When the keystone of the monumental Complete Edition of the Works of Johann Sebastian Bach was put in place in 1899, Bach research was truly able to claim that it had accomplished a huge and important task. After half a century of arduous and conscientious work, it had not only fulfilled an urgent national obligation but also made an essential contribution to the ever growing dissemination of Bach's music throughout the civilized nations of the world. Bach's music has repeatedly inspired creative and performing artists in our century, a circumstance whose future consequences - fortunately, we might add - still cannot be foreseen. With the editing of Bach's works, men like Hauptmann, Rietz, Rust, Dörffel - to name but the most important - have transmitted a cultural legacy that promises to be a wellspring of energy, providing aesthetic nourishment in ever new forms.
This faith in the present and future effects of Bach's music has motivated scholars over the past fifty years to continue working on this legacy. A number of highly important and interesting compositions have been rediscovered; let us mention only the Quodlibet (BWV 524), the G major Violin Sonata (BWV 1021), and the solo cantata "Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut" (BWV 199). Furthermore, a number of works in the Complete Edition were declared spurious on the basis of conscientious and detailed examinations. And in many cases, it was possible to supplement or correct the dates of origin and first performance. In addition, newly discovered autographs and valuable copies made in Bach's time made it possible to publish emended critical editions, while philological precision, expert knowledge, increased sensitivity and associative daring led to ever new interpretations: these are illustrated on a small scale, for example, by the publication of practical editions of various keyboard works, and, on a larger scale, above all by the various attempts to reproduce the intended sound of the "Art of Fugue". Finally, supported by new scholarly findings, traditional views on questions of performance practice began to undergo a transformation leading away from the Romantic predilection for excessive volume to the present-day call for clear and transparent interpretations that bring out the structure of the parts.
The purpose and goal of this Catalogue, which is proud to take its place among a series of undertakings seeking to open up the wealth of Bach's music, is to integrate the knowledge acquired over the past fifty years with the achievements of the Complete Edition, and to reproduce the results very concisely, and generally only in the form of a reference, following the reliable scheme provided by the incipits of all the works created by Bach or claimed to be of his hand. We have pursued a triple goal: firstly, on the strength of the most recent research, we have sought to establish which and how many works are actually by Bach; secondly, the inventory of early manuscript sources and printed editions is designed to facilitate subsequent source studies in Bach's works; thirdly, the bibliographical listing of editions and scholarly writings (this concept is intentionally interpreted in a broad sense) is intended not only to serve as a guide for further research, but was also exploited in the Catalogue itself.
Given these objectives - which must appear of no small dimensions even to the uninitiated - one thing became absolutely clear: there could only be a very restricted scope for personal research. And if, nevertheless, a few "new findings" have found their way into the Catalogue - for example, the elucidations concerning Anh. 158, the ascription of a manuscript to its proper place (BB Mus. ms. autogr. Bach P1162) or the explanation of various interrelationships among manuscripts (BWV 188, under the entry "autograph") - these are findings that more or less fell into the editor's lap during his work, and did not absorb too much of his precious time. Had he ventured into the jungle of differing opinions on the authenticity or spuriousness of works, on the various datings and questions of scoring, etc., he would still be at the beginning of his task. Everyone in whom Bach's works are alive and who has had access at some time to the precious sources himself knows that
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such a project requires a good deal of self-effacement. On the following pages, we will try to illustrate what has just been expressed by briefly reviewing the paths that were taken to achieve the triple goal we had set for our project.
What were the predecessors of our compilation of Bach's works, the existing materials on which we were able to base our project? The first comprehensive listing, albeit without thematic incipits, is found in the obituary by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Friedrich Agricola, which was printed in Mizler's "Musicalische Bibliothek" in 1754. This is followed by the considerably more important "Verzeichnis des musikalischen Nachlasses des verstorbenen Capellmeisters Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach" of 1790, which contains extensive sections devoted to Bach's "Instrumental Works" and "Vocal Works" - they, too, without the themes note 1. This estate catalogue, which contains both texts and medium, is the most extensive compilation prior to Hauser's thematic catalogue. Although it only takes into account Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's portion of the inheritance, it is all the more valuable as a source when considering that the portion of the inheritance belonging to Wilhelm Friedemann - which, as we know, suffered a terrible fate that left irreparable damage -has not been transmitted in a similar form. Bach's manuscripts were inherited by these two sons note 2. The next serious endeavor to deal with Bach's works is to be found in Johann Nikolaus Forkel's biography note 3. Like the obituary of 1754, this inventory, also without thematic incipits, attempts to give an overview of Bach's oeuvre. It certainly never claimed to be complete or exact; indeed, the vocal works, in particular, were treated rather cursorily and with a rather obvious dependency on the obituary. But its lasting merit is that it transmits a large number of the most important instrumental works, and that it divides and systematically groups the multitude of Bach's compositional forms for the first time in a fashion that is still acceptable today, and that has even been partially used in this Catalogue.
