Bach Tour - Places associated with Bach
Discussions - Part 3

Continue from Part 2

Bach Wohnung in Leipzig

Marc Boss wrote (May 28, 2011):
See: Bach Wohnung in Leipzig (Picassa)

This is a study on Bachs lodging in Leipzig .The aim is that they trace on the side walk the limits of the appartement or else they dig out the walls of the old sT tHOMAS SCHOOL! Or bach fans thru out the world give some money to rebuild the first two floors of the lodgings.

In 2012 they are celebrating the 800 yeas of the school this schould bve considered!!

BCW: Guide to Bach Tour

Aryeh Oron wrote (September 25, 2011):
The guide to Bach Tour contains information about every place associated with J.S. Bach, 50 in total. For each place: Description & history, Bach connection, Relevant events in the life of Bach, Performance dates of Bach’s works, Features of interest, Information & links, Photos, Maps; Recommended routes.
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/index.htm
If you have any addition/correction/suggestion, please inform me.

The Catholic Chapel Royal in Leipzig

Continue of discussion from: Cantata BWV 215 - Discussions Part 3

Douglas Cowling wrote (September 27, 2013):
An interesting account of Catholicism in Bach's Leipzig (caveat: the online Catholic Encyclopedia occasionally has a pious overlay that needs to be double-checked)

"After the Reformation was accomplished, Catholicism became wholly extinct; at least there is no mention of any Catholic parish until about 1710. Only during the time of the fair Franciscans came from Halberstadt to Leipzig to say Mass No mention is made of where the services were held. In 1710 the Catholics received permission to celebrate Mass openly, and Elector Frederick Augustus I, who became a Catholic in order to be King of Poland, gave up the chapel of the Pleissenburg to them, where on 3 June, 1710, Mass was again said. The parish was in charge of the Jesuits, at first two fathers, but after 1743 there were three. As chaplains of the elector, or king, they received from the court in Dresden their salaries and rent allowance. The Catholic school also found a place in the Pleissenburg. When in 1738 the chapel became too small for the faithful the elector gave funds to replace it by a larger one. The fathers did not confine their activity to Leipzig alone, but extended it as far as Merseburg, Chemnitz, Naumburg, Wittenburg, etc.; and from 1749 they were also entrusted with the spiritual care of the prisoners. After the suppression of the Society of Jesus, the fathers remained as secular priests . The priests, who subsequently laboured in Leipzig, came for the most part from Austria, particularly Bohemia. When in the nineteenth century, the chapel of the Pleissenburg became dilapidated, and had to be given up, the town council placed the Matthäikirche at certain hours at the disposal of the Catholics. The necessary means for the building of a new church had been partly collected by the zealous efforts of the chief pastor of the Saxon Catholics in those days, Bishop and Apostolic Vicar Franz Laurens Mauermann. In 1845 the foundation stone of the first Catholic church was laid, and in 1847 it was consecrated by the new bishop, Joseph Dittrich."
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09138b.htm

A couple of points relating to the Chapel Royal and royal visits during Bach's tenure:

The conversion of the Elector meant that there had been a Catholic presence in Leipzig for only just over a decade when Bach arrived. It must have still been something of novelty and probably scandal to the Lutheran
city: the Catholic mass being celebrated a short distance from St. Thomas' and St. Nicholas where Bach's Cantata 126 was proclaiming,

"Maintain us, Lord, within thy word,
And fend off murd'rous Pope and Turk,"

The Jesuit clergy were royal chaplains who were part of the Dresden chape establishment and thus beyond the control of the city council. It is probably incorrect (as the article says) that this was a normal Catholic parish and thus open to any citizen. It appears that mass was accessible during the time of the fairs when royal visits were frequent. It is more likely that the Pleissenburg chapel was like the Catholic chapels attached to foreign embassies in London (e.g. St. James, Spanish Place) where normally conforming Protestants could observe the Roman rite.

