Bach Choir facts for kids

The Bach Choir is a very famous amateur choir from London. This means its members sing because they love music, not as their main job. They perform music by many different composers, not just Johann Sebastian Bach, even though he's in their name!

History of the Choir

The Bach Choir performed its very first concert on April 26, 1876. They sang Bach’s Mass in B minor. At that time, many people in England were becoming very interested in Bach's music. However, the Mass in B minor had never been performed in England before.

Otto Goldschmidt conducted this first concert. After the show, the choir's committee decided to make The Bach Choir a permanent group. Otto Goldschmidt became their first Musical Director.

In those early days, most choir members came from wealthy families. New singers had to pass an audition (a try-out). They also needed to be recommended by current members and approved by the committee. Queen Victoria became a special supporter, or Patron, of the choir in 1879. The Choir sang many different kinds of music. This included Bach’s motets (short pieces of sacred music), church music, and the Mass in B minor.

Goldschmidt left in 1885. Charles Villiers Stanford then became the conductor. Stanford was already well known as an organist at Trinity College, Cambridge. He also conducted the Cambridge University Musical Society. He helped the Choir learn and perform a wider range of music. Their concerts also started to include pieces for a full orchestra.

Hubert Parry wrote his popular anthem Blest Pair of Sirens especially for the choir. They sang it at the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 1887. A Jubilee is a big celebration of an important anniversary. This concert also featured the first London performance of Berlioz's Te Deum. This piece was dedicated to the late Prince Consort, who was Queen Victoria's husband.

The 20th Century

Towards the end of the 1800s, the Choir made some changes. They started having regular auditions for all choir members, even those who were already in the group. They also stopped the rule that new members had to be recommended. Henry Walford Davies became the conductor next. He helped the choir improve a lot.

Then, Hugh Allen took over as conductor in 1908. Hugh Allen conducted a choir that included young Ralph Vaughan Williams, who joined in 1903, and Adrian Boult, who joined around 1914. Allen was a strict but very good conductor. During his time, the Choir gave many important first performances in London. These included Vaughan Williams' Toward the Unknown Region and A Sea Symphony, and Parry's Songs of Farewell.

When Allen left in 1921, Ralph Vaughan Williams became the conductor. By then, he was a very famous composer. He had a gentler way of leading the choir than Allen. He stayed until 1928, when he left to focus more on composing his own music.

The Choir then chose Gustav Holst to be their next conductor. But he became ill and was never able to start. Instead, Adrian Boult took over for three years. During his time, it became a yearly tradition to perform Bach’s St Matthew Passion. This special tradition continues even today!

Boult was replaced by Reginald Jacques (pronounced: “Jakes”). Jacques had been a student of Hugh Allen at Oxford. He stayed with the Choir until 1960. He managed to keep the Choir performing even through World War II. The annual Carol Concerts also became a new tradition for them. They even made a recording of the St Matthew Passion. It was so long that it filled 42 sides of the old 78 rpm gramophone records!

Jacques was followed by David Willcocks. He led the Choir for a long time, almost to the end of the century. He helped the Choir learn even more different types of music. They gave the first London concert hall performance of Britten's War Requiem. Britten himself conducted this performance. Famous singers like Galina Vishnevskaya, Peter Pears, and Tom Krause (who stepped in at the last minute) were the soloists. The Choir then recorded this work, and the recording sold over 200,000 copies in just five months! Willcocks also took the Choir on tours to many parts of the world. His last performance was in 1998.

The Choir Today

Today, The Bach Choir is conducted by David Hill. Besides leading The Bach Choir, he also conducts the BBC Singers. The choir continues to do exciting new things, like performing brand new music for the first time in the world. They also keep up the tradition of performing the St Matthew Passion every spring at the Royal Festival Hall.

Basil Keen: The Bach Choir - The First Hundred Years (Ashgate)