He was chapel master,
director of the chamber music at the court of Anhalt-Koethen.
My father was trumpeter at the court at Weissenfels,
and my brother at Anhalt-Zerbst, where I had sung sometimes.
And I was soon engaged as a singer at the court of Anhalt-Koethen.
His wife had died a year before,
and from their marriage, three sons and a daughter were alive...
For Friedemann, his father had started a little clavier book
out of which soon came two special works
for the use of musical youth desirous of learning.
He soon started a little clavier book for me as well.
He had a gracious prince who both loved and knew music,
with whom he also intended to end his days.
But His serene Highness had to marry a princess from Bernburg,
and it seemed as if his musical inclination was becoming rather cool,
all the more as the new Princess seemed to be an "amusa".
So God willed that he was called to Leipzig,
as Music Director and Cantor at the St. Thomas School,
though it didn't seem proper to him at first
to become a cantor after having been a chapel master.
Therefore also his irresolution lingered for a quarter of a year.
Ever since his youth, he had been moved by a strong desire
to hear as many good organists as possible, so that from Lüneburg,
when he was still at school, he often went on foot to Hamburg.
And he was, not 18 years old, called as organist
of the New Church in Arnstadt.
From there, he once made, on foot, a journey to Lübeck,
to hear the famous organist, Herr Dietrich Buxtehude.
He was then called as organist in Mühlhausen;
and very soon as organist to the court of Weimar,
where His gracious Lord's pleasure at his playing incited him
to try out everything possible in the art of playing the organ.
He also knew thoroughly the construction of organs
and had once been invited by the University of Leipzig
to examine the new organ of St. Paul's Church.
But as cantor, he had no duty as organist.
He was the senior teacher
at the St. Thomas School, after the rector and the vice-rector.
And since this school provided the music for four churches,
he had to apply all possible care so that the boys
who were capable of singing were well-instructed therein.
In the New Church and St. Peter's
came boys who had to sing only motets and chorales;
and in the two main churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas,
those concerned with other concert music.
He had the supervision of the organists
and of the town pipers and violinists
who had to work there with the boys,
and he had to provide concert music
for the Divine Service every Sunday,
the last three Sundays of Advent and Sundays in Lent excepted.
Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost were celebrated for three days,
and the music performed in the morning service at one church
was performed again during Vespers at the other church.
The same at New Year, Epiphany, Ascension, Trinity,
St. John's Day, Michaelmas, and Reformation Day,
as well as the three feasts of Mary,
and the renewal of the town council.
Besides the Passion music for Vespers on Good Friday,
the Kyrie, Gloria and Sanctus were also concertized at times,
and the Latin Magnificat for Christmas.
Death robbed us soon of our firstborn, Christiana Sophia Henrietta,
and Christian Gottlieb, our second son.
I had a new clavier book,
which Sebastian had started for me with two new suites.
The next year for the Michaelmas fair,
he had such a suite engraved in copper,
as the first partita of a clavier practice.
It was the first composition that he had printed.
He published a partita every year, up to five,
which he had printed together with a sixth as Opus I.
He was soon charged by the students
with composing music for university celebrations.
And a few years later, he received the directorship
of the Collegium Musicum, founded in Leipzig by Herr Telemann.
But when the student Von Kirchbach
charged him with composing funeral music for the dead Queen,
Herr Goerner, who was director of the New Divine Service
at the university church, protested to the university,
and the university would only permit Sebastian to perform his music
"purely as a favor."
A year later, the Prince died in Koethen,
and I helped make the funeral music there,
composed and performed by the former chapel master.
And three weeks later, he performed in Leipzig
his Passion music after the evangelist Matthew
during Vespers on Good Friday at St. Thomas.
Not only does this cantor not do anything,
but he doesn't want to explain himself.
He doesn't give the singing lessons, and there are other complaints.
A change will be necessary. It must break one day.
Indeed.
It is notorious that my predecessors, Schell and Kuhnau,
already had to be helped by the students
when they wanted to produce a complete and well-sounding music.
