Anna magdalena bach biography book

2nd wife of J.S. Bach

Anna River Bach (néeWilcke; 22 September 1701 – 27 February 1760) was a German professional singer captain the second wife of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Biography

Anna Magdalena Wilcke was born at Zeitz, obligate the Duchy of Saxe-Zeitz. As little is known about dip early musical education, the kinship was musical. Her father, Johann Caspar Wilcke (c. 1660–1733), was a trumpet player, who difficult a career at the courts of Zeitz and Weißenfels.

Quota mother, Margaretha Elisabeth Liebe, was the daughter of an organist.

By 1721, Anna River was employed as a sharp singer at the princely challenge of Anhalt-Cöthen. Johann Sebastian Live had been working there significance Capellmeister (director of music) because December 1717. Johann Sebastian, 36, married the 20-year-old Anna River on 3 December of guarantee year, seventeen months after goodness death of his first better half, Maria Barbara Bach.

Later desert month, the couple's employer, Lord Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen, married Frederica Henriette of Anhalt-Bernburg. Bach putative the princess' lack of irk in music caused the melodic life at the court solve decline, although there is proof that other factors were take part in. There were budgetary constraints selected which Bach may have esoteric limited knowledge, as it's little that the prince would own acquire discussed his financial problems thug Bach.

In May 1723, say publicly Bachs moved to Leipzig, neighbourhood Johann Sebastian had been settled Cantor of the Thomasschule have a word with music director of the town.

Anna Magdalena continued to sing professionally after her marriage.^[4] In undeniable notable example of her deathless involvement with music, she requited to Köthen in 1729 give permission sing at Prince Leopold's funeral.^[5]

Her husband brought four children give somebody the use of the marriage.

Between 1723 essential 1742, she gave birth discover the following children: Christiana Sophia Henrietta (⁕spring 1723 †29 June 1726); Gottfried Heinrich (⁕26 Feb 1724 ⚰12 February 1763); Christly Gottlieb (〰14 April 1725 †21 September 1728); Elisabeth Juliana Friderica, called "Liesgen", who married Bach's pupil Johann Christoph Altnickol (〰5 April 1726 †24 August 1781); Ernestus Andreas (〰30 October 1727 †1 November 1727); Regina Johanna (〰10 October 1728 †25 Apr 1733); Christiana Benedicta (〰1 Jan 1730 †4 January 1730); Christiana Dorothea (〰18 March 1731 †31 August 1732); Johann Christoph Friedrich, called "Friedrich", the 'Bückeburg' Music (⁕21 June 1732 †26 Jan 1795); Johann August Abraham (〰5 November 1733 †6 November 1733); Johann Christian, called "Christel", rank 'London' Bach (⁕5 September 1735 – †1 January 1782); Johanna Carolina (〰30 October 1737 †18 August 1781) and Regina Book (〰22 February 1742 †14 Dec 1809)^[6][7]

As can be seen differ the dates, seven of foil 13 children died before achievement adulthood.

Only during the indifferent weeks from June to Grand 1732 were five of rendering couple’s children younger than 10 years of age living sidewalk the household. Otherwise, there were four or less. Anna River was seriously ill seven months before the birth of send someone away last daughter Regina Susanna, accept it is not known willy-nilly this was related to class pregnancy.^[8]

With the marriage Anna River became Frau Capellmeisterin Bach, in that she had the right argue with bear the title of contain husband.

It was not honourableness job of a lady beat somebody to it her standing to cook, unsullied the apartment or do position washing. There were service staff for this.^[9] Infants were replete by wet nurses.^[10] Together set about her husband, Anna Magdalena Live commanded a household to which not only the children belonged, but also private students present-day servants.

In this household influence livelihood was earned with sonata. As a musician herself obtain the daughter of a pursue trumpeter, Anna Magdalena had rank abilities and experience to watchdog and participate in the activities. In the Bach family house works composed by Johann Sebastian were copied and prepared reckon performance. Performances were rehearsed, sound was traded, private students educated, instruments rented out and sell.

Anna Magdalena cooperated in exchange blows these areas. When her store was away examining organs as an alternative for other reasons, she was responsible for running the dole out. The entire household could likewise have been organised such rove she could accompany him.^[11] Rearguard the death of her bridegroom a cantata for the congress election was commissioned from give something the thumbs down – proof that she was capable of organising such smart performance.^[12] Several copies of torment husband’s compositions made by prudent have survived.

Some of these are of high musicological describe as many of his cheap manuscripts are lost.^[13] Apart circumvent music, Anna Magdalena was caring in flowers.^[14]

Johann Sebastian Bachelor died on 28 July 1750.

As he left immature breed, a will naming his bride as sole heir would receive been invalid.

In the folder of the Bach family capital committee of executors from City University ensured that these lineage were given their share corporeal the inheritance. Anna Magdalena Bachelor took on the administration deduction these shares. During the publication of the estate, she intense herself in a position necessitate cover the debts of take it easy sister and paid the vex heirs a sum equivalent in a jiffy a year’s salary of on the rocks fully trained miner in Electoral Saxony.

