Another instance occurred over the announcement of the performance of a Passion music, for which the Council suddenly discovered that their permission was necessary. The work had been performed several times previously, and the irritating restriction was entirely uncalled for. Bach simply reported to the superintendent of the Consistory that the Council had forbidden the performance; and thus produced another quarrel between the two bodies which was to his advantage.
Inefficiency of Musicians
Bach had not only to organise and train his choir, but to teach some of his pupils to play on instruments, since the town musicians were only seven in number, four wind and three string players. Money was not forthcoming to pay professional musicians, though there were plenty in Leipsic. Bach therefore got hold of the more gifted of his pupils and taught them instruments, and many of them became accomplished artists.
The regulations ordered that two hours of singing practice should be held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 12 to 2; but as this arrangement interfered with the cantor’s dinner hour, his colleagues petitioned that it should be changed. The Council refused to alter the regulation, and in consequence Bach soon began to absent himself.
Confiscation of Fees
As the Council could not withhold his salary, they not only confiscated certain fees collected for various outside duties but also contrived that he should obtain no benefit from a legacy left to be divided among the teachers and poorer scholars of the School. Bach was silent for a time, but, when at last forced to speak, he wrote a long letter, showing how absolutely inadequate were the means placed at his disposal: incompetent town players, with mere boys to complete the bands; singers who, not having had time to be trained, were obliged to be admitted to the vacant places before they had any knowledge of music; choirs with only two voices to a part, one of whom would often be, or pretend to be, ill.
Bach’s letter irritated the Council, who, however, let the matter drop after expressing their opinion on it.
The Council acted according to their lights. Though they would not give Bach the means he required for carrying out the music properly, they could understand when an organ required repairing, and voted sums of money from time to time for this purpose, and for the purchase of violins, violas, violoncellos for church use; and they allowed Bach to purchase Bodenschatz’s Florilegium Portense[44] for the use of the scholars. They did not actively hinder Bach’s development, but they had no conception of the greatness of the man they had to do with. They curtailed his income in a moment of anger, but soon afterwards reinstated it.
Bach tries to leave Leipsic
Bach became thoroughly hurt, and sought for a means of leaving Leipsic. The friend of his boyhood, Erdmann, now held a post at Dantzic, under the Emperor of Russia, and to him Bach applied, in an interesting letter which is still extant.[45] He describes his wish to leave Leipsic under four heads: (1) that the post was by no means so advantageous as he was led to expect; (2) that many of the fees had been stopped; (3) that the place is very dear to live in; (4) that the authorities were strange people, with small love of music, who vexed and persecuted and were jealous of him. Bach asked Erdmann to find him a post at Dantzic, but nothing came of it, for he remained at Leipsic. In spite of the high prices of necessities, he saved enough to leave behind him a well-furnished house, a sum of money and a collection of instruments and books. Like many other good organists he had his rubs with an unthinking vestry, but got over them.