These various sources were combined about thirty years later in the aforementioned first thematic catalogue of the works of Bach, which was put together by Franz Hauser, a passionate Bach admirer and collector of his manuscripts. As a highly sought-after operatic baritone, Hauser had many opportunities during his travels to meet with other collectors as well as with the conservators of the priceless manuscripts in public libraries. This allowed him to increase by an extraordinary measure the very sparse listings of 1754, 1790 and 1802. In his closing word to the Bach Complete Edition note 4, Hermann Kretzschmar admitted that this edition would probably not have been undertaken if it hadn't been for Hauser's catalogue. It is, however, regrettable that, contrary to the original plans, this highly informative and fundamental work was not published note 5. Since it also names the owners of the manuscripts, it would still be a valuable source for the clarification of questions of provenance, particularly of such manuscripts that are still in private collections or on the antiquarian market. Since the critical apparatus of the Complete Edition was not prepared with the same degree of thoroughness throughout the series, not all of Hauser's observations were incorporated into the Complete Edition. Be that as it may, one thing is certain: all of Bach's works, both authentic and spurious, known to Rauser, as well as all the works that could be located in printed catalogues of manuscripts belonging to libraries note 6, have been included in the Complete Edition in some form or other.
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The Complete Edition was not the only large-scale project concerned with Johann Sebastian Bach towards the middle of the century. There had been earlier attempts to produce a Complete Edition in the first half of the 19th century, for example those of Hoffmeister & Kühnel in 1801ff. (keyboard works), Peters in 1817ff. (keyboard works, chamber music, concertos) and Haslinger in 1832ff. (organ works) note 7. The fruits of these efforts, together with new research conducted parallel to that of the editorial board of the Complete Edition, led to the publication of the collected organ works by Griepenkerl and Roitzsch (Peters) and to Alfred Dörffel's "Thematisches Verzeichnis der Instrumentalwerke Bachs" of 1867. This publication, the first edition of which is a true rarity today, has an infinitely greater source value than the thematic catalogue of the vocal works prepared by Tamme and published considerably later (in 1889). Since this latter catalogue was based essentially on the Complete Edition, it contained only the vocal works that had been published up to Volume 37 inclusively. A comprehensive listing reflecting the contents of the entire Complete Edition was provided only in the final volume of the Complete Edition which appeared in 1899 and had been preceded by the themes of Cantatas 1-120 in Volume 272 of 1878.
In addition to the Complete Edition, a number of library catalogues published after 1900 note 8, antiquarian catalogues and, above all, the Bach compositions published since the appearance of the Complete Edition also played an important role as source material. Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf's three early catalogues - the "Verzeichnis Musikalischer Bücher" of 1760-1780, the "Verzeichnis Musicalischer Werke" of 1761-1780, and the "Catalogo delle Sinfonie" with complete supplements from 1762 to 1787 - were also helpful since they confirm suppositions about Bach's authorship of various pieces (the question of their authoritativeness must be left out of consideration here), list the names of other composers - presumably the right ones - for dubious works, and contain some works that are otherwise nowhere to be found. Finally, the research carried out in many libraries brought to light some more works which bear Johann Sebastian Bach's name and which were incorporated in the appendices containing spurious compositions and works of dubious authenticity.
The research in libraries primarily served to help us achieve the second goal of this Catalogue, that of providing the greatest possible amount of early manuscript and printed sources for each work. This undertaking was as lengthy as it was complicated, and the editor's blood runs cold time and again when he thinks of how much work was done in vain. For, if we may briefly anticipate a matter which we will be discussing at length later on, the destruction in 1943 of the manuscript that was ready for printing and the devastation and impoverishment of the German library stocks have led to the irretrievable loss of the basic material and sources for a compilation of this kind, and it will undoubtedly take many years before another attempt to catalogue the sources in a more or less exhaustive manner can be undertaken. What we have listed here in the way of manuscripts and publications is a torso compiled from old proof sheets, notes, and letters. We have consciously limited ourselves to autographs and copies made by reliable scribes. Moreover, the present state of the sources has not been taken into consideration, i.e. all the autographs, copies and publications are assigned to the institutions in which they had been located until 1945. For a source list of Bach's works which accounts for the completely new circumstances, one will have to wait for the supplement to the present Catalogue, which is already being planned.
