Bach FAQ 50
Was Johann Sebastian Bach Happy with All of His Jobs?..
Yes, at the very beginning, Johann Sebastian Bach was happy with all of his jobs..
Seriously: The earliest period certainly doesn't count, when he first played music for Duke Ernst in Weimar, for just half a year. Otherwise, he wouldn't have moved on after only six months..
His first “real” job was as an organist in Arnstadt. The negative highlights of this period included a vacation that Johann Sebastian Bach took far longer than authorized, as well as an almost fateful dispute with one of his choir students. Bach’s employer subsequently sided with the student. And then there was the scandal at the time: Bach had allowed a woman to sing – and thus perform – in church. This affected the relationship between Bach and his employers so much that Bach moved on to Mühlhausen..
At first, Bach was generally satisfied with his job in Mühlhausen. However, he suffered from the conflict between two opposing religious movements and eventually moved away from there as well. After just one year..
He eventually stayed in Weimar for nine years, and it is likely that he was happy with his choice for most of that time. It was only when he was ultimately passed over for promotion to bandmaster that he decided to move on to Köthen. However, he “forgot” to ask the prince for permission first. He could not accept that his prince would not grant him an audience for this purpose. Bach “complained and grumbled,” and the duke eventually sent him to prison for four weeks for “stubbornness.”..
Johann Sebastian Bach liked Köthen so much that he expressed, for the first time, his belief that he could settle there permanently with his family and feel at home for the rest of his life. However, Bach’s first wife died quite suddenly. And from then on, Bach naturally associated everything in Köthen with that tragedy. When his friend, Prince Leopold, finally married a woman who had little enthusiasm for music, their friendship suffered as well. The prince’s enthusiasm for music and the regent’s financial constraints ultimately led Bach to decide to become the Thomas Cantor in Leipzig..
In Leipzig, Johann Sebastian Bach was so disappointed with his job, his responsibilities, and the micromanagement he faced that he wrote his famous, almost depressive letter to his school friend Georg Erdmann. The letter still exists today. With the exception of a four-year period, however, the rest of Johann Sebastian Bach’s professional and personal life could be described, at best, as unpleasant. This phase of his life ended, and culminated with the search for Bach’s successor already underway, even though it was not yet clear whether Bach would recover after his eye surgeries..
Advertisement
Music Gifts and More Music Gifts..
1,00,000+ personalized music gifts, 60 music calendars … learn more..
.
Music Calendars, Composers Calendars and Bach Calendars in Poster Style and US Style..
The historic Bach beer stein from 1985 and the current pipe organ calendar. All music calendars are available in three sizes. And you can buy them this year and next. To the Shop..
Bach T-shirts and Bach seal T-shirts: That is what the Renate Bach Publishing House specializes in. To the shop..
End of Advertisement
Druckversion