Sources of Bach's English Suites united in Leipzig
Thanks to a donation, the oldest copies of Bach's English Suites have been brought together in Leipzig and are now accessible to the public for the first time.
The four manuscripts in the hand of Bach's pupil Heinrich Nikolaus Gerber are on display in the treasury of the Bach Museum Leipzig. The copies made by Bach's private pupil in Leipzig around 1724/25 are of particular importance: they are the earliest known sources of the compositions, which must have been created directly under the eyes of the Thomaskantor.
Gerber's manuscripts were considered lost for decades. They were later found in the private possession of the British pharmacologist, musician, Bach lover and patron Sir Ralph Kohn (1927-2016), who was born in Leipzig as the child of a Jewish Orthodox textile merchant. In 1933, Ralph Kohn and his family had to flee Leipzig to escape the Nazis, but remained emotionally attached to his native city and its rich musical tradition throughout his life. Thanks to a donation from the Kohn family, the manuscripts are now together in Leipzig.
