Guide to Bach Tour - Kothen (Anhalt)

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 | Maps

Description & History

Köthen (Anhalt) is an endearing little town (35,000 inhabitants) not far from Halle and Leipzig. The district town boasts an eventful history dating back more than 880 years. First documented in 1115, the town obtained its charter in 1313. A succession of royal rulers intensely interested in culture and the arts typified the development of the town, which, by virtue of its favourable climate, attracted outstanding personalities from far and near.

The sound of Köthen culminates in J.S. Bach: in his music and in the environment, which favoured its creation. The very young Leopold (1694-1728) began his reign with an edict for confessional tolerance and he paid tribute to the Muses. Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen was a musically educated man who probably recognized the meaning of J.S. Bach immediately. In 1717 he appointed J.S. Bach, then 32 years old, to be the “Anhalt-Köthen Prince's own musical director". Previously, he had raised the number of the court's orchestra to 17 among them excellent “Cammer Musici” of the same orchestra that he had admired as a student of the Knights' Academy in Berlin (and which the King of Prussia had thrown out without a word!).

The period of J.S. Bach in Köthen may well be described as the most fruitful of his life. He had friendly relationships with the Prince. Bach accompanied the prince on many journeys. Whilst he was staying with him in Karlsbad in 1720, Bach's wife Maria Barbara, with whom he had seven children including Carl Philipp Emanuel and Wilhelm Friedemann, died. These two of his children were to be the most significant musicians in the generation after the father. In 1721 he married the singer Anna Magdalena Wilcke. He dedicated the famous "Little Clavier Booklet for Anna Magdalena Bachin" to her in 1722.

J.S. Bach's genius as a composer and his abilities as leader of an orchestra preferentially from the position of the viola stood as a challenge in the form of interaction with capable music interpreters. His orchestral works were the main focus in Köthen and the musical highlights were the "Six Brandenburg Concertos" which he wrote for the Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg. Other important work composed in Köthen are the "Well Tempered Clavier" (Part 1), in sonatas, suites, double concertos. Often the Prince joined the ensemble - as a singer; harpsichord or viola da gamba player. Even many vocal pieces were created; Anna Magdalena Wilcke took part professionally in their performances as 'Princely singer". After the painful loss of his first wife Maria Barbara, Bach married her at the end of 1721 in Köthen. In 1723 the musical director moved to the position of the choirmaster and organist at St. Thomas' in Leipzig. However, he returned to Köthen several times, the last time when he created the music for Prince Leopold's burial. On this occasion he quoted several passages from Matthäus-Passion (BWV 244) which was premiered only later.

The town of Köthen "lives" J.S. Bach's music: in the choir bearing his name which has existed since 1908: in the "Bach Festival Days" founded in 1935. In 1967, in remembrance of Bach’s stating in office 250 years before, the town raised these "Bach Festival Days" alternatively with the “Köthen Bach Competition” to a fixed tradition. Since that time a Bach organisation had supported this initiative, registered today as “Köthen Bach Society”. In 1983 the Historical Museum opened a place of Memorial to Bach. The Bach Memorial and the Historical Museum are found in the Ludwig building of the Köthen Palace since 1977. Pictures from the circle around the Muse Prince Leopold and Johann Sebastian Bach can be seen in the Bach Memorial and also documents on the Köthen Bach family and the town of Köthen at that time.

