is extended to everyone to attend three concerts which will be hosted by the International Fasch Society over the course of the next three months. As is evident from the overview below we are trying very hard to offer high quality musical performances. You may look forward to no fewer than three "premieres", i.e. newly edited works by J. F. Fasch and his equally famous son Carl Friedrich Fasch, as part of a concert on 27 September. These compositions will be performed by the Berlin ensembles Società Corale and Neues Collegium Musicum, directed by Ralph Eschrig.
A lecture recital will be taking place on 22 November. Our resident musicologist, Dr. Barbara Reul, will be joined by Ralf Mielke, transverse flute, Gabriele Knappe, recorder, Hinnes Gondschaal, violoncello, and Albrecht Hartmann, harpsichord. They will introduce you to works by J. J. Quantz, an important contemporary of Johann Friedrich Fasch. "... and then they went on to play the flutes" is the title of an interesting lecture which focuses on the world and working environment of musicians who were employed as "servants" at courts. Their delightful compositions give us as much enjoyment today as they pleased those who commissioned them centuries ago.
The IFG's traditional Christmas concert is scheduled for 16 December 1997. As in previous years the chamber choir of the Halle-Wittenberg University Chorus "Johann Friedrich Reichardt" and the Academic Orchestra Halle, directed by Jens Lorenz, will perform in Zerbst, premiering Camille Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio. More detailed information on these concerts can be found in the article "Something for everyone...".
If you are searching for newly edited works by J. F. Fasch, you should read Stephan Blaut's review of J. F. Fasch's trio sonata in G major. Blaut's comments on this first volume of the Zerbst Fasch Edition (editorial board: Guido Bimberg, Gottfried Küntzel and Rüdiger Pfeiffer), published by Blaue Eule, Essen, are very informative.
Mrs. Leonore Lanius, president, and Michael Zastre, secretary, North American Fasch Society, sent us an amusing report on their recent musical summer event in Victoria, B.C., Canada.
We would also like to draw your attention to a new column, "Our Research Corner", designed to give you an idea of the many scholarly activities carried out by members of our Society.

Enjoy reading this newsletter and have fun attending our concerts!

Yours,
Dr. Konstanze Musketa, president
International Fasch Society

Zerbst, Stadthalle: 27 Septeber, 8 p.m., Festive Choral concert with Società Corale and Neues Collegium Musicum Berlin, Ralph Eschrig, director

Zerbst, Fasch-Saal: 22 November, 4 p.m. "... and then they went on to play the flutes" - a lecture recital with Dr. Barbara Reul, Ralf Mielke a. o.

Zerbst, St. Bartholomäi Church, 16 December, 8 p.m., Christmas concert with the chamber choir of the Halle-Wittenberg University Chorus "Johann Friedrich Reichardt"

Zerbst, Stadthalle: 27 Septeber, 8 p.m., Festive Choral concert with Società Corale and Neues Collegium Musicum Berlin, Ralph Eschrig, director

The concert will open with an early cantata by Carl Friedrich Fasch, "Die mit Thränen säen" ("They who sow tears"). The famous son of the Anhalt-Zerbst Kapellmeister had been called to serve at the court of Frederick II in 1756, the year in which he composed this particular cantata. In 1794 Carl wrote "Mendelssohniana", a collection of motets for the Berlin Singakademie; he had founded the latter in 1791. After the intermission the two ensembles will perform "Bewahre Deinen Fuß" ("Keep thy foot ["Look well what thou art doing", ed.]") for soloists, SATB, two oboes, strings and B.c. by J. F. Fasch. This cantata forms part of the cycle "Das in Bitte, Gebeth, Fürbitte und Dancksagung bestehende Opffer" ("The sacrifice consisting of a request, a prayer, a supplication and a gratitude"); it was performed a total of seven times at the Zerbst court chapel during Fasch's 36 years of tenure.
The above works will be premiered by the Berlin vocal ensemble Società Corale, founded in 1995, and the chamber music group Neues Collegium Musicum Berlin, founded in 1996. They will be directed by Ralph Eschrig who also prepared an performance edition of the motets. Brian Clark, recipient of the Third Fasch Prize of the City of Zerbst 1997, edited the above mentioned two cantatas. Financial support for this concert was provided by the Ständige Konferenz Mitteldeutsche Barockmusik foundation und local sponsors; the IFG would like to express their gratitude to them.