The presence of a school attached to a Jesuit chapel is not surprising. One assumes that the boys attending were the children of royal officials who were constitutionally bound to Catholic conformity. Like the Catholic embassy chapels, it appears that Catholic citizens were attending mass in the chapel because the king funded an expansion.

The school and expansion suggests that the liturgy may have been growing during Bach's tenure. Did that mean a larger musical establishment? Who provided the music when the king was in town? Bach certainly had the necessary mass music in his personal library. The king may have already heard his music before the Missa of the Mass in B Minor (BWV 232) arrived in Dresden.

Curious and curiouser ...

Kim Patrick Clow wrote (September 27, 2013):
Douglas Cowling wrote:
< An interesting account of Catholicism in Bach's Leipzig
The Jesuit clergy were royal chaplains who were part of the Dresden chapel establishment and thus beyond the control of the city council. It is probably incorrect (as the article says) that this was a normal Catholic parish and thus open to any citizen. It appears that mass was accessible during the time of the fairs when royal visits were frequent. It is more likely that the Pleissenburg chapel was like the Catholic chapels attached to foreign embassies in London (e.g. St. James, Spanish Place) where normally conforming Protestants could observe the Roman rite. >
I know the printed version of the Catholic Encyclopedia from years ago; their articles were heavily sourced, which isn't the case for the online version unfortunately. The Elector converted in 1693, so if the establishment of a Catholic chapel was really only for his visits and court officials, he waited a long time. I think the gist of the article is accurate, especially in the context of the activities of the priests assigned to that parish. They weren't just there for the occasional royal jaunts to Leipzig. And only the royal family converted to Catholicism, so unless Augustus was bringing all 300 illegitimate children to Mass, the crowded church services requiring a larger worship space more than likely had to do with the local Catholic population. So it sounds like there was a pretty active Catholic community in Leipzig.

Douglas Cowling wrote (September 27, 2013):
Kim Patrick Clow wrote:
< the crowded church services requiring a larger worship space more than likely had to do with the local Catholic population. So it sounds like there was a pretty active Catholic community in Leipzig. >
That surprises me. Were there any legal penalties against Catholics for non-conformity before the Elector's conversion? Were Catholics permitted at the University? Who were these Catholics? Foreigners? Merchants? Even the Catholic writer of the history admits that Leipzig been pure Lutheran for 200 years. If there were a sizable number, it speaks to the cosmopolitan character of Leipzig.

Kim Patrick Clow wrote (September 27, 2013):
Douglas Cowling wrote:
< That surprises me. Were there any legal penalties against Catholics for non-conformity before the Elector's conversion? Were Catholics permitted at the University? Who were these Catholics? Foreigners? Merchants? Even the Catholic writer of the history admits that Leipzig had been pure Lutheran for 200 years. If there were a sizable number, it speaks to the cosmopolitan character of Leipzig. >
Here is what Wikipedia has:

To be eligible for election to the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1697, Augustus had to convert to Roman Catholicism. The Saxon dukes had traditionally been called "champions of the Reformation." The duchy had been a stronghold of German Protestantism and Augustus's conversion was therefore considered shocking in Protestant Europe. The electors of Saxony had to cede its prestigious role as leader of the Protestant Estates in the Imperial Diet to Brandenburg-Prussia. Since the prince-elector guaranteed Saxony's religious status quo, Augustus's conversion alienated many of his Protestant subjects. As a result of the enormous expenditure of money used to bribe the Polish nobility and clergy, Augustus's contemporaries derisively referred to the Saxon duke's royal ambitions as his "Polish adventure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_II_the_Strong - cite_note-Czok-3

