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The Ghost of Bach in Leipzig

When David agreed to go to Germany, he assumed that I would choose and research all the sites we'd visit and probably counted on seeing some castles along the Rhine. Isn't that what most people go for? Perhaps they don't go with a lover of classical music!

We stayed most of the week in Weimar and Leipzig. Bach was born in Weimar, and I noticed the brass plaque on the house, almost right beside our fabulous Hotel Elephant on the main square, but I don't believe it was open for tours.

The train to Leipzig took a half hour, and we hustled to St. Thomas Church to get there by 6pm on Friday to hear the St. Thomas Boys' Choir (Thomaner Chor in German). You can view this beautiful old church at www.thomanerchor.de. There you see the 800-year-old boys' choir that Bach not only sang in himself, but also directed for the rest of his life. In front of the choir is where the composer is buried in the floor. The choir performed cantatas that Bach wrote especially for them. What a treat! Oh, and that keyhole arch you see isn't simply architectural, but also an acoustic amplifier. This was musical heaven.

Next morning, we visited the Bach Museum across the square from the church, where we viewed instruments and other belongings of the composer. The headphone tour was excellent and all about the musical trends of the early Eighteenth Century, and visitors could linger in a listening room with several private headphone stations. Our entire day was all about Bach, so we even spent some time on the church lawn, where locals spread their blankets, even in early April. Then our walk around town revealed several statues of the composer.

Lunch was at Auerbach's Keller (cellar), the historical wine cellar where poet Goethe'e Faust was performed. Bach surely dined here, too, as it's the oldest restaurant in Leipzig. We had meat and veggie dishes wrapped in delicious choux pastries, and the cabbage was to die for.

On to Felix Mendelssohn's flat, where we found more info on Bach. Mendelssohn engineered the revival of interest in Bach, you see, when he conducted the Leipzig orchestra. Touring his home revealed that he idolized the earlier composer and kept a bust and other mementos of him. Compelled to recognize some similarity in their music, I was at first "stumped." Then I heard the word "frollicksome" applied to Mendelssohn, and realized that it characterized Bach's piano music, too.

Throughout these two cities, Weimar and Leipzig, are scattered music schools. Students from those play at the homes of composers. When I heard the most perfect violin down the hallway, I followed him, a student at Felix Mendelssohn School of Music, to the music room, where he was joined by a pianist. David and I stayed as long as they played.

There are so many composers to visit in Germany! We were ready to hop another ICE train - another pristine German dream-come-true! In Leipzig, we had done well to visit a number of sites in 2 days - 2 composers' homes and one composer's museum and church. Nor did we miss the city's fine arts museum, which is phenomenal and a must-see.

Learn more about this author, K. Louden.
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