Editorial: Bach from 1985 to 2000

Author(s): Christoph Wolff and Nicholas Kenyon

Source: Early Music, Vol. 13, No. 2, J. S. Bach Tercentenary Issue (May, 1985), pp. 162-164
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3126971
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 EDITORIAL
Cover: Balthasar Denner (1685-1749)
?? J. S. Bach and his sons. (See
Bach from 1985 to 2000 editorial note p.164.)
Our image of Bach in 1985 is much more varied and considerably more realistic
than ever before. Because of the lack of relevant documents, there will never be a
psycho-biography of Bach; but we no longer regard him as a comparatively
abstract, heroic figure. Particularly since 1950, we have begun to recognize Editor
in Nicholas Kenyon
much more detail the many facets of this extraordinary musician: Bach the Assistant Tim Crawford
composer and his workshop, Bach the performer, Bach the teacher, the bibical Text editors
Sally Dunkley and Jonathan Goodall
scholar, the travelling virtuoso, the impresario, the organologist, the business-
Reviews David Fallows (books)
man, and even the family man.
John Milsom (music)
To mention only the two most significant projects of Bach research in the lastEric
35 Van Tassel (recordings)
years, the four volumes of Bach-Dokumente and the still-continuing Neue Bach- Design and Production
Ausgabe have set new standards and represent an unparalleled achievement. BachPeter Campbell and Paul McAlinden
Music Examples Jeanne Fisher
scholarship apparently continues to set the pace and the trends (take for example
Advertising Arthur Boyars
the influence of Bach Rezeptionsgeschichte) for the scholarly treatment of
4 Hollywood Mews. London SW10 9HU,
individual composers within the discipline of musicology. Although we do not
phone 01-352 6400. Prepayment is
possess an authoritative new biography to match the scope of Spitta's book requested from all non-series advertisers,
who should make remittance payable to
(despite the recent praiseworthy efforts of scholars such as Alberto Basso and
Arthur Boyars. If camera-ready copy is not
Malcolm Boyd), special studies of all kinds have brought us much closer to the
provided a setting charge will be made.
composer and his music. And in the performance of early music Bach remains the
decisive testing ground. 'Early Music' is published quarterly in
February, May, August and November by
The various articles in this issue of Early Music provide a representative cross-
Oxford University Press, Ely House,
section of current activities and topics in Bach scholarship. Some issues which are
37 Dover Street, London W1X 4AH,
traditionally central are discussed: biography, chronology, style, sources phone
and 01-493 9376. Contributions are
their transmission. Some aspects receive new emphasis: terminology, hymnodyinvited and should be sent with SAE to the

and authenticity. This final question of the authorship of works attributed to Bach
editor at that address. Two copies are
required.
will become-sooner rather than later-very important in connection with the Articles should not as a rule
exceed 6,000 words. A style sheet is
definition of an authentic Bach repertoire as the Neue Bach-Ausgabe nears
available from the editorial office upon
completion. The recent discovery of a group of early chorale settings by Bach (see
request
MT, March 1985) has made it clear that a systematic evaluation of all the works
classified as doubtful in Schmieder's BWV is now necessary. Thorough investi-
gations of peripheral sources may well produce further discoveries; this is
Annual subscription from February 1985
scarcely surprising since probably more than a third of Bach's output mustUKbe
E21, USA $40, elsewhere ?26 post free,
regarded as lost. from Journals Subscriptions. Oxford
Some areas, of course, have not been dealt with in this tercentenary issue University
of Press, Walton Street Oxford
OX2 6DP, phone 0865 56767, to whom all
Early Music. One example is the philosophical and theological perspective pro-
inquiries concerning subscriptions for
vided in the recent studies by Eric Chafe; others might include substantive
'Early Music' should be addressed'
analytical, contextual, interpretative and organological discussions. But these
gaps point up the prevailing weaknesses in present-day Bach scholarship. Source
studies, for example, have too long been emphasised at the expense of analytical
studies: in the future it will be important to coordinate (or better, to integrate)
@ Oxford University Press
source-orientated research and writing with style-orientated research and writing.
ISSN 0306-1078
We still suffer from a lack of understanding of Bach's extensive and complex
relationship with his contemporaries. To take just one example: it is inexcusable Typesetting and origination by
that there is not a single edition available of J. A. Hasse's opera Cleofide, for which
TNR Productions Ltd 19 Westbourne Road
London N7 8AN
all relevant sources survive in the Dresden library. Bach was present at the
Printed in Great Britain at the University
performance of this opera in 1731 and it would be logical to study this piece in
Press, Oxford by David Stanford, Printer to
order to begin exploring the topic 'Bach and opera'. the University
There remains 15 years before the next major Bach anniversary in 2000; this is
hardly enough time to resolve the many outstanding problems about his music,
but it offers a considerable opportunity to push ahead, and a goal at which to aim.
CHRISTOPH WOLFF

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 ? J. S. Bach. Silverpoint drawing, anonymous,
c1730-1740 (see B-Dok iv, B9 p.17)
(previously in the possession of Dr Fiala,
Vienna; present owner unknown)

