Anna Magdalena Bach

Anna Magdalena Bach ( born September 22, 1701 Zeitz, † February 27, 1760 in Leipzig; born as Anna Magdalena Wilcke ) was the second wife of Johann Sebastian Bach. Unlike his first wife, Maria Barbara Bach (1684-1720) she was a trained singer.

Life

Youth and Education

Anna Magdalena Bach was the youngest of four daughters of the princely court and field trumpeter of Saxe - Weissenfels, Johann Kaspar Wilcke and Elisabeth Wilcke (* 1666? - ) (1660 -1733? ), Daughter of an organist. Her brother (1691-1766) had the same name as the father and then followed in his footsteps. Anna Magdalena had three sisters. She and her sister Christina had received a thorough vocal training, probably at the famous weißenfelsischen court singer Pauline waiter. Anna Magdalena and her sister were at the latest from 1720 on weißenfelsischen farm operates as a " singing maiden ". Obviously her vocal art was highly appreciated. At a joint guest appearance with her father at the court of Zerbst, the 19 - year-old singer was twice as high fees as the Father.

As Princely Kammersängerin in Köthen

In 1721 it came as a soprano at the court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt- Köthen in Köthen. There she met Johann Sebastian Bach know who studied there since December 1717 as Kapellmeister. The high esteem of the young singer is shown firstly in their comparatively high rank as " chamber music ", on the other, at their high content; She received the second highest salary by Bach and one about twice as high as the next musician

On December 3, 1721 married Johann Sebastian and Anna Magdalena Bach. Until her move to Leipzig in April 1723 it remained as a married woman in her position. The sung of their repertoire is not documented in detail. It is likely, however, that she was involved among other things in the recurring annual cantata performances Birthday of the Prince and the New Year. However, only a fraction is obtained from these Bach works. The cantatas obtained contained " elaborate duets and solos, which demanded considerable technical services to Hofsängern and repeatedly defied their professional skill" (Christoph Wolff).

Leipzig

In Leipzig little opportunity for a public appearance were given. The church music was denied her, the opera closed since 1720, and also in the Collegium Musicum were no women on. Your singing was limited probably due to the house music and some Foreign occasions. However, the house music apparently played for the Bach and their environment a significant role. In a letter to his former schoolmate Georg Erdmann Bach describes making music together with his family, " zumaln since my wife itzige do a clean Soprano sings ".

A Foreign occasion was a common occurrence at the funeral of Prince Leopold of Anhalt- Köthen on March 24 1729th Musiziert was the extensive funeral music Complains children, it complains all over the world, and they sang probably three soprano arias with the music from the St. Matthew Passion.

Anna Magdalena Bach died on 27 February 1760, ten years after her husband, in Leipzig as " alms woman."

Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach

Your name remained until today also due to the particular success of the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, Arnold Schering published after the originals in the Prussian State Library in Berlin. The two volumes of 1722 and 1725 included alongside works by Bach a number of compositions by other authors, but their exact authorship remained unresolved partly. When Anna Magdalena, the pieces of this collection - including, for example, with the Partitas in A minor and E minor extremely demanding works - has all played, they must have acquired considerable skills on the piano. In addition to the piano pieces can be found in Notebook and vocal pieces, including the most famous aria Want to give me your heart and by Gottfried Heinrich Stolzel the aria Are you with me.

Biographical sources

Your fictional autobiography The Little Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach was written in 1930 by the English author Esther Meynell. This sentimental portrayal of Bach's family life based on any sources and probably has little to do with the personality of Anna Magdalena Bach. However, going from several extant letters, written by the nephew and temporary secretary JS Bach Johann Elias Bach, shows that Anna Magdalena Bach a " lover of gardening sey ". Johann Elias Bach asked his mother to send some plants. Also told the nephew that he had " seen a bey Mr. Cantor in Halle a songbird " and asked " to leave against cheap payment for the woman Cantorin " the bird.

A compilation of the documentary material for Anna Magdalena Bach was supplemented by a biographical essay by Christoph Wolff, published by Maria Hübner, 2005.

Children

Anna Magdalena Bach was the mother of:

• Christiana Sophia Henrietta (1723-1726)
• Gottfried Heinrich (1724-1763)
• Christian Gottlieb (1725-1728)
• Elisabeth Juliana Friederica called " Liesgen " (1726-1781)
• Andreas Ernestus (1727-1727)
• Regina Johanna (1728-1733)
• Christiana Benedicta (1729-1730)
• Christiana Dorothea (1731-1732)
• Johann Christoph Friedrich, the Bückeburger Bach (1732-1795)
• Johann August Abraham (1733-1733)
• Johann Christian, Milan or London Bach (1735-1782)
• Johanna Carolina (1737-1781)
• Regina Susanna (1742-1809)