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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000060.txt from 2006/10
From: Philip McKenzie <philclimb1@-----.com>
Subj: [DR-L] Bach & Bassoon
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 10:20:07 -0400
Went to a class on the most famous Lutherans (my personal list:
Luther, Bach, Munch, and Christoph von Dohnanyi's uncle, Bonhoeffer.)
The lecturer mentioned Bach dissing a bassoonist. New story to me,
probably well worn to the bassoonists of the list. I've attached The
Double Reed version of the story below.
Us oboists have had to live so long with the Danny Kaye twisting of
Shakespeare, "an ill wind that no one blows good".
Have other composers been so insulting to our instruments?
==========
Bach in a Brawl:
On August 5, 1705, Bach appeared before the Consistory to complain
about the student Geyersbach. The latter, as Bach was crossing the
market place on his way home from the Castle with his cousin Barbara
Catharina, daughter of Johann Christoph Bach, Court and Town Musician
in Arnstadt, (Geyersbach) had been sitting on the ’Long Stone’ with
five others tudents, and had suddenly set upon him with a stick,
calling him to account for having made abusive remarks about him.
Bach had answered that he had not made abusive remarks about him, and
no one could prove that he had, seeing that he had been going his way
perfectly quietly. But Geyersbach had replied that if Bach had not
abused him, he had once abused his bassoon, and whoever abused his
things abused him; Bach was a dirty dog(Hundsfott); and with this he
had at once struckout at him. Bach, for his part, had thereupon drawn
his sword, whereupon Geyersbach had fallen into his arms, and the two
of them had tumbled about until the other students had thrown
themselves between them.
On August 29, at a further hearing, it developed that Bach had indeed
called Geyersbach a nanny-goat bassoonist(Zippelfagottist), and it
was indicated to himthat he might well have refrained from this,
specially as he already had the reputation of not getting along with
students, and of claiming that he was engaged only for the simple
chorale music, and not for concert pieces, which was wrong, for he
must help out in all music-making. Bach answered that he would not
refuse if only there were a Directormusices, whereupon he was told
that man must live among imperfect, that he must get along with the
students, and that they must not make each other’s lives miserable.
The Double Reed, Vol. 23 No. 3
Philip McKenzie
847-757-7627
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