Today's battle between musician and king is one of the more intriguing pairings of Lent Madness 2014. While on seemingly disparate paths, both J.S. Bach and Alfred the Great were fighters. Well, Bach once tangled with a bassoonist and Alfred fought Vikings but you get the point. However this match-up turns out, we know Bach will remain victorious in one category: children sired. He famously fathered 20 children while Alfred had a mere quarter of this number.
In yesterday's neck-and-neck race between James Holly and Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet eked out a victory 51% to 49%. She'll go on to face Alcuin of York in the Round of the Saintly Sixteen.
In the same way it's never too late in Lent to begin a Lenten discipline, it's never too late to join in Lent Madness! If you're just checking out this fun, informative way to learn about some amazing people and grow your faith, click here to watch our brief Voting 101 video. We also have some general information for those new to Lent Madness here.
If you haven't liked us on Facebook or followed us on Twitter, you're missing some supplemental conversation. Granted there's plenty of that among the hundreds of comments that follow each match-up but some people just can't get enough of the Madness!
Well, it's been a wonderful, wacky, heart-pounding first full week of Lent Madness 2014. Yesterday marked our second 1% margin of victory this week (see Antony of Egypt vs. Mary of Egypt). Yowza! The Supreme Executive Committee authorizes you to take a deep cleansing breath this weekend and then get ready for our next match-up on Monday morning as Lydia tangles with Moses the Black.
J.S. Bach
For someone who was orphaned at age nine and never traveled farther than 225 miles from his birthplace, Johann Sebastian Bach left a legacy to the world of music much grander than his circumstances might suggest. Born in 1685, the eighth child of a musical family in Eisenach, Germany, Bach studied organ and voice. He was known for his stellar soprano voice. After the loss of his parents who died just months apart, he lived with his older brother, Johann Christoph, an organist who likely continued Bach’s training and introduced him to contemporary music.
Bach’s first real job as an organist came at the age of eighteen when he was hired in Arnstadt, a city in central Germany. Over the next several years, as he moved to progressively larger and more prestigious positions, he began composing in earnest. At age 22 he married his first wife, Maria Barbara, and rather famously, engaged in a street fight with a bassoonist.
After stints in Weimar and Köthen as Kapellmeister (musicmaker), Bach landed in Leipzig in 1723 as Thomaskantor, or director of music, a post he held for twenty-seven years until his death. During this period, he composed more than 300 sacred cantatas that correspond to the weekly lectionary readings. In addition, he continued composing the large-scale orchestral works for which he is well known: the St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion for Good Friday, the Mass in B Minor, the Brandenburg Concerti, and hundreds of other works. A catalog of his work created in 1950 lists some 1,127 surviving pieces; many more compositions were lost over the years.
In Bach’s day, the church was the only place an accomplished musician could make a living for himself and his family. And Bach required a substantial living: between his two wives (the second was the much-younger, highly gifted soprano Anna Magdalena) he fathered twenty children, ten of whom survived to adulthood. However, his deep devotion to the Christian faith was evident: he not only composed the sacred works but also taught Luther’s Small Catechism classes while at Leipzig. No one of his stature would have been forced to teach Sunday School.
J.S. Bach died at age 65 in Leipzig. He kept composing until the very end, despite contending with blindness for many years. His deep dedication to his craft resulted in some of the most beautifully complex music humankind has ever created. Certain of Bach’s pieces are the musical equivalent of a gothic cathedral. They make our hearts soar toward God.
Collect for J.S. Bach
Almighty God, beautiful in majesty and majestic in holiness, who teaches us in Holy Scripture to sing your praises and who gave your musicians Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frederick Handel and Henry Purcell grace to show forth your glory in their music: Be with all those who write or make music for your people, that we on earth may glimpse your beauty and know the inexhaustible riches of your new creation in Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-- Heidi Shott
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great united the kingdom of England and was its first great moral leader. Born around 849, he was sent to Rome at the age of four, where some sources say he was confirmed and anointed king by Pope Leo IV.
This was a trifle premature, since Alfred had three older brothers, one of whom deposed his father shortly after they returned home to England. Until Alfred came of age, the kingdom was divided between his brothers, Aethelbald, Aethelred, and Aethelbert.