A few singers, such as a bass and a tenor, even an alto,
as well as instrumentalists, in particular, two violinists,
were favored with special stipends by the Most Noble and Wise Council,
and thereby animated to strengthen the church music.
Since the present state of music is quite different from hitherto,
the art has greatly progressed,
taste has changed wonderfully,
so that the former kind of music no longer sounds to our ears,
considerable help is the more needed
so that such persons can be appointed
as can follow the present musical taste
and are able to satisfy the composer and his work.
Yet the few benefices, which should rather have been
increased than diminished, have even been withdrawn.
It is in any case wonderful
that one should expect German musicians
to be capable of performing all kinds of music,
from Italy or France, England or Poland,
just as the virtuosi for whom it is written,
who have studied it so that they almost know it from memory,
and receive heavy salaries besides, as a reward for their care.
This is not taken into consideration,
but they are left to their own anxieties,
so that many, worried over their bread,
cannot think of perfecting, even less of distinguishing themselves.
For example, one only has to go to Dresden
and see how the musicians there are salaried by His Royal Majesty.
All concern for their livelihood is removed.
Chagrin is left behind.
Each person has only one instrument to cultivate.
It must be excellent to hear.
He had then written to a friend,
who had meanwhile become Imperial Russian Agent at Danzig:
"Here, by God's will, I am still settled.
"But since, 1. this service is, by far, not so considerable,
"as it was described to me;
"2. many accidental fees have gone;
"3. it is a very expensive place;
"and 4. the authorities are strange and little devoted to music,
"so that I have to live amid vexation, envy, and persecution,
"I shall, with God's help, have to seek my fortune elsewhere.
"Should Your Honor find a suitable position
"for an old and faithful servant,
"I obediently beseech him to put in a gracious recommendation for me.
"I shall not fail to devote myself so as to give satisfaction.
"My present position amounts to about 700 thalers,
"and when there are more corpses than ordinarily,
"the accidental fees augment proportionally;
"but when the air is healthy, these diminish,
"as last year, when there was a loss of more than 100 thalers.
"In Thuringia, I can go further with 400 than here with as many again,
on account of the excessively high cost of living."
He had many friends in Dresden
and often went there with Friedemann.
Friedemann was soon called there as organist at St. Sophie,
where his father had before given an organ concert.
He was also invited to examine and inaugurate
the new organ in Kassel, and took me with him.
We had just lost our 1 1/2-year-old Christiane Dorothea,
and death soon robbed us of our four-year-old Regina Johanna,
and little Johann August Abraham two days after his birth.
The Prince had died at Dresden,
and Sebastian dedicated to the new Elector
a grand Mass, consisting of Kyrie and Gloria.
"For some years and till now, I have had
"the direction of the music of both main churches in Leipzig,
"but have faultlessly had to suffer one offense or other,
"also a diminishing of the fees,
"all of which would quite disappear if Your Highness
"would confer on me the title of Your Highness' Court Chapel,
"and to this end, would order the publication of a decree.
"Such a gracious granting would pledge me to infinite veneration,
"and I offer myself, at all times, at Your Royal Highness' desire,
"to show my diligence in composing church as well as orchestral music,
and to dedicate my entire strength to Your service."
And in the following months,
he gave many "Dramata per musica" and cantatas
in honor of the princely household.
And when the Prince with his wife
blessed Leipzig with their presence,
on the day on which His Majesty had, one year before,
been chosen King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania,
the students showed their devotion through an evening of music.
At Christmas the same year,
he gave an oratorio in six parts,
and another oratorio for the following Ascension.
And now he has ordered my first prefect Kittler,
under threats, to go with the other choir,
and left me to learn of it through this Krause,
whom he wants to impose on me with force as first prefect.
It is most unjust.
I cannot allow it to happen, particularly since the pieces
performed by the first choir, and mostly of my composition,
are incomparably harder and more complicated
than those performed in the other choir.
I beg your protection and help.
Away!
