F. Mendelssohn found Bach's Saint Matthew's Passion at the Butcher's!<br /><br />We love Myths, poetic constructions that embelishes reality.<br />In Music we love myths, we love to have mythic artists, romantic heroes that save the world through their art.<br /><br />Nowadays Johan Sebastian Bach is one of the greatest musicians that have lived. But in his lifetime he was a simple man,teaching and composing. But after his dead his music was no longer played, even his children were more known until Mendelsohnn saved Bach's music.<br />The myth says one day Mendelsohn accompanied his mother to the butcher. To his surprise he saw the butcher wrapping his chops with lined paper.<br /><br />When he came back home he realized that those pieces paper were Bach's work. He went back to the butcher to ask were did he find all of that music. He told Mendelsohn that he found and bought all that paper in an attic he just rented. After that Bach was played again, 80 years after his death.<br /><br />Felix Mendelsohn was son of a wealthy banker and brother of philosopher Moses Mendelsohn.<br />He was also student of Carl Friedich Zeltzer and nephew of the great pianist Sarah Levy, who was student of two of Bach's Sons.<br /><br />Levy and the Mendelsohn family were patrons of the Singakademie were Felix decided to adapt Bach's Saint Matthews Passion.<br /><br />in March 11, 1829 Felix conducted the orchestra and Zeltzer the Choir. The first interpretation of this piece since 1780.<br /><br />"It is fate that I, a Jew, make known to the world the greatest work of Christian music."<br /><br />The construct that Bach's music was forgotten in the first part of the 19th century is just part of the myth. Twenty years after Bach's death, his music was played by groups of musicians that saw Bach as an esoteric activity. The Austrian ambassador to Prussia participated for years in this group and, on his return to Vienna, he took the Bach scores with him.<br /><br />Mendelssohn's efforts to "Save" Bach were far from being politically innocent. They were part of the German nationalism and <br />Protestantism revival against Napoleon.<br /><br />Bach was never forgotten, and never will…<br /><br />#bach #mendelssohn #myth<br />...<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6MWmvTbQGM" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6MWmvTbQGM</a>