com/BWVAnh18.htm, with Johann Heinrich Winckler German text and Z. Philip Ambrose English translation on-line at http://www.uvm.edu/~classics/faculty/bach/III.html . Following the presentation of BWV Anh. 18, Bach may have presented the chorale cantata second church-year cycle, beginning the next Sunday, June 8, 1732, the first Sunday after Trinity.
⁶ See Klaus Hofmann, "Wo sind meine Wunderwerke: Eine verschollene [lost] Thomasschulkantate J. S. Bachs," Bach Jahrbuch 74 (1988): 211-218).
⁷ Christine Fröde, ‘Zur Entstehung (Origin) der Kantate “Ihr Tore zu Zion” (BWV 193)’, Bach Jahrbuch 77 (1991), 183-5 (NBA KB I/32.2: 184f.
⁸ See Cantata BWV Anh. 19 Details at BCW, http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWVAnh19.htm with Johann August Landvoigt’s German Text and Z. Philip Ambrose English translation on-line at http://www.uvm.edu/~classics/faculty/bach/VIII.html.
⁹ Reinmar Emans, "Überlegungen zur Genese der Kantaten Du Hirte Israel, höre, BWV 104" (Wiesbaden 1992), cited in Alfred Dürr, Cantatas of J. S. Bach, revised & trans. Richard D. P. Jones (Oxford University Press, 2005: 772).

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To Come: Selective, late profane works of homage and comedy, chorales and sacred songs, poetic Passions.

Sw Anandgyan wrote (September 4, 2018):
WWilliam L. Hoffman wrote:
< Bach's tenure as Leipzig cantor reached its low point in 1730 ...
[snip]
To Come: Selective, late profane works of homage and comedy, chorales and sacred songs, poetic Passions.>
This is so great and I'm not worthy.
(But I'm learning)

Julian Mincham wrote (September 4, 2018):
[To Sw Anadgyan] I think, although i have no intention of putting words in Will's mouth, that his comment related to two things. The first is the documented state of Bach's mind and frustration relating to the Leipzig authorities i.e his letter of protest to the council (1728) and his personal letter toErdmann (1730) where he is clearly thinking about seeking another position. The second, and here one must suppose by looking at his output over the next decade, is that Bach had tired of producing (what for him may have become almost routine) cantatas for the services on a weekly basis and was looking for other outlets for his ideas and, supposedly, seeking new and larger forms of musical expression.

There is no suggestion that his interest in composition in the wider sense was waning as his subsequent output indicates To sum up I would suggest that his interest in a close involvement with the Leipzig authorities and the regular composition for the Sunday services (although he was never contracted to do this) would certainly be on the wane at this time. His interest in new and larger forms of secular, religious and pedagogical music was certainly not.

Ed Myskowski wrote (September 4, 2018):
It is always welcome and informative to hear from Julian on this discussion list. For some related thoughts, I refer readers (again) to Dan Stepner's program notes to the recent Aston Magna performances of his own orchestration of Art of Fugue. In particular, he comments on the experience of playing this music, and relating to Bach's exposition and elaboration of every possible variation on an underlying simple idea or theme. From personal communication with Dan, I believe it his hope to release a recording of these performances.

A personal comment to Julian, but others may be interested as well: it appears that we have lost Harry Crosby as a communicator, I have not had any response to attempts to reach him. One of the many joys of BCML is making friends who I have not yet had the opportunity to meet in the flesh, but nonetheless cherish. Open invite to tour the Peabody Essex Museum of Salem MA as my guest is extended to any correspondents who can get here, and give me a bit of advance notice.

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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