Leipzig Bachfest 2026: Bach's music as hit parade
The Leipzig Bach Festival honors the composer with a hit parade. Over 7,000 fans from 20 countries cast their votes. But Bach is celebrated in
The Leipzig Bach Festival honors the composer with a hit parade. Over 7,000 fans from 20 countries cast their votes. But Bach is celebrated in many other countries around the world as well. In Johann Sebastian Bach's repertoire, there are glorious cantatas with timpani and trumpets, as well as more emotional pieces that touch the heart. To find out which are the most beloved cantatas of the global Bach community, the Leipzig Bach Festival conducted a large-scale poll. The top 50 of this "Bach hit parade" will be performed by renowned ensembles at this year's Bach Festival, from June 11–21. The Bach top 50 hit parade More than 7,000 Bach fans from 20 countries voted for their favorites from Johann Sebastian Bach's liturgical cantatas. Just like in the Eurovision Song Contest, they were able to award points: 12 points for their first choice, 10 for second place and so on. However, the final ranking will not be revealed until each concert. Artistic director Michael Maul only revealed this much: "I was surprised that it wasn't necessarily the most grandiose, loudest and major-key cantatas that made it into the top 10, but rather the pieces that strike a very quiet and contemplative note, where the text deals with existential questions." Maul believes this also says something about why Bach is so important to people today. However, he did add that well-known cantatas such as "Lobet den Herrn" (Praise the Lord) or "Nun kommt der Heiden Heiland" (Savior of the nations, come) definitely have a place among the top 50.
The New Bach Society as a model Johann Sebastian Bach worked as the Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1723 until his death in 1750 and, among other things, directed the famous St. Thomas Choir, which opens the Bach Festival every year. Leipzig is also home to the New Bach Society, whose mission includes preserving and promoting the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig opens the Leipzig Bach Festival every year Image: Jan Woitas/dpa/picture alliance With this in mind, the idea first arose in 1901 to organize regular Bach festivals in different cities throughout Germany, focusing primarily on his liturgical music. Some of these cities subsequently began arranging their own Bach festivals. The concept of regular Bach festivals with a wide variety of concerts was also adopted abroad. However, since the festivals could not always take place on a regular basis — due to wars, for example — the New Bach Society is celebrating its 100th Bach Festival this year that is part of the Leipzig Bach Festival. How Bach festivals have spread worldwide To mark the occasion, museum director Jörg Hansen has curated the exhibition "Bach Festivals: A Phenomenon" at the Bachhaus in Eisenach, the city where Bach was born in 1685. Hansen and his team identified 82 Bach festivals worldwide that take place regularly or have taken place over an extended period. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has hosted the most Bach festivals to date, says Hansen: "Since 1912, they have organized 118 Bach festivals." Museum Director Jörg Hansen has collected items from Bach festivals around the world Image: Bachhaus Eisenach 2026 The youngest Bach festival was founded 10 years ago in Jerusalem, Israel, and the largest Bach festivals outside Germany take place in Malaysia and the US state of Oregon.
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