Wandering in the Land of Bach

Although my primary purpose for this journey was to attend the Marienberg Zitherseminar, I couldn't help but notice that I would be close to Leipzig. By including a trip to Eisenach, I would be able to get a feel for the land that Bach lived in. I have read plenty of biographies, but names like Eisenach, Erfurt, Weimar, and Leipzig were just names. I had no concept of scale or scenery.

It is hard to convey how much both scale and scenery differ from the southwestern United States! When I read of Bach walking from city to city, it was impossible to comprehend. The distance from Eisenach to Leipzig is just about the same as from San Diego to Burbank, but Eisenach to Erfurt is certainly in walking distance. It was a much smaller world! Indeed, the states of Saxony and Thüringia might be considered the equivalent of Los Angeles and San Diego counties. Residents of each feel they have their own unique identity, which I'm sure confounds visitors, who simply view it all as "Eastern German" and "Southern California."

My visit was in reverse chronological order, starting with Bach's final resting place, Leipzig, and ending at his birthplace. Dresden represents one of his farther jaunts: where he travelled with the intent to compete with the proverbially chicken-hearted Louis Marchand. (Dresden then was one of the really great and opulent cities of the time – the equivalent of Venice or Paris, I guess. It will remain on the top of my list for destinations not to miss.)

I get the sense that the Saxon and Thüringen countrysides have not changed all that much, at least in character. Of course, they are more densely populated, and full of trains and roads, but there is much more open farmland than I had expected. Very green to someone who lives in a place where no rain is seen for half the year. Hills and forests punctuate and spice the landscape. Everywhere I travelled demanded a photo souvenir. The train ride from Dresden to Chemnitz is memorable for the Saxon canyon it passes through. Marienberg, south of Chemnitz, is striking in its very deep hills and dales. However, first walking in the Thüringen forest around the Wartburg castle was a special treat. I felt like I was walking in both a dream and a painting.

Of course, one cannot miss the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. I would have loved to hear an organ concert there, and I think a return trip is well warranted. The Bach Museum there was something of a disappointment: not a great deal of interest. Indeed, not a deal of anything. However, the Bach Museum attached to the "Bach Haus" is well worth the 8 Euros. There was a fine discussion (in German, but I have grown used to my childlike ignorance) of the keyboard instruments with a demonstration. I thought the 17th century fretted clavichord did a fine job of projecting in the room, and I could better imagine it as a regular household instrument. There is also some interesting forensic work that has been done to reconstruct Bach's face from his skull. The result is consistent with I believe is the most common painting.

Of course, when in Eisenach, one can't avoid the Wartburg Castle, if only because of its connection with Martin Luther, a lasting influence on Bach's life.

Will this change my concept of Bach's music? No: the music is abstract and absolute. However, it is wonderful to have this new perspective on his life.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad