The Bach Society was a musical organization in London from 1849 to 1870. Its primary goals, as stated in its prospectus, were (1) to collect the works of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

, both printed and in manuscript, and all works related to him,

his family ''His Family'' is a novel by Ernest Poole published in 1917 about the life of a New York widower and his three daughters in the 1910s. It received the first Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1918. Plot introduction ''His Family'' tells the story of ...

, or his music; and (2) the furtherance and promotion of a general acquaintance with his music by its public performance. The original committee of management consisted of

William Sterndale Bennett Sir William Sterndale Bennett (13 April 18161 February 1875) was an English composer, pianist, conductor and music educator. At the age of ten Bennett was admitted to the London Royal Academy of Music (RAM), where he remained for ten years. B ...

(founder and chairman), R. Barnett, G. Cooper, F. R. Cox, J. H. B. Dando, W. Dorrell, W. H. Holmes,

Edward John Hopkins Dr. Edward John Hopkins FRCO (30 June 1818 - 4 February 1901) was an English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an ...

Charles Edward Horsley Charles Edward Horsley (16 December 1822 – 28 February 1876), English musician, was the son of William Horsley. He studied in Germany under Hauptmann and Mendelssohn, and on his return to England composed several oratorios and other pieces, n ...

John Hullah John Pyke Hullah (27 June 1812 – 21 February 1884) was an English composer and teacher of music, whose promotion of vocal training is associated with the singing-class movement. Life and career Hullah was born at Worcester. He was a pupil ...

, H. J. Lincoln, O. May, and

Henry Smart Henry Thomas Smart (26 October 1813 – 6 July 1879) was an English organist and composer. Biography Smart was born in London, a nephew of the conductor Sir George Smart and son of a music publisher, orchestra director and accomplished violini ...

, with

Sir George Smart Sir George Thomas Smart (10 May 1776 – 23 February 1867) was an English musician. Smart was born in London, his father being a music-seller. He was a choir-boy at the Chapel Royal, and was educated in music, becoming an expert violinist, org ...

and Cipriani Potter as auditors, and

Charles Steggall Charles H. Steggall (3 June 1826 in London – 7 June 1905 in London) was an English hymnodist and composer. Early life The son of R. W. Steggall (of the London-based harness and saddlery maker Whippy, Steggall and Fleming), Charles Steggal ...

as honorary secretary. The Society was dissolved on 21 March 1870. Their library of music was passed to the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

and in 1984 the Committee papers were donated by the Sterndale Bennett family to the library of

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

Performances

Under the auspices of the society, the first performance in England of the ''

St Matthew Passion The ''St Matthew Passion'' (german: Matthäus-Passion, links=-no), BWV 244, is a '' Passion'', a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It sets ...

'' took place at the

Hanover Square Rooms The Hanover Square Rooms or the Queen's Concert Rooms were assembly rooms established, principally for musical performances, on the corner of Hanover Square, London, by Sir John Gallini in partnership with Johann Christian Bach and Carl Friedric ...

on 6 April 1854, Sterndale Bennett conducting. The principal female vocalists were Mme. Ferrari, Misses B. Street,

Charlotte Sainton-Dolby Charlotte Helen Sainton-Dolby (17 May 182118 February 1885), was an English contralto, singing teacher and composer. Life Charlotte Helen Dolby was born in London to Samuel Dolby and Charlotte Niven. Her father died when she was 10 years old. S ...

, Dianelli, and Freeman; the principal male vocalists were Allen, Walworth, W. Bolton, and Signor Ferrari. Mr. W. Thomas was principal violin, Mr. Grattan Cooke first oboe, and Edward John Hopkins was at the organ, the new instrument by

Gray and Davison Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

being used on this occasion for the first time. The English version of the words was by Miss Helen F. H. Johnston. A second performance was given at

St Martin's Hall The Queen's Theatre in London was established in 1867 as a theatre on the site of St Martin's Hall, a large concert room that had opened in 1850. It stood on the corner of Long Acre (formerly Charles Street) and Endell Street, with entrances in ...

on 23 March 1858, Sterndale Bennett again conducting. The audience on this occasion included

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the consort of Queen Victoria from their marriage on 10 February 1840 until his death in 1861. Albert was born in the Saxon duch ...

. Another performance was given in 1862, coinciding with the publication of Bennett's own edition of the work, with a translation of the text into English by his pupil Helen Johnston. On 21 June 1859 the Society gave a performance of miscellaneous works by Bach, including the C minor piano concerto, the Chaconne for violin (by

Joseph Joachim Joseph Joachim (28 June 1831 – 15 August 1907) was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of ...

), and the Solo Fugue for piano in D. The concert of 1860, on 24 July, included the first eleven movements from the

Mass in B minor The Mass in B minor (), BWV 232, is an extended setting of the Mass ordinary by Johann Sebastian Bach. The composition was completed in 1749, the year before the composer's death, and was to a large extent based on earlier work, such as a Sanctu ...

. Three years later, on 13 June 1861, the Society gave the first performance in England of the

Christmas Oratorio The ''Christmas Oratorio'' (German: ''Weihnachtsoratorium''), , is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It is in six parts, each part a cantata intended for performance on one of t ...

also under Sterndale Bennett's direction.

Notes

Sources * {{Johann Sebastian Bach Music organisations based in the United Kingdom Musical groups established in 1849 Organizations disestablished in 1870 Cultural organisations based in London Defunct organisations based in London Johann Sebastian Bach