Zerbst, Fasch-Saal: 22 November, 4 p.m. "... and then they went on to play the flutes" - a lecture recital with Dr. B. Reul, R. Mielke, transverse flute, G. Knappe, recorder, H. Gondschaal, violoncello, A. Hartmann, harpsichord.

In this lecture recital we will closely examine works by J. F. Fasch, C. P. E. Bach and J. J. Quantz. Until the beginning of the eighteenth century the recorder was the preferred instrument for small chamber music ensembles. As of approximately 1730, however, the transverse flute began to be favoured by composers and performers. J. F. Fasch's trio sonata in d minor which will open the concert had originally been scored for two oboes and B.c. On the account of G. P. Telemann's commentary from 1725 in which he noted that substitutions of instruments were permitted if the instruments called for were unavailable, this work will be performed on the recorder and transverse flute. J. J. Quantz's trio sonata for transverse flute, recorder and b. c. is generally considered the last work in which recorder and transverse flute were conceived as "equal" instruments; this is also reflected by the virtuosic writing in each part. In 1770 Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach composed 12 short pieces for two or three parts and scored them for transverse flute, recorder and b. c. He remarked in his preface that these pieces were intended to "provide music lovers with enjoyment in a very comfortable way". In order to grant listeners an easy "access" to these compositions from the pre-Classical period, Dr. Barbara Reul will provide the appropriate music-historical context for each of the works performed.


Zerbst, St. Bartholomäi Church, 16 December, 8 p.m., Christmas concert with the chamber choir of the "Johann Friedrich Reichardt" University Chorus Halle-Wittenberg, Academic Orchestra, Jens Lorenz, director

As in previous years students from the Martin Luther University will perform a traditional Christmas concert. The Academic Orchestra will begin by premiering J. F. Fasch's "Ouverture in g minor", followed by a cappella Christmas music, motets and Corelli's famous "Christmas concerto" for strings and b. c. The second half will feature another Zerbst premiere, meant to prepare listeners for Christmas: the Oratorio de Noël by Camille Saint-Saëns, an important French composer of the nineteenth century.

Halle, Institut für Musikpädagogik, Burgstr. 46, 23 October, 7:30 p.m., Academic chamber orchestra Halle, Dr. Barbara Reul: lecture recital "Johann Friedrich Fasch and his Sinfonia in g minor"
Zerbst, St. Trinitatis Church: 6 December, 7:30 p.m., Zerbster Kantorei, J. S. Bach, Christmas Oratorio, cantatas I-III, dir. Tobias Eger
Magdeburg, Konzerthalle "Unser lieben Frauen", 31 October, 7:30 p.m. AND
Halle, Konzerthalle Ulrichskirche: 1 November, 4 p.m., Chorus of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg "Johann Friedrich Reichardt", Gabriel Fauré, Requiem (joined by the "La folia de Lille" orchestra and soloists) AND
Schloß Oberwiederstedt Memorial, 30 November, 4 p.m., Advent concert, Christmas a cappella choral music from four centuries AND
Dessau, Paulus Church, 6 December, 4 p.m.: see programme from 16 December AND
Halle, Konzerthalle Ulrichskirche: 7 December, 4 p.m. and 11 December, 7:30 p.m. J. S. Bach, Christmas Oratorio (cantatas I-III)

Church musician Norbert Klose informs us that Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch's cantata "Die mit Thränen säen" will be performed in Zerbst on 27 September, will also be featured in a concert taking place at the Peter-und-Paul Church in Hohenwestedt, 28 September, 7:30 p.m. The concert programme will also include premieres of cantatas composed by J. L. Krebs - who, like Fasch, was born in Buttelstedt - and Krebs's son J. G. The above works will be performed by Melody Dobson, soprano, Florian Prey, bass ([late, ed.] baritone Hermann Prey's son), the Capella Picolla chamber choir and the Schleswig-Holstein Baroque Orchestra. Norbert Klose himself prepared the performance materials of C. F. C. Fasch's cantata for this concert. Both the score and parts can be ordered via fax from Renaissance Publishing, Freudenbergweg 8, 24819 Embühren, Fax +49-(0)-4875-1385.

