Forkel[71] tells us that the first thing he taught was his own peculiar touch, and for this purpose the pupil was kept for several months at finger exercises, in fact they sometimes lasted from six to twelve months; but when the pupil’s patience began to flag he was given little pieces which Bach composed specially for him, such as the six little preludes for beginners, and the two-part inventions. He wrote these during the lesson, and was thus able to make them suit the particular requirements of the pupil. Together with the finger exercises the pupil had to practise all manner of ornaments, and Bach demanded the severest possible application from all his pupils.
As soon as possible he was made to learn whichever of Bach’s greater works suited him. In order to lighten the difficulties, Bach played the piece through to the pupil, and said, “that is how it must sound.”
One can, says Forkel, scarcely enumerate the many advantages of such a method. Even if it were only that the pupil is roused to emulation through the pleasure of hearing such a performance, the advantage would be very great. But in addition to this he obtains at once a grip of the piece in its complete form, instead of having to work it out bit by bit as he gradually overcomes the mechanical difficulties.
The instrument on which Bach taught was the clavichord, on account of its expressive quality which trained the ear to fine shades of tone; he would have nothing to say to mere finger training apart from understanding the music, and insisted on the cultivation of both art and technique together.
Method of teaching Composition
In teaching composition Bach did not begin with dry counterpoints leading to nothing, as in his time was done by all other teachers; still less did he trouble his pupils about tone-relationships, which in his opinion concerned only theorists and instrument makers. He started at once with pure four part figured bass, and insisted on the proper leading of the parts, because this would give the clearest insight into the harmonic progressions. He then went on to the chorale, to which he at first set the basses and made the pupil only write the tenor and alto, afterwards gradually making him write the bass. He insisted at all times not only on the greatest possible purity in the harmony, but on the natural and flowing connection of all the single voices. The models he himself has left are known to every connoisseur, and his inner voices are often so singable that they might serve for the upper part. This style had to be striven for by the pupil, and until he had reached a high degree of proficiency Bach did not consider it wise to allow him to try inventing on his own account. He took for granted that all his composition pupils had the faculty of thinking in music. If any had not this faculty he was advised not to attempt composition.
As soon as the above-mentioned preparations in harmony were finished, he began with two voice fugue, and in this, and all composition practice, the pupil was strictly forbidden to use the clavier. Those who were obliged to do so he called “Knights of the keyboard.”
In fugue he was especially careful about the part writing—no voice must merely fill in the harmony, or break off before it had finished what it had to say. He looked upon his voices as persons, who conversed together as in private society, in which it would be unseemly for anyone to disturb the conversation either by uninteresting remarks, or by not finishing his sentences. On the other hand, he allowed his pupils as much freedom as possible with regard to intervals. They might try any experiments they liked as long as no damage was done to the purity of the harmony, or the inward meaning of the movement. He tried all possible experiments himself, and was glad to see his pupils do so. The whole of his system is to be found in Kirnberger’s “Kunst des reinen Satzes” (Art of pure writing).[72]
Pupils
Among his pupils were his sons, of whom an account has already been given. The others were the following:—Johann Caspar Vogler, who began studying under him at Arnstadt and Weimar, and, according to Bach’s own showing, was a very fine organist. He became organist and Burgomaster at Weimar.