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2012: Eisenach.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
This past Sunday, the 2012 NEH Bach for Teachers group arrived at the birthplace of Bach: Eisenach, Germany. A group of 25 educators united by their mutual interest in the music, life, and impact of J. S. Bach, these participants traveled over 3,000 miles to experience the culture of this tiny town. Their mornings have been filled by Dr. Hilde Binford and Louise Forsyth's lessons on the German culture and music during Bach's time and the biographical information on the composer himself.
However, the afternoons have been filled with more hands-on research. Guided tours of the city, Bachhaus, and Wartburg castle help paint a realistic picture of Bach and Luther's Eisenach. The city tours gave an economic and historical background of the Eisenach's place in Thüringia, looking at important Bach/Luther sites as well as life during and after the division of East and West Germany.
The Bachhaus, a museum attached to a reconstructed version of Bach's original dwelling, included a menagerie of novelty instruments as well as our first concert. We marveled at an original glass harmonica, as well as enjoyed a demonstration on a clavichord, harpsichord, and organ. The modern section of the museum (built to look like a grand piano) included comparative audio materials and orb chairs that hung from the ceiling by chains.
Our journey to the Wartburg Castle began with a difficult trek to the summit of a local mountain. The group split into three sections, each discovering that there are multiple paths to the castle. My group followed Goethe's traditional walk, combining exercise with a distinct desire to reach the top first, while another group took a reportedly easier, but longer way.
Once inside our tour weaved through the five floors of the castle, weaving a history of kings, Luther, and Thüringia from room to room. After marveling at the gilded ceiling of the women's quarters, we moved on to Luther's study--a simple desk where he spent ten weeks translating the Bible into the vernacular German.
All in all, this small town has given everyone a taste, both literally
and figuratively, of the world of Bach, Luther, and modern German
culture.
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