As far as the third goal is concerned, which is to offer the results of Bach research from its inception in, strictly speaking, Mizler's obituary to the present day, we were faced with a double task: the bibliographic inventory and the critical examination. It was utterly out of the question to lirik title after title. Instead, the results of these thousands of individual examinations - for example,
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information concerning the authors of the texts, the period of origin, dates of performance, parodies and, particularly, the authenticity - had to be compared and distributed at various places within the Catalogue. But here, too, it was impossible to probe adequately into the countless topics involved. Without losing too much time, we had to select the most well-founded observations, and indicate divergent opinions in a supplementary note. The Catalogue would most likely never have seen the light of day had the editor wanted to pronounce himself on such matters as, for example, the authenticity of the Cantata "Schlage doch, gewülnschte Stunde" (BWV 53), the St. Luke Passion (BWV 246), the Schemelli hymns (BWV 439-507), the Giovannini aria "WilIst du dein Herz mir schenken" (BWV 518), the F major Violin Sonata (BWV 1022) and the Trio Sonata in G major (BWV 1038) or the two concerto arrangements for three claviers (BWV 1063/64) - examples which could be multiplied at will. In this context, let us also recall the eight-part Mass Anh. 167, which was long considered a work by Bach note 9. And let us also not forget that some of the chorales within Bach's cantatas may not stem from Bach at all note 10. The same applies to the attribution of the date of origin of the works: here, the year indicated is often only an approximate estimation of the date of the first performance. Scholars' opinions often differ widely here note 11 and even special detailed studies must come to the general conclusion that a chronological order - we are referring here to that of the organ works - is impossible, "since there are not enough internal and external grounds for a relatively unobjectionable chronological arrangement" note 12. On the other hand, all the well-founded results of solid research were taken into consideration in this Catalogue, especially those concerning the recurrent use of the same composition (see the B Minor Mass BWV 232), the preliminary and original forms (see the Well-Tempered Clavier BWV 846-893), the identified composers of spurious works (see Anh. III) and the presumed or dubious works. These findings form the foundation for almost all the informative statements about the various works.
Although the objectives of our Catalogue provided us with a guideline that proved useful throughout the small-scale work of the compilation, this guideline failed to offer any kind of blueprint for the overall structure of the Catalogue. Let us linger a little over this matter which, after all, is a vital aspect of this book. It is said of books that have been completed: "Habent sua fata libelli". The BWV's "fata" began during its genesis, back in 1926, as Johannes Wolgast took up the project at the suggestion of the publishing house Breitkopf & Härtel, which supplied him with printed file cards bearing various entries. This was initially to have been, in essence, an excerpt from the Bach Complete Edition. Guidelines were established for the numbering, the various categories, and the procedure of the work, and the book might have been published years ago in a cogent form conceived by the editor had death not put an end to these plans. Since the extensive research that the prematurely departed editor must have conducted for the catalogue during the last years of this life was only rarely entered on the above-mentioned cards note 13, the following editor had to start again practically from scratch. Paul Rubardt, who then took this legacy into his hands, infused the Catalogue with the strength it needed to grow little by little, year after year: he forged his way through the Complete Edition, visited libraries to examine their collections of Bach manuscripts, and put together lists of secondary literature from numerous sources. But he, too, was unable to consummate this project despite his diligent field work. In March 1937, Breitkopf & Härtel then entrusted the project to its archivist, the present and final editor.
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And now the moment has come to report briefly about the unfortunate turn his work was to take. The final proofs were sent off to the Leipzig publishing house in the spring of 1943. Although the work was ready for printing, technical difficulties prevented it from going to press that same year. But at least a beginning was made, and the first sheets were printed. Then came the fateful day of 4 December 1943, when an air raid on Leipzig destroyed all the printed sheets, the entire typesetting material, many engraving plates and ... the manuscript. Since the copy of this Leipzig typescript manuscript had already been destroyed by fire in Frankfurt am Main just two months previously (on 4 October 1943), it seemed hopeless at first to even think about reconstructing the work. After the war was over, it turned out that a significant number of engraving plates had survived, as well as an old set of proofs, dating from around 1938, that was in the editor's possession. He thus returned to his work on the Catalogue in the spring of 1946. Although the means at his disposal were truly insufficient, his difficult task proved nevertheless to be possible. The fact that he reached his goal - inasmuch as one can speak of a "goal" at all with regard to such a book - precisely in 1950 casts a comforting light on the long and star-crossed story of this publication.
The history of this Catalogue, from its inception to the moment this editor took it over, is important insofar as it shows that more than just the outline of the overall structure existed before the editor was entrusted with the project. There existed not only the rough division Vocal Works / Instrumental Works, but also a system of organization of the various compositional forms within these divisions, an order which, under these circumstances, he was obliged to keep. He thus directed his efforts toward a logical elaboration of this system, whose fundamental aspects were clearly discernible (the difficulty in dating Bach's works precluded the possibility of a chronological order note 14. He also strove to eliminate the eclecticism of the order of the works within larger groups which resulted from the intermingling of contents in various volumes of the Complete Edition. In other words: he had to free himself from a confining dependence on the Complete Edition, not only in the aforementioned respect, but on the whole as well. Only in this manner was it possible to acceed to the following overall structure of the Catalogue, which intentionally takes up the well-known, traditional cantata numbers.
