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Faschiana
July 2012 Newsletter of the International Fasch Society
Volume 16 Zerbst, Germany
Contents:
Pages 2-4: The 2011 Conference
Report has been published!
Page 4: New Fasch-CD to appear in
autumn 2012; Fasch
questions and answers
Pages 4-6: “Long after 170 years
time” – Considerations on
Carl Fasch‘s Mass for 16
voices (Ryan Kelly)
Pages 6-7: Ellen Arndt celebrates her
80th birthday; Did you
know...?
Page 8: 2011/2012 Fasch Society
activities in review
Page 9: Fasch exhibition in the
Zerbst palace; CD review
Pages 10-11: “Let’s talk Fasch shop” –
Carrying out research on
Fasch for my MA thesis
(Julia Schäfer);
Congratulations!
Page 12: 12th Fasch Society Trip led
to the Lusatia region
Important Dates –
mark your calendars!
IFG Exhibit, Zerbst
Palace, open for visitors
on Aug. 18, Sept. 9, 29
and 30, 2012
5 October 2012, 6 pm/7:30 pm,
Fasch-Saal, Stadthalle Zerbst: AGM
and Fasch-Geselligkeit
Annual Christmas concert with the
“J. F. Reichardt” University of Halle
Chorus: 7 Dec. 2012, 7:30 pm,
St.Trinitatis Church Zerbst
Next executive board meeting:
17 January 2013, 6 pm, Wiekhaus
Dear Friends of Fasch and Members of our Society,
Summer has arrived – time to put together our annual newsletter and
acknowledge that it’s “half time” as we get ready for the Fasch
Festival in 2013.
You will find a lot of interesting material to read in this issue, drawn
once again from a busy year with Fasch. These are detailed in our
“Year in Review” section, but we also tell you about special
occasions, such as the 80 th birthday of our vice-president, Ellen Arndt,
a new Fasch CD, and what travelling by mail coach was like in the
early 18 th century (see “The 2011 Fasch Conference Report has been
published” section on pp. 2-3). Our 2012 “Fasch Trip” led to the
Lusatia region. I would like to thank Dr. Barbara M. Reul and Antje
Deicke for putting together such a vibrant issue.
The groundwork for the Twelfth International Fasch Festival has also
been laid; it will take place in Zerbst/Anhalt from 18 to 21 April 2013.
The Festival’s motto is “Fasch and Dresden”. That Johann Friedrich
Fasch travelled to Dresden on numerous occasions and maintained
close contacts with the Electoral Saxon court and its resident court
Kapelle is well-known. It is also the reason why the Saxon State
Library in Dresden houses a huge number of musical works written
by our genius loci. These compositions recently underwent a
systematic scholarly examination. All the more reason to take the
opportunity to dig deep into this Dresden trove of acoustical treasures!
Expect to hear some wonderful music during the Festival and, as part
of an international scholarly conference, enjoy new insights into the
details surrounding the musical exchange that took place between
Zerbst and Dresden.
The opening concert promises to be particularly spectacular: largescale,
late Sinfonias by J. F. Fasch will be performed by Les Amis de
Philippe, directed by Ludger Rémy, some of them for the first time
since Fasch’s death. Thrilling chamber music that features such rare
instruments as the chalumeau, international ensembles such as Ars
Antiqua Austria and Il Gardellino, a “Fasch Midnight” at the Zerbst
Palace and, and, and… oh, and, yes: the Dresden Kreuzchor! We
managed to engage this world-class choral ensemble for Zerbst in
2013. A festival flyer with more information will be sent out soon.
But before we head into 2013, let’s finish this year first – please save
the remaining 2012 autumn dates on your calendar (see the column on
your left for details).
All the best,
Bert Siegmund, president

Faschiana, July 2012 – Newsletter of IFS, Page 2
The 2011 Fasch Conference Report has been published: “Fasch – Vater und Sohn”, Fasch-
Studien vol. 10 (ortus musikverlag, 2011)!
In early 2011 the proceedings of the last Fasch Festival conference appeared in
print. Entitled “Fasch – Vater und Son [Father and Son]” (see www.ortus.de), the
volume presents the cutting edge of Fasch research, examining the lives and works
of Johann Friedrich Fasch (b. Buttelstedt, 1688; d. 1758, Zerbst) and his son Carl
Friedrich Christian (b. Zerbst, 1736; d. Berlin, 1800). Fifteen musicologists from
around the world contributed thirteen articles in German and two in English. For the
benefit of non-German readers short short summaries in the “other” language can be
found at the end of each article.
The first section of the book considers musical life at the court of Anhalt-Zerbst.
Specifically, authors describe Prince Johann August’s birthday in 1728, examine
musicians at court who were not members of the Kapelle, and discuss what
motivated guest artists to include Zerbst in their travel itinerary. The focus shifts to
Fasch senior in the second section of the volume. The Apostel Day cantata, a highly
unusual genre within the central German Lutheran historical context, as well as
Fasch’s contributions to this genre for the Zerbst court chapel, are examined. These sacred compositions were
much less time-intensive from a composer’s standpoint than the numerous extant large-scale vocal works
(cantatas, masses and serenatas) coomposed by Fasch in the 1750s, which are analyzed in detail as well. That the
Zerbst court Kapellmeister did not just reuse his own music when time was tight, but also intentionally revised
or rewrote “borrowed’s passages in their entirety, is another important new insight. Moreover, Fasch sent his
own instrumental music from Zerbst to Dresden for several decades. But was he aware that some of his dance
movements were combined with instrumental music by other composers and performed as “new” works at the
Dresden court? Fasch’s close relationship with the Saxon metropolis is also highlighted in an analysis of his
extant Sonata for “Pasetel” and Basso.
Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch’s Dresden “connection” serves as a transition to the third section of the volume.
The teenage Carl wrote a hitherto-unknown Sinfonia in 1752 that is extant in Dresden. It differs clearly from his
father’s Sinfonias, a trend that is also evident in Carl’s early Berlin cantatas. The latter’s abilities as a pianist and
pedagogue are showcased in a newly discovered “Uebungsstück” (practice piece) for the left hand, and also
examined in his so-called character pieces. Interesting is also Fasch’s contribution to the promotion of nonliturgical
sacred music in Berlin during the 1760s.
First and foremost, however, Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch made his mark in music history as the founder of the
Sing-Akademie zu Berlin. Unique in intellectual and cultural terms, this institution had a significant social and
performance-practical impact on musical life in the nineteenth century. Thanks to the efforts of Carl Friedrich
Zelter (Carl Fasch’s student, successor and biographer and also a close friend of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe),
in this regard, every now and then the composer name Fasch appears in European archives and libraries. As a
result, unknown works by Johann Friedrich and Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch have been identified, but scholars
have also made wrong attributions in the past. In any case, the music-historical importance of these two masters
from the Anhalt region – which celebrates its 800th birthday in 2012 (see www.anhalt800.de) – is beyond
debate.
We would now like to provide a summary of one article that deals with guest musicians at the court of Anhalt-
Zerbst and how they found their way to Zerbst (see pp. 47-60). We chose it because the research carried out by
Dr. Kathrin Eberl-Ruf (Associate Professor at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) is really fascinating.
“A place’s geographical location and direct access to the postal road network were of great importance to
visitors frequenting a place,“ writes the author (p. 47). Zerbst was part of the route Magdeburg – Wittenberg –
Dresden. “Coming from Berlin one could reach Zerbst via Dessau. But it is also evident that musicians
travelling from the north to the large central German musical centres of Leipzig and Dresden, if not all the way

Faschiana, July 2012 – Newsletter of the IFS, Page 3
to Italy, or heading back up north (for example, to Hamburg), would not
necessarily have come through Zerbst, since it was possible to choose a more
direct route.” Stopping in Zerbst was therefore intentional.
Table 1: Regular mail coach schedule for Zerbst in 1716, in:
Privilegierter Hauskalender der Haupt- und Residenzstadt Zerbst
vom Jahre 1716, quoted in Otto Brückner, Die Post in Zerbst
(Zerbst, 1936, no pagination)
Departing Zerbst for: Arriving in Zerbst from:
Dessau – Berlin Sunday, 5 am Leipzig Sunday, 6 pm
Magdeburg Monday, 3 pm Wittenberg Monday, 2 am
Dessau – Leipzig Monday, 4 pm Dessau – Berlin Monday, 4 pm
Wittenberg Tuesday, 8 pm Magdeburg Tuesday, 7 pm
Dessau – Berlin Wednesday, 5 am Dessau – Leipzig Wednesday, 6 pm
Dessau – Leipzig Thursday, 4 am Dessau – Berlin Thursday, 4 pm
Magdeburg Friday, 3 am Wittenberg Friday, 2 am
Wittenberg Saturday, 8 am Magdeburg Saturday, 7 pm
Travelling by mail coach presented a challenge both with regard to departure time (usually scheduled very early
in the morning) and cost. For example, a person travelling by regular coach from Brandenburg to Magdeburg in
1712 had to pay 1 Taler, 12 Groschen; from Brandenburg to Halberstadt the fare was 2 Taler, 10 Groschen.
Since the average monthly income of a young performer was only 4 to 6 Thaler, what could have motivated
musicians to embrace the stress and strain of travelling and even pay their own way to perform at the court of
Anhalt-Zerbst? One important factor was most certainly the “Verehrungen” or cash payments they received
from Zerbst court. These honoraria ranged from 4 to 12 Thaler depending on the length of one’s stay (and
perhaps also one’s skill level?). Prior to Fasch’s arrival in 1722 only three to five guest musicians hailing from
nearby locations such as Weissenfels visited the court. During Fasch’s tenure as court Kapellmeister, however,
this number increased to between seven and eleven musicians annually. And they did not just come from courts
that were close to Zerbst, but from Dresden, Königstein, Spremberg and Trier as well. Moreover, we find
musicians from France, Italy and Russia; all visits are documented in the Zerbst court account books, which are
extant at the Landeshauptarchiv Sachsen-Anhalt in Dessau. In any case, for the most part musicians visited
Zerbst after having performed at the courts of Köthen, Gotha and Weißenfels, whose rulers were related to the
Princely family of Anhalt-Zerbst.
“At the same time, performances by musicians from out of town meant a welcome change from the regular
musical programming at the court.” (p. 55) The Princely family of Anhalt-Zerbst must surely also have
appreciated travelling virtuosos who performed on rare and unusual instruments. For example, there was a
“Musicum der 2 Waldhörner auf einmahl geblasen” (a musician who performed on two hunting horns
simultaneously) in 1725, and an Italian musician who played the “Davidsharfe” (David’s harp) in 1743/44.
