The Worlds Great Men of Music | Page 5

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resist looking in through the window. At that instant a window above
was thrown open and a couple of herrings' heads were tossed into the
road. The herring is a favorite article of food in Germany and poor
Sebastian was glad to pick up these bits to satisfy the cravings of
hunger. What was his surprise on pulling the heads to pieces to find
each one contained a Danish ducat. When he recovered from his
astonishment, he entered the inn and made a good meal with part of the
money; the rest ensured another visit to Hamburg.
After remaining three years in Lüneburg, Bach secured a post as
violinist in the private band of Prince Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar;
but this was only to fill the time till he could find a place to play the
instrument he so loved. An opportunity soon came. The old Thuringian
town Arnstadt had a new church and a fine new organ. The consistory
of the church were looking for a capable organist and Bach's request to
be allowed to try the instrument was readily granted.
As soon as they heard him play they offered him the post, with promise
of increasing the salary by a contribution from the town funds. Bach
thus found himself at the age of eighteen installed as organist at a
salary of fifty florins, with thirty thalers in addition for board and
lodging, equal, all in all, to less than fifty dollars. In those days this
amount was considered a fair sum for a young player. On August 14,
1703, the young organist entered upon his duties, promising solemnly
to be diligent and faithful to all requirements.
The requirements of the post fortunately left him plenty of leisure to
study. Up to this time he had done very little composing, but now he set
about teaching himself the art of composition.
The first thing he did was to take a number of concertos written for the
violin by Vivaldi, and set them for the harpsichord. In this way he
learned to express himself and to attain facility in putting his thoughts
on paper without first playing them on an instrument. He worked alone
in this way with no assistance from any one, and often studied till far
into the night to perfect himself in this branch of his art.
From the very beginning, his playing on the new organ excited
admiration, but his artistic temperament frequently threatened to be his
undoing. For the young enthusiast was no sooner seated at the organ to
conduct the church music than he forgot that the choir and congregation
were depending on him and would begin to improvise at such length

that the singing had to stop altogether, while the people listened in
mute admiration. Of course there were many disputes between the new
organist and the elders of the church, but they overlooked his vagaries
because of his genius.
Yet he must have been a trial to that well-ordered body. Once he asked
for a month's leave of absence to visit Lübeck, where the celebrated
Buxtehude was playing the organ in the Marien Kirche during Advent.
Lübeck was fifty miles from Arnstadt, but the courageous boy made the
entire journey on foot. He enjoyed the music at Lübeck so much that he
quite forgot his promise to return in one month until he had stayed
three. His pockets being quite empty, he thought for the first time of
returning to his post. Of course there was trouble on his return, but the
authorities retained him in spite of all, for the esteem in which they
held his gifts.
Bach soon began to find Arnstadt too small and narrow for his soaring
desires. Besides, his fame was growing and his name becoming known
in the larger, adjacent towns. When he was offered the post of organist
at St. Blasius at Mülhausen, near Eisenach, he accepted at once. He was
told he might name his own salary. If Bach had been avaricious he
could have asked a large sum, but he modestly named the small amount
he had received at Arnstadt with the addition of certain articles of food
which should be delivered at his door, gratis.
Bach's prospects were now so much improved that he thought he might
make a home for himself. He had fallen in love with a cousin, Maria
Bach, and they were married October 17, 1707.
The young organist only remained in Mülhausen a year, for he received
a more important offer. He was invited to play before Duke Wilhelm
Ernst of Weimar, and hastened thither, hoping this might lead to an
appointment at Court. He was not disappointed, for the Duke was so
delighted with Bach's playing that he at once offered him the post of
Court organist.
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