Johann Sebastian Bach could have been satisfied on March 2, 1714. After his early professional years, he was appointed concertmaster in Weimar. This meant he received a handsome annual salary of 250 florins.
However, there was a problem.
With the new position came a new duty: Bach had to compose a new cantata every four weeks from now on.
Cantatas are works for choir, orchestra and vocal soloists, consisting of choral numbers, recitatives and arias. To present such a work every four weeks is not impossible, but challenging.
Bach needed inspiration.
At the same time, an Italian composer was making news in Central Europe: Antonio Vivaldi. You are certainly familiar with his Four Seasons. Vivaldi published his works with a publisher in Amsterdam, which contributed to the rapid spread of his music north of Italy.
Bach knew what to do. He had to study Vivaldi’s style carefully so he could adapt it for his own compositions. Bach also knew that there was only one way to accomplish this goal.
Put yourself in Bach’s shoes. In 1714, there were no recordings of Vivaldi’s music, no Internet, and no telephone. If Bach wanted to communicate with Vivaldi, he either had to meet him or write him letters.
It was rather unlikely that Bach could break away from his Weimar commitments for a several-week trip to Italy to meet Vivaldi. It was even more unlikely that Vivaldi would come to Weimar.
Bach could have written letters to Vivaldi… But in 1714, it took days or weeks for letters to be delivered. This exchange would not have been particularly efficient.
No, Bach had only one option.
First, he had scores of Vivaldi’s compositions brought to him (Prince Johann Ernst, the son of Bach’s employer in Weimar, brought them from the Netherlands).
Then – he copied them. By hand. For nights on end.
That helped. By copying, Bach became so familiar with Vivaldi’s music that he could use it as inspiration for his own works. He fulfilled his obligation to present a new cantata every four weeks, and in 1723 even became Thomaskantor in Leipzig, where he composed a new cantata every week for a time.
Jonathan Stark – Conductor
Hello! I'm Jonathan Stark. As a conductor, it is important to me that visits to concerts and operas leave a lasting impression on the audience. Background knowledge helps to achieve this. That's why I blog here about key works of classical music, about composers, about opera and much more that happens in the exciting world of music.
Hier eine kleine Korrektur zu “Bachs Weimarer Dienstherr” während seiner zweiten Weimarer Anstellung von 1708 bis 1717:
Da die sog. “Primogenitur” – also die jeweilige Herrschernachfolge allein durch den Erstgeborenen – erst um 1740 im dann zum Herzogtum Weimar-Eisenach erweiterten ehemaligen hiesigen Weimarer Wirkungsbereich Bachs eingeführt worden war, regierten Brüder hier in der Regel gemeinsam. Bach hatte jedoch den kinderlosen Herzog Wilhelm Ernst zunächst nur als einzigen Dienstherrn, da dessen jüngerer mitregiert habender Bruder Johann Ernst III. bereits 1707 gestorben war, dessen erbberechtigter Sohn Johann Ernst IV. wiederum zu der Zeit noch unmündig gewesen war. Und dieser – dann im Jahre 1715 frühzeitig mit 19 Jahren verstorbener – N e f f e Herzog Wilhelm Ernst’s war derjenige gewesen, der die Vivaldi-Noten aus den Niederlanden mitgebracht hatte. Ernst Salewski
Für das mit nächtelang von Hand Noten abschreiben gibt es noch eine zweite Story, nämlich dass der musikbesessene Knabe nachts fremde Stücke abschrieb, sein Bruder ihn erwischte und das ganze Werk in den Mülleimer schmiss.
Liebe Grüße, ein Heinrich-Schütz-Fan.
Stimmt, davon habe ich auch einmal gelesen. War schon ein pfiffiger Kerl 😉
Herzliche Grüße!
Hahahaha ist ja cool, würde ich auch so machen
Sehr cool 🙂
Vielen Dank für deinen spannenden Beitrag, Jonathan!
Liebe Grüße
Martin
Sehr gerne!
Liebe Grüße,
Jonathan