Although this system also reflects the publication sequence of the Complete Edition in the varying order within certain sections (e.g. the different location of the Sonatas and of the Preludes and Fugues within the Organ and Clavier sections), this is not as objectionable as a completely random arrangement or, to be more precise, as the muddle of various sub-categories that would have necessarily resulted from a rigid observance of the publication sequence within the Complete Edition. This Catalogue has not been conceived as a system for its own sake, but as a cogent form of order derived from practical requirements. For example, it would have been logical to place the "Musical Offering" in the Clavier and Chamber Music categories, or the "Art of Fugue" among the Clavier works. We refrained from doing so, however, not only because of the highly debated question of the proper performance medium, but above all because these works give rise to classes that transcend the given categories, or that can at least take their place next to them as equal partners. The sequence Canons - Musical Offering - Art of Fugue and its position at the close of the Catalogue also have such an "inner" motivation: these works represent the highest artistic forms with which Bach preoccupied himself during the last years of his life.
We very consciously proceeded in a non-dogmatical manner not only as far as the overall arrangement was concerned - which goes back partly to Forkel (see above, p. XXIII) and the Hauser Catalogue - but also with respect to the observance of certain specific organizational principles. Thus, for example, various versions of the same music (parodies, above all) are placed under the same number and distinguished with exponents note 15. Wherever the second version differs so radically from the first that it gives rise to a new form of the work (concerto arrangements!), we have given it a new number and a new position. But first and foremost, we have always attempted - save for a few exceptions note 16 and at the risk of producing a slight discrepancy within the system note 17 - to gather under a common heading all the works that belong together, i.e. groups of similar compositions arranged to form an entity following either Bach's own will or the will of significant copyists that is manifested in the original manuscripts. Of course, all these groups concur with the form in which they have been transmitted. These groups thus do not follow the order of practical editions, which sometimes actually represent an improvement, e.g. at BWV 924-943; instead, they aim to reflect
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the organic growth of the various groups of works. Only a small number of groups has been derived from purely practical considerations, which also take into consideration the Catalogue's use as a reference tool. Whoever feels that the order of the instrumental works is not systematic enough should consult the thematic index (on page 933ff.), which we compiled completely independently of any pre-existing material and which also includes the works contained in the appendices. Here, the systematic order partly note 18 extends even into the sequence of the various themes of a group note 19.
It was impossible to follow any rigid principles in the compilation of the appendices, particularly the one containing dubious works. The editor is very much aware that some of the works in the main section might better have been placed in the appendix, for example, some of the poorly documented cantatas BWV 217-222, the St. Luke Passion, various Schemelli hymns and a few organ, clavier and chamber music works. On the strength of the growing conviction that the boundaries between the dubious works of the appendix and those of the main section must remain fluid because of the present state of Bach research, and since the Catalogue, as previously mentioned, was not and could not be conceived as a showplace for new schola4y findings, the editor was obliged to make a rather specious but rigorous decision to place in Appendix II only works that have never been attributed to Bach either in an edition or in Bach literature, save for some rare and unambiguous exceptions. Even if a few dubious works have remained in the main section, where they are naturally identified as such, this is doubtlessly less objectionable than the label "of dubious authenticity" that the conscientious chronicler would have felt obliged to attach to works that are generally considered authentic and which the editor also feels are authentic, even if only one single doubt is raised against them. The authenticity files will undoubtedly remain open as long as those concerning problems of dating.
There is one problem, however, that the editor could not leave open to discussion to the same extent as the above-mentioned; this is a problem he had to solve himself according to the best of his knowledge, namely, just how far he should go in including dubious compositions in this catalogue. What determined the omission of works were considerations such as missing or subsequently added attributions of authorship in the sources; the slight possibility of authenticity resulting from an evaluation of the music itself; the problem of fragments that are so incomplete as to prevent us from being able to make a picture of the work as a whole; bibliographical sources that are too unreliable; and other similar grounds. In order to illustrate this procedure with examples, but above all in order to grant a modest place in this catalogue to a few works that are not otherwise included, we are providing a list of the excluded works which had the weightiest reasons to be considered.
1.
On the basis of the Zerbst treasury payments of 1722/23, H. Wäschke proved note 20 that Bach presented a composition to Prince Johann August of Zerbst on his birthday on 29 July 1722. Assuming that this was a congratulatory cantata, it is very likely that Bach later made further use of this work in some form or other for the Sunday service. It is thus perhaps already included in the Catalogue. Moreover, it cannot be excluded that an instrumental work has been transmitted in another form despite the particular circumstances of its origin (cf. Partita I, BWV 825).