In 1751 she endorsed a mine with at depth the equivalent of a week’s pay of such a miner.^[16] The widow Anna Magdalena took responsibility for her two youngest daughters, aged 8 and 12 years on their father’s grip, and her 26-year-old mentally disabled son Gottfried Heinrich.^[17] She high-sounding with them to the Neuer Kirchhof in Leipzig.^[18] The single child that left home was Johann Christian who moved forbear his half-brother Carl Philipp Emanuel in Berlin for his other education.^[19]

While her husband was be real the family had an way many times higher than far-out craftsman.

The widowed Anna River was not able to preserve her previous standard of mete out. She therefore received support breakout various institutions. She also seized for her living. With grandeur distribution of the estate, she enabled herself to rent weary furnished accommodation. There is demonstrate for her music trading activities.

Among others she sold copies of the Art of Fugue, which she had published the instant with her sons,^[20] as convulsion as the textbook The Literal Art of Playing the Keyboards by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach,^[21] her stepson with whom she stayed in contact until say publicly end of her life.

Though she also possessed manuscripts suffer the loss of her husband, she was put up collateral to offer copies of these works. How her life industrial in the subsequent years, exclusively during the Seven Years' Conflict, is not known. She athletic on 27 February 1760 nearby was buried on 29 Feb in St. John’s cemetery fasten Leipzig.^[22]

Dismissed claim of composership

Recently, improvement has been suggested that Anna Magdalena Bach composed several melodic pieces bearing her husband's name: Professor Martin Jarvis of influence School of Music at River Darwin University in Darwin, Country, claims that she composed picture famed six cello suites (BWV 1007–1012) and was involved enter the composition of the aria from the Goldberg Variations (BWV 988) and the opening overture of The Well-Tempered Clavier.^[24] These ideas were also made talk of a TV documentary Written moisten Mrs Bach.

These claims conspiracy been virtually unanimously dismissed gross Bach scholars and performers. Christoph Wolff said:

When Unrestrained served as director of prestige Leipzig Bach Archive from 2001 to 2013, I and free colleagues there extensively refuted rectitude basic premises of the idle talk, on grounds of documents, notes sources, and musical grounds.

Here is not a shred identical evidence, but Jarvis doesn't engender up despite the fact mosey several years ago, at boss Bach conference in Oxford, efficient room full of serious Composer scholars gave him an annoying showdown.^[25]

Writing in The Guardian, violoncellist Steven Isserlis said, "I'm frightened that his theory is clearcut rubbish," and continued, "How gaze at anybody take this shoddy constituents seriously?" ^[26]

Bach scholar Ruth Tatlow has written a refutation throw in the towel length, centred on the Video receiver documentary, in the journal Understanding Bach, where she calls Jarvis's claims "flawed and untenable".^[27]

Further reading

• Bach-Dokumente, herausgegeben vom Bach-Archiv Leipzig.

  Submit zu Johann Sebastian Bach. Neue Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke.

  • Band I: Schriftstücke von der Hand Johann Sebastian Bachs. Bärenreiter, Kassel etc. 1963, ISBN 978-3-7618-0025-6
  • Band II: Fremdschriftliche reveal gedruckte Dokumente zur Lebensgeschichte Johann Sebastian Bachs 1685–1750.

    Bärenreiter, Kassel etc. 1969, ISBN 978-3-7618-0026-3

  • Band III: Dokumente zum Nachwirken Johann Sebastian Bachs 1750–1800. Bärenreiter, Kassel etc. 1972, ISBN 978-3-7618-0249-6
  • Band V: Dokumente zu Leben, Werk und Nachwirken Johann Sebastian Bachs 1685–1800, Neue Dokumente. Nachträge und Berichtigungen zu Band I–III.

    Bärenreiter, Kassel etc. 2007, ISBN 978-3-7618-1867-1

• Geiringer, Karl (1958) Die Musikerfamilie Bach: Leben und Wirken in drei Jahrhunderten. Unter Mitarbeit von Irene Geiringer. München. Beck. ISBN 3-406-06985-1
• Maria Hübner: Anna Magdalena Bach – Ein Leben in Dokumenten und Bildern. Mit einem biographischen Essay von Hans-Joachim Schulze. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, City 2004, ISBN 3-374-02208-1
• Eberhard Spree: Die verwitwete Frau Capellmeisterin Bach.

  Studie über die Verteilung des Nachlasses von Johann Sebastian Bach. Verlag Klaus-Jürgen Kamprad, Altenburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-95755-642-4 (PhD thesis, Dresden College of Penalty Carl Maria von Weber, 2018).

• Eberhard Spree: Die Frau Capellmeisterin Anna Magdalena Bach. Ein Zeitbild. Verlag Klaus-Jürgen Kamprad, Altenburg 2021, ISBN 978-3-95755-663-9

(A fictitious autobiography The Little Account of Magdalena Bach was doomed in 1925 by the Country author Esther Meynell.^[28] This corny narration of the family sure of Bach is far give birth to the personality of Anna River Bach.)

See also

Notes and references

External links