Moreover, “there is no doubt that musical culture at the court of Zerbst was enriched by musicians from out of
town.” (p. 58) In particular, brass players were added for large-scale festivities to increase their overall appeal
and impact. Professional musicians also frequently performed at the Zerbst palace. During the 1732/33 winter
season, for example, the famous violinst Franz Benda stopped in Zerbst on his way to Ruppin where he would
join the orchestra maintained by the Prussian crown prince Friedrich II. Most likely, Benda had been referred to
Fasch by colleagues at the Dresden court where the latter had spent at least seven months in 1726/27, a stay that
had been paid for by the Zerbst court. At Dresden Fasch composed for the most part Latin church music and
worked closely with Dresden court musicians, specifically Kapellmeister Johann David Heinichen and Johann
Georg Pisendel, violinist and eventually concertmaster. Fasch and Pisendel exchanged music for over 25 years

Faschiana, July 2012 – Newsletter of the IFS, Page 4
which is why so many instrumental works by Fasch are held in Dresden archives. We will focus our attention on
these very compositions as well as on Dresden composers with whom Fasch was acquainted during the
upcoming Fasch-Festival. Join us in and around Zerbst as we explore “Fasch und Dresden” from 18 to 21 April
2013.
Antje Deicke & Barbara M. Reul
New Fasch CD by Tempesta di Mare to appear in Autumn 2012
The last of three CDs featuring the American Baroque ensemble Tempesta di
Mare playing instrumental works by Johann Friedrich Fasch on period
instruments, is scheduled for release on the well-known British label Chandos in
autumn 2012. The ensemble performed in Zerbst in April 2011 on the occasion of
the Eleventh International Fasch Festival. Several of the pieces featured on the CD
were not only recorded for the first time, but also edited by Richard Stone, one of
the artistic directors of the group. Barbara M. Reul once again provided the
introductory essay for the CD booklet. The repertoire chosen for this recording
includes Fasch’s concerto for recorder which resurfaced only a few years ago, his
famous concerto for lute as well as several wonderful orchestral suites by the
Zerbst master. For more information on the recording, see their website
www.tempestadimare.org. Pictured here are Richard Stone (artistic director),
Emlyn Ngai (concertmaster), Gwyn Roberts (artistic director).
A Fasch Question and Answer
What does the term “borrowing” mean in a musical context?
It refers to the reuse of particularly attractive musical passages in another composition.
Fasch himself used a violin part from a cantata aria again, in another cantata. This technique was
common practice in the eighteenth century and not restricted to one’s own works. Incidentally, music written by
other composers has also been identified in Fasch’s oeuvre. But this did not get him into trouble with his
colleagues or the law. Rather, it signalled his appreciation of the other composer’s skill, especially when
passages were copied verbatim. Borrowing was also a technique employed in order to cope with work load issue
and therefore embraced by the majority of late Baroque composers. A well-known example is George Frederic
Handel who, when reusing his famous “Hallelujah” chorus from the Messiah as the final movement in his
Foundling Hospital Anthem, made no changes to it whatsoever! Clearly, this type of musical “copying and
pasting” was already the rule back then. �
In another 170 years time – Considering Carl Fasch’s Mass for Sixteen Voices
Kammerchor Stuttgart’s CD Hohes Lied introduced me to Carl Fasch’s Mass for Sixteen
Voices. 1 Though determined to learn more about Fasch (1736–1800) and his Mass, I found no
document offering a centralized summary of his life and influence alongside detailed analysis of
his compositions. Additionally, his Mass was published only once in 1839 and is out of print. 2 That edition is in
moveable C clefs with an unrealized continuo score and could not be effectively performed by most musicians
today. A graduate student at Michigan State University at the time, I chose to research both the composer and
this work for my doctoral document. Completed in 2012, Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch and His Mass for
Sixteen Voices with Performance Edition demonstrates how Fasch significantly influenced the development
1 It is the work’s premiere recording. See Frieder Bernius, director, Hohes Lied, CD Carus 83.222, 2009.
2 Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch, Die sechzehnstimmige Messe nebst einem fünffachen Canon auf 25 Stimmen,
vol. 7, Sämmtliche Werke von Carl Christian Friedrich Fasch (Berlin: Trautwein, 1839).

Faschiana, July 2012 – Newsletter of the IFS, Page 5
of choral music by founding the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin* and composing his Mass for Sixteen Voices. It also
studies each movement of the Mass and provides a modern engraved edition of the work with a realized basso
continuo.
Fasch’s inspiration to compose the Mass is well documented. In 1783, Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752–1814)
gifted to Fasch a copy of a sixteen-voice mass by Orazio Benevoli (1605–1678). Inspired by its magnitude,
Fasch composed his Mass for Sixteen Voices in just a few weeks. Reichardt first published its “Kyrie eleison”
and “Christe eleison” in his 1791 periodical Musikalisches Kunstmagazin and Fasch later revised the Mass
several times. The Sing-Akademie zu Berlin performed it almost exclusively for decades and published the
entire work in 1839 as part of Fasch’s complete works.
It is an extraordinarily grand Missa brevis, consisting of Kyrie and Gloria settings
that combine Baroque and Classical compositional styles with virtuosity and charm
in a manner unmatched by contemporaries. The mass is divided into ten miniature
movements and lasts a little under half an hour minutes in performance. He scores
six of the ten movements for sixteen voices with occasional soloists; the other
movements feature varying combinations of voices and soloists. The voices are
complemented with a Basso continuo line.
