Famous Instruments in History: The Organ of Johann Sebastian Bach

Blogger: Amber Lemus

Johann Sebastian Bach
Public Domain

Johann Sebastian Bach is a household name today. He is known as a masterful musician and a gifted composer. But during Bach's lifetime, he was better known as an organist. 

When compiling my list of the most famous instruments in history, I figured Bach's organ had to be on the list. However, I was surprised to find that while Bach owned many instruments, he didn't own an organ, the instrument he was most known for. 

Why didn't Bach own an organ?

That was my question as well. Turns out, in those days, they didn't have the small household organs we have today, they only had the massive, piped organs you see built into the walls of churches. These were not considered personal property but rather part of the architecture and infrastructure of the building, so the organ was owned by the institution, such as the church or royalty, rather than by the musician that was hired to play them. 

Then, what is considered the Bach organ?

Bach's entire professional career was built around the organ. From his very first appointment, he was playing the organ. So there are several instruments that are attributed to Bach.

The first resides at the Bach Church in Arnstadt. When Johann first came to work there, it was known as the New Church. The previous one had burned down, so a new one had been constructed on the same site. The organ was built by Johann Friedrich Wender, and inspected by eighteen-year-old Bach upon its completion. He was hired shortly afterwards to be the church organist. However, he only served here for a short time. After his term, his cousin took over, continuing the legacy of an organist by the name of Bach. While the organ has been altered and repaired over the centuries, it is the closest to the original that Bach played out of all the organs on record. The church was renamed after Bach in 1935 to honor Bach's connection to that church.

Current version of the Wender organ in the Bach Church, Arnstadt
Mtag, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Johann Sebastian Bach Church Anstadt
By Michael Sander - Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0,

The second would be the organ at the court of Duke Wilhelm Ernst at Weimar. This is the organ Bach used to compose the majority of his organ compositions. It was considered his golden age as an organ composer. However this organ was later destroyed by fire, so it no longer exists. 

The third is the organ at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig Germany. This church is often referred to as "Bach's Church" although that is not its official name. Bach was the music director there from 1723 until his death in 1750. The building has been rebuilt or renovated many times and the organ from Bach's time is no longer present. However, they did build a replica of Bach's organ there in 2000. Bach's remains are now buried in the church, although they were not there originally. There is also a statue honoring Bach in front of the church. For these reasons, this is the church and organ most famous and commonly referred to as "Bach's". 

St. Thomas Church
By Dirk Goldhahn - Fotografiert von Dirk Goldhahn.,
Public Domain

Statue of Bach in front of St. Thomas Church
By Eric Pancer - I (Creative Commons)

Did Bach own any instruments?

While Bach didn't own an organ, he did own many other instruments. The inventory of his estate included five harpsichords, two Lautenwerckes otherwise known as lute harpsichords (which we will have to circle back to, because it is super interesting.), a spinet, three violins, three violas, two cellos, one lute, and several other instruments. These instruments were the ones he took with him and used at home to compose and also teach his students. 

Another fun fact is that Bach, in addition to being a masterful musician of many instruments, also had a wonderful voice. In fact, his scholarship to music school was because of his voice, not his instrument playing. 

Which of these organs do YOU think should be considered "The Bach Organ"? 

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for family, faith, facts and fiction. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".  

She lives at the foot of the Rocky Mountains with her prince charming and two boys. Between enjoying life as a boy mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/  and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!