It is noteworthy that the directorate of the Corpus Evangelicorum, which was the official Imperial board of the Protestant Estates and the counterpart of the Corpus Catholicorum, remained under Saxon auspices with the Roman Catholic Augustus, paradoxically, at its head. His church policy within the Holy Roman Empire followed orthodox Lutheranism and ran counter to his new-found religious and absolutist convictions. The Protestant Princes of the Empire and the two remaining Protestant Electors (of Hanover and Prussia) were anxious to keep Saxony well-integrated in their camp. According to the Peace of Augsburg, Augustus theoretically had the right to re-introduce Roman Catholicism (see Cuius regio, eius religio), or at least grant full religious freedom to his fellow Catholics in Saxony, but this never happened. Saxony remained Lutheran and the few Roman Catholics residing in Saxony lacked any political or civil rights. In 1717 it became clear just how awkward the situation was: to realize his ambitious dynastic plans in Poland and Germany, it was necessary for Augustus's heirs to become Roman Catholic. After five years as a convert, his son—the future Augustus III—publicly avowed his Roman Catholicism. [ This means the conversion of Augustus II was kept secret for five years!] The Saxon Estates were outraged and revolted. It was becoming clearer that the conversion to Roman Catholicism was not only a matter of form, but of substance as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_II_the_Strong - cite_note-Czok-3

The wife of Augustus I, the Electress Christiane Eberhardine, refused to follow her husband's example and remained a staunch Protestant. She did not attend her husband's coronation in Poland and led a rather quiet life outside Dresden, gaining some popularity for her stubbornness. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_II_the_Strong - cite_note-Flathe-2

The article cites:

August der Starke und seine Zeit. Kurfürst von Sachsen und König von Polen (in German), Munich: Piper, ISBN 3-492-24636-2.

Julian Mincham wrote (September 27, 2013):
Kim Patrick Clow wrote:
< The wife of Augustus I, the Electress Christiane Eberhardine, refused to follow her husband's example and remained a staunch Protestant. She did not attend her husband's coronation in Poland and led a rather quiet life outside Dresden, gaining some popularity for her stubbornness. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_II_the_Strong - cite_note-Flathe-2 >
Which probably explains why students at the university were keen to mourn her loss and why Bach was engaged to write the music for the event BWV 198.

Douglas Cowling wrote (September 27, 2013):
Kim Patrick Clow wrote:
< In 1717 it became clear just how awkward the situation was: to realize his ambitious dynastic plans in Poland and Germany, it was necessary for Augustus's heirs to become Roman Catholic. After five years as a convert, his son—the future Augustus III—publicly avowed his Roman Catholicism. [ This means the conversion of Augustus II was kept secret for five years!] The Saxon Estates were outraged and revolted. It was becoming clearer that the conversion to Roman Catholicism was not only a matter of form, but of substance as well. >
The situation is somewhat reminiscent of James II of England who converted to Catholicism before he succeeded his brother, Charles II, in 1685. Parliament was willing to accept his private Catholic faith but his attempts to introduce religious tolerance for non-Angiicans was resented. The birth of a male Catholic heir made the Catholic succession a reality, and Parliament deposed him in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, giving the crown to his Protestant daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange.

It's a fascinating period musically because, for a time, there were two Chapels Royal, Anglican and Catholic. The Anglican chapel had Purcell but some composers, like John Blow, wrote for both establishments. There are accounts of music-lovers attending Evensong in St. James Palace and then promenading down the Mall to Vespers in Whitehall Palace. Not unlike the polar opposites of the Frauenkirche and Hofkirche in Dresden.

The larger point here is that both Chapels were vicarious places of worship. The establishments were extensions of the sovereign's person, even if he was not physically present. The same must have been true in Leipzig. The Lutheran citizens accepted a Catholic cuckoo in their midst because it was part of the king's continuing presence in the city. The musical provisions for the chapel may have been modest — a schola for plainsong and an organist? A couple of soloists? -- but, during a royal visit, the personnel must have been augmented with singers and instrumentalists from Dresden. The Drammi outside in the courtyard may have been matched in splendour by the masses and Vespers in the chapel.

Intriguing to speculate if Bach was an observer to any of the Catholic rites. It would help to explain his comprehensive knowledge of contemporary Catholic service music.

Douglas Cowling wrote (September 27, 2013):
No drawings of the castle chapel, but the engraving of the 17^th century siege shows that the fortress was a massive building. The tower of the 19th century city hall seems to be a reimagining of the medieval castle's
tower: "The Siege and Surrender of Leipzig and Castle Pleissenburg in October/November 1642": (Web Gallery)

An interesting link which plucked out references to the Pleissenburg, including the music sung at Luther's disputation in 1519: http://wordincontext.com/en/pleissenburg

The conversion of the chapel where Luther launched the Reformation in Leipzig into a Catholic church must have deeply wounded Lutheran sensibilities.

Aryeh Oron wrote, on behalf of Thomas Braatz (September 29, 2013):
Thomas Braatz contrubuted:to the discussion a PDF containing a translation of a first-hand account describing the location in Leipzig where Catholics were holding their services in 1728.

Thomas Braatz wrote:

I have found a short description of the location where Catholics convened for their services in Leipzig in 1728. The descriptive adjective "zierlich" (=petite, dainty, delicate), the diminutive form of the word for chapel, Capelgen, and the word, Zimmer, (=a room, not large, in a building) all lead me to suspect that the accommodation of singers and musicians for services where Catholics were assembling for worship would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible.

See: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Articles/WeissPleissenburg.pdf

Douglas Cowling wrote (September 29, 2013):
Thomas Braatz wrote:
< I have found a short description of the location where Catholics convened for their services in Leipzig in 1728. The descriptive adjective "zierlich" (=petite, dainty, delicate), the diminutive form of the word for chapel, Capelgen, and the word, Zimmer, (=a room, not large, in a building) all lead me to suspect that the accommodation of singers and musicians for services where Catholics were assembling for worship would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible.
See: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Articles/WeissPleissenburg.pdf >
Thanks for this document. It certainly suggests that the original provision for Catholics was modest in establishment. I would be interested to know if the term "Capelgen" is the equivalent of "Oratory" in English which designates a space for personal prayer but which doesn't always denote size. A personal chapel or oratory can be church-sized.

And "Capelgen" doesn't necessarily preclude music even concerted music. There are descriptions of royalty all but alone in a chapel except for the clergy and musicians and the court in adjacent rooms.

Do you have any thoughts who the Catholics were that made it necessary to provide a larger chapel? And who are the non-conforming Reformed Lutherans who are given space in the Government House?

Bach tour

Stefan Lewicki wrote (August 21, 2014):
I have enjoyed people's contributions on this website, and the astonishing resources, for a number of years now, and thank you all for this.

Finally, after about 30 years of thinking about it, I am off to Leipzig and Thuringia on the Bach trail in about a fortnight. Contributions on the Bach Tour section of the site have been very helpful. I wondered if anyone had recently returned from the region and had any up-to-date news about any new museums/ exhibitions/ other must-sees, or indeed about any closures or disappointments, which might be helpful to me?

Julian Mincham wrote (August 21, 2014):
[To Stefan Lwicki] I have done the Bach tour twice in the last 4 years. Leipzig and the Bach museum next to the church where Bach is buried are musts (as is the St Nikolai church) as is Weimar--with it's museums of Listz's and Goethe's houses---both of great interest.. I think that Mühlhausen with the austere church in the middle of the town and a statue of the young Bach outside, is also worth a visit as is the town where Bach was born which also has an excellent museum (though not in the house where he was born which many people believe).

St Jacobi church in Sangerhausen is worth a visit as Bach is thought to have played on and advised on the organ there. The parish church in Dornheim is where Bach was married.Finally the Schloss at Kothen--although I believe there may be restoration work going on there.

Several recent pictures of these towns can be found on the cantata website www.jsbachcantatas.com.

John Horrocks wrote (August 21, 2014):
[To Julian Mincham] You might be interested in this slide show, which I put together for Rachel Brown to give at our Tilford Bach Festival:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tTXxxvVrGpInilj3uTtA5GT8EXAillpV8-g1WPjGaik/edit#slide=id.p29

Mike Mannix wrote (Septemberr 1, 2014):
[To John Horrocks] You can't leave out Arnstadt or Erfurt either.

