Here is a video from Rick Steves blog post from our shoot in Rothenburg, Germany. It’s park of a new, 1-hour Rick Steves PBS special on Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation.

After Martin Luther died in 1546, Europe was plunged into 30 years of war, leaving a third of the continent dead. Like it or not, it’s part of the story of the reformation.

Rick includes the medieval time-capsule town of Rothenburg prominently in his guidebook, so the town was gracious enough to call out an army of 50 stunningly clad reenactors. It was fun!

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Glory to God Alone: The Life of J. S. Bach, is an award winning introduction to the great composer. Awarded the DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Award for best in class, the video features scenes from Eisenach, Ohrdruf, Weimar, Kothen, Muhlhausen and of course, Leipzig and showcases insights from noted J. S. Bach scholars Christoph Wolff, Robin Leaver and guitar virtuoso Christopher Parkening. The program includes a Bach performance recorded at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Luke in Chicago, and an added interview with Mary Greer, Vice President of the American Bach Society. Carl Grapentine, morning show co-host, WFMT-FM, Chicago, is the narrator.

Glory to God Alone: The Life of J. S. Bach
Broadcast Version Narrator Script

For the past 250 years the boys choir at St. Thomas Church has sung the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. This is Bach’s story told with words, pictures and of course, music. Our journey takes us across Central Germany, from Bach’s ancestral home in Eisenach, to Ohrdurf and Luneburg, where he grew up. We’ll also trace the growth of his musical career in Arnstadt, Muhlhausen, Weimar, Cothen and finally Leipzig.

Johann Sebastian Bach lived from 1685 to 1750. Changes revolutionized Europe. Advances in science, politics and literature affected kings and commoners alike. It was an age of fine art, architecture, and a time of celebrating the human spirit. In England, Sir Isaac Newton was laying the foundations of modern science. In France, Voltaire wrote Candide and most of Germany was still known as the Holy Roman Empire. French, German, Italian, Dutch and English artists were busy painting up a storm. In architecture, the Palace of Versailles set the tone for an entire age. Composers such as Handel, Telemann and Vivaldi were famous.

Bach’s day was a flurry of creative excitement. Rich nobles constantly tried to outdo one another. They embellished clothes, houses, and lifestyles with ruffles and flourishes. Any prince worth his powdered wig, had a staff of hired musicians. And whether your castle was in Germany or Scotland, French was the preferred language of the court. As far as music went, there wasn’t much separation between secular and sacred. Music written and performed both in the King’s chapel and the village square glorified God. And if the king shared a bit of the spotlight… so be it.

Changes didn’t affect everyone, however. Parts of Europe were still quite medieval. Feudal Lords ruled over illiterate serfs who tilled soil they didn’t own. And if the Prince was Protestant, chances are you were too. Johann Sebastian Bach was born into a large, musical family. He was the youngest son of Maria Elisabeth and Johann Ambrosius Bach, a prosperous town musician here in Eisenach. It was here, 200 years before, that Martin Luther made his famous translation of the New Testament in the Wartburg Castle, overlooking the city.

Johann Sebastian, spent his first nine years in a large house in Eisenach. The family wasn’t rich, but they weren’t poor either. Their life revolved around family, music, school and the church. Then, tragedy struck.

Johann Sebastian watched four of his siblings die before the age of 19. Then his parents died too. Long life was by no means a guarantee – a reality Johann Sebastian was reminded of, again and again. Now orphans, Johann Sebastian and his 13 year old brother Johann Jacob moved to the nearby town of Ohrdurf where the boy’s oldest brother, Johann Christoph was organist at St. Michael’s Church.

The nine year old Johann Sebastian couldn’t keep his hands off of music. Even if it was locked away.

While living with his older brother, Johann Sebastian now continued his education in Ohrdurf’s Latin school. He did so well, and showed such promise as a student and singer, that by the age of 15, he earned a university scholarship at the prestigious St. Michael’s School, in Luneburg.

While at school in Luneburg, Johann Sebastian tapped into a thriving music scene, 30 miles away in Hamburg, then Germany’s largest city. The most famous organist of the time was Johann Adam Reinken.

With formal education in Luneburg behind him, Johann Sebastian was now an educated and versatile musician. He could read and write music, sing, play and repair just about any keyboard instrument. Ready to set out on his own, he needed to look no further than his own back yard.

Armed with a new instrument and time to play it, Johann Sebastian’s talent blossomed. He devoted himself to composing and performing music. He played the organ three times a week in church and lead a local choir. That duty led to a brawl with bassoonist Geyersbach.

Johann Sebastian had other problems with his employers here in Arnstadt. He requested a one month leave of absence to visit the famous organist, Dietrich Buxtehude. That visit stretched into three months. When he returned, an angry congregation was shocked by new-fangled styles of music the young organist brought back with him.