In December 1996 Die Blaue Eule published the first volume of the Zerbst Fasch Edition, [J. F. Fasch's] trio sonata in G major, FWV N:25. The Zerbst Fasch Edition has been commissioned by the German Fasch Society, with Guido Bimberg, Gottfried Küntzel (who died in late 1996) and Rüdiger Pfeiffer functioning as editorial advisors. We read in the preface to this edition that it was "necessary to found a German Fasch Society" in order "to ensure the continuation of the high scholarly and artistic profile...and [to carry on] the Fasch Renaissance which was shaped by the founding members [i.e. Bimberg and Pfeiffer, the ed.] of the IFG's executive." Let me point out straight away that the IFG, founded in 1991, has not been influenced by this newly founded society in their continued promotion of Fasch; this has also been evident in their recent successful organization of the Fifth International Fasch Festival (17 to 20 April 1997). Moreover, the scholarly publication series "Fasch-Studien" is not "edited by the German Fasch Institute" (as stated in the preface) but rather by the International Fasch Society. According to the commentary provided by the editorial advisors, the Zerbst Fasch Edition was conceived as a critical edition of the works of J. F. Fasch and of his son. The edition of FWV N: 25 does, however, not meet the editorial standards of a critical edition. This fact may puzzle the user, especially since [members of] the editorial board had previously emphasized the high editorial standards of this critical edition in prefaces to various other editions.
We encounter obvious embarrassing misprints ("Carl Friedrich Christian Bach" [sic! Fasch] and incorrect statements ("Mus. autogr. Fasch, J. Fr. 7" - "ms." is missing") in the editor's preface to the above work. Readers should also be aware of the editor's incorrect statement that the primary source "Mus. ms. autogr. Fasch, J. Fr. 7" contains parts. This leads us to a difficult subject: the examination of surviving sources for this work. When preparing the performance materials [for this trio sonata], the editor followed the autograph score of Mus. ms. autogr. Fasch, J. Fr. 7 exclusively, despite the fact that another autograph score, Mus. ms. autogr. Fasch, J. Fr. 6, as well as a manuscript copy of another part exist; the latter was prepared by someone other than Fasch. These sources clearly differ from Mus. ms. autogr. Fasch, J. Fr. 7. The compilation and examination as well as comparison and emendation etc. of all surviving sources are essential when preparing a critical edition. Therefore, it is difficult to comprehend why the editor decided to ignore the fully figured harpsichord part of Mus. ms. Fasch, J. Fr. 6., especially since Mus. ms. autogr. Fasch, J. Fr. 7 contains a harpsichord part that is only partly figured (s. movement 1, m. 22; movement 3, mm. 3-4.) Consequently, [Pfeiffer's] realization of the figured bass frequently differs from the harmonies given in the primary source Mus. ms. autogr. Fasch, J. Fr. 6, entered by [the composer] and therefore obviously intended by him (cf. the sixth chords in movement 1, m. 7, beats 2 and 4 which are "seventh chords" in the figured harpsichord part; these also correspond to the movement's actual harmonic progressions.)
Furthermore, the edition of this trio sonata in G major contains inconsistencies and mistakes which thorough proofreading could have eliminated. Accidentals are repeated in the same bar (movement 1, m. 3); in the second movement, m. 76, cautionary accidentals from the primary source have simply been copied, even though cautionary accidentals are employed nowhere else in the edition. Note, moreover, missing (movement 2, m. 50, m. 94) or incorrect dynamics (movement 2, m. 60) as well as inconsistent beaming (movement 3, m. 23, m. 29). Drawing barlines all the way down at the end of a system is not used anymore in modern editions, and it does not contribute to producing a clearly legible score.
In summary, I should like to conclude that this first volume of the Zerbst Fasch Edition does not meet the high editorial standards which one is bound to expect from a critical edition.

