Bach's Cöthen Apprenticeship

Bach's Cöthen Apprenticeship: Instrumental Music

William L. Hoffman wrote (February 26, 2023):
In the two months in 1723 between his probe (February 7) and the final vote by the Town Council (April 9), covering Lent and the beginning of the Easter Season, Bach, as court Capellmeister directing a professional orchestra in Cöthen, amassed manuscripts showing his mastery of keyboard composition as well as performance and ensemble music, in addition to five years of serenade composition and possibly sacred cantata performances. He also had assembled some two dozen church cantatas composed earlier in Weimar (BCW) where he perfected the da-capo form (ABA) and fugal writing to be integrated into the first Leipzig church-year cantata cycle for some 60 Sundays and feast days.

Recent Cöthen Sources of Bach's Activities

There are three recent sources that account for Bach's activities in Cöthen: the Christoph Wolff Bach biography 2013 updated version,¹ the Robin A. Leaver 2017 Bach Research Companion showing actual dating,² and the BWV, Bach Werke Verziechnis 3rd edition.³ The most significant findings are the three instrumental keyboard works collections described in Wolff's sub-chapter, "A Canon of Principles, and Pushing the Limits," to show Bach's "credentials as a competent instructor of music" (Ibid.: 225). The pedagogical works are The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846-869 ((BCW; the Aufrichtige Anleitung (Sincere Guidance): Inventions and Sinfonias, BWV 772-801); and the Orgel-Buchlein (Little Organ Book), chorale preludes, BWV 599-604, cantional style chorale development and pedal study. They "offer a systematic exploration of clearly defined musical goals in the form of well-structured, sophisticated keyboard exercises and lessons" for students. Other pedagogical keyboard collections from Cöthen⁴ are the keyboard Six English Suites, BWV 806-811 (BCW), and Six French Suites, BWV 812-817 (BCW), as well as the Clavier Books for oldest son Wilhelm Friedemann and second wife Anna Magdalena, Clavier-Büchlein for Friedemann (1720-23, BCW), and the Anna Magdalena Clavier-Büchlein (1722), followed by the Anna Magdalena Notenbüchlein, BWV 508-523 (b1725, keyboard and vocal), Wikipedia).

Weimar, Cöthen Instrumental Music

Bach's instrumental music, primarily sonatas and partitas, and orchestral works, primarily concertos and suites, are dated as early as Weimar and Cöthen, where he held the following positions, according to BWV³ 3rd edition (Ibid.: XXVIII): Weimar chamber musician (1708-14) and concertmaster (1714-17), and Cöthen capellmeister and director of chamber music (1718-23). "Performing occasions for chamber music and orchestral works were regular events at the Weimar and Köthen courts, which are not specifically documented," says BWV³. Many of Bach's orchestral works involve transcriptions, arrangements, or reconstructions from previously-existing works, especially brief sinfonias and three-movement concertos. Sinfonias usually opening cantatas (YouTube) are found with his earliest vocal concertos (proto cantatas): Mühlhausen: BWV 4/1 - Christ lag in Todesbanden, Easter, 1707; BWV 106/1 - Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, memorial, 1707; BWV 150/1 - Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, memorial, 1708; and BWV 196/1 - Der Herr denket an uns; wedding, 1708; Weimar: BWV 1046a=1071 - Sinfonia in F, ?1713 (?opening, BWV 208); Weimar: BWV 182/1 - Himmelskönig, sei willkommen (Sonata), Palm Sun.-Annunciation 1714; BWV 12/1 - Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, Easter Sunday +3, 1714; BWV 21/1 - Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, Tr.+3, 1714; BWV 152/1 - Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn; Sunday after Xmas, 1715; BWV 18/1 - Gleich wie der Regen und Schnee, Sexagesima, 1715; BWV 31/1 - Der Himmel lacht (Sonata), Easter, 1715 (source, BCW. Bach's first major venture into instrumental composition were transcriptions for keyboard of 22 Italian string concertos c1713-14, primarily Vivaldi, BWV 592-97, 972-87 (BCW), especially the ritornello form the followed by original violin concertos, later possibly reconstructed in Leipzig as concertos for keyboard, flute, or oboe (YouTube).

