Paul Steinitz - London Bach Society

London Bach Society

In 1946 Paul Steinitz founded the (South) London Bach Society with the aim of performing Bach’s works in their original form, free from the romantic exaggerations which had been habitual from the Victorian era. From 1950 onwards Bach's works were performed in the German language, a controversial move at the time as the language was still an enemy tongue. In 1952 Paul Steinitz directed the first performance in Britain of Bach’s St Matthew Passion in its complete and original German form. The presentation was a conscious attempt to 'get back to Bach in its original form' that has since been acknowledged as a key moment in the move towards performing Bach's music according to period style and to scale. The annual performances that followed became a highlight of the musical calendar, were broadcast regularly and which drew a Who's Who of solo artistry to the platform. Through these and his other influential Bach projects and performances, Dr Steinitz is widely acknowledged to be a pioneer in the field, a key figure in the British Bach revival of the 20th century.

The word "South" was dropped from the society’s title in 1952 and later Steinitz embarked on the mammoth task of performing all 208 of Bach’s extant cantatas to British audiences. This project was begun in November 1958 and completed in December 1987, just a few months before Steinitz’s final illness. In 1968 he founded the Steinitz Bach Players, a group of professional players who shared Steinitz’s ideals of authentic performance. The playing style complemented the singing style of the choir in the cantatas and passions and their performances of the St Matthew Passion – and sometimes the St John Passion – were eagerly awaited annual events, generally given in prominent London churches. Performances given beyond the capital brought the singers and players to leading British Festivals and there were frequent tours abroad: including USA, Israel, German Democratic Republic (1964 and 1983, including St. Thomas' Church Leipzig both times) and Bulgaria.

Steinitz’s music making was not restricted to Bach and other Baroque composers. He was a champion of contemporary, mostly British, composers. Commissions and First Performances were established in the 1950s and 1960s and included works by Stravinsky (Canticum Sacrum, guest conducted by Robert Craft, in 1956), Bruno Maderna, Luigi Dallapiccola, Peter Maxwell Davies, John Tavener, Anthony Milner, Stanley Glasser (sung in Zulu), Christopher Brown, Geoffrey Burgon and his own pupil Nicholas Maw.

In conjunction with Joan Brocklebank, Paul Steinitz also started another choral and chamber orchestral society in 1955, the Dorset Bach Cantata Club. At the time of its foundation, Dr Steinitz was already contemplating the presentation of a more considered cycle of Bach's cantatas with his London Bach Society and directing DBCC weekends not only enabled him to create more time to study and perform the cantatas but also to extend knowledge of them to a wider circle. The Dorset Bach Cantata Club remains the only one of its type in the country and in 2005 celebrated its 50th anniversary. In 2009, Paul Steinitz' centenary year, the group dedicated its October meeting to its founder and first conductor.