Continue from part 2

Midnight oil...

Tom Dent wrote (March 23, 2007):
Candles were made of tallow at that point... rendered-down bits of cow. No need for bees or imported petroleum products. How expensive they were could surely be determined by looking at a few contemporary records.

Is there any single direct piece of information about any element of Bach's weekly schedule (apart from, of course, when he was actually in church playing or directing music)? Any source saying clearly that at such and such time of this or that day he was doing something in particular?

P.S. It's amusing to speculate that the actual performance parts did routinely get so messy and/or torn and/or burnt that there was no point keeping them around and the paper was recycled (perhaps like the legendary Bach-Couperin correspondence) for household tasks. None of these survive because paper was a valuable resource and Bach, having paid for it, would be sure to collect all the parts after a performance. What use would a single part then be on its own, anyway?

Kim Patrick Clow wrote (March 24, 2007):
Tom Dent wrote:
< Candles were made of tallow at that point... rendered-down bits of cow. No need for bees or imported petroleum products. How expensive they were could surely be determined by looking at a few contemporary records. >
Exactly. Most composers during the 18th century such as Bach, received payment in kind for such things as corn, flour, and candles--to supplement their base salary. These helped greatly in reducing household expenses. So I don't think a lack of candles, or their expense were a factor in Bach's working late hours, because it wasn't.

Also, aren't there are records of Bach as a child working late hours copying scores. And didn't Telemann do this as well, when his mother banished his musical instruments and scores? So why would anyone expect something different when these professional composers were operating under very tight deadlines?

William Rowland (Ludwig) wrote (March 24, 2007):
[To Kim Patrick Clow] There are legends of Bach doing this. As someone who teaches History I never cease to be amazed at the inaccuracies that seem to pop up among people regarding history. So I am not surprized if someone on this list thought that Bach wrote by electric light.

Yes candles were made from tallow which has a very unpleasant smell to it ----that is it is made from grease as is soap. Still these products were expensive. Want to know more about this then read Ben Franklin's autobiography as well as read Diderots entries for this in famed Encylopedia. Beeswax and Bayberry wax has a much more pleasant smell to it. Beeswax is or was the wax used to make candles by Ecclesiastical canon.

William Rowland (Ludwig) wrote (March 24, 2007):
[To Tom Dent] I have not found any information that petroleum products were used to make candles in the 17^th century and that is a late developement in candle making. Beeswax is by church canons ( at least in the Anglican and RC churches and these days in many Lutheran churches)what candles are to be made of. We must also realize that the light put out by these candles was rather dim if they were used and the same is true of oil lamps.

Yes tallow from Beef drippings and Pork was used to make candles and soap. As someone who has made such candles and soap from tallow I can assure you the smells are not very pleasant. It took along time to get the evil smells out of the house. Bayberry on the other hand is very pleasant to work with. Olive oil was also used as it had been for centuries since Biblical times.

Mickey Drivel wrote (March 24, 2007):
JSB wrote alone, Wrapped up in his thoughts. Solitary...hour after hour....next door W.F. and C.P.E were punching each other.

Hour after hour...all alone...putting it down on paper with a quill pen. Day in, day out, yeat after year.

Thomas Braatz wrote (March 24, 2007):
The following is based on Bach-Dokumente II, items 157 and 171-172:

Recurring payments to Johann Sebastian Bach for wood and "Licht" ("light" does not specify which type of lighting, we will need to assume 'candles' here). 13 Thaler and 3 Groschen for each year (1723-1750). Payments from the Leipzig City Treasury.

Recurring payments to the Cantor, Johann Sebastian Bach for wax candles and "Licht" (ditto, but what would this other light source be, the proverbial 'midnight oil'?). Yearly Expenditures (from Candlemas to Candlemas [very appropriate fiscal year!] from the St. Thomas Church Treasury for the proper lighting when performing the "Kirchenmusik" (the church cantatas) with the Primary Choir at St. Thomas Church. 11 Thaler and 15 Groschen for the year.

Recurring payments to the Cantor, Johann Sebastian Bach, for providing light for the 1st choir when it performs "Kirchenmusik" (the church cantatas) at St. Nicholas Church. Paid by the St. Nicholas Church Treasury in support of St. Thomas School and the performance of the "Kirchenmusik" (the church cantatas) which took place at St. Nicholas Church. The fiscal term runs from Candlemas to Candlemas (February 2nd) [In Scotland, for instance, the old quarterly terms for paying school fees were Lammas, Hallowmas, Candlemas and Beltane]. 7 Thaler 21 Groschen.

