The Bach Revival

Ah Bach… I could honestly go on about him for hours! What a guy. But don’t worry! I’ll try not to bore you all to tears with my fangirling, but fair warning—I will be dedicating the next couple of Music Mondays to him, so maybe worry a little bit?   

Despite being known by just about everyone on the planet today, Bach wasn't always that popular. During his time, he was mostly known just as a church organist. People recognized his talent, but he wasn’t a superstar like Handel or Vivaldi. And after his death in 1750, he was largely forgotten by the general public. It’s rumored that stores were using his sheet music as wrapping paper for cheese and fish! Like it’s some old newspaper!! Can you believe it?? 

While he may have been forgotten by the public, he was still studied and remembered by composers like Mozart and Beethoven. However, it wasn't until 1829 that Bach's genius was finally revealed to the world, when Felix Mendelssohn staged a performance of St. Matthew Passion. The crowd was obsessed. They couldn’t get enough of this guy! 

From that point on, Bach’s music spread throughout the world, and March 11, 1829 was declared the day of Bach’s revival—the day the world vowed to never again forget his genius.

Sources:

https://notanothermusichistorycliche.blogspot.com/2016/06/how-forgotten-was-bach.html

https://medium.com/@rgreenbergmusic/music-history-monday-the-revival-begins-cb3c8525e00a