Stefan Lewicki wrote (September 17, 2014):
Thank you to the group members who sent advice and suggestions in response to my post a few weeks ago.

I had a very enjoyable, successful and tiring trip. I pass on the following information for any would-be visitors:

St George's Church, Eisenach, where Bach was baptised, is currently closed for renovation, until at least end October.

Schloss Ehrenstein at Ohrdruf, where the museum had a room dedicated to Bach, was gutted by fire last November. The website still does not seem to mention this, but obviously you can't visit.

The tourist office in Arnstadt has a slim black volume on Bach in Arnstadt, available in German or French or English, for the bargain price of 1 euro.

I bought an excellent book (if you can read/ get by in German) Mit Johann Sebastian Bach Unterwegs, by Hans-Josef Jakobs (ISBN 978-3-7751-5083-5) cost 7.95 euro. There's a chapter on each of the places Bach lived/ stayed/ worked, with a useful map of each town, and sites clearly marked. What's to see is clearly listed and there are further contact details, websites &c at the end, too.

BCW: Videos of Bach places

Aryeh Oron wrote (October 31, 2014):
Peter Bach Jr. contributed to the BCW thirteen Bach videos about thirteen Bach locations. Nine videos are about the cities and places Bach lived in his life: Arnstadt, Dornheim, Eisenach, Köthen, Leipzig, Lüneburg, Mühlhausen, Ohrdruf, Weimar. Four additional videos present Bach cities and Bach places, which are related to the Bach family of musicians and only indirectly related to J.S. Bach. Wechmar is so considerable for the Bach Genealogy, that it is a must, to present it here; Gotha as well plays a role in the early Bach Genealogy, and Andisleben is the exception to the rule: that is exciting for the American Bachs of the family of musicians. And Erfurt? Erfurt is the Bach City, of all Bach cities.

Te videos come with narrated text (in both English and German), music (of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries) and information, with a length of 3-4, one is 6 minutes. You can do a mini Bach tour sitting in your chair, viewing them as appetizers for a real Bach tour, or evoking reminiscences of past visits to these places.

All the videos are presented in a dedicated page on the BCW: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/Video-Place.htm

as well as in the relevant place pages in the section of Guide to Bach Tour on the BCW: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/index.htm

where you can find a lot of information about every place associated with Bach: Places J.S. Bach lived in, places Bach , Bach family places, 50 in total. Each place page/s contain: Description and history of the place and its Bach connection, Relevant events in life history of J.S. Bach, Performance dates of J.S. Bach’s vocal works, Features of interest, Information & links, Photos, Maps, and more.

Meidad wrote (October 31, 2014):
[To Aryeh Oron] Sounds like only Bach exists for you.
What about other big composers?

Who really care about location or personality or to write down every possible recording where most are not even good enough?
<>.
P.s i love Bacha music very much but im passed little girls beatlmania age.

Les Fradkin wrote (October 31, 2014):
[To Meidad] Aryeh is simply deciding to maintain an all Bach library. This does not necessarily mean that other composers do not “exist” for him,
or, for that matter, for those Artists listed on the site.
Do not assume facts not in evidence. It does not become you.

Olle Hedström wrote (October 31, 2014):
[To Aryeh Oron] Aryeh and the rest of you out there,

GREAT undertaking. Wonderful to watch all those films regarding Bachlocations.

Julian Mincham wrote (October 31, 2014):
[To Meidad] It's a Bach website.
So is mine.
Both are predominantly about Bach.

Should have thought that to be obvious.

Charles Francis wrote (October 31, 2014):
[To Julian Mincham] The gentleman appears somewhat challenged, given he is unable to unsubscribe himself.

Let me add a personal recommendation for Freiberg, Saxony. Not a ‘Bach’ town as such, but with a peaceful ambience and several existent Silbermann organs such as the following:

Ehud Shiloni wrote (October 31, 2014):
[To Meidad] "little girls beatlmania age" know how to unsubscribe from mailing lists without fanfare.

