What is the London Bach Society?
Q: What is the London Bach Society?
A: The London Bach Society is a society devoted to performing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. It was started in 1946 by Paul Steinitz in order to get back to the sort of sound that Bach would have known.
Q: Who started the London Bach Society?
A: The London Bach Society was started in 1946 by Paul Steinitz.
Q: What did Paul Steinitz want to do with the choir?
A: Paul Steinitz wanted to perform Bach's music in a style which was like the way it sounded in Bach's time, making it sound much clearer than it did with huge, romantic choirs.
Q: When was the choir formed?
A: The choir was formed in 1947 and consisted of good amateur singers who were rehearsed until they were very good.
Q: What other composers' works did they sing besides Bach's?
A: In addition to singing works by Johann Sebastian Bach, they also sang music by other Baroque composers such as Handel, Telemann and Heinrich Schütz, as well as modern composers such as Stravinsky, John Tavener and Nicholas Maw.
Q: How many cantatas did they perform between 1958-1987?
A: Between 1958 and 1987 the LBS choir performed all 208 of the surviving cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach; many others have been lost.
Q: What instruments were used for their performances after 1968?
A After 1968, Steinitz got a group of players together called the Steinitz Bach Players who played period instruments such as natural/clarino trumpet, oboe da caccia, baroque flute and sackbuts.