The Mass’ opening three movements are brief, fascinating, and improvisatory, and
they defy conventions of form and style. With delicate polyphony and luxurious
harmonies, they simultaneously sound sacred and secular, galant and Baroque. Additionally, though separate
movements in the score, they can easily be heard as three sections of one movement with symmetrical tonal
centers and shared musical motives. Listeners receive their first dramatic surprise in movement four. Though all
the other movements are comparatively long, Fasch sets movement four in merely five measures. He thereby
composes a clear homage to the old liturgical performance practice of intoning the “Gloria in excelsis Deo”
before singing the “Et in terra pax” movement. This choice is startling not only for its brevity, but also for its
scoring for three soprano soloists and high tessitura.
Movement five sounds intentionally tempting – thematically elusive and harmonically nomadic – characteristics
which, if left unconsummated, might indicate serious compositional flaws. Fasch does not disappoint, however,
as he uses movement five to whet the listener’s appetite for the grand and super-satisfying sixth movement.
Movement six, the “Laudamus te,” is the capstone of his great work and a perfect synthesis of the galant and
Baroque styles. At first glance, it appears scored for soprano soloist and four choirs; however, it is truer to say it
is scored for soprano soloist accompanied by four choirs, as it is this feature that defines the movement.
Gottfried Eberle states that Fasch created the genre of “aria with choir accompaniment” with this movement, and
this assessment cannot be far off; it has no peer among contemporary compositions. 3 Its themes are the most
tuneful in the Mass and it contains the most virtuosic solo in the work.
Though movements seven through nine each have admirable intricacies, their greatest purpose is to diffuse the
accumulated energy of previous movements and prepare listeners for the work’s fervent conclusion. Movement
seven is scored for tenor solo and two choruses. Portions recall soothing affects from movement three and the
tenor’s restrained solo offers a solace from the soprano’s fireworks of movement six. In movement eight, Fasch
exquisitely develops complex thematic material in only 120 measures. Movement nine completes the trio of
relaxing and galant movements. Its simplicity, highlighted by its scoring for a single combined SSATTB chorus,
is effective and delightful, and it teasingly prepares listeners for the Mass’ grand finale. In the “Cum Sancto
Spiritu” he compounds the complexities of fugal writing by scoring the movement for all sixteen voices in a
manner worthy of a Missa solemnis. Yet, he does so while treating the ear to a fanciful foray through key areas,
episodes, and middle entries that avoids becoming ponderous or tiresome.
3 Gottfried Eberle, “‘Spiegel einer reinen, wahrhaft frommen Seele’” – Carl Friedrich Christian Faschs
Chormusik für die Sing-Akademie zu Berlin,” in Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch (1736-1800) und das Berliner
Musikleben seiner Zeit (1999), Fasch-Studien 7, p. 195.

Faschiana, July 2012 – Newsletter of the IFS, Page 6
When Fasch referred to composing his Mass, he was
hoping that musicians 170 years later would consider it a
daring composition. 4 Its unaccompanied and sixteenvoice
scoring is anachronistic, and its virtuosity is unlike
contemporary masses. 5 His reference to the future is
significant because it gives insight into how his idealism
influenced his compositional process. He did not
compose it for a liturgy, state occasion, commission, or
other function. Rather, he composed it to be admired for
its artistic achievement, and he did so with future
criticism in mind. 6
Carl Fasch aimed to impress a future aesthetic ideal – one that valued innovative, complex, stimulating, and
refined sacred choral compositions and performances as art. In many ways, his Mass was not of its time. Jürgen
Heidrich calls it an “exceptional work, a composition- and instrumentation-technique curiosity at the end of the
eighteenth century, which, it seems, stands outside of any norms and traditions of the contemporary music
culture of Berlin.” 7 A curiosity of the late eighteenth century, it likewise stands out today as an early and
extraordinary example of non-liturgical sacred music meant simply for listeners’ admiration.
After 170 years time, Fasch’s Mass remains a great work of art.
Ryan Kelly
rkelly@wcupa.edu
4 Fasch composed his mass approximately 170 years after Benevoli composed his; this explains Fasch’s
seemingly odd reference to composing for musicians 170 years in the future. See Carl Friedrich Zelter, Karl
Friedrich Christian Fasch (Berlin: J. F. Unger, 1801), p. 26.
5 Bernius identifies it as one of the only challenging unaccompanied choral works of the late eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries. See Bernius, Hohes Lied CD, liner notes.
6 Eberle notes that the intent to compose a work to “far outlast its time” was “very unusual” for the time. See
Eberle, “‘Spiegel einer reinen, wahrhaft frommen Seele,’” translated from the German by Ryan Kelly, p. 195.
7 Jürgen Heidrich, “Berlin um 1785: Zum ideengeschichtlichen Umfeld der sechzehnstimmigen Messe von Carl
Fasch,” in Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch (1736-1800) und das Berliner Musikleben seiner Zeit, p. 208.
Translated from the German by Betty Heitzmann.
* Picture on p. 5: Sing-Akademie zu Berlin, www.sing-akademie.de.
** Ryan Kelly’s DMA thesis is accessible on www.proquest.com.
A Princely Birthday – IFS Vice-President Ellen Arndt celebrated her 80th
birthday on 17 March 2012
Ellen Arndt, founding member of the International Fasch Society and vie-president to date,
turned 80 years old on 17 March. To honour the occasion, she had invited numerous guests to
join her at a big birthday party held at St. Trinitatis Church in Zerbst.