I am acting under the protection of Herr Superintendent.
I made inquiries of Herr Superintendent.
He had given you no instruction; I told him the whole thing.
He consented, until Herr Principal's return, to the arrangement
which I made on the orders of Herr Principal,
for it is more just that the cantor should yield
to Herr Principal and the rector, than the latter to the former.
I really don't care; cost what it may.
Then the rector let it be known to all pupils that,
under dismissal and castigation,
no one was to sing or to direct the motet in Krause's place.
So that in the afternoon sermon, to Sebastian's greatest despect,
no one, for fear, would sing, even less direct the motet.
That week, Sebastian had the supervision of the school.
Kittler, why weren't you with the first choir this afternoon?
- Herr Rector has... - Out!
He looked to the Council for prompt help in vain.
He could not get rid of Krause.
But that year, the King gave him the title of Court Composer.
Three days later, he gave a grand concert
on the new organ of Our Lady's Church in Dresden,
in the presence of many members of the Court Chapel,
artists, and other persons, who heard him with admiration.
He was then able, after Krause's stay at the school had ended,
since he had also written in vain to the Consistory,
to beseech the King to order the Council
to protect the cantor in his right to nominate the choir prefects,
and to order the Consistory to demand
an apology from the rector for the affront to the cantor,
and to charge the superintendent to exhort the entire school
so that all the boys should show due respect and obedience to the cantor.
And the King called upon the Consistory
to act appropriately on the cantor's charges,
and the Consistory asked for a report
from the superintendent and the Council within a fortnight.
It is also called bassus continuus,
or, according to the Italian endings, basso continuo,
because it continuously plays,
while the other voices pause now and then;
although nowadays, this bass also pauses too often,
particularly in things that are set artistically.
Of its definition:
the general-bass is the most fulfilled basis of music played with both hands.
The left hand plays the notes written down...
but the right hand catches consonances and dissonances to it.
So that this gives a well-sounding harmony
for God's glory, and the permissible pleasure of the soul.
Like all music, the finish and end of the general-bass
should be the glory of God and the recreation of the soul.
If not, there is no proper music, but a devilish hurdy-gurdy.
All his pupils were afterwards able
to serve usefully God and the republic.
And he sought to promote the welfare of his children.
Friedemann was called from Dresden to Halle,
as music director and organist, a post his father had secured for him.
Emanuel lived for some time
as a student in Frankfurt-on-the-Oder,
and soon became a musician
and accompanist to the King of Prussia.
And Bernhard, not 20 years old,
was called as organist in Mühlhausen.
But after Bernhard had been not two years in Mühlhausen,
his father had to pay not only for his table there,
but also a bill, which had presumably caused his removal,
and also a few ducats for some debts.
And after he had helped him to Sangerhausen,
in the hope a more civilized way of life and genteel patron
would stir the misled son to other behavior,
the father had to learn with utmost dismay
that Bernhard had once more borrowed from here and there
and had even absented himself without letting him know where.
Since no admonition nor living care could longer help,
the father had to bear his cross in patience,
leaving the son to God's mercy, not doubting that it would
hear his sorrowful plea, and effect that he should learn
how conversion is to be attributed solely to the Divine Goodness.
But Bernhard died suddenly in Jena,
where he had matriculated as a law student
and lived with Herr Johann Nikolaus Bach, eldest of all the living Bachs.
That year, Sebastian published the third part of the clavier practice,
consisting in diverse preludes for the organ.
The second part, an Italian concerto and a French overture
for a clavicymbal with two manuals, he had had printed four years earlier.
Our good cousin Johann Elias Bach lived with us during those years.
He had matriculated as a student of theology at the university
and received furtherance in music from Sebastian.
Sebastian had entrusted him with the instruction of my three sons...
And he also had to prepare them for the Lord's table.
He had written to his mother and sister
to send me a few plants of yellow carnations,
for I was a great amateur of gardening.
And since Sebastian once reported to me
that he had seen a linnet at a cantor's house in Halle,
which did particularly well in singing, our cousin wrote
to beg this cantor to let me have his singer for a small payment.
