Bach FAQ 54
Was Johann Sebastian Bach a Hothead?..
He maybe was a hothead. That’s what people say about him. It remains to be seen, however, whether that’s justified … or not. After all, none of us experienced him in person. A few people, long ago, perhaps heard stories about him. For even the very first biographers, namely Bach’s son Carl Philipp Emanuel, Bach’s student Agricola, and Mitzler de Kolof, knew Bach, but they were never present at any of the events that followed. They, too, had to make do with stories..
Johann Sebastian was never an easy person. He didn’t give in easily. He complained promptly and emphatically. He may have been – but only perhaps – inappropriate in volume and/or tone. Otherwise, Duke Ernst in Weimar certainly wouldn’t have had him imprisoned for “stubbornness.” On the other hand, though: Do we know for certain that the duke wasn’t actually entirely wrong? Bach left Arnstadt because things weren’t going the way he’d envisioned with the Arnstadt City Council. In Mühlhausen, he left after only a short time, though with the council’s blessing. In Leipzig, however, fundamental disagreements between several parties led Bach to complain very frequently and officially..
Criticizing a student with the undoubtedly honor-damaging term “Zippelfagottist,” speaking his mind to the duke when the latter wouldn’t listen or let him have his way, or even throwing his wig at a disruptive student ... after all, a wig isn’t a projectile … all of this led to Bach being portrayed as angry and quick-tempered. And this image of the composer will surely endure for all eternity..
Very few biographers disagree. And they don’t judge the intensity of his temperament based on the few recorded incidents and stories. Rather, they look at the “highlights”, the moments when this genius encountered perfectly ordinary, everyday situations that were nonetheless extraordinary. Just imagine if a world-famous singer today had to work with students who couldn’t sing a single note correctly. Bach had to do that, too. For many years. Don’t you think even the calmest person could lose his patience at some point? When things really get “heated”? I certainly think so..
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