The Lutheran Trombone Choir Zerbst, the Chamber Orchestra of the Academic Orchestra Halle, and four choirs
– the Zerbster Stadtchor, the Zerbster Kammerchor, the Zerbster Kantorei and the Martin-Luther-
Universitätschor Halle-Wittenberg ‟Johann Friedrich Reichardt” – honoured Ellen Arndt with lots of lively

Faschiana, July 2012 – Newsletter of the IFS, Page 7
music. As an experienced choral conductor, Ms. Arndt was undoubtedly familiar with some of the repertoire
performed. She also continues to be active as a musician today, assisting with the St. Trinitatis Church’s
Singkreis and worship services, and she has been organizing monthly events that promote the singing of folk
songs. Instead of asking for birthday presents, Ms. Arndt requested donations to be given to St. Trintatis to
purchase choir risers.
Picture (www.volkstimme.de, Helmut Rohm):
Ensemble directors Jens Lorenz, Karin Spott, Matthias Erben, Ellen
Arndt, Angela Köcher, Dr. Jens Arndt and Tobias Eger (missing:
Steffen Bischoff)
Musical wishes were not the only ones offered that
evening. Numerous guests congratulated our vicepresident
and expressed their gratitude to Ellen Arndt
for enriching the musical life in and around Zerbst for
many years. Andreas Dittmann, director of the local
Kulturamt, offered congratulations on behalf of the
mayor of Zerbst and honoured Ellen Arndt for
“achieving great cultural successes in Zerbst”. He also
expressed the hope that she would “stay the way she has
always been – argumentative and uncompromising in her cause, and often with good reason.” Pastor Meyer and
parish council chair Claudia Grothmann symbolically awarded Ellen Arndt a honorary parish membership and
presented her with a gift card for a “reformation tree” to be planted in the near future. Moreover, many
volunteers contributed to and helped set up a lavish buffet.
The International Fasch Society would like to thank Ellen Arndt for her untiring commitment, not least because
she served as our general manager from 1991 to 1997. The City of Zerbst acknowledged her volunteer activities
by awarding her the Fasch Prize in 1993. We wish her all the best for the coming years of life and look forward
to collaborating with her in the future – long may she live!
Did you know that …?
when we typed the name “Fasch” into the German version of Google (www.google.de),
we found a link to a company that sells brass instruments (www.fasch.eu) – maybe this is
in homage to the many works by Fasch that feature brass instruments...?
Fasch apparently does not lag behind Handel when it
comes to having composed Music for the Royal
Fireworks (?!), at least according to a clip posted on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_4uzlXDcMg.
Johann Caspar Wilcke, a brother-in-law of the Leipzig Thomaskantor
Johann Sebastian Bach, served as trumpeter at the court of Anhalt-
Zerbst from 1717 to his death in 1766?
according to a hitherto-unknown primary source held at the parish
archive of the former court church St. Bartholomäi – shown here for
the first time – the wives of Zerbst court musicians (including those
married to trumpeters and kettle-drummers) enjoyed assigned seating
in the court chapel? Shelf mark: Sup. Archiv-Zerbst Abt. IV, 3 Nr. 23 1 (reproduced with permission)
that the organ which Caspar Sperling built in 1737 for the chapel inside Dornburg palace – a residence
used by Catherine the Great when she was still princess of Anhalt-Zerbst – has been restored by the
Halberstadt organ builder Reinhard Hüfken? Martin Herrmann, Dessau, played the inaugural concert on
8 July 2012, see http://dornburg.sp12.speed-hoster.eu/kirche/kirche_orgel.html (in German).

Faschiana, July 2012 – Newsletter of the IFS, Page 8
A year of International Fasch Society activities in review (07/2011-
07/2012)
July 2011: The Fasch Board of Trustees (aka the “Fasch-Kuratorium” which consists
of IFS representatives and several public officials) announces the Twelfth
International Fasch Festival in Zerbst/Anhalt, to be held in April 2013.
August: Musicologists hailing from Germany, the UK, Canada and Australia who
presented their research on the occasion of the Eleventh International Fasch Festival
in 2011, are asked to submit written versions of their papers in order to meet the
conference reports‘ publication deadline.
September: The IFS is once again actively involved in various “Day of the Open Monument” events held at
the Zerbst palace, with volunteers leading many visitors through the IFS’s exhibit.
October: On the occasion of a trade show held at the palace, the IFS offers additional tours through the
exhibit; a very special “Fasch-Geselligkeit” marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the IFS: church
musician Georg Wendt and soprano Antje Deicke provide the musical backdrop to an evening of memories –
twenty years worth, shared by the three ladies who have served as IFS general managers to date, Ellen
Arndt, Karin Spott, and Dr. Inge Werner; the IFS exhibit is shown at the Landeshauptarchiv Sachsen-Anhalt
in Dessau until Christmas time, with our president, Bert Siegmund, presenting a public lecture to mark the
official opening of the exhibit at the interim location.
November: Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch, born in 1736 in Zerbst, would have celebrated his 276th birthday
on 18 November.
December: Our annual Christmas concert features the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg chorus
“Johann Friedrich Reichardt”; all authors who contributed to the conference report are requested to examine
proof copies of their articles.
January 2012: The IFS Executive Board meets at the Wiekhaus headquarters to discuss the programming of
the 12th International Fasch Festival in 2013.
February: Final touches are put on the 2011 conference report (Fasch-Studien, vol. 10): 310 pages long, it
contains a total of 15 contributions (13 in German, 2 in English); the IFS’s secretary’s employment contract,
financed by the Kommunale Beschäftigungsagentur Anhalt-Bitterfeld, ends on 28 February and cannot be
renewed. As a result, the Wiekhaus is only open to the public on two mornings per week.