Cöthen Concertos, Chamber Music

Next Bach in Weimar turned in earnest to the composition of original ensemble concertos and "the leap from there to his first surviving original concertos is staggering," says Nicholas Kenyon (see BCW). Indeed the Six Brandenburg Concertos set a standard of inventiveness and excellence that other music of the era achieves all too rarely. They create a sustained sense of well-being and aspiration: there is something supernaturally dazzling in the richness, variety and deliberate virtuosic scope of these six works." "Every one of the six concertos set a precedent in scoring, and every one was to remain without parallel," says Christoph Wolff. He also suggests that some of the music was chosen from outside the local repertory and dating back as much as a decade when Bach began working with the ritornello form. The fifth concerto in its final form probably was the last work to enter the collection in 1721. The dating and genesis of the individual concertos with varied instrumentation and structure is still subject to scholarly research involving the genesis, context of the music and the varied forms. "In fact, Concertos no. 3 and 6 and an early version of no. 1 were even composed in Weimar, before Bach's time in Cöthen," says Peter Bergquist. "Only concertos no. 5 and 4 and perhaps no. 2 were in any way immediate responses to the margrave's request." In addition, there are different versions of the Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-5 while various movements later were adapted as sinfonias and aria and chorus transcriptions in the Leipzig sacred cantatas, along with other movements that are through to have originated in Cöthen or earlier as remnants of concerto movements (BCW: "Cöthen Instrumental Sources in Leipzig Cantatas"). Besides the Six Brandenburg Concertos, Bach in Cöthen composed other collections of solo and ensemble instrumental music: Six Partitas and Sonatas for Violin Solo, BWV 1001-1006 (YouTube), Six Suites for Violoncello Solo, BWV 1007-1012 (YouTube); and Six Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord, BWV 1014–1019 (YouTube). The other Bach chamber music,⁵ BWV 1020-1040 (Wikipedia), involves music whose authenticity and dating are still debated, ranging from Weimar to Emanuel Bach works: accompanied violin, BWV 1020-26; viola da gamba and harpsichord, BWV 102-1029 (composed in Leipzig); flute, BWV 1013, 1030-1035); and trio sonatas, BWV 1036-1040). Bach in Leipzig had a vast store of instrumental music manuscripts from which he began to deploy sinfonias to cantatas in church-year cycle 1(BCW) and ensemble concerto movements in cycle 3 (see BCW, BCW).

Bach Coming to Leipzig: Trials, Travails

An outline of Bach's coming to Leipzig is found in Christoph Wolff's revision of Walter Emery's Bach Family.⁶ <<The story of Bach’s move to Leipzig begins with the death of Kuhnau, Kantor of the Thomasschule there, on 5 June 1722. Six men applied for the post, among them Telemann, who was still remembered for the good work he had done at Leipzig 20 years before. He had been doing a similar job at Hamburg for about a year, and was probably the most famous of German musicians actually living in Germany. One of the Kantor’s duties was to teach Latin. Telemann refused to do that; nevertheless, he was appointed on 13 August. But the Hamburg authorities would not release him, and offered to increase his pay; in November he declined the Leipzig post. At a meeting on 23 November Councillor Platz said that Telemann was no loss; what they needed was a Kantor to teach other subjects besides music. Of the remaining five candidates, three were invited to give trial performances; two dropped out, one because he would not teach Latin. By 21 December two Kapellmeisters had applied, Bach and Graupner. The other candidates were Kauffmann of Merseburg, Schott of the Leipzig Neukirche, and Rolle of Magdeburg. Of the five candidates, Graupner was preferred; he was a reputable musician, and had studied at the Thomasschule. He successfully performed his test (two cantatas) on 17 January 1723. But on 23 March he too withdrew, having been offered more pay at Darmstadt. Meanwhile, Bach had performed his test pieces (Cantatas nos.22 and 23) on 7 February 1723. Rolle and Schott had also been heard, and possibly Kauffmann too. The Princess of Cöthen died on 4 April, too late to affect Bach’s decision. On 9 April the council considered Bach, Kauffmann and Schott. Like Telemann, none of them wished to teach Latin. Councillor Platz said that as the best men could not be got, they must make do with the mediocre. The council evidently resolved to approach Bach, for on 13 April he obtained written permission to leave Cöthen. On 19 April he signed a curious document that reads as if he were not yet free from Cöthen, but could be free within a month; he also said he was willing to pay a deputy to teach Latin. On 22 April the council agreed on Bach, one of them hoping that his music would not be theatrical. On 5 May he came in person to sign an agreement; on 8 and 13 May he was interviewed and sworn in by the ecclesiastical authority; on 15 May the first installment of his salary was paid; and on 16 May he ‘took up his duties’ at the university church, possibly with Cantata no.59. With family and furniture, he moved in on 22 May, and performed Cantata no.75 at the Nikolaikirche on 30 May. On 1 June, at 8.30 a.m., he was formally presented to the school.