Events in Life History of J.S. Bach

Date/Year	Event
Weimar (1708-1717)
Aug 5, 1717	Appointment as Kapellmeister at Köthen
Köthen (1713-1723)
1717	Transfer to Köthen to serve as Kapellmeister
Dec 16, 1717	Organ examination in Paulinerkirche, Leipzig
May-June 1718	Visit to Carlsbad with Price Leopold
Nov 17, 1718	Baptism of son Leopold Augustus
Feb (?) 1719	Visit to Berlin for purchase of harpsichord
May-July 1719	Attempted meeting with Händel in Halle
Sep 16, 1719	Death of son Leopold Augustus
Jan 10, 1720	Godfather to S.C. Abel
May-July 1720	Visit to Carlsbad with Price Leopold
July 1720	Death of J.S. Bach’s wife Maria Barbara (buried July 7)
Nov 1720	Visit to Hamburg; offer of organist post at Jakobikirche declined
1720	6 Sonatas & Partitas for Violin BWV 1001-1006
Feb 22, 1721	Death of brother Johann Christoph
Mar 24, 1721	Performance of the 6 Brandenburg Concertos
June 26, 1721	Godfather to J.C.H. Bähr
Sep 25, 1721	Godfather to J.C. Hahn
Dec 3, 1721	Marriage to Anna Magdalena Wilcke (Wülcken), princely court singer at Köthen
Apr 16, 1722	Death of brother Johann Jacob
Oct 26, 1722	Godfather to S.D. Schulze
Dec 21, 1722	Candidate entered for post of Thomaskantor, Leipzig
1722	The Well-Tempered Clavier Part I completed
Mar 4, 1723	Birth of daughter Christiana Sofia Henrietta; godfather to J.F. Bähr
	Fair copy of Inventions
Leipzig (1723-1730)
July 1724	Visit to Köthen with wife
Dec 1725	Visit to Köthen with wife
Mar 23-24, 1729	Visit to Köthen

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

Date	Event	BWV	Title	Remarks
1718-1722 [Köthen]
Dec 10, 1718	Birthday	66a	Der Himmel dacht auf Anhalts Ruhm und Glück	Music lost
Jan 1, 1719	Celebration of New Year	134a	Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht
Dec 10, 1720 or Jan 21, 1721		184a	[Text Lost]	Lost
Dec 10, 1722 ?	Birthday	173a	Durchlauchtster Leopold

1723 [Leipzig]
Feb 7, 1723	Quinquagesima	22	Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe	1^st Performance
	Quinquagesima	23	Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn	Not performed

Features of Interest

Information & Links

Köthen Palace: with Chapel, Hall of Mirrors and royal stables enlarged at the turn of the 16/17^th centuries to form a stately Renaissance seat of government
Bach Memorial.
Apothecary's vault: dating from the time of Prince Ludwig with periodically-changing special exhibitions
Naumann Museum in the Castle with the only preserved early 19^th century ornithology collection.
Neo-Renaissance Town Hall
Municipal and Cathedral Church of St James: (1400-1514).
The St. Agnus Church: (1694-1698) in Dutch Baroque style with valuable paintings from the Cranach workshop.
St Mary's Church.
The "Romanesque Road": in Saxony-Anhalt as elsewhere, leads people interested in the history of culture and civilisation to many castles, palaces, royal residences and ecclesiastical buildings, all of which are well worth visiting.
The Köthen district: is a veritable archaeological treasure-chest Flint axes and hunting trophies are up to 350,000 years old and evidence of stock-breeding and the growing of grain dates back to the year 5000 BC. The megalithic graves in Schortewitz (near Drosa) and Wulfen are the southern most locations in Central Europe where such finds have been made.

Stadtinformation Köthen (Anhalt)
Hallesche Str. 10
Hallescher Turm
D-06366 Köthen/Anhalt
Tel./Fax: +49-3496-216217
Website: Kulturstätten Köthen [German]

Stadt Köthen (Anhalt) (Official Website) [German]
Landkreis Köthen / Anhalt [German]
Köthen (Wikipedia) [various languages]
Cityreview: Sachsen Anhalt > Köthen (Anhalt) [German]
Köthen (Anhalt) (Meinestadt) [German]

Köthen 1717-1723 – Part 1 (Koster)
Köthen 1717-1723 – Part 2 (Koster)
The J.S. Bach Tourist 11: Köthen (Koster)
On the Traces of J.S. Bach: Köthen (Germany Tourism)
J.S. Bach Biographie: Köthen 1717-1723 (Schlu) [German]
J.S. Bach Education & Career: Cöthen 1717-1723 (T.A. Smith)
Bach in Köthen [German] Bach in Köthen

Prepared by Aryeh Oron (October 2003 – March 2004)

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Last update: ýMarch 23, 2004 ý23:48:27