Guide to Bach Tour

Contents

Description & History | Events in Life History of J.S. Bach | Performance Dates of J.S. Bach’s Vocal Works | Features of Interest | Information & Links | Photos Part 1 | Photos Part 2 | Maps

Description & History

Dresden (about 500,000 ihabitants), the capital city of the German state of Saxony, is located in the picturesque setting of the Elbe valley (“Florence of the Elbe”). A Slavic settlement on the right (northern) bank of the river was joined in 1206 by a German town on the left bank, the heart of today's Altstadt (Old Town). The seat from 1270 of the Wettin landgraves of Meissen and from 1485 of the Dukes (from 1547 also electors) of Saxony. To the present day, this Baroque city is a place of living history - as can be seen in numerous architectural monuments along the Elbe and in the historic quarter of the Inner New Town ("Innere Neustadt").

Between 1806 and 1918 Dresden was the capital of the kingdom of Saxony, a part from 1871 of the German Empire. The city's population quadrupled from 95,000 in 1849 to 396,000 in 1900, surpassing even its rapid growth in the first half of the 18^th century.

The city has suffered repeated damage: by fire in 1491, from bombardment in 1760 and during the suppression of a constitutionalist uprising in 1849. Renowned for its architecture, and as a center for elaborate porcelain manufacture (based at nearby Meissen from 1710), the city was largely destroyed by Allied bombing in February 1945 even though the end of World War II was foreseeable. Thousands of innocents died. In 2002, torrential rains led to the Elbe flooding to 29 feet past its 1845 record height, damaging many landmarks. One of the major restorations in progress is that of the Frauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady, which is being rebuilt from the stones of the original church.

J.S. Bach's greatest wish, to become the Royal Court composer to the Prince Elector in Dresden, was never fulfilled despite his composition of the Mass in B minor (BWV 232) specifically for that purpose, which is now stored in the Book Museum of the Saxon Regional and University Library. Bach did, however, perform concerts here on the Silbermann organs in the Church of our Lady (1736) and the Church of St. Sophia.

Bach's heritage is kept alive in Dresden today primarily by the Dresdner Kreuzchor, the Virtuosi Saxoniae, the Dresdner Kammerchor, the Dresden Bach Choir, Dresdner Barockorchester and the Bach Camera Musicale.

Events in Life History of J.S. Bach

Date/Year	Event
Weimar (1708-1717)
Autumn 1717	Organ competition in Dresden with Louis Marchand
Leipzig (1723-1730)
Apr 19-20, 1725	Organ recitals at Sophienkirche, Dresden
Leipzig (1731-1740)
Sep 14-21, 1731	Organ recitals at Sophienkirche, Dresden
June 23, 1733	Appointment of son Wilhelm Friedemann as organist at Sophienkirche, Dresden
July 1733	Visit to Dresden
Nov 19, 1736	Appointment as Hofcompositeur to Dresden Court
Dec 1, 1736	Organ recital at Frauenkirche, Dresden
May 1738	Visit to Dresden
Leipzig (1741-1750)
Nov 1741	Visit to Dresden

Performance Dates of J.S. Bach’s Vocal Works

Date	Event	BWV	Title	Remarks
July 27, 1733	Dedication	232	Kyrie & Gloria from Mass in B minor

Features of Interest

Information & Links

The Old City: The historical centre of Dresden is located on the left bank of the Elbe, at the peak of a graceful river bend. Protected for centuries by mighty fortifications, the Saxon capital developed splendour and activity.
Royal Palace: First mention of a castle some 700 years ago. A palace comprising four wings was built in the late 15th century. Renaissance-style enlargement 1548-56. Destroyed by fire in 1701 and rebuilt under Augustus the Strong. Large-scale alterations in Neo-Renaissance style 1889-1901 to mark the 800th anniversary of the Wettin dynasty. Destroyed in 1945. Reconstruction commenced in 1989 and still in progress. Tower and Palace Exhibition.
Zwinger Palace: Built 1710-28 by the architect Pöppelmann in cooperation with the sculptor Permoser. Originally designed as an orangery and a setting for court festivities, it was later used for exhibitions. Most perfect example of Late Baroque architecture in Germany. Construction of the Semper Gallery 1847-55.
Semper Opera House.
Loschwitz Elbe Palaces.
Pillnitz Palace.
Palace in the Grand Garden.
Cathedral: Built 1738-54 in Baroque style by the Italian Gaetano Chiaveri. Largest church in Saxony. Cathedral of the Dresden-Meissen Diocese since 1980.
Frauenkirche (The Church of our Lady).
Kreuzekirche (Church of the Holy Cross): The present church was built in the late Baroque and early Classicistic style between 1764 and 1800. It is the home of the Kreuzchor boys’ choir, whose tradition reaches back more than 700 years.
Three Kings Church.
Old and New Masters art galleries, "Green Vault" treasure chamber, Porcelain Collection.
The Königstrasse.
Pfund's Dairy in the Outer New Town (Äussere Neustadt) and the "Gründerzeit" quarter.
Procession of Princes: Mural painted on tiles of Meissen porcelain. 101 metres long. Depicts successive generations of Wettin rulers as a mounted procession.
Altmarkt Square: The large rectangular market-place has been the heart of the town since Dresden’s foundation and was mentioned for the first time in a document in 1370. Markets, festivities, tournaments and games were staged here and important historical events also turned the Altmarkt square into one of the social centres in town.

Dresden-Webrung und Tourismus GmbH
Ostra-Allee 11
D-01067 Dresden
Tel: +49-351/491920
Fax: +49-351/49192116
Tourist Information: Prager Strasse / Schinkelwache am Theaterplatz
Website: Dresden Tourist [various languages]
E-mail: info@dresden-tourist.de

Dresden Tourismus [German]
Dresden (Official Website) [German]
Rund um Dresden [German]
Dresden Tourismus Service [German]
Dresden (Wikipedia) [various languages]
Cityreciew: Sachsen > Dresden [German]
Dresden (Meinestadt) [German]

On the Traces of J.S. Bach: Dresden (Germany Tourism)

Prepared by Aryeh Oron (March 2004)

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Last update: ýMarch 27, 2004 ý18:41:15