Christoph Wolff - The Organs of J.S. Bach: A Handbook

The Organs of J.S.Bach

CHRISTOPH WOLFF & MARKUS ZEPF

The Organs of J.S.Bach

A HANDBOOK

Translation by

LYNN EDWARDS BUTLER

Introduction by

CHRISTOPH WOLFF

PUBLISHED IN COOPERATION WITH

THE AMERICAN BACH SOCIETY

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS

Urbana, chicago, and springfield

Originally published as Die Orgeln
J. S. Bachs: Ein Handbuch
Edition Bach-Archiv Leipzig
Evangelische Verlagsanstalt,
Leipzig /Bach-Archive Leipzig, 2006.
Second edition, 2008.

This publication is sponsored by the American
Bach Society and produced under the guidance
of its Editorial Board. For information about the
American Bach Society, please see its web site at
www.americanbachsociety.org.

Frontispiece: Naumburg, St. Wenceslass Church:
Hildebrandt organ (photograph, 2006)

2012 by the Board of Trustees
of the University of Illinois
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 C P 5 4 3 2 1

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wolff, Christoph.
[Orgeln J. S. Bachs. English]
The organs of J. S. Bach : a handbook /
Christoph Wolff and Markus Zepf;
translation by Lynn Edwards Butler;
introduction by Christoph Wolff. Rev. ed.
p. cm.
Published in cooperation with the
American Bach Society.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-252-03684-2 (hard cover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-252-07845-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Organ (Musical instrument)GermanyHistory
18th century. 2. Bach, Johann Sebastian, 16851750.
I. Zepf, Markus, 1972 II. Title.
ML576.3.W6613 2012
786.51943dc23 2011039540

Contents

Foreword

It is with pride and delight that the American Bach Society, in conjunction with the University of Illinois Press, issues this English translation of Die Orgeln J. S. Bachs: Ein Handbuch by Christoph Wolff and Markus Zepf. For some time now the society has wanted to expand its printing ventures beyond its well-established hardcover series Bach Perspectives. The present volume, which addresses one of the most important aspects of Bachs musical life in a comprehensive yet accessible manner, offers a perfect opportunity to place a German publication of great interest before a new, English-speaking audience.

In compiling their new handbook, Wolff and Zepf have been able to set the record straight on many aspects of the organs under consideration, with regard to both their historical evolution and their present state. The opening of Thuringia and Saxony through the fall of the Socialist government, the reunification of Germany in 1990, and the recent enlightened restorations of many surviving instruments have resulted in a wealth of new information on the churches, organs, and organ makers of Bachs world. In a number of instances, the degree of preservationand lossof buildings and instruments can be addressed in a forthright way for the first time since World War II. Wolff and Zepf have been able to document whats old and whats new. They have also drawn on the flood of new research that has taken place as many once-inaccessible archives have opened their doors to outside scholars.

One cannot imagine a better constellation of scholar-performers for the present project. Christoph Wolff, preeminent Bach expert and author of the monumental biography Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician, and Markus Zepf, organ specialist and diligent researcher, form a formidable team of authors. Lynn Edwards Butler, organ scholar and former longtime director of the Westfield Center, is a skilled translator with a broad knowledge of historical organ practices and terminology. All three are experienced organists, familiar with early instruments through performance and examination. Indeed, they have played most of the extant organs described here and are familiar with their features firsthand.

Favorable for this undertaking, too, is the long-standing connection between the American Bach Society and the University of Illinois Press, publisher of Bach Perspectives. The opportunity to work with the seasoned and supportive UIP team of Willis Regier, director, and Laurie Matheson, senior acquisitions editor, allowed the project to move forward in a smooth and fruitful way.

It is the hope of the American Bach Society that The Organs of J. S. Bach will serve as a useful reference book for organists, Bach scholars and devotees, and general music enthusiasts. Containing a great deal of information in a portable form, it is envisioned not only as a vade mecum for the personal library, but as a travel companion for the suitcase, as wella guidebook whose stop lists and color photographs, especially, whet ones appetite to observe, hear, and play the extant instruments described therein.

Bach was first and foremost an organist. He won youthful fame through his virtuoso performances and extensive knowledge of organ building. The earliest extant examples of his handwriting are tablature copies of organ music by Buxtehude and Reinken, and his final years show him publishing and revising organ chorales. From the beginning to the end of his life, he was engaged with organ music and the examination, inauguration, and design of new instruments. May the present survey, set forth in English for the first time, serve as a friendly and informative guide to the instrument whose playing, as Quantz put it, was brought to its greatest perfection by Johann Sebastian Bach.

George B. Stauffer

General Editor, American Bach Society

Preface to the English Edition

It is almost sixty years since the appearance of Werner Davids excellent book Johann Sebastian Bachs Orgeln (Berlin, 1951). Out of print since the 1960s and not available in many music libraries, Davids study was the first to offer a conveniently referenced overview of the instruments that were important to the organist and organ expert Johann Sebastian Bach. In the decades since then, however, the state of our knowledge has changed considerably. Not only have additional instruments been identified with which Bach had direct or indirect contact, but also very detailed information regarding the organs themselves is now available. For these reasons, a reworking of the material presented in such exemplary fashion by David has long been overdue, especially since no study has replaced it. Finally, and not least, the numerous tours now being undertaken to historical Bach organs in what used to be a region largely cut off by the Iron Curtain of the Cold War period make the need for such an updated, expanded, and reliable guide all the more obvious.

Like Davids book in its time, the present handbook attempts to present the current state of knowledge. To this end, additional new materials have been gathered, assessed, and organized into a comprehensive handbook. The format has been expanded to include not only the instruments played by Bach, presented alphabetically by location with appropriate biographical and organological material, but also the so-called reference organs. The latter, whose selection is limited to instruments from Bachs narrowest circle, have a significance that should not be underestimated, both with respect to rounding out the theme of the book and to generally broadening our understanding of Bachs organ world. Like David, we have included Bachs examination reports and testimonials, since only these afford a concrete look at what was, for Bach, an essential activity as organ expert and examiner. In addition, emphasis has been placed on the contributions and significance of individual organ builders, especially those with whom Bach had close contactan aspect not treated by David.