Bach at Leipzig A Play

Leipzig, Germany, 1722: Johann Kuhnau, revered organist of the Thomaskirche, suddenly dies, leaving his post vacant. In order to fill the position, the city council invites a small number of musicians to audition for the appointment, including Johann Sebastian Bach. This, however, is not his story. Based on actual events,Bach at Leipzigimagines with uncommon intelligence and wit how six little-known musicians resorted to bribery, blackmail, and betrayal in an attempt to secure the most coveted musical post in all of Europe. Itamar Mosesis the author of seven full-length plays, includingBach at Leipzig, and various short plays and one-acts. He was named Best Young Playright of the Year byThe Wall Street Journal(2008). His work has been produced in the United States and Canada. He has taught playwriting at both Yale and New York University. A member of the Dramatists Guild, MCC Playwrights' Coalition, and the New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspects, Moses now lives in Brooklyn. Leipzig, Germany, 1722: Johann Kuhnau, revered organist of the Thomaskirche, suddenly dies, leaving his post vacant. In an age where musicians depend on patronage from the nobility or the church to pursue their craft, the post at Thomaskirche in the cultured city of Leipzig is a near guarantee of fame and fortune. In order to fill the position, the city council invites a small number of musicians to audition for the seat, including Johann Sebastian Bach. Based on actual persons and events,Bach at Leipzigimagines how six little-known musicians resort to bribery, blackmail, and betrayal in an attempt to secure the most coveted musical post in all of Europe. "An irresistible comic mix of high wit, low ribaldry and rich characterization" (Neil Novelli,The[Syracuse]Post-Standard), the play explores the depths to which some will sink to pursue their calling in a subtly crafted farce that simultaneously confronts profound questions about humanity, God, and art. "The erudite young Moses [is] a clearly gifted writer."--Misha Berson,The Seattle Times "A remarkably silly yet intellectually stirring comedy . . . Reaches for an ineffable beauty and mystery that is hard to shake."--Tom Keogh,Queen Anne News "Itamar Moses's brainy comedy doesn't settle for cheap laughs, though it has a lot of them. He's got more--much more--on his mind . . . a look at pride, the meaning and duties of talent, and deep, discursive ruminations on whether music and people can--or should--evolve without spiritual faith."--Steve Wiecking,Seattle Weekly "The most substantial play based on classical music since Peter Shaffer'sAmadeus. . . [Moses] has taken a single moment of history . . . and from it spins a tale of competition, intrigue, betrayal, folly, and an overwhelming passion for music. Moses's most impressive achievement here is the perfect balance between the serious stuff of this play--human ambitions and inevitable shortcomings--and its medium, splendid comedy frothing at every level[, and] it isBach at Leipzig's deft structure, continual plot surprises, emotional accuracy, and delicious and unstinting humor that will captivate future audiences."--Barbara Adams,Ithaca Times "Brilliant . . . Moses reveals a remarkable ability to make a complex, intellectual play, poking fun at the emerging Age of Enlightenment with the feather-light touch of a modern Moliere."&

Itamar Moses is the author of several plays, including Outrage, Celebrity Row, and The Four of Us.

Bach at Leipzig
Act OneCast of CharactersJOHANN FRIEDRICH FASCH, organist, and Kapellmeister at Zerbst, fifties.GEORG BALTHASAR SCHOTT, organist at the Neuekirche in Leipzig, fifties.GEORG LENCK, organist, and Kantor at Laucha, late thirties.JOHANN MARTIN STEINDORFF, organist, and Kantor at Zwickau, twenties.GEORG FRIEDRICH KAUFMANN, organist, and Kantor at Merseburg, fifties.JOHANN CHRISTOPH GRAUPNER, organist, and Kapellmeister at Darmstadt, fifties.THE GREATEST ORGANIST IN GERMANY, organist, and Kantor at Hamburg. 
SETTING: The Thomaskirche, Leipzig, Germany, 1722. Later, 1750. 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In spite of the highly constructed plotting, the archness of the language, the period setting, and so on, all of which seem to lend themselves to a heightened and distancing style of performance, this play works best when inhabited as fully and realistically as possible. My experience has been that when the temptation to "perform" takes over, not only does the play lose emotional resonance but it actually becomes less funny. Play it "for real."Copyright © 2005 by Itamar Moses