Johann Ludwig Bach

Johann Ludwig Bach c 1780

Pastel by Gottlieb Friedrich Bach (organist and son of Johann Ludwig)

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Born in Thal near Eisenach, Germany, on 14 February 1677, Johann Ludwig Bach composed sacred music for the Lutheran Church, largely cantatas and motets. He is among numerous reasons that "Baroque" and "Bach" are nigh synonymous, for he was third cousin to Johann Sebastian Bach of the Bach musical dynasty, and is principally known via works once erroneously ascribed to Johann Sebastian. It isn't known that Johann Ludwig published any works, and his compositions didn't begin to get properly credited to him until 1852 in Johann Theodor Mosewius' 'Johann Sebastian Bach's Matthäus-Passion' in which he lists sixteen cantatas by Ludwig erroneously ascribed to Sebastian in an earlier publication of his in 1845 [Google Books / PDF].

Johann left Eisenach for Meiningen at age 22 where he became a court musician to Prince Bernhard I. He there gradually became kapellmeister which position he kept throughout his career. It is in Meiningen that Johann Ludwig did all his composing, most works of which comprise the Johann-Ludwig-Bach-Verzeichnis known as the "JLB" catalogue of incipits in the 41st volume of the 'Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe' published by the Bach Gesellschaft (Bach Society) in 1894. That section begins with 17 cantatas edited by Alfred Dorfel starting with titles earlier accredited by Mosewius with 'Gott ist unser Zuversicht' as JLB 1. The JLB of 39 works, is not, however, entire. Among numerous other works by Ludwig wrongly credited to Sebastian are masses such as 'Missa in G Major' BWV Anh 167.

Since Ludwig early got lost among manuscripts by Sebastian, in addition to JLB numbers one may see the BWV numbers of the J.S. Bach directory to which titles correspond. (BWV for Sebastian are per Wolfgang Schmieder's 'Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis' first published in 1950.) A BWV annotated with "anh" (anhang) means that it is a spuriously made addition to the catalogue. Anh in the BWV can mean a composition is lost, doubtful or since determined to belong to another composer (like Johann Ludwig). Other designations include "BNB" for works by others which Sebastian copied to his own purposes.

Ludwig likely composed 'Denn du wirst meine Seele nicht in der Hölle lassen' JLB 21 in 1704, that once misattributed to J.S. Bach as BWV 15. This cantata in 9 movements for Easter Sunday was a setting in 2 parts for 1 Corinthians 5: 6-8 and Mark 16: 1-8.

'Denn du wirst meine seele nicht in der Hölle lassen'   Johann Ludwig Bach

'For you shall not leave my soul in Hell'

JLB 21 composed 1704 from BWV 15 of J.S. Bach

Alsfeld Vocal Ensemble / I Febiarmonici Ensemble / Wolfgang Helbich

Soprano: Dorothee Mields   Alto: Henning Voss   Tenor: Henning Kaiser   Bass: Ralf Grobe

Johann Ludwig composed 'Mache dich auf, werde licht' as early as 1711 [Bachkantaten]. Though this may have been earlier performed by Ludwig, Sebastian presented it in Leipzig on 2 February 1726 for the Feast of the Purification of Mary, now called the Presentation of the Lord or Candlemass [Bach Cantatas].

'Mache dich auf, werde licht'   Johann Ludwig Bach

'Arise, become light'  

JLB 9 composed 1711   Presented by J.S. Bach 2 Feb 1726

Camerata Düren / Peter-JC Eich   1997

Johann's 'Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr' was composed for SSATB and an orchestra of 2 violins, 2 violas, violoncello and continuo ascribed to J.S. Bach as BWV Anh. 166 from a manuscript of 1729. 'Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr' was among the earliest hymns of the Reformation, originally composed in 1523 by Nikolaus Decius as a German version of the Gloria of the Latin mass. This work had been erroneously credited to Johann Nicolaus Bach (1669-1753) before determined to be by Ludwig.

'Allein Gott in der Höh sei ehr'   Johann Ludwig Bach

'Alone to God in the highest be glory'

JLB 38 in E minor composed 1716 from BWV Anh 166 of J.S. Bach 1729

Ex Tempore / Florian Heyerick

Chronological order of Ludwig ceases here, for I've not been able to determine when he completed his motet, 'Das ist meine freude', written for two choirs of SATB w continuo:

'Das ist meine freude'   Johann Ludwig Bach

'This is my joy'

JLB 28 in B-flat major

Choir of Clare College Timothy Brown

Nor have I discovered any dates for Ludwig's 'Unsere Trübsal die zeitlich und leicht ist', a motet for SSATTB.

'Unsere Trübsal die zeitlich und leicht ist'   Motet a 6 by Johann Ludwig Bach

'Our grief that is short-lived and light'

JLB 33 in G minor

Budafoki William Byrd Énekegyüttes

Johann Ludwig died on 1 May 1731 among the more obscure of the Bachs, though deemed a sufficient enough composer for Johann Sebastian to transcribe and employ his works.

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