During this period, Alfred fought alongside his brother, Aethelred; first, against the “Great Heathen Army,” led by Ivar the Boneless, then against the invading Danish—also known as the Viking—army. This second battle did not go well, at least for Aethelred. He died, and Alfred became the new king in 871.
This was less impressive than it sounds. The Vikings had conquered most of England, but by 880, Alfred had managed to push them back out, and for the first time in history, unite England under a single ruler.
Alfred then set about reforming legal practices throughout the land. He issued a new legal code to standardize the laws throughout all England. This was called the Doom Book, which took inspiration from the Ten Commandments and the gospel’s call for mercy and combined them into a comprehensive system that meted out fines and payments instead of violence.
Alfred also saw it as his job to increase education and religious piety. So he began a court school to improve his own children’s learning as well as issued a decree that all primary education occur in English. To aid this cause, he commissioned the translation of numerous books into English, including the Venerable Bede’s Ecclesiastical History and the Dialogues of Gregory the Great. Alfred also translated several books into English himself, including the first fifty Psalms and Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy.
Alfred believed it was his duty to care for both the physical and spiritual well-being of his people, and tried, throughout his reign, to do both equally. He died in October of 899. He is the only English monarch to be (officially) called “the Great.”
Collect for Alfred the Great
O Sovereign Lord, who brought your servant Alfred to a troubled throne that he might establish peace in a ravaged land and revive learning and the arts among the people: Awake in us also a keen desire to increase our understanding while we are in this world, and an eager longing to reach that endless life where all will be made clear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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246 comments on “J.S. Bach vs. Alfred the Great”
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Straining upon the start. The game's afoot: Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Alfred, England, and Saint George!' (With apologies to the Bard)
Much as I love the complexity and sublimeness of Bach's music, for world and historical impact it has to be Alfred all the way.
As a choir member, I would vote for Bach, but fighting against "Ivar the Boneless"...well, how can you not vote for Alfred?
Ditto. Well, I'm just a music appreciator, and I love Bach's collect about "the beauty of God," but I'll be durned if I'm not going to hear the full story about Ivar the Boneless.
Bach gets my gratitude but Alfred gets my vote.
Another tough choice, but as others have said, it is the music that does it for me. Bach rachs!
I luv..."You might have Lent Madness if..."
We need a like button on the comments!!
Thanks Leslie!
YEs, Leslie! I keep looking for the Like button!
The first time I ever heard the Bach B minor Mass, it filled my eyes with tears and my soul with profound love. The music is so beautiful it must be true, it must be the Gospel. Bach, Bach, Bach! You are definitely in that great cloud of witnesses!
I have learned so much from the Comment Section thanks for having this. It gives as much insight to, who vs. who, as the descriptions of what they did.
Sometimes I wonder what is going on in the Communion of Saints during Lent Madness. Do they place bets? Cheer with gusto not only with every vote, but with every prayer and poignant comment? Do they try to influence the vote with whispers in our ears or malfunctioning links? Or do they simply rejoice with God that we, too, are part of their number?
Madelaine...Antony mored to the next round...I fear we've not heard the last of the house of virgins...
Alas, though, we'll never get to see the action figures of King Alfred and Ivar the Boneless during the Kitsch round. Now that would have been Great!
Bach to Bach with Bach. I vote for Bach.
Kappellmeister = musicmaker? That's a new one. Alfred is amazing and worthy, but Bach has transported me to heaven more than once.
I'm backing Bach. It's a little suspicious to me that Alfred had three older brothers, was still annointed king, and didn't have anything to do with those brothers' subsequent deaths.
I believe his brother Aethelred was known as "the Unready", which would explain his defeat in battle. (Unless I have him mixed up with another Aethelred.)
You have him mixed with another Aethelred. (Btw, the name Aethelred means 'well counseled" or 'wise'. Aethelred unred is a sort of pun -- "well counseled the un-counsled". )
Madelaine...Antony moved to the next round...I fear we've not heard the last of the house of virgins...
Although I love Bach's music, I have to vote for Alfred. Little bit of nostalgia there, my mother was always telling me bits of English history and Al was one of my favorites.