E. Douglas Jensen wrote (November 1, 2014):
< "little girls beatlmania age" know how to unsubscribe from mailing lists without fanfare.>
Good riddance, Meidad, we won’t miss the likes of you.

D. Gotch wrote (November 1, 2014):
[To Meidad], If you are worried that the person in question wants a Bach library, I want to gently point out the fact to you that the TITLE of this group is BACH recordings - NOT COMPOSERS recordings. You might want to ponder on that reality.

Barbara wrote (November 1, 2014):
Whether or not it was his intention, this individual has stirred the group out of apparent slumber. :)

BCW: 6 New Places added to the Guide to Bach Tour

Aryeh Oron wrote (April 16, 2018):
The Guide to Bach Tour is a section of the Bach Cantatas Website (BCW), which contains information about every place associated with Bach: [L] = Places J.S. Bach lived in; [V] = Places Bach visited; [F] = Bach family places. The Guide can also be used for planning a Bach Tour. See: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/index.htm
The Guide contains: Life history of J.S. Bach; Maps; Page/s for each place, including: Description and history of the place and its Bach connection, Relevant events in life history of J.S. Bach, Performance dates of J.S. Bach’s vocal works, Features of interest, Information & links, Photos, Maps; Recommended routes.

6 new places which J.S. Bach possibly visited were added to Guide to Bach Tour:
Ebstorf, Lower Saxony: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/Ebstorf.htm
Freiberg, Saxony: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/Freiberg.htm
Görlitz, Saxony: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/Gorlitz.htm
Langula, Thuringia: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/Langula.htm
Nienburg (Saale), Saxony-Anhalt: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/Nienburg.htm
Rötha, Saxony: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/Rotha.htm

All in all, the Guide to Bach Tour now contains 56 place associated with Bach. I hope to use the opportunity of attending the upcoming Bachfest Leipzig to visit some of these "new" places.

An important source for info about the "new" Bach places was the new book Robert L. Marshall & Traute M. Marshall: "Exploring the World of J.S. Bach - A Traveller's Guide" (University of Illinois Press, 2016).

William Hoffman wrote (April 16, 2018):
[To Aryeh Oron] Great book. See my review: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Books/B0217.htm

BCW: Bach Lodging in Leipzig

Aryeh Oron wrote (November 9, 2018):
There is no longer any lodging in Germany where J.S. Bach lived and worked. If one knows the different cities, and, in some cases, the places where his residence stood, no more traces exist. No single wall of a house lived by the master is today a place of memory for the many pilgrims who are lovers and admirers of his work.
Marc Boss, President of Versailles Chamber Orchestra and a Bach enthusiast, had the idea to search with the help of the cadastral maps of the city the exact location where J.S. Bach's home was located. Up till now, it was believed that there was no trace anywhere of any walls of a building where he lived. His study shows that walls and floor of part of Bach's lodging in Leipzig probably exist under ground. See:
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/Leipzig-Bach-Lodging.htm
Linked from:
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/Leipzig.htm

Kirill Monorosi wrote (November 9, 2018):
[To Aryeh Oron] Hi Aryeh, the wall of Bach’s Weimar residence is still standing, and the cellar rooms are intact. The house itself was destroyed (I believe in WWII). There is an initiative to buy the lot back from the iconic Hotel Elephant (known from Thomas Mann’s “Lotte in Weimar”) and turn it into a museum.

Peter Bright wrote (November 9, 2018):
[To Aryeh Oron] Utterly fascinating - thank you Aryeh...

Thierry van Bastelaer wrote (November 9, 2018):
[To Aryeh Oron] Fascinating--thanks for sharing.

Thomasschule building

Gerald Flemiger wrote (April 12, 2019):
[To Aryeh Oron] My name is Gerald Fleminger. I am a violist ,retired from the St Louis Symphony. As a life long Bach lover, I greatly enjoy and appreciate your websiite. Recently while watching a youtube video, "Bach's Leipzig home", I wondered if anyone has suggested rebuilding the school on the original site. It could house the Bach museum, recreate the Bach family apartment, and provide space for a recital/lecture auditorium. I think it would be a mecca for all who revere Bach.

