Bach for a Hundred Years: A Social History of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem

This is an account of the actions taken by the residents of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to create a local amateur society singing the music of J. S. Bach and to develop it into a choir of international importance. Singers, instrumentalists, industrialists, academicians, bankers, and churches acted in community to found and perpetuate a group devoted to sharing the music of Bach locally, nationally, and internationally. While The Bach Choir of Bethlehem performs frequently elsewhere, the annual Bethlehem Bach Festival became and remains a magnet for those who love Bach and want to experience his music excellently performed in historic and sacred surroundings. In order to reach and maintain its premier status, the choir, its conductor, its board, and staff had to be experts in music performance and shifts in audience tastes. They had to be responsive to research in performance practice, and skilled in strategic planning, promotion and fundraising. In recent years they had to become competent in sound recording technology and use of the internet. These attributes are described and analyzed with frequent use of documents and personal anecdotes. Successfully balancing the human actions and desires involved in such a complex enterprise has earned The Bach Choir of Bethlehem the title “A National Treasure” in music and the recognition that it is at the same time a national model for excellence as a cultural non-profit organization. This is a story of how and why—for over a century—inspiring performances of Bach’s music came about and were brought to many thousands of listeners.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Dedication Author’s Note Introduction Chapter 1. Bach, Bethlehem, and Wolle: 1733-1897 Chapter 2. Creating An American Bach Choir: 1898 Chapter 3. A National Success: 1899-1900 Chapter 4. Becoming International: 1901 Chapter 5. The Bach Festivals Questioned: 1902 Chapter 6. Bach Festivals As An Idea: 1903 Chapter 7. A Bach Cycle: 1904-1905 Chapter 8. The Wolles In California: 1905-1911 Chapter 9. Renewing The Bach Choir in Bethlehem: 1912-1913 Chapter 10. An American Center for Bach: 1914 Chapter 11. "My Bach Choir": 1915-1933 Chapter 12. Years Of Transition: 1934-1938 Chapter 13. A More Comprehensive Scope: The Third Conductor Chapter 14. A Distinguished Career: 1951-1969 Chapter 15. Connecting With Bach: 1969-1976 Chapter 16. Mann's Last Years With The Choir: 1976-1980 Chapter 17. In Mann's Footsteps: 1981-1983 Chapter 18. A Renewed Choir: 1982-1990 Chapter 19. "A More Sophisticated Organization": 1991-1996 Chapter 20. "A National Treasure": 1996-2000 Chapter 21. A Second Centennial: 2000-2007 Appendix A. Bach Festival Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series Appendix B. Bach Choir Discography Bibliography Index About the Author

About the Author :
Paul S. Larson is professor emeritus at Moravian College in Bethlehem Pennsylvania, where he taught music education, non-Western music, and music history. He is presently Archivist and Curator of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem.