Johann Christoph Baumgarten (Organ, Bach's Pupil) - Short Biography

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Johann Christoph Baumgarten (Organ, Bach’s Pupil)

Born: July/August 1687 (baptised: August 30, 1687) - Wolfis, near Ohrdruf, Thuringia, Germany
Died: May 27, 1722 - Eisenberg, Saxony, Germany

Johann Christoph Baumgarten was a German organist. He attended the Lyceum in Ohrdruf from 1697 to c1703 (J.S. Bach was also there during part of that time) and studied music with Johann Christoph Bach [22]) and, possibly in 1708, with J.S. Bach at Weimar. In 1721 he was appointed organist at Schkölen, near Eisenberg, about 40 km east of Weimar (probably only as a substitute), and in 1727 was apoointed city organist at Eisenberg itself (substituted in 1770).

In his application to Eisenberg in 1727, Johann Christoph Baumgarten named a "berühmten Bach" (famous Bach) without further details as his teacher. It is not very likely that this meant J.S. Bach, who worked in Köthen (Anhalt) before 1721 or even earlier in Weimar (see Löffler 1936). In view of the milestones in life and J.C. Baumgarten's year of birth, the Ohrdruf organist Johann Christoph Bach [22] or the Jena organist Johann Nicolaus Bach [27], should be considered. Nevertheless, J.C. Baumgarten is interesting as a classmate of J.S. Bach in Ohrdruf.

References: Koska: B-4

Sources:
1. Oxford Composer Companions J.S. Bach (Editor: Malcolm Boyd, OUP, 1999)
2. Bernd Koska: Bachs Privatschüler in Bach-Jahrbuch 2019, English translation by Aryeh Oron (May 2020)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (January 2011, May 2020)

Links to other Sites

Bibliography

Sources 2: Dok II, Nr. 218; Dok V, Nr. B 218; A. L. Back, Chronik der Stadt und des Amtes Eisenberg von den frühesten Zeiten an bis zum Jahre 1843, Eisenberg 1843, S. 337; J. Löbe und E. Löbe, Geschichte der Kirchen und Schulen des Herzogthums Sachsen-Altenburg, Bd. III, Altenburg 1891, S. 31; A. Werner, Vier Jahrhunderte im Dienste der Kirchenmusik, Leipzig 1933, S. 131; Löffler 1936, 109f.; A. Oertel, Erstveröffentlichung der Matrikel des Lyceums illustre Ordruviense, Ohrdruf 1950 (Baumgarten deest); Löffler 1953, Nr. 18; BJ 2017, S. 145f. (H.J. Schulze)

Bach's Pupils: List of Bach's Pupils | Actual and Potential Non-Thomaner Singers and Players who participated in Bach’s Figural Music in Leipzig | Alumni of the Thomasschule in Leipzig during Bach's Tenure | List of Bach's Private Pupils | List of Bach's Copyists
Thomanerchor Leipzig: Short History | Members: 1729 | 1730 | 1731 | 1740-1741 | 1744-1745 | Modern Times
Bach’s Pupils Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2
Articles: Organizional Structure of the Thomasschule in Leipzig | The Rules Established for the Thomasschule by a Noble and Very Wise Leipzig City Council - Printed by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf Leipzig, 1733 | Homage Works for Thomas School Rectors