His duties at St Blasius were to play the organ on Sundays, saints’ days and festivals. He was anxious to raise the whole of the church music to a higher level, and mentioned this wish to the Council in an address. His predecessor Ahle had left a number of compositions which were frequently performed, but Bach, not being satisfied with them, as quickly as possible made a good collection of music and had it performed, paying for it out of his own pocket. He also made efforts to improve the choir and orchestra.
He received considerable assistance in these endeavours from his pupil Johann Martin Schubart (who afterwards succeeded him in his post at Weimar), and from his choir leader, Johann Sebastian Koch, afterwards Capellmeister to Count Reuss, and a Bachelor of Theology at Jena University.
In October 1707, Bach returned to Arnstadt for his wedding, which took place on the 17th of that month, and it is evident that he had parted on good terms with the Consistory, for the prescribed fees were remitted. In September of the same year Tobias Lämmerhirt, of Erfurt, a maternal uncle of Sebastian, had died, and left 50 gülden (about £5) to each of his sister’s children, and this legacy must have been welcome to Sebastian at the time of his wedding.
Among the duties expected of the organist of St Blasius, was the composition of a cantata for the yearly change of Town Council (Rathswahl); and it was customary to have the music printed after the performance, at Mühlhausen.
The first of the cantatas thus composed by Bach is preserved; it was for the festival of 1708, and was performed in the Church of the Holy Virgin on February 4 of that year. The text is taken from the Old Testament, together with part of a hymn or a chorale, and Bach called it a motet. It was accompanied by three trumpets, drums, two flutes, two oboes, a bassoon and strings, the band being divided into four groups of brass, wood-wind (with cello), reed, and strings. The form is in imitation of some of Buxtehude’s church cantatas.[24]
St Blasius Organ
Bach found the organ of St Blasius in very bad condition. It had not sufficient bellows, and there was insufficient pressure on the bass pipes, owing to there being too small a wind passage. There was no 32 feet stop and the trombone was too weak. Moreover the choir-organ had become useless, as had also several stops in the great.
Repairs the organ
He drew up a list of deficiencies which he presented to the Council, and asked for the addition of a “Glockenspiel” or peal of bells, to be acted on by pedals, an invention of his own. The latter addition was at once subscribed for by the parishioners. There was a smaller organ in the church, which he proposed to sell and apply the proceeds to repairing the principal organ. The Council placed the entire management of the matter in his hands, and he obtained an estimate from Wender the organ-builder who agreed to do the work for 230 thalers,[25] and to allow 40 thalers for the small organ.
The requirements were:—