According to Wolff's reckoning in the appendix of his biography:

8 Thaler = a high quality Jacobus Stainer violin

1 Thaler = ? 72,00

1 pound of wax candles = ? 2,50

It appears from the above that proper lighting was crucial for musicians who were sight-reading their parts. The church authorities were well aware of this and did not skimp on lighting because they knew how important it was for the best performance of Bach's figural music. If they had studied and rehearsed the cantatas sufficiently in advance (and thereby committed most or all of the music to memory, as the best court orchestras in Europe did), they would probably not have been as dependent on lighting (dim light would have been sufficient) to ensure a good performance.

Bradley Lehman wrote (March 24, 2007):
Thomas Braatz wrote:
[facts deleted; speculation follows]
< It appears from the above that proper lighting was crucial for musicians who were sight-reading their parts. The church authorities were well aware of this and did not skimp on lighting because they knew how important it was for the best performance of Bach's figural music. If they had studied and rehearsed the cantatas sufficiently in advance (and thereby committed most or all of the music to memory, as the best court orchestras in Europe did), they would probably not have been as dependent on lighting (dim light would have been sufficient) to ensure a good performance. >
Yeah, that works for me. Whenever I want my music (or anything else creative I do) to go well -- instead of allowing myself any lead time to think about it, or to practice any ideas, or to get my colleagues up to snuff on any of it -- I just swap my energy-saving 60 watt lightbulbs for a couple of 100s. Splurge. And then everything magically goes better! It's ensured by such a simple expedient!!!!!

Douglas Cowling wrote (March 24, 2007):
Thomas Braatz wrote:
< According to Wolff's reckoning in the appendix of his biography:
8 Thaler = a high quality Jacobus Stainer violin
1 Thaler = ? 72,00
1 pound of wax candles = ? 2,50
It appears from the above that proper lighting was crucial for musicians who were sight-reading their parts. >
Ah, everyone notice the quick insertion of sight-reading as a "fact" among the list of Bach household expenses?

Bradley Lehman wrote (March 24, 2007):
[To Douglas Cowling] I'm still wondering what the break-even point is, measured in lumens, where their sight-reading task switches over to become plausible. Just give the thing enough light, and suddenly it becomes possible; whereas they'd more likely fail if it were even one lumen darker than that.

That break-even point has to exist, if this argument has any merit (since brightness in lumens is for practical purposes a continuous function -- add better candles, or move them closer, or more candles, or whatever -- more light vs less).

Sayingthis silly thing another way: it's a "given" that sighted musicians require some sufficient level of visual illumination to get their job done. ("Duh.") Now, we hand a group of UNPREPARED musicians some difficult task of adequately rendering music they have never seen nor heard before. How much light, measured in lumens, will magically allow them to do an adequate job, with this make-or-break factor of lighting so profoundly affecting their musicianship? Obviously they'd fail in total darkness; and do somewhat better in the middle where they can see the pages comfortably; and start to fail worse again if it gets too bright. So, what's that range (in lumens) where the music is playable; and where does the task first become possible, as the lighting is increased from zero?

'Tis smoke and mirrors. The MADE-UP PREMISE about sight-reading cantata performances is still being recycled as its own conclusion; and the lighting of the scene (with better candles or worse candles) is yet another red herring. The candlepower only helps us see better how red it is. :)

If lighting were such a make-or-break concern, as somehow solvable by candles, one could also place some blame on the clergy (since blame for failure must be sprayed around). The other parts of the service got done too early, or too late, for optimal lighting by sunbeams through windows. Candles couldn't cover the remaining deficit. Therefore the musicians couldn't see the music they were sight-reading, and they failed. They could have done better 10 minutes earlier, or later, when the natural lighting was better, or when the cloud cover happened to allow more light into the church. It's the clergy's fault for mis-pacing the service! Or the architect's fault: for positioning the church or its windows in a less than optimal place for that particular day of the year and time of day. Or God's fault: for providing too many clouds that day, and therefore ruining the music!!!!! Not just the big humidity changes that play havoc with instruments and their tuning, but bad lighting too!!!!!!

Sort of makes a musician want to go rehearse, doesn't it, to be better prepared for such less-than-optimal conditions that might come up in performance. The ability to roll with such punches is a good sign of musicianship...and it's one more thing to rehearse: the way a piece of music goes at different times of day, and in different weather conditions.

Tom Dent wrote (March 25, 2007):
One wonders why so many words are being expended for the sole purpose of gaining the upper hand in an irrelevant argument. I know Brad has something better to do, why doesn't he do it?