Embarrassed as I am to be fascinated by the History Channel´s Vikings show, it gives me a new appreciation for Alfred´s accomplishments. He had to have a larger view of the common good, and not just an ego- and vanity-driven motive, to do all this. On the other hand, I commend to the skeptics about Bach´s motives (no pun intended) the study available in recorded form, Morimur, on the Chaconne from the Suite in D Minor for Violin. This is one of Bach´s ¨secular¨ pieces --written immediately after he returned home from studying with Buxtehude, to discover that his beloved Maria Barbara had died while he was away. It is a rich meditation on grief, faith, and the hope of resurrection in Christ, weaving phrases from the chorales into an increasingly complex tapestry. Consciously, or unconsciously, his music is a testament of vibrant and joyful hope in the God of life.
In the commentary on Alfred, it should read . . . "the kingdom was divided among his brothers . . . " NOT " . . . between his brothers . . . "
I want to know if the 300 cantatas related to the lexionary are available. I do the readings each morning and would love to have the music. This is my first year for Lent Madness and I am enjoying/learning lots. Thank you!
Here you go, Sandra: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bach_cantatas_by_liturgical_function
Oops, forgot to ask for an email response, smile.
How can I not vote for Bach when we sang one of his hymns at both our wedding and my husband's memorial service?
Yeah for Christian Education Teachers! Both win in that respect, but I vote for Bach and taking the time to do it himself rather than delegate teaching children to someone else.!
Not even a contest -- I'll be Bach!
I am always moved by the music of J S Bach, Handel, and Purcell, more so of Bach, and I am still finding out more about his many works.
I am humbled by the acts of uniting a divided and diversified populace, and setting about teaching them English and ensuring a primary education and religious instruction, as in Alfred the Great, so it was a difficult decision indeed!
Is there any question who to vote for? I predict that Bach will win the Lenten Madness. I would vote for him no matter who he was up against. Bach's music is so beautiful. I can't think of any of his works that I don't like. JS Bach was truely a gift from God to all mankind.
Actually, if my aging Boomer memory serves correctly, Bach was not so much innovator as perfecter. In his music, Baroque music reached its peak. The year of his death (1750) is considered the close of the Baroque.
It's not that contemporary music is unworthy, but that it hasn't been sifted and winnowed by time to eliminate that which isn't of lasting value. Much of what was written by lesser composers of Bach's day has rightfully ended up in the dustbin. Bach, however, is still revered almost 300 years after his death. And will be as long as people listen with care to music.
I was tickled by the unintended humor in both bio's today.
"Bach's... older brother... introduced him to contemporary music..." Ah, the influence of older brothers --in the late 1600's, I wonder what that sounded like! and for those who consider contemporary music unworthy, do you think of Bach as an innovator?
On the other hand... I also think that Alfred is Great because he had the easiest name (Aethelbald, Aethelred, and Aethelbert?) Albert is the only name that could unite a country!
I love reading the comments, a lot to learn; but I've had my pie and I do have to work!
As a musician (and Lutheran) this is a no brainer! Among the most beautiful music ever written v. fighting the Vikings and uniting England (what does that have to do with Lent or the church) ..... And so Alfred the Great called for the use of the vernacular in the church rather than Latin -- so did others, e.g. Martin Luther -- and so he taught about religion in the schools -- so have many, many others. There is just not enough to overcome the beautiful music of Bach and its universality!
Those who think "neither" is worthy should be sentenced to listening to Bach's music for a week! That is an incredibly unworthy statement!
I am a chorister and a lawyer, so I am drawn to both of these saints. Bach contributed great things to music. It's hard to imagine the world without his beautiful music. Alfred created a system of justice that did not rely on violence and that helped form a basis for our current rule of law. He increased education for all. And he tried to care for both the physical and spirtual needs of his people. He may have become king via succession, but, once he was king, he chose to use his power to make the world a better place. That is certainly not true of all kings. Alfred may not win the popular vote, but he gets my vote today.
Sandra Phelps...I think more of usight enjoy having that link...if it's available.
Hard choice. Even though Bach's music is fabulous, I think he gets recognized in other circles. A politician who supports education and laws tempered with mercy is something I think we should hold up. So Alfred, here's to you.
Love your profile pic, John!
I voted for Bach. No church musician could vote against him. I am certain that he must have taught the Catechism as part of his duties a the Thomas Schule. The fact that he was also a teacher is very important.