Bauhaus Bach: American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall

Introduction

On October 21st, the American Symphony Orchestra played an unusual type of concert at Carnegie Hall — one that did not simply explore the works of a single composer but took things one step further. Though the concert consisted of works primarily composed by Bach (and one work "inspired" by Bach), it was not Bach as Bach had written it, but rather how Bach had been interpreted by more modern artists, specifically during the interwar years in twentieth-century Germany. The Bauhaus school was an artistic and philosophical movement and institution that touched on many — arguably all — areas of human expression, and many of its founders and adherents were enamored with the mathematical precision and clean nature of Bach's compositions (James, 2006; Weber, 2009). In this concert, the American Symphony Orchestra played works by Bach that had been orchestrated by Bauhaus composers, as well as one work by Bauhaus composer Lyonel Feininger, with somewhat mixed results.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Though by far the most famous musician and composer of his family and of his era, Johann Sebastian Bach was just one member of a family of accomplished musicians and composers. His father was the director of the town musicians in Eisenach, in Saxe-Eisenach (now part of Germany), all of his uncles were professional musicians in one form or another, and many of his siblings and children also found careers in music (Stapert, 2010). Still, it is J.S. Bach who has remained the most enduringly respected and renowned.

The works that the American Symphony Orchestra performed — in their adapted versions, with varying degrees of adaptation — come primarily from the last period of Bach's life and music, when he was Cantor of the Thomasschule at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig (Williams, 2007). Though much music of the time was religious due to the economic nature of the profession and the culture in which it was produced, the political nature of Bach's position at St. Thomas Church required him to compose almost exclusively chorale and/or organ music, as these were the musical elements that accompanied religious services or were used as settings for sacred texts (Williams, 2007; Stapert, 2010). Though Bach's compositions are not presented in their original forms in this concert, it is precisely this type of music that interested the Bauhaus artists and composers for several key reasons, and the influence of the religious nature of the work can be heard in interesting ways.

The Bauhaus School

The Bauhaus was an artistic school in both the concrete and the abstract senses of the term, espousing a certain philosophy and aesthetic while also providing direct instruction and an environment in which students, teachers, and artists could practice their crafts (James, 2006; Weber, 2009). "Craft" is precisely the right term to use, as this is how the Bauhaus school viewed its work. Founded by architect Walter Gropius along with others, Bauhaus was built on a principle of the aesthetics of utility — and vice versa — with these concepts largely inseparable in its practitioners' view (Weber, 2009). The artistic and the mechanical were, in effect, one and the same thing.

It is this mentality and perspective that led the Bauhaus school and its participant artists to their reverence for Bach, and especially to his later works arranged for large chorale groups and the organ at Leipzig — an instrument Bach mastered the maintenance of, in addition to composing for and playing it, as all organists were required to do for practical reasons (James, 2006; Williams, 2007). The fugues in particular — which are at once incredibly regular and mechanical in their construction (scholars have noted the clean lines the many notes form on the printed page) yet achingly beautiful and religiously passionate — embody many of the concepts of Bauhaus philosophy and culture (Williams, 2007; James, 2006; Weber, 2009). With the newer orchestrations of Bach's works by these Bauhaus-affiliated composers, and with Feininger's own Bach-inspired fugue included for good measure, the trajectory and relationship of Bach's music to the Bauhaus school becomes quite clear, though the resultant sound is not necessarily the most impressive.

Conclusion

There is also a very noticeable difference between Bach's pieces, even in their distorted forms, and the piece composed by Feininger. Not only are the centuries of musical and aesthetic development quite audible in the contrasting sounds of the pieces, but there remains an elegance — a blend of order and beauty — in Bach's works behind the orchestral arrangements that is not at all present in Feininger's piece. The evening was highly educational and a tremendous experience, but the music left something to be desired.

References

James, K. (2006). Bauhaus culture. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

Stapert, C. (2010). J.S. Bach. New York: Lion.

Weber, N. (2009). The Bauhaus group. New York: Knopf.

Williams, P. (2007). J.S. Bach: A life in music. New York: Cambridge University Press.