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2.
On 19 June 1723, the appointment of the legal scholar Dr. Johann Florens Rivinus to the University of Leipzig was celebrated with the performance of a serenade note 21. Since Bach had agreed to compose a number of works for the University at the beginning of his Leipzig tenure - he later turned this over to Görner - and since he composed a birthday cantata ("Die Freude reget sich", BWV 36b) for Rivinus ten years later, it is perfectly plausible to assume that he also composed this work. The extant text begins with the words: "Murmelt nur, ihr heitern Bäche".
3.
On 3 August 1739, the Collegium musicum of the University of Leipzig performed, in the name of the Bautzen "Landsmannschaft", an evening serenade for Prince August Ludwig of Anhalt-Köthen on his name day, which he spent in Leipzig. The music, which is now lost, was written by Johann Sebastian Bach note 22.
4.
We can infer from the draft of a letter by Johann Sebastian Bach's cousin Elias Bach dated 28 September 1739 that Bach also wrote the festive music for the King's birthday on 7 October 1739, and had it performed as well. Elias wrote to his stepbrother: ".... since he (Bach) will perform some music during the first week of the Fair for the birthday of His Royal Majesty; it will undoubtedly be worth hearing, and if my brother can get away, he will certainly not regret having been among the listeners." Since the text of this work, just like that of the Collegium Music piece of 3 August 1739, is unknown, it is practically impossible to establish whether the music has survived as a parody in a church cantata note 23.
5.
The "Verzeichnis der von dem verstorbenen Doctor und Musikdirector Forkel in Göttingen nachgelassenen Bücher und Musikalien" of 1819 lists under No.94, among some well-known works by Bach, a "New Year's Cantata" with the text incipit "Ihr wallenden Wolken". Only if the text were found would we be able to know whether this work is to be numbered among Bach's many lost church cantatas or whether it was based on a secular original, for example, BWV 193a "Ihr Häuser des Himmels" or on parts of the Hunting Cantata BWV 208 (final chorus).
6.-8.
The textual structure of three cantatas whose music, possibly by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, has been lost, prompted Martin FaLck to identify them as "possibly composed by Sebastian" note 24. The texts in question are "Gott ist unsre Zuversicht", "Lobe den Herm in seinem Heiligtum" and "Wertes Zion, sei getrost".
9.
The claim that the Arnstadt cantata "Die Klugheit der Obrigkeit in Anordnung des Bierbrauens" of 1705 stems from Bach belongs to the realm of the fable and the novel note 25. We must be grateful to Spitta for having shattered this legend and for having identified the presumed authors as the Treibers, father and son, of Arnstadt note 26.
10.
According to relatively recent research conducted in the Stadtarchiv in Mühlhausen in Thuringia, not only the cantata for the election of the Town Council "Gott ist mein König" (BWV 71) is supposed to have been sent to the printers by the Muhlhausen Council, but also another cantata as well, one year later note 27. It is presently impossible to determine whether this work is lost, or whether it has perhaps survived as a parody in one of the church cantatas from this period.
11.
The former Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Königsberg owns an early copy of the parts of the motet "Der Geist hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf" (BWV 226). While the parts of the first chorus contain the choral movement "Sturmet, ihr Winde, sturmet, raset, ihr Wellen"
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after the close, the parts of the second chorus contain the movement "Himmel, freue dich, Himmel" at the same place. The text of the second chorus is from Psalm 69. There ist no mention of a composer. Müller note 28 does not make any specific mention of the choruses.
12.
It is as impossible today as it was 90 years ago to locate a four-part "Tantum ergo" with organ accompaniment, which Rust, in 1862, assumed to be a latinized version of a Bach cantata note 29.
13.
A manuscript in the Öffentliche Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek in Berlin (Mus. ms. Bach P 31) attributes a Passion beginning with the chorale "Jesu, deine Passion will ich jetzt bedenken" to Bach. Annotations made by other hands on the title page of this work rightly disclaim this attribution.
14.15.
The chorales with instrumental accompaniment "Es woll uns Gott genädig sein" und "Wenn ihr alles getan habt" are attributed to "Johann Sebastian Bach" and "Bach" in two Königsberg manuscripts (call nos. 24726 and 25086). Both attributions have proven to be later additions and are devoid of credibility, since the pieces are unlikely to have been written by Johann Sebastian Bach. The second almost certainly originated in the second half of the 18th century.
16.
The first part of the "Sammlung verschiedener und auserlesener Oden.. herausgegeben von einem Liebhaber der Musik und Poesie" was published in Halle in 1743. It contains three pieces identified as being by "Bach". They point, however, less to Johann Sebastian than to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The "Lover of Music and Poetry" seems to have been Johann Friedrich Grafe note 30. And the catalogue of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's estate note 31 shows without a doubt that some of his works were contained in collections compiled by Grafe.