Once, I suddenly felt very unwell while Sebastian was in Berlin,
and it was not known whether it would come to an evil consequence.
So our cousin had to write to Sebastian
and disturb him in his peace and contentment
that he might quicken his journey.
After his return, he had engraved in copper,
as a new clavier practice, an aria with 30 variations,
composed by him on a saraband from my clavier book.
Count Keyserlingk, Ambassador to His Imperial Russian Majesty
at the court of Dresden, had expressed to Sebastian
that he would like some clavier pieces for his harpsichordist,
who had to play for him during his sleepless nights.
And since Sebastian had composed these variations,
the count gave him a golden goblet
filled with 100 gold Louis.
Suicide of the vice-rector.
He hanged himself in the enclosure behind the pastor's lodge,
near the Wagner garden, and came to a terrifying end.
In the last years, he gave some of his earlier church pieces again.
Emanuel already had a male heir,
born at about the time when we, alas, had the Prussian invasion.
Then Sebastian went again to Berlin with Friedemann;
and since the King of Prussia had asked several times
why he did not come one day, he went to Potsdam.
His Majesty played him a theme for a fugue, which he at once,
to His Majesty's pleasure, developed on the clavier.
The next day, he performed on the organ of the Church of the Holy Spirit.
And in the evening, His Majesty wanted to hear
a fugue with six obligatory voices, which he accomplished at once,
to the amazement of the King and all musicians present.
Emanuel showed him the new opera house in Berlin,
and the grand dining hall therein.
And he found that the architect
had made a masterstroke here.
If someone above in one corner
whispered a few words towards the wall,
another in the opposite corner heard it quite clearly.
But in the other places,
no one heard the slightest sound.
He had noticed in Potsdam that, through want of preparation,
his performance had not resulted as His Majesty's theme demanded.
He therefore resolved to elaborate
this truly royal theme more fully
and to make it known to the world.
After his return, he wrote
a three-part and a six-part ricercare,
and a trio for flute, violin and clavier,
with some other little pieces on the royal theme,
and had these pieces engraved,
and dedicated them to the King as a Musical Offering.
Upon his entering the Society of Musical Sciences in Leipzig
he had a few canonic variations for the organ engraved in copper.
Papa! Papa! A cask of must has come from Schweinfurt,
a present from cousin Elias!
The distance between our two towns did not allow us to visit each other,
else Sebastian wanted to invite our cousin from Schweinfurt
to our daughter Liessgen's wedding
to the new organist of Naumburg, Herr Altnikol, in January.
Since also the bad season did not allow our cousin to be among us,
Sebastian asked him to assist the children with a Christian wish.
Our three youngest were still at home...
Also Sebastian's daughter, who was unmarried,
and our eldest son, Gottfried Heinrich, whose genius was not developed.
Our 18-year-old, Johann Christoph Friedrich,
entered Count Schaumburg-Lippe's chapel
at Bückeburg a few weeks before Sebastian's death.
To the Mass, dedicated to King August,
he had now composed a grand Credo.
He added an earlier Sanctus...
...and wrote a Hosanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei,
and Dona nobis pacem for it.
He had started a new collection of grand chorales for the organ,
and was working on an Art of the Fugue,
which shows what can possibly be made out of a theme.
But he could only prepare one part for engraving,
and at the end the grand fugue was interrupted
through the illness of his eyes.
He wanted to remove this eye illness through an operation,
but it had to be repeated, and failed,
and so for four months, he was ill and could not use his sight.
In his blindness, he dictated an organ chorale on the melody:
"When we are in greatest need".
He had it written down under the title:
"Before Thy throne I tread",
which is sung to the same melody.
And suddenly his eyes seemed to get better,
so that one day he could see again,
and also support the light.
Only a few hours later
he was overcome by an apoplexy, followed by a high fever, in which,
despite all possible efforts by two most skilled doctors,
one evening he expired, mildly and blessedly.