<<This story has been told in some detail, because it throws light on the circumstances in which Bach worked at Leipzig. To him, the Kantorate was a step downwards in the social scale, and he had little respect for his employers. To the council, Bach was a third-rater, a mediocrity, who would not do what they expected a Kantor to do – teach Latin, as well as organize the city church music. The stage was set for trouble, and in due course trouble came. Councillor Platz on Telemann is curiously echoed by Councillor Stieglitz, ten days after Bach’s death: ‘The school needs a Kantor, not a Kapellmeister; though certainly he ought to understand music’.>>

ENDNOTES

¹ Christoph Wolff, Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician, (New York: Norton, 2000; updated edition 2013: "A Canon of Principles, and Pushing the Limits," 225-235); Google Books, W.W. Norton).
² Robin A. Leaver, exact dating in Cöthen of major events and performances, Part VI, Chronology, Chapter 20, Life and Work, The Routledge Research Companion to Johann Sebastian Bach, ed. Robin A. Leaver (London: Routledge, 2017, 487-539), Amazon.com.
³ Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis: BWV³, Thematische-systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke von Johann Sebastian Bach (Thematic and systematic index of the musical works of Johann Sebastian Bach), Dritte, erweiterte Neuausgabe (Third revised edition); eds. Christine Blanken, Christoph Wolff, Peter Wollny (Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, 2022), (Breitkopf; see critique, BCW. Source, BCW, scan & Goggle paste).
⁴ See Keyboard Music: Early, Formative Years, beginning "Cöthen Keyboard Mastery (1720-23)," BCW.
⁵ Bach Chamber Music: BCW Bach Mailing List (BML) Discussion, BCW: Oct 11, 2019: BCML Discussion: Chamber Music; Oct 16, 2019: Chamber Music: Unaccompanied Violin Solo Sonatas/Partitas; Oct 26, 2019: Chamber Music, Part 2: Transcriptions, Annotated Bibliographies; Oct 28, 2019: Chamber Music: Solo Violin, Cello; Theology; Oct 31, 2019: Chamber Music: Six Solo Cello Suites: Varied Perspectives; Nov 11, 2019: Lute Suites, Harpsichord Pieces: House Music; Nov 23, 2019: Chamber Music for Flute; Dec 1, 2019: Chamber Music: Viola da Gamba Sonatas.
⁶ Christoph Wolff revision, Walter Emery, Bach Family, 6. Cöthen, Oxford Music Online.

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To Come: In accounting of Bach's vocal music composition of profane serenades and sacred cantatas presented in Cöthen (1717-1723).

Kim Patrick Clow wrote (February 26, 2023):
[To William L. Hoffman] Regarding that Leipzig audition process, there is a new recording showcasing the works of Telemann, Christoph Graupner, and J. S. Bach for that audition process.

A short video clip of the Graupner audition cantata is available @ YouTube
The Graupner cantata (GWV 1113/23b) is a premiere CD recording.
You can hear samples of the tracks on this CD @ JPC

Jeffrey Solow wrote (February 27, 2023):
[[To Kim Patrick Clow] By coincidence, I just head a Graupner Overture (a multi-section piece) on Sirius XM yesterday - an attractive and original-sounding work!

Kim Patrick Clow wrote (February 27, 2023):
Michael Maul gives some commentary for Telemann's Leipzig audition cantata, with some of the recording as well.
YouTube

William L. Hoffman wrote (March 2, 2023):
The recording, "Leipzig 1723, Telemann, Graupner, and Bach" (JPC) features five of the six audition pieces of these composers: Telemann, "Ich muß auf den Bergen weinen und heulen," TVWV 1:851 ( 9 August 1722, 10th Sunday after Trinity); Graupner, "Aus der Tiefen rufen wir," GWV 1113/23a, and "Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden," GWV 1113/23b (17 January 1723, 2nd Sunday after Epiphany); and Bach, Cantata 22, "Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwö," Cantata 23, “Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn.” Only Telemann's Cantata, "Wenn du es wüsstest so würdest du auch bedenken, TVWV 1:deest, is not extant, with text only, no music. There are sources for some of these works: Carus Verlag pulishes Graupner's "Aus der Tiefen rufen wir" Carus-Verlag)
and Bach's Cantata BWV 23.3 ( Carus-Verlag), Cantata 22 (Carus-Verlag). Telemann's Cantata "Ich muß auf den Bergen weinen und heulen," which "has now been rediscovered and has not yet been published, was recorded in 2022 together with the application cantatas by Christoph Graupner and Johann Sebastian Bach and will be released by Accentus Music in spring 2023. A film provides insights into the recordings with interviews by the musicians from Ælbgut and Capella Jenensis and the musicologist Michael Maul (YouTube). The recording of the five auditions can be found at JPC).

Kim Patrick Clow wrote (March 4, 2023):
Leipzig 1723 / [was: Bach's Cöthen Apprenticeship: Instrumental Music]

That entire album is also now available to listen via Spotify. The Bach cantatas have been recorded several times now, so I was really looking forward to these world premiere recordings.
Enjoy!
Open Spotify