17.
The manuscript Mus. ms. Bach P 801 in the Music Department of the Öffentliche Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek in Berlin contains the aria
amidst clavier and organ pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Krebs, and other composers on page 64f. The name of the composer is missing. What is striking, however, is the almost note-for-note correspondence of the head of the theme with that of the strongly debated Giovannini aria "WilIst du dein Herz mir schenken" from Anna Magdalena Bach's second Music Book of 1725.
18.
In the midst of some organ and clavier works by Johann Sebastian Bach, the manuscript Mus. ms. Bach P 287 of the Öffentliche Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek in Berlin contains a composition on page 101 (organ or clavier concerto?) which, judging from its overall appearance, can hardly stem from Bach and is undoubtedly to be ascribed to the generation of his sons. The opening bars should suffice to illustrate the character of the work:
In another miscellany preserved in the Öffentliche Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek in Berlin (call no. Mus. ms. Bach P 312; complete title: "Choralvorspiele von Seb. Bach") and which contains works by Bach, there is a chorale setting followed by two verses on "Vater unser im Himmelreich". The first bars in particular
recall the dubious chorale setting BWV 763. The open two-part texture and the simplicity of the cantus firmus accompaniment in the second and third lines tend to belie Bach's authorship. It is perhaps the work of a contemporary.
20.
A copy of the cantata "Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele" (BWV 180) in Kimberger's hand located in the Öffentliche Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek in Berlin (call no. Mus. ms. Bach P 46) contains the conclusion of one composition and another piece in its entirety. Both were crossed out diagonally. These two pieces, apparently intended for the clavier -especially the second, which is a kind of Arioso in the style of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach - suggest the hand of a minor composer of the mid century rather than Johann Sebastian Bach.
21.
A "Partita ex C-dur für Clavecin solo" specified as "del Sig. Bach Lips. 1745" has found its way into the library of the Counts of Schönborn in Wiesentheid (Mainfranken) note 32. It consists of one single movement with the superscription "Allegro", whose opening bars read as follows:
Not only these opening bars, in their entire design and structure, but also the rest of the work as well suggest that this work was written after Bach's time: it proceeds by linking small segments, it displays a motoric development only in the form of sequences (except for a kind of development section at the beginning of the second part - although one might want to interpret this as a mere harmonic sequence) and, most importantly, it shows no trace of Bach's cogent, fluid, not to mention imitative, compositional style. The numerous broken chords and a certain lack of idiomatic feeling make Johann Sebastian Bach's authorship more than doubtful.
22.
Philipp Spitta note 33 had already drawn attention to a miscellany in an oblong 80 format containing 57 fugues, 18 preludes, and an aria with the complete title "Praeludia et Fugen I del Signor /Johann Sebastian / Bach". The short pieces, notated on one stave and supplied with thoroughbass figures, resemble drafts more than fully worked out pieces. According to an entry on the title page, they belonged to one A. W. Langloz in 1756. Today they are located in the Music Department of the Öffentliche Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek in Berlin under the call no. Mus. ms. Bach P 296. Such thematic configurations might have originated in Bach's time, but their plodding and pedantic manner make it just about impossible to ascribe them to Bach; and this despite certain resemblances between the fugue
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listed under "No. 41" and BWV 863, and between the fugue "No. 48" and the first part of the subject of the "Art of Fugue". The simplistic aria "Alles liebt und paart sich wieder" belongs to a considerably later period. The handwriting also shows that it was added by another hand.
23.
A number of short canzonas, preceded by a ciacona, have come down to us in old-fashioned notation under the name "Bach" and "J.S.. Bach" in the manuscript Mus. ms. Bach P 297 preserved in the Öffentliche Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek in Berlin. They are possibly lute compositions. When examined carefully, the handwritten indication of the composer turns out to be the correction of another name which was added later. This short-winded little piece can hardly have been written by Johann Sebastian Bach.
24.-28.
Also omitted from the Catalogue are Bach's pedagogical and theoretical writings: the "höchst nöthigen Regeln vom General Basso" (Most Necessary Rules of Thoroughbass) from the second Music Book of Anna Magdalena Bach of 1725 note 34, the "Grundsätze zum vierstimmigen Spielen des General-Bass oder Accompagnement, für seine Scholaren in der Musik" (Principles of Four-Part Thoroughbass Playing or Accompaniment for his Scholars in Music) of 1738, the authenticity of which has yet to be fully proven (the manuscript can be traced back to Johann Peter Kellner and one of his pupils) note 35, and thirdly, a short but really quite interesting exercise by a pupil with corrections and improvements in Bach's hand note 36, which reflects Bach's method of teaching the technique of chorale preludes. The short, awkward, student-like little piece from the aforementioned Music Book (No.32 there) was also omitted note 37, as Bach's share in the work has not yet been established.
