Manuscripts by Bach, Gottsched and Telemann discovered
Previously unknown files on Leipzig church music, including manuscripts by Bach, Gottsched and Telemann, have been discovered in the Leipzig City Archives.
The files contain letters and letters of application from Leipzig students and provide new insights into the organization of Johann Sebastian Bach's cantata performances. For the first time, the sources prove that the Leipzig Council specifically supported student singers and instrumentalists with scholarships: »Leipzig's church music was not based on artistic excellence alone, but on a functioning communal support structure,« says musicologist Bernd Koska.
One outstanding find is a previously unknown letter from Johann Sebastian Bach from 1740 for his preferred bass Gottlob Friedrich Türsch. In addition, the oldest surviving letter of application from Georg Philipp Telemann and a reference from Johann Christoph Gottsched for Johann Friedrich Doles were also found.
The finds were made by project team member Bernd Koska as part of the »BACH Research Portal« research project of the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig, based at the Leipzig Bach Archive. The Leipzig City Archive is presenting the finds in a special exhibition until April 23.
