{"id":77,"date":"2025-06-08T07:01:38","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T11:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/bach\/?p=77"},"modified":"2025-06-09T08:12:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T12:12:11","slug":"prof-wollny-seminar-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/bach\/2025\/06\/08\/prof-wollny-seminar-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"Prof Wollny Seminar Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\" \"\" \"Bach's \"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

I think everyone could tell how blown away I was after our seminar with Professor Wollny\u2014I really enjoyed it. One thing that made my heart burst was realizing that I had actually played BWV 33 \u201cAllein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ\u201d on continuo (bass) with Vito on baroque viola and the Early Music Princeton choir. I was truly amazed. But what really caught me off guard was learning that Bach originally wrote it in G minor, not A minor like it\u2019s commonly performed today. Seeing the copies with all of his edits, scribbles, and crossed-out endings made me realize just how hands-on and experimental Bach was. It makes me wonder what the piece would have sounded like if he had kept some of those first ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n

After finishing the first week of readings, and especially hearing Professor Wollny talk about Bach\u2019s personality, I started to rethink the image I had of him. I used to think of Bach as really serious and almost untouchable. But now I see him as someone who could be funny, playful, and even a little rebellious. That came through both in his music and his life. Marshall explains in Young Man Bach, Bach had a temper, stood up to his bosses, and even once got into a sword fight with a student. He was also an orphan by age 10, which might have made him guarded and fiercely independent. It\u2019s like he was constantly pushing against limits.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure if the Bach that\u2019s presented in Leipzig today\u2014through statues, concerts, and museums\u2014is always the full picture. Heller writes in Music in the Baroque, Bach\u2019s image has been shaped over time by nationalism and tradition. We get the \u201cgreat master\u201d version of Bach, but not always the everyday, cheeky guy who made jokes in his Coffee Cantata or experimented with different keys. It\u2019s easy to market the genius, but harder to show the full, messy, human side. I\u2019m glad this seminar is helping us explore all of that, it makes me love his music even more.<\/span><\/p>\n

I left so inspired that I decided to sight read the chorale from Bach du Gro\u00dfer Schmerzensmann on the bass. Doing this, I hope I can continue to adjust to this massive five string and help improve my intonation.<\/span><\/p>\n

EE9ED5D7-BA55-4A62-A988-864777BA4784<\/a>

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I think everyone could tell how blown away I was after our seminar with Professor Wollny\u2014I really enjoyed it. One thing that made my heart burst was realizing that I had actually played BWV 33 \u201cAllein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ\u201d on continuo (bass) with Vito on baroque viola and the Early Music Princeton choir.<\/p>\n

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