The Bach Hall of Fame ... A “Project Within the Project” ... Dedicated to the Thomas Cantor..

Ehrenstein Castle in the Bach city of Gotha, in the heart of “Bach Country.” Will this location soon be home to a new Bach museum?..

The Johann Sebastian Bach Hall of Fame: I always have “plans.” There have always been “cool projects.” My whole life. I always come up with big ideas, and some of them work. Others, not so much. It's reassuring to know that even global corporations only develop a small fraction of their new offerings for the shelves. Over 80 percent are discarded. I like to exaggerate ... you can already tell that from this website. No one writes as much about Bach on the internet as I do ... or so ... I think. Except perhaps... Aryeh Oron in Israel. No one else offers as many topics on Johann Sebastian Bach. Except again... Aryeh Oron. And in the winter of 2024, artificial intelligence also came into play..

That's right... there are now some really cool Bach motifs. When I started my project in 2012, I had to travel 1,200 kilometers to Paris and back for my first Bach cartoon. Today, I paint these pictures myself: easily one an hour. © Peter Bach, Jr..

Bach Busts, Bach Statues, Bach Tin Figures, Litte Bach Men from the Ore Mountains..

These are not any five Bach busts, but those with the best facial expressions. Plus, there are two Bach statues, two Bach tin figures and two little Bach men. You get to the shop via a click here and after that to the publisher "Bach 4 you"..

“Bach 4 You” offers 60 calendars on the topics of Bach, composers, pipe organs, and music. Click here to directly access the “calendar section”..

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2012 to 2014..

It was between 2012 and 2014, and I was enthusiastic about the idea of “bringing to life” another museum dedicated to Bach. At the time, it seemed like an exciting, surreal project. Surreal... why? Because there are already several museums dedicated to Bach. Almost every Bach city of significance has one. So what else could be shown? How would I get exhibits? Who would pay for it? Who would run it? Who would be responsible for the construction? Who would such a “cultural site” appeal to? Where in the world could such an attraction await visitors and Bach fans? These were the questions I pondered for many hours when a Bach creative (... i.e., me) couldn't sleep..

Once you've been “infected,” it's almost impossible to stop creating new Bach portrait motifs. Personally, I find Salvador Dalí's style the most exciting. © Peter Bach, Jr..

Of all the factors, one of the most important for allowing the idea to flourish was: What can be exhibited? What could be offered to Bach fans? My initial thoughts led me to Dornheim and Wechmar, Köthen, Ohrdruf, and Arnstadt. But then also to the Bach cities of Lüneburg, Mühlhausen, and Weimar. Because, to my knowledge, there are still no comparable Bach offerings in these last three Bach locations..

Yes, I could also imagine the “Bach Hall of Fame” very well in Ohrdruf.

Die Wohnsituation zu Bachs Zeit: Das ließe sich mit Möbeln von 1700 sicherlich zusammensuchen. Natürlich wäre es nicht authentisch, aber ein guter Anfang. Doch dieses Thema existiert bereits in Eisenach. Dann könnte man selbstverständlich die Porträts, die von Bach existieren, also wenigstens die drei bekannten, präsentieren: das von Haußmann, das von Ihle und das von Rentsch ... man könnte sie und zwei dutzend weitere kopieren und aufhängen. Aber auch das ist schon im Eisenacher Angebot umgesetzt. Musikinstrumente aus Bachs Zeit: Mit viel Aufwand wären sie zu finden. Ebenfalls wäre das aber auch eine Kopie des Angebots in Bachs Geburtsstadt..

Lektüre, wie die Bibeln, ist kaum realistisch zu kopieren und als Attraktion zu präsentieren. Das gilt natürlich für den ganzen Bach-Besitz. Seine Musik wäre dagegen natürlich immer eine Option. Nicht originell, aber easy machbar. Selbstverständlich könnte man an weitere Möglichkeiten denken. Aber alles ergibt nicht den nötigen Sinn, es irgendwo in „Bach Country“ zu den bestehenden Angeboten hinzu anzubieten. Es musste als etwas komplett Anderes sein..

Eisenach really doesn't need another Bach location. And the Bach House there already covers most of the possible content mentioned: for example, furniture, instruments, and the Bachs' living situation at that time..

If you give your subconscious mind enough time to come up with exciting ideas... or solve problems... then it definitely works: in my experience. Very often, in fact. This was also the case for me, and over many nights, plus while waiting for whatever it was, a plan developed to present something completely different: a Bach Hall of Fame... a place and a building where Bach is honored..

But once again: What should be exhibited? I had the idea of drawing a parallel with my website: How and who is Bach honored around the world, and in such different ways? The answer is Bach monuments (1): These could be presented in their actual size. Then there is the recognition of important personalities from the last 300 years, which today exists in the form of Bach quotations (2). In addition, the enthusiasm for Bach stamps is noticeable: many incredible works of art have been created in around 100 years (3). These stamps would be placed on the white walls as huge works of art. And the quotes from famous personalities about Bach would be immortalized directly on the white walls..

The Bach House is still missing in Weimar. At the same time, it is also the birthplace of two other famous musicians: Bach's two sons... definitely. Although Bach worked in Weimar twice, for a total of ten years, there is no building or institution in Weimar that honors him.

Arnstadt and a question that overwhelmed me: How many square meters would you like, Mr. Bach?..

Here in addition, visitors can find information about the many Bach cities and Bach locations and enjoy entertainment (4). These three- to five-minute films are shown in a small cinema. Naturally, they are in German and English. Another video provides information about the Bach House in Eisenach. Bach's music can be heard throughout the Bach Hall of Fame (5). Of course, these are his most popular pieces. There is also a concert area where choirs and orchestras are invited to perform (6). Whose works? Bach's works, of course. And of course, there is a Bach shop (7) offering a wide range of Bach-related items.

Arnstadt would still be the perfect location today. That's because Arnstadt offers a wide range of Bach highlights. However, they can be explored quickly. So another one would fit in perfectly. Incidentally, Arnstadt is our favorite Bach city..

Initial considerations regarding the location naturally led to a cost-effective project. This meant that there were plans to establish this Hall of Fame in an existing building. And there were various options available. For example, in Arnstadt. There is the castle there, which had already been partially renovated. And which already has a small Bach offering. So my idea was to make Arnstadt even more attractive as a Bach city..

We presented our concept in Arnstadt and also performed one of the small shows that we could imagine doing there. Both the city's marketing manager and the director of the castle were positive and asked me about my ideas regarding the space for such a plan. I was completely stumped. The topic was so new that I hadn't even considered the most trivial of questions, let alone thought about an answer. I couldn't answer this question spontaneously, nor had I given any thought to this important detail in advance. And time "passed"..

Was this page created specifically to showcase cool Bach locations and even cooler Bach artworks? Who knows, who knows? Pop art, how exciting. © Peter Bach, Jr..

Other options came to mind: I love having a Plan B, C, D, and E. It was no different with my “new Bach Museum.” Gotha also came to mind after I had already enjoyed implementing my plan within historic walls in Arnstadt. Mayor Knut Kreuch, who has made a name for himself among Bach fans with his work in Wechmar, helped me significantly in my search for my ancestors in 2012. At a time when I considered the “origin” presented by my namesake Dr. Peter Bach on his website to be his achievement. I congratulated him on his research and only realized much later that it was J.S. Bach's own compilation of the origins of the Bach musical family..

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