The 'Alt-Bachisches Archiv', a valuable collection of manuscripts, was moved during World War II and taken to Moscow and Kiev as 'looted art', only to be returned to Berlin in 2001.
Historical Context
The Bach family originated in Wechmar, a picturesque village in Thuringia, and their influence spread across Germany and eventually to London.
Composer Biography
The Bach family produced over 80 professional musicians by the mid-18th century, making the name 'Bach' synonymous with 'musician' in Baroque Central Germany.
Performer Biography
Ensemble Polyharmonique is a collective of singers specializing in Renaissance and Baroque vocal music, performing both a cappella and with basso continuo.
Composition History
A collection of vocal compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach's ancestors, known as the 'Alt-Bachisches Archiv', was inherited by him and later passed to his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.
Interpretation
This album features 15 works from four generations of the Bach family, showcasing a 'familial sound' despite stylistic differences across more than a century.
Composition History
Johann Sebastian Bach, the most famous member of the dynasty, meticulously documented his family's musical lineage in 1735, creating the 'Ursprungs der musicalisch-Bachischen Familie'.