Stephan Blaut

Dear Fasch friends in the old "Heimat" - a warm greeting from Victoria to Zerbst before we start!
In May of 1997 we announced a literary-musical summer tea. On 31 August, a beautiful, late summer's day, approximately 40 individuals gathered at the private residence of the NAFS president, Mrs. Leonore Lanius, on Norfolk Rd. They had come to delight in the works of J. F. Fasch, to share thoughts and visit with each other. We greatly appreciated Dr. Erich Schwandt, professor of musicology and doctoral supervisor of NAFS vice president Dr. Barbara Reul. Schwandt, joining us and also welcomed Dr. Ruth Lanius, member of the executive board. Schwandt and Lanius opened with Fasch's oboe concerto in d minor, with Dr. Lanius impressing the audience with a virtuoso performance on the recorder. In addition, the duo played the partita in G major from Telemann's "Little Chamber Music". Michael Zastre, tenor and NAFS secretary, sang an aria from Fasch's only surviving secular cantata "Beständigkeit ist meine Vergnügen"; he was accompanied by his wife, Susanne Reul-Zastre. Erich Schwandt proceeded with a performance of contemporary works by J. S. Bach on the harpsichord (prelude and fugue in A major, BWV 896 and the "echo" suite in B major, BWV 821). Dr. Schwandt and Dr. Lanius closed the programme with the divertimento in B flat major for alto recorder and harpsichord by W. A. Mozart.
Executive member Susanne Reul functioned as the MC for this 90-minute programme, much appreciated by the very interested, delighted members of the audience. She provided the appropriate music historical context for each work and examined J. F. Fasch's compositional style. In addition, she drew attention to recent Fasch CDs, e.g., by Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert as well as a recording of Fasch's High Mass for double chorus and -orchestra by the University Chorus "Johann Friedrich Reichardt", Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, which sparked the listeners' interest in particular.
Contemporary eighteenth century poetry could not be included because of time restraints, but there was plenty of food and drink for everyone to enjoy. Most audience members were aware that this event was the last one hosted at Norfolk Rd. Mrs. Leonore Lanius will be moving to Vancouver. Note that as of 20 September 1997, the NAFS's new address is: 5061 Bear Lane, West Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Tel. 001-604-921-1791, Fax -1792.
Long-term NAFS plans include the promotion of J. F. Fasch's works in Victoria and Vancouver and delight listeners with his music. We will carry on!

Leonore Lanius, president
Michael Zastre, secretary

Recent publications:

Was dieser Geldmangel uns vor tägl. Kummer machet. Briefe, Johann Friedrich Fasch betreffend, aus dem St. Bartholomäi-Stift zu Zerbst (1752-1757). Ed. by Konstanze Musketa with Dietrich-Karl Bischoff. Oschersleben: dr. ziethen, 1997 (Schriftenreihe zur Mitteldeutschen Musikgeschichte; 1, 3; ISBN 3-932090-13-6)

The Archive of the St. Bartholomäi holds two folders with manuscript letters that relate mainly to loans which J. F. Fasch had requested from the St. Bartholomäi church council. At the same time these documents provide information on the personality of the petitioner, on his living conditions particularly during the last years of his life, and on his relationship with his children. Although these documents do not contribute that much to our knowledge of Fasch the composer, they are still worthwhile reading because they shed additional light on the character of the Zerbst Court Kapellmeister and composer of Baroque music.


Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758) und sein Wirken für Zerbst. Report on the international scholarly conference on the occasion of the Fifth International Fasch Festival, 18-19 April 1997. Ed. Internationale Fasch-Gesellschaft e. V. Dessau: Anhaltische Verlagsgesellschaft, in press (=Fasch-Studien, vol. 6, ISBN 3-910192-62-9).

This conference report contains papers read by a total of 20 scholars from Germany, GB, USA, Canada and South Africa, on the occasion of the Fifth International Fasch Festival on 18 and 19 April 1997 in Zerbst. Presenters included Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Ruf, Halle, Brian Clark, recipient of the Third Fasch Prize 1997, Scotland, Dr. Gregory Butler, Vancouver, B.C./Canada, Dr. Michael Märker, Leipzig, and Dr. Steven Zohn, Philadelphia/USA and others. All articles, in German or English, are followed by an abstract in the "other" conference language; a bibliography and two indeces can be found in an appendix at the end of the volume. This conference report will be edited by Dr. Konstanze Musketa and Dr. Barbara Reul on behalf of the International Fasch Society.


Conference Papers:

Dr. Barbara Reul will be giving four papers in October 1997, three of them in London, Ontario/Canada. On 10 October she will be the featured speaker at the Faculty of Music, University Western Ontario, music colloquium series; on 18 October she will present two papers - one on Fasch's sacred works, the other one on the IFG's bilingual web site - on the occasion of the annual review conference of the Canadian Society for Eighteenth Century Studies. On 23 October Dr. Reul will be participating in a lecture recital on Fasch's Sinfonia in g minor in Halle which will also feature the Academic Orchestra Halle.

... that the IFG Administrative Office can be reached via e-mail since July 1997? Our address is: "IFaschG@t-online.de". We look forward to receiving your electronic messages!

... that the Central German Radio will broadcast J. F. Fasch's Reformation cantata "Welt und Teufel, tobt ihr noch?" on 26 October 1997 as part of its series "The Central German Cantata"? The introduction was prepared by Dr. Barbara Reul.