March: The IFS organizes the final concert of the 47th Zerbst Cultural Days – it features the Fritz Höft
Chorus directed by Vera Schmidt and is the last of 35 single events and six exhibits that were presented over
the course of four weeks as part of this annual festival; IFS vice-president Ellen Arndt celebrates her 80th
birthday at the St. Trinitatis church in Zerbst; past president Dr. Barbara M. Reul presents a one-hour lecture
entitled “Beyond the Notes – A day in the life of German Kapellmeister Johann Friedrich Fasch” on the
occasion of a lecture series organized by the Archer Library, University of Regina, Canada.
April: J. F. Fasch would have celebrated his 324th birthday on 15 April; on 22 April citizens of Zerbst elect
Andreas Dittmann, director of the Zerbst Kulturamt, as their new mayor; he will take office on 1 July 2012,
succeeding Helmut Behrendt – congratulations, and we look forward to many years of working together!
May: The annual IFS trip (our 12th!) leads to the Lusatia region (trip planning and tour guide: Karin Spott);
the Fasch Board of Trustees meets to discuss the upcoming Fasch Festival.
June: On Sunday, 17 June, our member Marlis Beck, Zerbst, leads visitors from West Germany through our
exhibit at the palace – after hours! Thank you!
July: Following parental leave, our musicologist Antje Deicke resumes her part-time position in preparation
of the 12th International Fasch Festival 2013; the IFS Executive Board meets at the Wiekhaus.

Faschiana, July 2012 – Newsletter of the IFS, Page 9
Visit our newly expanded “Fasch Exhibit” inside the
Zerbst palace!
We have been pleased to present a newly expanded “Fasch exhibit”
inside the Zerbst palace since April 2012. Not only does it provide
visitors with interesting facts regarding our Kapellmeister, but also
grants insight into the Princely House of Anhalt-Zerbst in addition to
presenting details about members of the court Kapelle and Fasch’s
tenure at the court. You can also view historic (i.e. pre-world war two)
photographs of the city of Zerbst. A visit is always worthwhile, as we
continue to add new items. We also recommend that you take a walk around the restored parts of the palace;
there are a variety of public events, including musical performances, held inside this venue (see
http://www.schloss-zerbst-ev.de). Finally, we are grateful to everyone who has helped staff the exhibit and
answered questions posed by visitors, and we thank everyone who will assist with these tasks in the future.
Review: Pisendel (Fasch, Handel, Telemann, Heinichen) – Violin Concertos from Dresden (Johannes
Pramsohler, Violine; International Baroque Players, Raumklang B006Z10B66, 2011)
Why would a review of a CD entitled “Pisendel” be included in a newsletter of the Internatioanl Fasch Society?
Because it is ideally suited to bridge the gap between the last Fasch Festival and the one coming up in 2013,
which will focus on the topic “Fasch and Dresden”. Johann Georg Pisendel (1687–1755), a native of Franconia,
had been a friend of Fasch ever since their student days in Leipzig. In 1728 Pisendel became concert master of
the Dresden court orchestra, which was considered to be the best in all of Europe at that time. From late October
1726 until the spring, if not the summer months of 1727 Fasch had watched Pisendel
and court Kapellmeister J. D. Heinichen (a fellow student in Leipzig as well) at work
in Dresden. This stay had been fully financed by the court of Anhalt-Zerbst and laid
the foundation for a professional relationship that lasted over 25 years. During that
time Fasch served as “Hoflieferant für Musik” (court supplier of music) for the
Dresden court. This was an amazing accomplishment and one that Fasch could be
proud of, given that in 1733 an offer by Leipzig‘s Thomaskantor, J. S. Bach, to provide
the court with sacred and secular music was declined.
In addition to many compositions by Fasch, there are numerous works by other composers with central German
roots that make up the huge, so-called “Schrank II” (Cabinet Two) musical collection. Housed at the Saxon State
Library in Dresden, it was virtually unaffected by two world wars and contains the works featured on this
compact disc. They are, for the most part, newly-edited volin concertos by Fasch, Pisendel, Heinichen, Handel
and Telemann. Surprisingly, tracks 1-3 are not devoted to music by the CD’s “hero”, Pisendel. Instead, we begin
with a hitherto-unknown concerto written by our very own Kapellmeister, played on period instruments with
enthusiasm, gusto and finesse. Johannes Pramsohler, director of the ensemble, violin soloist and author of the
informative CD booklet, calls the concerto a “very colourfully set work” that shows off a “superb representative
of the typical Dresden version of the Italian solo concerto: pairs of flutes and oboes compete here against the
solo violin and ripieno strings.” Indeed, all of the works included on this CD are executed so well that one is
immediately transported back in time. Did this music – dance-like and light, yet meditative in the slow
movements – manage to delight eighteenth-century audiences to the same extent? Regardless, it does not matter
whether the strings and the Basso continuo group join Pramsohler’s solo violin (a 1713 Pietro Giacomo Rogeri)
or, in the case of Fasch and Pisendel, woodwinds are added as well. All instrumentalists successfully compete
for the listener’s attention for close to an hour, and besides showing off their impressive technical skills, they
also manage to spread good cheer throughout. I can’t wait for their next recording!
