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sai-national.org • SUMMER 2018 • PAN PIPES 19 is playing. e Bach dynasty's profound effect on music in Germany is unparalleled. In his own lifetime, Bach wrote short biographical information about more than fiy male family members, most all of them musicians. "Johann" was the first name of quite a few, including Johann Ambrosius (his father), Johann Jakob and Johann Christoph (his brothers), and Johann Christian (his youngest son). e main focus of the next room is Bach's favorite instrument—the organ—but not just any organ. is is one on which he played the manuals while sitting on the exact organ bench also on display. Yes, some parts of the virtuoso's instrument are not original because of damage (including that by woodworms) and loss through the years, so the organ console is no longer intact. e preserved part is unique because no others are found anywhere else on earth. Surrounded by glass in the center of the third room are instruments from Bach's time. Around the walls is a hands-on exhibit. is virtual orchestra, designed in close cooperation by the Bach Museum and Erwin Stache, enables visitors to explore the sound of Baroque instruments. Portraits confirm how formerly some large string instruments were held between the legs of musicians without the support of endpins. While lights automatically identify those instruments being played, visitors must press a button next to an instrument to amplify its individual sound. e choices of Bach repertoire are gigue, allegro, or chorale. On display from St. Nicholas Church (one of the other churches in Leipzig for which Bach was responsible) is a special instrument, a 1672 violone (a precursor of today's bass viol), once played by someone under Bach's direction. e next room tells about the life of the Bach family (described as a lively dovecote) and their close neighbors, the Bose family who formerly lived in the building now the Bach Museum. Looking outside the window one can only imagine seeing the former Bach residence. Bach, orphaned when he was only ten, had twenty children, but half of them died when they were young. Bach married twice, first to Maria Barbara and then to Anna Magdalena. Each of Bach's unions produced musicians; the two most famous are Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach (1714- 1788) and Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782). Amazingly, in 2009, aer more than 250 years since the composer's death, one piece of furniture, identified by Bach's double monogram, was discovered. is iron chest probably stored valuables and quite securely too because eleven bolts comprise its complex locking system. In Bach's time, music was very significant in the court life, and the next room focuses on this aspect of his career. ere are huge panel displays, which contain a lot of interesting text and attractive illustrations about his employment in different locations (such as Weimar, Köthen, and Dresden) before his final move to Leipzig. In the Film Studio, visitors can watch excerpts from documentaries and films about Bach, and At left, Baroque instruments at the Bach Museum. At right, a family tree of the Bach Musical Dynasty. A WORLD OF MUSIC

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