Walter Meyer wrote:

>It's on occasions like these that it might be well to remember that J.S.
>Bach was the congregation's third choice for cantor of the Thomaskirche in
>Leipzig.

Wow! I wonder what the first two were like!

Jon Johanning // [log in to unmask]

 [Soemwhat accomplished composers themselves:  Georg Philipp Telemann and
 Christoph Graupner.  Telemann was their first choice.  He was actually
 elected cantor, thought it over long and hard, then decided to stay at his
 position in Hamburg.  Their second choice Graupner was the Kapellmeister
 to the Landgrave of Hesse who refused to let him take the new position
 (similar to Bach's experience at Weimar).  -Dave]