Barbara M. Reul

Faschiana, July 2012 – Newsletter of the IFS, Page 10
“Musikalisch geFASCHsimpelt” (“Let’s talk Fasch shop”) – On
carrying out research on J. F. Fasch for my M.A. thesis
I am about to finish my Master of Arts degree in musicology at the University of
Leipzig this summer. For the past year and a half my research has focused on the
life and works of Johann Friedrich Fasch. I should now like to take the opportunity
to share with you my research experiences and impressions of this composer hailing
from Zerbst.
Since Zerbst is my home town and the place where I went to school and graduated
from high school in 2007, it did not take me long to decide on a topic for my
master’s thesis: it was going to be something on Johann Friedrich Fasch! In order to
gain a basic overview of past Fasch scholarship, I first carried out research at the
local Heimatmuseum, Zerbst’s civic archive and the historical Francisceum Library.
My visit of the parish archive of St. Bartholomäi impressed me greatly: two huge
cabinets filled with countless documents that included an incredibe number of
historical primary sources that encourage browsing for hours. The sight was
overwhelming – every scholar’s dream. On the other hand, how Fasch and his works
had been received after his death would have been a good thesis topic as well, but
due to time constraints and the fact that I could not have done it justice in my
master’s thesis, I had to let it go. But it would make a great topic for a doctoral
dissertation!
See www.slubdresden.de,
Digitale
Sammlungen, Fasch’s
Sinfonia in G Major
On 8 and 9 April 2011 I audited the international scholarly conference that took place on the occasion of the
Eleventh Fasch Festival in Zerbst and was intrigued by the various presentations. Since this was my first time at
a musicological conference, I gained many insights from the new research presented on Fasch. And with the
topics of the individual lectures being quite diverse, the two days just flew by.
To satisfy my degree programme requirements, I interned with the International Fasch Society between October
2011 and February 2012. During that time I got to know the Society’s headquarters, the Wiekhaus, and carried
out several archival tasks. Moreover, I started to work on my thesis, having narrowed down the topic upon the
advice of the Fasch society’s musicologist and president.
My thesis is 100 pages long and entitled “Philologische und analytische Betrachtungen der 6 Sinfonien in G-
Dur von Johann Friedrich Fasch” (A philological examination and analysis of Johann Friedrich Fasch’s six
Sinfonias in G Major). The first section of my graduating thesis contains editions of two of these Sinfonias,
since only three of the six works in G Major were available in print at the time, while another existed as a
computer file. My task, therefore, was to use a special computer programme and edit the extant handwritten
parts for Sinfonias FWV M:G2 and FWV M:G6 in order to produce a score for each work. This exciting process
was great fun. Using the computer programme was enjoyable and easy, since I had taken a class on editing
music in my sixth semester and learned how to use the software while mastering the necessary scholarly
techniques and editing policies. However, inputting music for the FWV M:G2 Sinfonia turned out to be much
more time-intensive than I had expected, as each of the parts had been written out more than once. And since
some copies were different from each other and/or contained annotations entered by a second scribe, all parts
had to be compared individually, a task that I remember as being rather laborious. There were also several
passages that were hard to decipher, which did not facilitate progress either. In comparison, editing the Sinfonia
FWV M:G6 went quickly. And I am happy to tell you that both editions will be published by Prima la musica!
(www.primalamusica.com).
The second part of my master’s thesis consists of an analysis of all six Sinfonias in G Major by Fasch.
Specifically, I examined a variety of musical parameters, including the overall structure of each of the pieces as
well as their harmonic, motivic and thematic vocabulary. Furthermore, I provided detailed analyses of all six
Sinfonas in G Major by Fasch. A comparison of all of Fasch’s 19 extant Sinfonias shows that on the whole

Faschiana, July 2012 – Newsletter of the IFS, Page 11
that they are rather similarly conceived. As a result, we can conclude that the six
Sinfonias in G Major fit neatly into Fasch’s symphonic oeuvre. A historical
contextualization of these compositions follows this chapter, in order to
determine whether they should be considered late Baroque or early classical
works. My master’s thesis concludes with a discourse on Fasch as a traditional
or modern composer of Sinfonias.
In musical terms these Sinfonias in G Major – which, by the way, reminded me
of Vivaldi’s music when I first listened to them – are on the one hand very
melodious, but also entirely unique on the other. In particular, Fasch repeatedly
inserts fugues as third movements, composes a variety of small musical units,
cleverly combines repeated notes, scales and broken triads, writes many
homophonic passages and includes echo techniques. These are special features
which I like about Fasch’s Sinfonias. The aural impact of the pieces can be
described as memorable. As a rule, opening movements sound very solemn yet happy, which makes them catchy
pieces. The slow movements are distinguished by dotted walking rhythms, majestic gestures and interesting
musical ideas, while the final movements of the Sinfonias are lively and dance-like. Fasch also frequently writes
pulsing eighth notes that repeat; this causes a forward-moving effect and a feeling of lightness. Overall, I would
say that these Sinfonias spread good cheer – this is hardly a surprise, since they were meant to entertain nobility.
I am happy to have chosen and researched this topic. It was a pleasure carrying out research and examining
Fasch’s Sinfonias in depth. During the past eighteen months, I received much support and helpful advice from
the following individuals: Dr. Barbara M. Reul, Antje Deicke, Stephan Blaut, Dr. Regina Randhofer as well as
my thesis co-supervisors, Dr. Peter Wollny und Dr. Gilbert Stöck. Thank you! And depending on what my life
after finishing university will look like, I would love to continue my exploration of Johann Friedrich Fasch’s
musical oeuvre.
Julia Schäfer
Congratulations to all our members who have or will be celebrating
milestone birthdays in 2012 and in the first half of 2013 !