Editor's note
This is both one of the longest and one of the toughest issues of Early Music we
have published. As Christoph Wolff points out above, Bach studies are at present
in a period of rapid change and development; it is too early to sum up the radical
changes in our understanding of the composer which have taken place since
1950. So we have decided to present a 'state of the art' report on current Bach
scholarship without attempting to provide the kind of summary of his achieve-
ment which would inevitably, at a time when our picture of Bach is shifting
continually, be an over-simplification. This tercentenary issue of Early Music
follows in the tradition established by those on Machaut (October 1977) and
Rameau (October 1983), and takes the risk of confronting readers with the
painstaking, detailed work of scholars on a wide variety of current problems.
Some startling conclusions are suggested: in particular, Christoph Wolffs own
article re-examines Bach's production of secular music during his Leipzig years,
proposes some radical redatings, and demands a reorientation of our whole way of
thinking about his output, suggesting a new agenda for students of Bach
chronology in the future. Robert L. Marshall's note on Bach's terminology reveals

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a fascinating sidelight on his understanding of his sacred
and secular r6les: was he offering to write an opera for
Dresden? George Stauffer shows how meticulously Bach
revised his own keyboard works; Stephen A. Crist illuminates
in considerable detail the process of composition in two of
Bach's first cantatas for Leipzig. Robin A. Leaver, who has
done much to widen our understanding of Bach's religious
thought, examines the uncompleted plan for the Orgelbuich-
lein, while Robert Hill provides some criteria for determining
the authenticity or otherwise of keyboard works attributed to
Bach-a process which, as Wolff remarks above, is crucial in
reassessing doubtful Bach works.
Stylistic questions are touched on by Hans-Joachim
Schulze in his survey of the important French influence on
Bach, and by Laurence Dreyfus in his thought-provoking
view of Bach's organ obbligati. Russell Stinson considers
what a contemporary manuscript copy of Bach's music can
reveal about early versions or scribal errors. We trust that
each contribution adds its own perspective to the ever-
shifting image of Bach. I would like to thank Christoph Wolff
for his guidance in planning the issue from its earliest
stages, and for his constant advice and help in the midst of a
punishing tercentenary schedule; and Tim Crawford and
Jonathan Goodall for their solutions to the many special
problems posed by the editing of an all-Bach issue. To our
regular readers, and particularly to those of medieval
inclination, we promise a speedy return to mixed-bag issues
of the journal and as wide a coverage of very early music as
our contributors can be persuaded to provided.
NICHOLAS KENYON
A Bach family portrait?
Thequestion mark is advisable, certainly for the present.
the painting reproduced on our cover (by generous p
mission of the private owner) may turn out to be a signifi
contribution to Bach iconography. It was sold at the Lond
auction house of Bonham's on 19 January 1978, when it w
attributed to Herman von der Myn and described as '
Quartet Group-Portrait of a Gentleman seated at a tab
holding a Cello, his three Sons beside him with Violins an
Piccolo, oil on canvas, in carved frame, 28 in. x 36 in. (71
x 91.5 cm)'.
Since then, however, it has been established that the
picture is by Balthasar Denner (1685-1749), and a tentative
identification of the subject has been made as J. S. Bach and
three of his sons (see Helmut Borsch-Supan, 'Gruppenbild
mit Musikern', Kunst & Antiquitaten, 111/1982, pp.22-32).
There are many problems to be resolved before the identi-
fication can be accepted with certainty. The art historians
have dated the picture c1730 and identified the three sons as
Wilhelm Friedemann, Carl Philipp Emanuel and Gottfried
Heinrich. This is unlikely, for it is difficult to explain the
absence of Bach's third son, Johann Gottfried Bernhard,
from the portrait.
A more convincing suggestion is that, if the painting were
dated 1733, the sons portrayed would be Emanuel (born
1714) who played the violin, Gottfried Bernhard (born 1715)
who played the flute, and Gottfried Heinrich (born 1724). The
empty chair on the right of the painting (slightly cropped in
our reproduction) would represent the absent Wilhelm
Friedemann, who in 1733 left Leipzig for Dresden. N.K.

List of abbreviations
The following bibliographical abbreviations have been used throughout this issue:
B-Dok i W. Neumann and H.-J. Schulze, eds., Schriftstficke von der Hand Johann Sebastian Bachs, Bach-Dokumente,
(Leipzig, 1963; Fr. trans., 1976)
B-Dok ii H.- J. Schulze, ed., Fremdschriftliche undgedruchte Dokumente zurLebensgeschichte Johann Sebastian Bachs 1685-
1750, Bach-Dokumente, ii (Leipzig, 1969)
B-Dok iii H.-J. Schulze, ed., Dokumente zum Nachwirken Johann Sebastian Bachs 1750-1800, Bach-Dokumente, i
(Leipzig, 1972)
B-Dok iv W. Neumann, ed., Bilddokumente zur Lebensgeschichte Johann Sebastian Bachs, Bach-Dokumente, iv (Leipzig,
1978)
BG J S. Bach: Werke, ed. Bach-Gesellschaft, i-xlvii (Leipzig, 1851-99/R1947)
BJb Bach-Jahrbuch (1904-)
The Bach H. T. David and A. Mendel, The Bach Reader: a Life ofJohann Sebastian Bach in Letters and Do
Reader 1945, rev.2/1966)
NBA J. S. Bach: Neue Ausgabe sdmtlicher Werke (Neue Bach-Ausgabe), ed. Johann- Sebastian-Bach- Ins
and Bach-Archiv, Leipzig, series I-IX (Kassel and Basle, 1954-) [NBA series/volume, Kritis
Symbols for the library sources of works, printed in italic, correspond to those used in Repertoire interna
musicales, Kassel (Series A); a listing of these sigla can be found in The New Grove (London, 1980). Most fre
made, in this issue, to:
D-B Berlin (West), Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz
D-Bds Berlin (East), Deutsche Staatsbibliothek (formerly K6nigliche Bibliothek; Preussische Staa
Offentliche Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek), Musikabteilung

164 EARLY MUSIC MAY 1985

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