Aryeh Oron wrote (April 20, 2019):
[To Gerald Fleminger] Thanks for your message.
Please take a look at the page: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/Leipzig-Bach-Lodging.htm
Linked from: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/Leipzig.htm

Thomaskirche 1723

S K Lewicki wrote (June 1, 2020):
Apologies if you are already aware of this article, which I found fascinating:
https://www.neh.gov/article/what-did-bach-sound-bach

Jeffrey Solow wrote (June 1, 2020):
[To S K Lewicki] Thanks for this link - I was not aware of it (although I am aware of the burgeoning field of researching interior architectural acoustics).

Bachfest Leipzig 2024; In the Footsteps of Bach tour

Melissa Raven wrote (September 5, 2023):
Hello fellow Bachphiles

Is anyone attending Bachfest Leipzig next June?

I will be attending, for the first time (my first time in Germany too).

I was planning to go to Weimar, Arnstadt etc. after Leipzig. But last week, I found out about a tour organised by Hayllar Music Tours (based here in Australia), which seems to have been conceived with me in mind (I’m sure I will not be the only person who thinks that):

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BACH

4–17 JUNE 2024 (14 DAYS) | 11 CONCERTS AS PART OF THE PRESTIGIOUS BACHFEST LEIPZIG, EXCLUSIVE PRIVATE TALKS & EXPLORATIONS OF WEIMAR, LEIPZIG & TOWNS AND CITIES WHERE BACH LIVED, COMPOSED & PERFORMED

This scintillating tour provides an exploration of Johann Sebastian Bach’s life and music by taking you on a journey, with an expert guide, through the towns and cities where he lived, worked and performed. It culminates in Bachfest Leipzig providing you with many opportunities to hear his glorious music at a variety of stunning venues by world-class musicians. The tour also provides a picturesque tour of historic Central Germany, the chance to stay in luxurious hotels, to travel in comfort and to enjoy delicious meals. It is a tour to stimulate the mind and delight the senses.
https://hayllarmusictours.com/2024-tours/in-the-footsteps-of-bach

Is anyone else from Australia (or perhaps New Zealand, or elsewhere) going/considering going on this?

Etta Tsubouchi wrote (September 5, 2023):
[To Melissa Raven] Wish I could join you from the UK
It sounds fabulous !
Hope you will enjoy every minute
Looking forward to hearing all about it

Caleb Deupree wrote (September 5, 2023):
[To Melissa Raven] Thanks for posting the link to the tour company (https://hayllarmusictours.com/). They have a number of lovely looking tours centered around music (including three different Ring cycles), in various locations in the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

William Hoffman wrote (September 5, 2023):
[To Melissa Raven] Here is the program of the chorale cantata cycle etc., English language, Page 18, https://www.bachfestleipzig.de/sites/default/files/files/Bachfest_2024_Vorschau_Netz.pdf.

Aryeh Oron wrote (September 5, 2023):
[To Melissa Raven] Almost everything you need to know about every place associated with Bach or planning a Bach tour is presented in the Guide to Bach Tour on the BCW: https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Tour/index.htm
The section includes, among other things: Life History of J.S. Bach; Performance Dates of J.S. Bach’s Vocal Works; Maps; Places associated with Bach; Route Suggestions; Discussions of Bach Tour.

Melissa Raven wrote (September 5, 2023):
[To Aryeh Oron] I already knew about that Guide (one of so many wonderful resources on your amazing website).

I will suggest to Hayllar Music Tours that they alert all participants to it well before departure, so people can read up about the various destinations, watch the videos, (re)familiarise themselves with music that was written there, and so on.

Many thanks

Etta Tsubouchi wrote (September 7, 2023):
[To Aryeh Oron] I didn't expect that we could get information on tours too on your website (-: (how useful) <>