29.-31.
Finally, a few of Bach's sketches in autograph manuscripts have also not been included in the Catalogue. Following are the themes, so that they can eventually be attributed to certain numbers already included in the Catalogue or in the Appendix.
Autogr. score in BB Mus. ms. autogr. Bach P166
Autographic notice in the short-score fragment of the wedding cantata "Herr Gott, Beherrscher aller Dinge", BB Mus. ms. Bach P 670 (also see BWV 120a, under the entry "Handschriften" (Manuscripts).
This 16-line draft in score form of a choral piece accompanied by winds and strings is possibly contemporaneous with the dramma per musica "Der Streit zwischen Phöbus und Pan", judging from its character and motivic structure (cf. BWV 201 in particular, theme 7). It is found in the same autograph as the D minor Concerto for two claviers (BWV 1062) and the third flute sonata (BWV 1032), BB Mus. ms. Bach P 612.
These explanations have covered the entire scope of the Catalogue, all its goals and aims and its desire to be comprehensive, and yet there is something else the editor feels an urgent need to express: his thanks for the wealth of information he has received from countless sources, either written or verbally communicated, often involving considerable efforts and time-consuming research on the part of many people. The editor needed many years of work in the Music Department of the Öffentliche Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek in Berlin to comb through its extraordinarily rich collections of original Bach manuscripts and priceless copies of his works. Throughout these years, the editor was cordially and willingly assisted by the director of the Music Department, Professor Dr. Georg Schünemann and Dr. Peter Wackernagel; they not only allowed him to consult all the Bach autographs and copies in the library, but they also sent many manuscripts to him in Leipzig, which significantly facilitated his task. The greatest demands were made on senior librarian Dr. Peter Wackernagel, to whom I wish to express my very warmest thanks here for his enormous diligence, his unflagging cooperation, and for the abundance of valuable written information he provided. After Berlin, Leipzig also made a very important contribution to the inventory of the manuscript sources thanks to its various music collections. The directors of the Stadtbibliothek kindly allowed us to record its treasures, particularly those in its "Sammlung Gorke". The invaluable cantata performing parts preserved at the St. Thomas School were carefully studied with the gracious consent of the directors of this eminent institution. The editor will never forget the weeks during which he consulted the priceless manuscripts and in which he was able to experience at first hand the hallowed, centuries-old traditions of this school. He also wishes to thank the director of the Peters Music Library, Professor Dr. Eugen Schmitz, for his kind permission to consult the Bach manuscripts in this library and, of course, Breitkopf & Härtel, which not only put its splendid collection of Bach manuscripts at the editor's disposal, but also committed itself fully to the technical realization and completion of this book. The editor also appreciates the admirable patience manifested by this publishing house during the minute, day-to-day work involved in compiling this book.
The editor also wishes to thank the ever helpful custodian of the Bach-Raus in Eisenach, Studierrat Conrad Freyse; the estimable collector of Bach manuscripts, Mr. Manfred Gorke, who kindly offered his help in the reconstruction of some numbers in the manuscript after the destruction of the printer's copy; the former director of the Music Department of the Sachsische Landesbibliothek, Dr. Ewald Jammers, who not only contributed valuable information about the Bach manuscripts he was responsible for, but also followed the progress of this book with ongoing interest and offered valuable advice; Dr. Hedwig Kraus, the director of the archives of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna; the administration of the Landesstiftung Coburg; the directors of the former Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek in Königsberg, the Stadtbibliothek in Danzig and the former Bibliothek fur Neuere Sprachen und Musik (now the Stadt- und Universitätsbibliothek) in Frankfurt am Main, which graciously sent a number of its truly valuable early manuscripts to Leipzig. Special thanks go out to the directorial board of the Stiftung Mozarteum in Frankfurt am Main, and to Mr. A. B. Anthes for considerately fulfilling all the editor's wishes.
When looking back on the evolution of this project and on the work itself, the editor is plagued by doubts about his accomplishment. But who wouldn't wish the best for his child? And who could be entirely satisfied with his accomplishment when considering the scope of its scholarly subject, which is in a state of constant flux, and, particularly, the great number of questions to be answered and problems to be solved? Such a project, as we know, is generally more or less completed" only after two or three generations. He who takes the first steps is the one who is naturally the most
[P xxxiv]
vulnerable to criticism and suffers the most violent attacks as well. Nevertheless, this pioneer project had to be carried out, and the editor always attempted to do this as well and as conscientiously as he was able to. Re is also aware that the inevitable revision process will undoubtedly begin as soon as the book appears, when, for example, a number of fortunate private manuscript owners, guarding their treasures in obscurity, "rejoice" to find that their Bach autographs are not listed, or when certain fastidious scholars, stimulated by the magnitude of this Catalogue's goals, open their fearfully sheltered files, bringing to light numerous questionable Bach works, but perhaps some truly authentic ones as well. In view of the inevitability of this process, the editor only wishes to express the modest hope that all new findings are sent to him or to the publisher in some form or other. Their willingness to make sacrifices and share their knowledge would bear witness to these collectors' and scholars' cooperativeness and would splendidly testify to the fundamental honesty and constructive will of musicological research as well as to the respect for the genius of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Frankfurt am Main, Spring 1950
Dr. Wolfgang Schmieder
Noten:
1
Reprint in BJ 1938, 1939 and 1940/48 by Heinrich Miesner.
