Bach had no equal in Germany as an organ player—this was soon admitted on all sides.[36] Handel’s fame had reached Germany from England, both as a composer and organ player. Comparisons were made between Handel’s oratorios and Bach’s cantatas and Passion music—the former were widely known, while the latter were hardly yet appreciated, and were forgotten after the death of the composer.

We have a contemporary opinion in Mattheson, who had often heard Handel. “No one,” says he, “can easily surpass Handel in organ playing, unless it were Bach of Leipsic, for which reason these two are mentioned first, out of their alphabetical order. I have heard them in the prime of their powers, and have often competed with the former both in Hamburg and Lübeck.”[37] Handel, however, did not devote himself so entirely to the organ and organ compositions as Bach; he left no unaccompanied solos for that instrument. Moreover, it is doubtful if he found instruments of respectable size in England.

Endeavours to meet Handel

Bach and Handel never met, though they were twice very near one another. Handel came to Halle, his native town, in 1719, while on a journey as impresario for the opera in London. Bach hearing of it, made a journey to Halle from Cöthen, but unfortunately arrived there the very day Handel had left. In 1729, he made another attempt to meet Handel by sending him a polite invitation, through his son Friedemann, to come to Leipsic; but Handel refused the invitation. On a third visit of Handel to Halle, Bach was dead. Bach greatly admired Handel’s music, and copied some of it for his own use.

Bach’s second wife

We have seen that Bach’s first wife died in 1720. It was not at all in accordance with the family traditions to remain widower, and in 1721 he began to think of re-marrying. He opened negotiations in this year with Anna Magdalena Wülken, a Court singer at Cöthen, twenty-one years old, and the youngest daughter of the Court trumpeter, and was married to her on December 3 in the same year.

Bach’s second wife was a good musician, and had a fine soprano voice, which she used for the performance of her husband’s works in the privacy of the home circle. She had lessons from her husband in clavier and figured bass playing, and also gave him immense help in copying music; amongst other things, her MS. copy of a great part of Handel’s Passion-music still exists.

Just before Bach’s second marriage the widow of his uncle Tobias Lämmerhirt died, leaving him part of her estate. This was the uncle who died just before Bach’s first marriage, leaving him a legacy. The second accession of money caused some trouble. The distribution under the will of the widow was disputed in the names of five relations, Joh. Christoph Bach of Ohrdruf, Joh. Jacob Bach, Joh. Sebastian Bach, Maria Wiegand (born Bach), and Anna Zimmermann (born Lämmerhirt). Unfortunately for the petitioners, they had used the names of the three Bachs without ever informing them. As a matter of fact, Joh. Christoph was already dead, and Joh. Jacob was in Sweden; Joh. Sebastian was most indignant when he heard of it, and wrote to the Council of Erfurt disclaiming both for himself and his brother all desire to dispute the will; saying that they were perfectly satisfied with their share, and that the petition was drawn up without any notice being sent to them. The proceedings were then dropped at once, and nothing more is heard of them.

Little Clavier Book

Immediately after their marriage the Bachs started a MS. music-book between them, entitled “Clavier Büchlein vor Anna Magdalena Bachin, Anno 1720,” on the first page of which is written a playful inscription to the effect that the book was directed against the Calvinism, and its attendant melancholy and hostility to all art, which was rife at Cöthen at this period. This book was followed in 1725 by a second and larger book; both are preserved in the Royal Library at Berlin. The books contain various clavier compositions by Bach, Böhm, Gerhard and others, besides sundry hymns and sacred songs, also a song on the reflections of a smoker; and others evidently addressed to his wife, to whom he was devoted.