Bach Gesellschaft
The Bach-Gesellschaft in Leipzig in 1850 initiated the return of the 100th anniversary of the composer and choirmaster Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig. This was, among other things by the composer Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Ignaz Moscheles and Louis Spohr, Mozart biographer Otto Jahn, the musicologist Carl von Winterfeld, the music theorist Siegfried Wilhelm Dehn, the teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Leipzig Carl Ferdinand Becker and the cantor of St. Thomas Moritz Hauptmann. Its foundation was the sole aim of the publication of the rich chamber music works of Bach in a complete edition.
The Bach Society is not to be confused with the Bach -Verein, the Henry of Herzogenberg 1874 by Franz von Holstein, Philipp Spitta and Alfred Volkland founded in Leipzig and from 1875 also led itself.
The wide distribution and reception of Bach's works began in the Bach revival of the 19th century, motivated by the re-execution of the St. Matthew Passion of Johann Sebastian Bach in 1829 by Felix Mendelssohn and Carl Friedrich Zelter's Sing-Akademie zu Berlin, whereby the work of the known only in professional circles, almost forgotten composer of that public was made known.
Merits in the formation of the complete Bach edition acquired - in addition to the founders - the Bach connoisseurs and later choirmaster Wilhelm Rust, who joined the Bach Society in the founding year 1850. Since 1853 staff at the publication of the complete Bach edition, he took over from 1858 to their direction and wrote prefaces to individual volumes of output.
1851 was before the first volume of the complete Bach edition. It contained the cantatas 1-10, edited by Moritz Hauptmann. The course of the issue reflected the contemporary state of musical Edition technology, but it could also crucial, including the development of the Volume XIV (1866 ), which contained edited by Franz Kroll Wohltemperirte Clavier. Today's demands for editorial technique is not enough output. It contains a number of errors, variant versions of randomly selects sometimes, especially Critical Commentaries are too short. However, the volumes of the Bach-Gesellschaft had a breakthrough performance and contributed significantly to the study and appreciation of Bach's music. They remained the standard edition of the works of Bach, which was only gradually replaced by other issues in the course of the 20th century, including by the New Bach Edition of the German publishing house for music and Bärenreiter.
As the goal with the release of the (old ) Bach Edition in 50 volumes - 46 (47 ) vintages and supplement volume - was in 1899 reached, the (old ) Bach Society disbanded in accordance with its Articles of Association in 1900. At the same time the New Bach Gesellschaft eV was constituted with the establishment on 27 January 1900 in Leipzig. It is not the legal successor, but in the tradition of the old Bach-Gesellschaft.