Roberto Strappafelci wrote:

>Kevin Sutton wrote:
>
>>But let us not presume to damn the Leipzigers of Bach's day for doing what
>>they saw was their elected and civic duty.
>
>With all due respect, I do not understand your position.  At the time, in
>Leipzig, the Cantor's duties were:
>
>a) to provide music for the church
>b) to teach music
>c) to teach latin

There was considerably more to the job than what you state.  He was also
responsible for the dormitories and had to see to the students' general
behavior etc.  He had to spend a great deal more time dealing with
administrative issues and general day to day care of the students than
I am sure he cared for.

>The first two were bread and butter for any decent composer, Bach included.
>
>To teach latin was a pain in the ass for most 'Musicus'.  In fact, the Town
>Council was divided on this issue, whether or not the Cantor should teach
>latin.  The progressives would have better hired a famous Musicus, the
>conservatives just a teacher.

Indeed.  My point was that in your original quote, the implication was that
Bach got little support from the council where the arts are concerned.  You
then go on to state that today's put upon music teachers could have had it
worse, i.e.  they could have been poor ole Bach.  Bach accepted the job as
it was laid out by the council.  He was therefore under obligation to carry
it out.  He didn't like it and often didn't do it to the satisfaction of
his employers.  In fact there are several documented episodes of his being
disciplined by the council.  What I was saying was that we give the ole boy
too much sympathy, and don't come to recognize that he brought some of his
troubles upon himself.

>As a matter of fact, Telemann declined the offer (he was asked first, then
>Bach was) because he didn't intend to spend the rest of his life teaching
>latin to the children.

Telemann didn't have twenty mouths to feed either and was already more
famous than Bach when he was offered the job.  He was in a much better
financial position than Bach and could more easily refuse the gig.

>Just like Telemann, at first Bach declined the job, too.  Why he later
>agreed to the proposal is still a mistery.  He had to teach latin, and
>this was the worst choice he ever did.  The rest of the story is well known.

I don't think there is that much mystery to it.  He needed a job and took
what was available to him.  Who hasn't done that before?

>The teaching of music was never a problem. The teaching of latin was.

Au Contraire!  He griped constantly that the boys were slow to learn,
undisciplined and that the town pipers and others were inadequate.  I don't
think he enjoyed teaching music any more than he did Latin where the school
boys were concerned.

>Twentyseven years later one of the most conservative town councillor had
>not yet understood that a good Musicus is rarely a latin teacher, and a
>latin teacher is rarely a good Musicus.
>
>If this is the kind of Leipziger you like, I disagree.

I didn't say that I liked it.  I merely said that Bach does not deserve all
the posthumous sympathy he gets where Leipzig is concerned.  He often did
not do his job to the satisfaction of his employers.  Period.  History is
the better for it, but at the time, he was not always in the right.

Kevin