The Journey
Arnstadt to Lübeck: A Walk of 250 Miles
In the autumn of 1705, a twenty-year-old organist set out on foot across northern Germany. What he experienced at the end of that walk would have a profound effect on his development as a musician and composer.
A Young Organist in Arnstadt
Johann Sebastian Bach was twenty years old and newly appointed as organist at the Neue Kirche ("New Church")— later known as the Bachkirche, in Arnstadt, Thuringia. Here, Bach held his first position as an organist from 1703 to 1707.
Dietrich Buxtehude and the Abendmusiken
Dietrich Buxtehude was the most celebrated organist in northern Europe. For nearly four decades he had presided over the Marienkirche in Lübeck, transforming it into one of the continent's great centres of musical life. His Abendmusiken, evening concerts of sacred music held on the five Sundays before Christmas, drew audiences from across Germany and beyond.
Bach was not the only young musician drawn northward. Georg Friedrich Händel and Johann Mattheson had made the same pilgrimage two years earlier. But Bach's journey was different: he made it alone, on foot, in autumn, across 250 miles of German countryside.
The Marienkirche, Lübeck — Buxtehude's church and Bach's destination
The Route
Through the Heart of Germany
Bach's route northward from Arnstadt to Lübeck passed through the towns and landscapes of central and northern Germany, a journey of roughly four weeks on foot through forests, river valleys, and the flat plains of the north.
Arnstadt, Thuringia
Departure point. Bach requested four weeks' leave from the church council — a leave he would far exceed.
Erfurt
A town deeply familiar to Bach through family connections. The route north passed through the Thuringian heartland where generations of Bachs had served as musicians and organists.
Lüneburg
The city where Bach had attended St. Michael's School and, while a student, developed his skills as an organist.
Lübeck
Destination. The medieval Hanseatic city on the Baltic coast, dominated by the twin spires of the Marienkirche. Bach arrived in time for the Abendmusiken and stayed for nearly four months.
See the journey on screen — BachWalk is available for screenings in stereo and 5.1 surround sound digital formats.