The Café Zimmermann, or , was the

coffeehouse A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...

of Gottfried Zimmermann in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

which formed the backdrop to the first performances of many of Bach's secular cantatas, e.g. the ''Coffee Cantata'' ('' Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht''), and instrumental works. In 1723, the year Bach moved to Leipzig, it was the largest and best-appointed Kaffeehaus of Leipzig and a centre for the middle classes and gentlemen. While women were forbidden from frequenting coffeehouses, they could attend public concerts at Zimmermann's. The coffeehouse was located at 14 Katharinenstrasse, then the most elegant street of Leipzig, connecting the Brühl to the market place. The name of the street had been taken from the old St. Catherine's Chapel which had been demolished in 1544. In Telemann's and Bach's day, only the name of the street remained. During the summer months, Zimmermann also ran an outdoor coffee garden in the outside the city walls, near the East Gate. The four-and-a-half-story Baroque building was constructed by Doering around 1715. It consisted of two adjoining rooms, one approximately , the other approximately . It was destroyed during an Allied air raid on Leipzig in December 1943. Zimmermann also ran a coffee garden as a summer venue.

Music

From 1720 the café hosted the

Collegium Musicum The Collegium Musicum was one of several types of musical societies that arose in Germany, German and German-Switzerland, Swiss cities and towns during the Protestant Reformation, Reformation and thrived into the mid-18th century. Generally, whil ...

founded by

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...

as a law student in 1702. It was later directed by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

between 1729 and 1741, with a break between 1737 and 1739, while his former student Carl Gotthelf Gerlach stood in for Bach. The concerts directed by Bach lasted about two hours and consisted of German and Italian opera, chamber music, secular cantatas, and works for orchestra. Zimmermann charged the Collegium Musicum no fee for hosting their concerts, nor were the audience charged a fee; Zimmermann's expenses were repaid by sales of coffee. Iso Camartin, ''Bin ich Europäer?: Eine Tauglichkeitsprüfung'', pp. 75, 2006. "Gottfried Zimmermann war ein Kaffeehausbesitzer, der seine Räumlichkeiten von 1720 bis zu seinem Tod 1741 gern den musikalischen Ensembles der Stadt zur Verfügung stellte. Die Zuhörer bezahlten keinen Eintritt, sie tranken dafür Kaffee." The concerts ended with Zimmermann's death in 1741. The French baroque music ensemble Café Zimmermann is named after this coffeehouse.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cafe Zimmermann Johann Sebastian Bach Coffeehouses and cafés in Germany 1720s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Music venues in Germany Music in Leipzig Buildings and structures in Leipzig Georg Philipp Telemann