30th birthday: M. Richter, Halle/Saale
45th birthday: Dr. B. Reul, Regina, Canada; A. Dittmann, Zerbst/Anhalt
50th birthday: Dr. J. Arndt, Gommern; Ch. von Witzleben, Wiesbaden
55th birthday: A. Bremer, Hannover; A. Weidenfeld, Metjendorf
60th birthday: A. Jahnke, H. Brost, B. Brost, D. Richter, all from
Zerbst/Anhalt; H.-H. Kriegel, Bochum
65th birthday: R. Schmeißel, Werder; D. Weber; Jütrichau
70th birthday: Dr. D. Behrendt, W. Enke, M. Enke, all from Zerbst/Anhalt
75th birthday: Dr. J. Baumgart, Güterglück; W. Krümmling, Zerbst/Anhalt
80th birthday: E. Arndt, Zerbst/Anhalt; Dr. H. Linde, Berlin
276th birthday: Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch (born on 18 November 1736 in Zerbst)
324th birthday: Johann Friedrich Fasch (born on 15 April 1688 in Buttelstedt near Weimar)
Please support us by becoming a member of the International Fasch Society! You can
download the membership application form from our website www.fasch.net as a PDF document. If
you prefer a being sent a paper copy, don’t hesitate to call us at +49-3923-784772, or drop us a line at
IFaschG@t-online.de!

Faschiana, July 2012 – Newsletter of the IFS, Page 12
2012 Trip of the International Fasch Society led to the Lusatia region
As always during the month of May, the IFS went on a trip – for the twelfth consecutive time (!). Our
destination was the Lusatia region and our our first stop was Bad Muskau. Since everyone in the group already
knew about Count Pückler and his park, we had high hopes of being welcomed with some “Pückler ice cream”.
It never materialized, but we visited the beautiful, 280-hectare large park
nestled inbetween the river Neiße; it boasts many vistas, solitary groups
of trees and bridges. Much of this we already know from Wörlitz [a
world-famous 18th-century park near Dessau and also a UNESCO world
heritage site, see http://www.woerlitz-information.de, the ed.]. But it is
nevertheless fascinating, because landscapes and architectural designs
elsewhere create different memories. The palace museum with its
modern design housed a fabulous exhibit that detailed Pückler’s life,
trips and and ever-changing love for the ladies. And a special kind of
vending machine even provided visitors with love letters “à la Pückler”
(pictured here: palaces in the Muskauer Park, reproduced with permission).
Our next destination was the city of Görlitz. We stayed in a hotel on the banks of the river Neiße with a view of
neighbouring Poland. Visitors to Görlitz inevitably find themselves tracing the architectural history of Europe,
when treasures from 500 years of civic history are presented to them within a few hundred meters. The former
wealth of Görlitz’s citizens and the masterful skills of its artisans is evident in buildings with richly adorned
facades, artful vaults and painted ceilings in so-called“Hallenhäuser” (aisled houses). This is not suprising, given
that during the Middle Ages Görlitz was situated on important East-West and North-South trading routes.
The “Heiliges Grab” (Holy Grave) monument – a true replica of holy sites in Jerusalem – is considered by
experts to be especially valuable and attracts many pilgrims today. Our city tour finished at St. Peter’s Church,
where the world-famous “Sonnenorgel” (sun organ) surprised us with a variety of timbres – from Bach to
Mozart, from birds twittering to the gentle pealing of a bell. Our two tour guides expertly succeeded in showing
us just how truly precious their city is. The evening was spent at our hotel, where we enjoyed some dancing and
good entertainment.
The following day was devoted to nature. First, we visited the “Rhododendron Park” in Kromlau. Most
memorable – in addition to the imposing domestic and exotic tree crops as well as large rhododendron and
azalea shrubs – was the 35 meter long, u-shaped overpass that spans across the lake. Beautiful sunny weather
allowed us to enjoy the bridge’s wonderful reflection on the water. Next, we went to Nochten, located in the
Lusatian “Findlingspark”, where 6000 boulders of various sizes have been carefully and artistically arranged on
20 hectares of what used to be a brown coal surface mining area. We would like to congratulate the landscape
designers for putting together a kaleidoscope of flowers, grasses, stones and sand that can be admired from
spring to autumn.
On the following day we stopped in Bautzen on our way home to Zerbst. With the help of a female tour guide
we explored the older parts of the city, looked at restored pieces of architecture, towers and colourful houses of
wealthy citizens, and learned much about Bautzen’s history.
Once again, this trip was once again memorable because of the many wonderful experiences we had; it was a
harmonious interplay of art, culture and nature. We would like to thank our travel agency, Reisebüro Ruthe, and
our bus driver, Herr Kaiser, and especially our tour guide, Frau Spott. She planned this trip and happily looked
after the various needs of our travellers. We look forward to exploring another destination in 2013.
Dr. Inge Werner
IMPRESSUM: Faschiana is published annually by the Internationale Fasch-Gesellschaft (IFG) e.V. Zerbst (International
Fasch Society). Postal address: PSF 11 13, 39251 Zerbst/Anhalt, Germany, telephone/fax: +49-(0)3923-784772, e-mail:
IFaschG@t-online.de, web: www.fasch.net. We thank all authors for their contributions. Editors/layout: Dr. B. M. Reul
(Luther College, University of Regina, Canada) & Antje Deicke (IFS); translation: Dr. B. M. Reul. © IFG, July 2012