It is a simple fact that music is easier to read with more light and that music you don't know by heart is easier to play the more you are able to see the page. I don't find it absurd that a cantata performance could have been adversely affected by bad lighting. How important a factor this may have been among many others is of course highly debatable, but a debate cannot take place if every message is a thousand-word-long missive dedicated entirely to proving, with much sound and fury, that what the other guy just said is wrong. I'd rather be implausible than unreadable.

Richard Mix wrote (March 25, 2007):
Ludwig wrote:
< Beeswax is by church canons ( at least in the Anglican and RC churches and these days in many Lutheran churches)what candles are to be made of... >
Well, sort of; they are required to be 51% pure by the RC rubrics.

Thanks to Thomas' figures we can do some quick reckoning:

72/2.5 ~40 lb candles per thaler x 11 thaler for church music = 440 lb per year

52 weeks = 104 Sundays + Sat vespers, + up to25 other feasts? =? 250 hours x 12 shared parts = 3000-6000 candle-hours, assuming the church then was dark in the morning (not so true of the present day).

Now I'll have to ask a priest tomorrow, but if 10 hours/pound is reasonable and I havnt made a mistake, then I've failed to establish that there is an unaccounted for surplus of candles used for rehearsals. To me of course such a negative result merely confirms a suspicion that they took place in the school during the day.

Ed Myskowski wrote (March 25, 2007):
Tom Dent wrote:
< I'd rather be implausible than unreadable. >
Pity that so many BCML posts are both. Not directed at yours, BTW, which I always find readable. And so, when a point seems implausible to me, I discuss it.

Douglas Cowling wrote (March 25, 2007):
Richard Mix wrote:
< Now I¹ll have to ask a priest tomorrow, but if 10 hours/pound is reasonable and I havnt made a mistake, then I¹ve failed to establish that there is an unaccounted for surplus of candles used for rehearsals. To me of course such a negative result merely confirms a suspicion that they took place in the school during the day. >
Pure bleached beeswax candles are only required for liturgical purposes on the altar or carried by acolytes. This would have been the practice in Lutheran churches throughout the Bach's life and is still probably the custom in European churches. Candles in other parts of the church (corona chandeliers, etc) could be less expensive. The candles in Bach's choir loft, which were purely utilitarian, could well have been unbleached wax or tallow. In general, musicians played in light levels which no modern musician would accept.

Ed Myskowski wrote (March 25, 2007):
[To Richard Mix] Now this is my idea of really having fun! I think your estimate of 10 hours/pound is too low. The liturgical candles (I have forgotten the proper name) which burn at either side of the alter from Easter until they are extinguished on Holy Saturday cannot weigh more than thirty pounds, probably more like twenty. Let's be really conservative and say ten days (240 hours) per pound. Also, consider the small devotional candles I used to light for a quarter ($0.25), which weigh only a few ounces. I would occasionally check, to be sure I was getting full value of devotion, they burned for more than a day.

What does this do to the candlepower versus rehearsal calculations?

BTW, you are spot on re the 51% beeswax spec. I have a friend who is a beekeeper, and who makes the candles for his church. He makes 100% regular size for sale (and friends), but he is careful never to exceed 51% for the giant ones he donates every Easter.

William Rowland (Ludwig) wrote (March 25, 2007):
[To Richard Mix] Ludwig is fine as I have to keep myself separate from a person of the same name and we are both composers but rather distantly related. We get mixed up all the time by our factual names. We unfortunately were born into egocentric families who have no originality about naming male children. We get named as if we were Royals and there is a line of us going back more than 600 years in which the first born of the male line ALWAYS carry the same name. Do your kids a favor---NEVER name them after any living relative or if you do at least make it a middle name. It is difficult for the kids and sometimes when kids turn out to be the black sheep of the family can ruin someone in the family who may be mistaken for the black sheep. Ludwig was a name bestowed upon me by my classmates when I was in Broadcasting COllege since I played much classical music as part of my lab work.

Some Candles will burn for approximately a day. I have had pillars burn for a week continously but what makes the difference is if they are petroleum based or beeswax based.

I love the smell of burning Beeswax Candles and when they are perfumed with Frankenscene---that is wonderful.

Richard Mix wrote (March 26, 2007):
[To Ed Myskowski] Your quite right, Ed. The 7 day candles (half parafin) at church weigh little more than the hymnal, including a heavy glass container, so 7x24 ~ 170 hrs/lb. or 70K candle hours. Seems like far too many chandeliers for just late night doublet copying parties! Or do tapers burn much faster? Certainly they tend to spill hot wax on one's fingers; I remember my first midnight mass at Church of the Advent, when the opening words at rehearsal were: "Let's raise our sights this year. Our goal will be to have a procession in which no one's hair catches fire."

Life of Bach: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Bach’s Time: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3