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2
Johann Nikolaus Forkel, Üher Johann Sebastian Bachs Leben, Kunst und Kunstwerke. 1802. Reprint Augsburg 1925, p. 84.
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It is located today in the Music Department of the Öffentliche Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek in Berlin.
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6
See, in particular, the catalogues in Eitner's Monatshefte für Musikgeschichte, as well as Mosewius, Über Joh. Seb. Bachs Kirchengesänge und Kantaten (Allg. Musikal. Zeitg. Jg. 1844, p.469 and 593), S. W. Dehn, Verzeichnis der in der musikalischen Abteilung der Königlichen Bibliothek zu Berlin enthaltenen handschriftlichen Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach (Caecilia, Jg. 1943/45, Hefte 87, 89 and 93) and Jos. Müller, Die musikalisehen Schätze der Kgl. u. Universititsbihliothek zu Königsberg (1870).
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7
See Max Schneider, Verzeichnis der bis zum Jahre 1851 gedruckten ... Werke von Johann Sebastian Bach. In: BJ 1906, p. 84ff.
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8
The stocks of the Stadtbibliothek Danzig were recorded by Otto Günther in 1911, those of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna by Eusebius Mandyczewski in 1912, of the Musikbibliothek Peters by Rudolf Schwartz in 1919, and of the archives of Breitkopf & Härtel by Wilhelm Ritzig in 1925.
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9
See the Complete Edition Jg. XLI, p. XXXIXf. and Jg. XLVI, p. XXIII.
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Here only two examples: Pirro assigns BWV 106 to the year 1707, Rust dates it after 1708, Steglich "" around 1710", Spitta in 1711 and Wolfrum in 1712. The aria BWV 200 is ascribed to the years ranging from 1735 to 1749 on the one hand, and to the period around 1725 on the other.
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12
Gotthold Frotscher, Ueschichte des Orgeispiels und der Orgelkomposition. Berlin 1936. Vol.2, p.854.
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13
Fritz Dietrich, Johannes Wolgast. In: ZfMw Jg. 15 (1932), p.126.
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14
The chronological table on page 917ff. offers a substitute for this.
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15
For this reason, and also out of consideration for the existing cantata numbers, it was impossible to make a clear distinction between sacred and secular cantatas. However, the majority of the secular, non-parody cantatas have been placed together. Moreover, the overview on page 927ff. gives the exact amount and numbers of all secular cantatas.
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16
Thus, for example, the simple four-part pieces BWV 708 and 708a are located among the chorale settings only because they have come down to us in Kimberger's collection (BWV 690-713a).
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17
For example, the Clavierübungen, whose individual sections of highly contrasting forms are summarized again in the overview on page 926.
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18
Namely, at the preludes and fugues for organ and clavier. Here, moreover, all the fugues which belong to other works (generally preludes) are also listed singly because of their strong independent existence.
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19
We need not go into detail here about the system of this thematic arrangement, which serves its purpose the moment it facilitates the search for a work. It is immediately obvious that the rhythmic-metrical structure of the incipits is the point of departure of this system. In order to facilitate the use, let us only add that horizontal dashes (-) separate triple from quadruple meters, and that in each group of triple or quadruple bars, the opes that begin with a full bar are at the beginning, while the ones that are not cbmplcte are at the close. Another important structural principle consists in the progression from larger to smaller values.
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20
H. Wäschke, Die Zerbster Hofkapelle unter Fasch. Zerbster Jahrhuch 11(1906), p. 47ff.; H. Wäschke, Eine noch unbekannte Komposition J. S. Bachs. In: SIMG Jg. X (1908/09),p. 633f.
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21
Arnold Schering, Musikgeschichte Leipzigs. Vol 3, p.123 and 146. Leipzig 1941.
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See Spitta II, p. 599ff. and 913ff. Also printed there.
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36
1 sheet (2 pages with writing) in 80 purportedly dating from around 1735. B Lpz. Go. S. 302. See Rudolf Steglich, Johann Sebastian Bach. Potsdam 1935, p. 69ff.
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37
Printed in Jg. XL1112 (p.46) of the Bach Complete Edition.
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