The Great Musician and His Church

1 - The composer Johann Sebastian Bach worked at St Thomas Church in Leipzig from 1723 to 1750. He served as cantor here. His duties included accompanying church services on the organ and directing the Thomanerchor. He also taught music at St Thomas School.

2 - St. Thomas Church was built as early as the 13th century. After a complete renovation, it was rededicated in 1496. The octagonal tower also dates from this period. St. Thomas Church is 76 m long and 25 m wide, and the tower is 68 m high. One of its distinctive features is its very steep roof.

3 - The windows on the south side depict famous people, including the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf, the reformers Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon, the Saxon Elector Frederick the Wise, Emperor Wilhelm I, and composers Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Johann Sebastian Bach.

4 - Since 1950, Johann Sebastian Bach's tomb has been in the choir of St. Thomas Church. The musician was born in Eisenach in 1685. After his parents died, he grew up with his brother, an organist, in Ohrdruf. He later went to school in Lüneburg, then returned to Thuringia after completing his education.

4 - He went on to take positions in Arnstadt, Mühlhausen, Weimar and Köthen. Like other musicians, he was generally employed there by music-loving princes as an organist or music director. When the prince in Köthen could no longer afford the expense, Bach began looking for a new position. He auditioned in Hamburg, but then accepted the position of cantor at St Thomas’s Church in Leipzig.

5 - Bach married twice. The two marriages produced 20 children, 10 of whom died in childhood.

6 - During his lifetime, Johann Sebastian Bach was highly regarded as a keyboard and organ player. However, few people knew his compositions, and after his death they were initially forgotten. It was not until the 19th century that his works were rediscovered. His Christmas Oratorio and Passions became particularly well known. They depict the suffering of Jesus as recounted by the Evangelists John, Mark and Matthew.

7 - The St. Thomas Choir, for which Bach also composed many works, is a boys’ choir that has been around for more than 800 years. Today it has about 100 boys aged 9 to 18. They are also pupils at the St. Thomas School, where they receive musical training alongside their regular classes. They usually live at a boarding school.

8 - They live together in dormitories, with older and younger pupils sharing accommodation. Great importance is placed on the older pupils looking after the younger ones and taking on much of the responsibility for their upbringing. The Thomanerchor performs at St Thomas Church and goes on many concert tours.