When Johann Sebastian Bach died 250 years ago, it took more than a century, as TARA WERNER recounts, for audiences to recognise his stern visage.
There is a rather ghoulish tale told about Bach's mortal remains.
Given his popularity today it seems ironic that when he died 250 years ago in 1750 he was largely forgotten, and his music was seen as old-fashioned.
He was buried near the door of the Church of St John in Leipzig. But in 1894, alterations being made to the church threatened to disrupt his remains.
Scholars headed by anatomist William His dug up three coffins near the south wall of the church. One was of oak and contained a male skeleton in good condition.
Tests were done and a facial mask made. Dr His concluded that the skeleton was indeed Bach's. The remains were then transferred to a tomb beneath the altar of St John.
Information from the exhumation showed that Bach was of medium build with a rather large head and solid body. The mask highlighted a tough masculine face, uncompromising in demeanour.
Certainly someone who would stand up for his rights. Such a characterisation rings true, considering the number of times Bach fought with authorities.
A large family meant that he was constantly looking for ways to improve his finances. And he certainly knew his own worth.
In 1717 at Weimar he was jailed for trying to leave his job to go to a better situation at Cothen. And at Leipzig a few years later, his arguments with the city council became legendary.
The B minor Mass and the Brandenburg Concertos, which will be played at the New Zealand Festival 2000 by the New London Consort directed by Philip Pickett, are excellent examples of Bach's career manoeuvring.
His strategy with the Mass was to write a liturgical work acceptable to the Catholic church in Dresden, and gain a plum position as court composer to the Elector of Saxony while continuing as cantor at St Thomas in Leipzig. He succeeded on both counts.
It became a 15-year project that had no equal in his already vast array of works, and was one that was not performed in his lifetime.
It has often been called the "summa," not only of his vocal music, but of all his sacred music.
Counterpoint and fugue are often the first things that the music of Bach brings to mind. In the case of the Mass, all 27 movements are characterised by rigorous part-writing and economy of material.
From the beginning everything is on a large scale. Bach wanted to bring fresh life into the well-established tradition of the Latin Mass and decided on a five-part choir. And the work is of immense length, with the kyrie and gloria alone lasting almost an hour.
The Brandenburg Concertos are another prime example of Bach being out for the main chance. In 1721 he pieced together six disparate earlier works to present to the Margrave of Brandenburg, Christian Ludwig.
Bach wrote a florid and obsequious introduction in rather bad, if courtly, French, dedicating the music to the Margrave.
He was probably hoping for more commissions or even a better job than his position with Prince Leopold of Cothen.
It seems from many accounts that the Brandenburg manuscripts only gathered dust after being added to the Margrave's library shelves.
The music was found after his death and sold to one of Bach's pupil's, Johann Philipp Kirnberger. After many decades the score found its way to the Royal Library.
These days it score is housed in the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek in Unter den Linden.
Bach's reputation has always been enhanced by these six concertos, which remain among the best-loved of his works.
Who: New London Consort
What: Brandenburg Concertos and B Minor Mass
Where: Wellington Town Hall.
When: March 17 and 18, 8 pm; March 19, 6 pm.
'Brandenburg' remains immortal
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