On top of everything else, Johann Sebastian was unfairly accused for allowing an ‘unfamiliar maiden” to sing in the choir loft. In those days women weren’t allowed to sing in church. Now, his days in Arnstadt were numbered. Bigger, better things awaited in Muhlhausen.

Johann Sebastian’s second major post came as organist in this Free Imperial City. It was here that he began to refine his skill as a composer, writing large-scale works like “God is our King.” Since the Muhlhausen job meant a pay raise, the 23 year old was ready to wed his second cousin, Maria Barbara Bach, at this church in Dornheim.

The marriage produced four children who survived to adulthood. Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel both went on to become famous composers in their own rights. While in Muhlhausen Johann Sebastian found himself in the middle of the biggest religious controversy of his day. Orthodoxy verses pietism.

Pietist’s saw faith as personal and life changing. The orthodox tended to be more understated and traditional. Johann Sebastian served two churches in Muhlhausen. One pietistic. The other orthodox. All Bach wanted to do was glorify God with his music.

Fed up with religious squabbling in Muhlhausen, he decided to take advantage of his growing reputation and find a new job. The opportunity came as court organist back in Weimar, a leading German cultural center. Previously, the young genius made do with local, town musicians. In Weimar, they were professionals.

The city of Weimar was the seat of a Duchy. That meant the land was controlled by a Duke. In this case, two Dukes. Not only did Johann Sebastian have professional musicians to work with, but the job was prestigious. It nearly doubled his salary. The best part, his employer loved music. Johann Sebastian’s musical output began to blossom. He experimented with the works of Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi and wrote numerous cantatas and organ works such as “Christ lay in Death’s Strong Bands” and “The Little Organ Book”.

Johann Sebastian’s fame as a performer spread throughout Europe. This, of course, led to a promotion.

Johann Sebastian was not only a master performer, he was rapidly becoming a master composer. Back in Weimar, the now famous Johann Sebastian missed out on a promotion when his boss hired a relative for the court’s top musical post. Johann Sebastian’s response landed him in jail.

As Capellmister, Johann Sebastian was now at the top of his profession. Personally, the 32 year old musician’s family had grown as well. He and Maria Barbara now had four children under the age of 10. Cothen was a small principality in Anhalt-Cothen. Compared with Halle or Leipzig, it was a back water. On the bright side, the Reformed Prince Leopold loved music and the arts. When the nearby Prussian King fired his court musicians, Leopold seized the opportunity and hired a large contingent for himself.

Life for the Bach family in Cothen began well. Johann Sebastian worked in this castle. He performed for the Prince, and for the church. He also wrote six concerts for Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg. We know them well as the Brandenburg Concertos. Sadly, it was also a time of tragedy for the family. Returning home from a business trip of several weeks with Prince Leopold, Johann Sebastian learned that his beloved Maria Barbara, whom he had left in good health, had died and been buried.”

More than a year after Maria Barbara’s death, Johann Sebastian fell in love. She was a young professional court singer, Anna Magdalena Wilcke.

In 1723, Johann Sebastian, his new wife and growing family left Cothen and moved here. To Leipzig. It was the peak of his career. Leipzig’s major attraction was its university. Johann Sebastian wanted his sons to further their education and this may be part of his reason for moving here.

Johann Sebastian was hired as Cantor, or chief musician, at the St. Thomas Church and school. Ironically, he was the third choice. George Phillip Telemann and Christoph Graupner both turned down the job. They had to make do with Johann Sebastian Bach.

In some respects, Johann Sebastian’s Leipzig post was a step down compared with Cothen and Weimar. He no longer served in a prince’s court. The Leipzig musicians he worked with were amateurs, not professionals. He not only made the most of the situation, he triumphed. Johann Sebastian’s Leipzig work represents one of the greatest musical achievements in the history of Christendom.

It was in Leipzig that Johann Sebastian wrote the St. Matthew, St. Mark and St. John Passions. A Passion is simply a musical way of telling the story of Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection in a worship service. While only two, St. Matthew and St. John survive today, both rank as classics.

Johann Sebastian continued to compose at a phenomenal rate until his last days. In his 65th year, following two unsuccessful eye operations, the now blind master died following a stroke. He left behind Anna Magdalena and nine children. Four of them were still minors. In the decades following his death, Johann Sebastian’s music began to be replaced by newer, more popular styles. Composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and even Johann Sebastian’s sons Carl Philip Emanuel and Johann Christian (called the “English Bach”) became popular throughout Europe.

In 1829, 79 years after Johann Sebastian’s death, German composer Felix Mendelssohn performed the St. Matthews Passion. The performance sparked a revival that has influenced the music of every generation since.

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