Music traditions in Lutherland
From Baroque to the Romantic period
Pachelbel's canon for eternity
Johann Christoph Pachelbel's world-famous work Canon and Gigue in D major is regularly in the top ten international wedding playlists. The friend of the Bach family probably wrote it for the wedding of Johann Christoph Bach in Ohrdruf in 1694. Among the wedding guests was his nine-year-old little brother Johann Sebastian. Following in Pachelbel's footsteps, you can visit the Georgenkirche in Eisenach, the Schlosskirche at Friedenstein Castle in Gotha and the Predigerkirche in Erfurt.
Bach is always and everywhere
You stumble across the Bach family practically everywhere in Lutherland. The child-rich and musical Bachs provided towns and princely courts with chamber musicians, organists and town musicians. It all began with a baker-miller named Veit Bach, who immigrated from what is now Slovakia in the 16th century and only cultivated his love of music in his spare time. He was followed by generations of professional musicians. The superstar of the family was born in Eisenach in 1685 and was given the first name Johann Sebastian.
A search for traces of the Bach family history leads from Eisenach via several Thuringian towns to Köthen in Saxony-Anhalt. Johann Sebastian Bach spent an extremely productive time in Köthen from 1717 to 1723 as Kapellmeister at the court of Prince Leopold von Anhalt-Köthen. It was here that he composed the majority of his world-famous instrumental works, including the Brandenburg Concertos and the Orchestral Suite in B minor. The relative artistic freedom and the excellent musicians at the court in Köthen enabled Bach to fully develop his musical ideas.
Tip for fans: The Bach Church in Arnstadt. This is probably where the world-famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor was composed.
Handel and the place where it all began
It is true that George Frideric Handel practically became English in the course of his life. However, he was born in Halle in what is now Saxony-Anhalt. Unlike Bach, his path as a musician was not exactly predetermined. The son of a “personal surgeon and secret valet de chambre”, he was destined for a career in law. What luck that the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels was able to convince his father of the boy's musical talent!
Special tip: The Handel House in Halle. Here you can find out what Handel's childhood was like, meet the “European Handel”, admire historical musical instruments and get to know Handel and his time interactively. And after all, this is the place where it all began. Not to be missed is the Handel Festival, an annual cultural highlight that celebrates the works of the famous composer. The festival has been held regularly since 1952 and attracts an international audience interested in Handel's music and history.
The annual Handel Festival in Halle ©Stiftung Händel-Haus
The divine genius of Telemann
During his lifetime, Georg Philipp Telemann was actually more famous than Bach and Handel. His contemporaries regarded him as a “divine genius”. Born in Magdeburg in 1681, the composer discovered his love of music at an early age. As a child, he taught himself to play various musical instruments. This probably frightened his mother and she took away his sheet music. Fortunately, as we know today, this did little to help. His music can be heard on many occasions in Magdeburg.
At the Telemann Center in Magdeburg, visitors can delve deeper into the world of the composer and learn more about his life and work. The center is dedicated to the academic study of Telemann's work and offers interesting insights for musicologists and laypeople alike
Tips: The Telemann Festival Days, the Telemann Competition, the Telemann Summer Festival and the Sunday Music with Telemann.
Romantic times with Liszt
Franz Liszt was many things - child prodigy, star pianist, composer, music teacher and enfant terrible. He cultivated the latter role with dedication, including his public relationship with Princess von Sayn-Wittgenstein, who was married to someone else. At the court of the culturally minded Grand Duke of Weimar, Carl Friedrich, and his wife, the Tsar's daughter Maria Pavlovna, the Hungarian-born composer found the best conditions for a life as a highly respected ‘extraordinary court conductor’. Brahms, Schumann, Berlioz and von Fallersleben, the poet of the German national anthem, frequented his salon in Weimar. Today, the Weimar University of Music bears his name and the city honours him with a Liszt Biennale.
Wagner and the Wartburg
A missed train is said to have been the reason why Richard Wagner succumbed to the magic of Wartburg Castle in Eisenach. The castle, which was probably more of a romantic ruin in his day, enchanted the composer, who was susceptible to romantic elements. Added to this were the stories that were told about minstrels and St Elisabeth. The result is one of his most beautiful operas: ‘Tannhäuser und der Sängerkrieg auf der Wartburg’. Incidentally, it is still performed every year in its original location at the castle, which has since been renovated. Guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience!
THURINGIAN BACH FESTIVAL Every year around Easter time. Three weeks of Bach's music in all Thuringian Bach towns, sometimes classical, sometimes with a modern twist. See thueringer-bachwochen.de. Next: 11 April - 4 May, 2025. LISZT BIENNIAL IN THURINGIA Every two years in June in different Thuringian cities. 2025 in Meiningen and Bad Liebenstein under the motto ‘Landscape and Soul’. Next: 4 - 9 June, 2025. HÄNDEL FESTIVAL The Handel Festival has been held once a year since 1952 - in honor of Handel, who was born in Halle and spent his most formative years here, and in honor of his great music. Next: 06 - 15. June, 2025. TELEMANN FESTIVAL The festival invites everyone to immerse themselves in the fascinating world of baroque music and experience the sounds of Telemann in the atmosphere of his home town. More: telemann.org WARTBURG CONCERTS All year round. Various series of events including concerts with Dlf-Kultur radio channel, Advent concerts and performances of Wagner's ‘Tannhäuser’. For dates see wartburg.de.
Header: MDR Music Summer concert in the Bach Church in Arnstadt ©Oliver Killig, MDR
