The Bach Musicians' Family in Erfurt(*)

Johann Ambrosius Bach,
Johann Sebastian Bach's father

bibliography of the picture: Brück, Helga, auf der Spurensuche nach Bach in Erfurt, page 14: ein Stadtführer zu den Wirkungsstätten der Erfurter Bachfamilie mit einer speziellen Wegekarte auf Seite 53 / Helga Brück,
1. Aufl. - Erfurt: VHT, Verl.-Haus Thüringen,
2000 ISBN 3-89683-149-6

Origianal painting in the Bachhaus Eisenach.

Listen to J. S. Bach's music!

Erfurt can look back on a long family tradition of the Bachs. Three sons of Hans Bach, the "Music Player of Wechmar", founded the tradition as early as the 17th century: Johann, Christoph and Heinrich were town pipers and council musicians and Johann Bach was organist at the same time at the Prediger Church.

His son Ägidius later had the office in the Kaufmann Church and the Church of St. Michael. Heinrich then went to Arnstadt, and Christoph, Johann Sebastian's grandfather had three sons in Erfurt: Georg Christoph, Johann Christoph and Johann Ambrosius, the father of Johann Sebastian Bach. He married Elisabeth Lämmerhirt in 1668 in the Kaufmann Church. She was related to the mother of the Weimar organist Johann Gottfried Walther, who was later befriended with Bach.

Johann Sebastian Bach himself was here once in 1716 to test the organ in the Augustiner Church and probably more often to visit his relatives. For in Erfurt too, the traditional family get-togethers took place. However a longer stay of Bach here is not known.