Bach in Leipzig: The Latest on His Organs and Organ Works

This lively workshop will look at Bach’s activities as an organist in Leipzig in light of recent findings. It will re-examine the organs available to him, including Scheibe’s instruments in the University Church (which Bach surely used for recitals) and the St. John’s Church (which Bach inspected in 1742). And it will reconsider the Schübler Chorales, the Leipzig Chorale Portfolio (the “Great Nineteen Chorales”?), and the special place of the Fantasy & Fugue in C Minor, BWV 537, which may represent Bach’s final thoughts on a “symphonic” prelude and fugue.

Although Bach no longer held an organist position in Leipzig, his interest in organ construction, playing, and composition eclipsed even his remarkable achievements in Weimar, leading to works that embraced the new developments in Central German organ building and prepared the ground for the German Romantic style that was soon to come. Attend this workshop and see how this happened.