The inaugural Steinitz Bach Prize for solo strings took place on Monday 11 May in the Weston Gallery at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD).
This new solo Bach prize for strings is open to students studying in either the String Department or Department of Historical Performance at RWCMD and is being supported for three years jointly by Margaret Steinitz and the London Bach Society in respect of Paul Steinitz's centenary later this year.

The joint winners are Jennifer MacCallum viola- and Sabine Stoffer violin who will each receive their Prize at the RWCMD Graduation Day celebrations on Friday 3 July in St. David's Hall, Cardiff. Many congratulations and best wishes to them both and our thanks and best wishes to all the other entrants for taking part and offering such a feast of Bach's solo repertoire. Jennifer is currently studying in the String Department and Sabine a student at the Department of Historical Performance. There will be a further report in Bach Notes, the LBS Journal to be published in September.

The Panel was Peter Esswood, Head of Strings and Dr. John Cranmer, Head of the Undergraduate Course and the next competition will take place in 2010.

PRESS RELEASE

Margaret Steinitz awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

On Monday 11 December, Deputy Head of Mission Hans Henning Blomeyer-Bartenstein presented the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany to Margaret Steinitz, the Artistic Director of the London Bach Society (LBS).

Founded in 1946 by Margaret Steinitz's late husband Paul, the LBS has not only introduced Bach's vast corpus of music to several generations of musicians and audiences in the UK, but also changed the approach to performing the works, pioneering the use of period instruments and, since 1950, singing the choral works in their original language.

Under the guidance of Margaret Steinitz, the LBS has continued to entertain, experiment, uplift and inspire all lovers of Bach's music, as well as to build an invaluable database for Bach studies and an imaginative educational programme. In presenting the Order, Mr. Blomeyer-Bartenstein said: "I know that you are just as modest about your own work with the Bach Society as Bach was about his organ playing. But we all know better. We know just how much hard work and tireless endeavour you give to bringing Bach's music closer to people in both our countries."

For further information, please contact the German Embassy Press Department.

ENDS

DETAILS & ENTRY FORM

The Inaugural
PAUL STEINITZ BACHFEST PRIZE
Sponsored by Belmont International Limited
Supported by the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust and Private Donors.

This competition is being launched to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the LONDON BACH SOCIETY on 7 November 1946 and is promoted by the Society.

The Prize will be rotated between Voice, Organ, Instrumental and Keyboard to reflect the musical forces for which Bach composed.

The 2006 inaugural Prize is for SINGERS

The Final will take place on 10th November, the date attributed to the birth of Martin Luther in 1483.

Mozart’s reaction to Bach’s music:

In this Mozart anniversary year, let’s reflect upon Wolfgang Amadeus’ reaction when hearing the motet ‘Singet dem Herrn’ for the first time during a visit to St. Thomas’ Leipzig in 1789…

When the singing was finished he cried out, full of joy, “Now, there is something one can learn from!”

(Quotation from The New Bach Reader, p.488 ed. David & Mendel, revised & expanded Christoph Wolff - Published by W W Norton & Company, 1998.)

BACH PRIZE COMPETITION, 2006

If you wish to enter this competition, please print a copy of this page for your reference and download a copy of the entry form for your submission:

BACHFEST PRIZE COMPETITION 2006: ENTRY FORM

This is a 326Kb PDF file that will open in a new browser window. Alternatively, you can right-click the file and save it to disk. You will require the free Adobe Reader to view this file. If you have any difficulties, please feel free to contact us.

The inaugural competition is open to both UK resident and non-UK resident entrants. All non-UK resident entrants participate at own expense and should acquire the appropriate visa for entry to the UK if necessary – please check this.

Age Limit for Singers
The age limitations are minimum 21 years old to a maximum 30 years old at Friday 10 November 2006.

The Competition Timetable
Saturday 7 October 2006 - Deadline for Entries to be received (see NB below)
From 9-13 October 2006 - Adjudication of CDs/Dat/Mini Disks
Monday 6 November 2006 - First Round, held at Craxtons Studios, London NW3 from 2.30pm
Wednesday 8 November 2006 - Semi-Final, held at St. Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge from 2.30pm
Friday 10 November 2006 - THE FINAL, held at St. John’s Smith Square, London at 7.00pm

All entrants should be available for all three rounds of the competition. Those accepted into the First Round will be notified during the third week of October. The First Round will be open to LBS Members to attend. The Semi-Final and Final will be open to the general public by ticket.

The Jury
Paul Esswood, Peter Harvey, Ian Partridge CBE, Anthony Robson, Margaret Steinitz (Chairman)

The Prize
The Paul Steinitz Bachfest Prize is £2,000

Bach Prize Administration
Entry Forms and enclosures should be sent by post to:
London Bach Society (Prize), 73 High Street, Old Oxted, Surrey RH8 9LN

N.B. Entry forms sent by fax or e-mail will not be accepted in advance or in arrears. All Entries complete with the required enclosures MUST be submitted by post and received by Sat 7 October.

~ | ~

ENTRY DETAILS

1. Please read through this information carefully, and then complete and return the Entry Form, remembering to enclose the Audition Disk, documents and fee required so that we can process your entry.
2. Entry Forms, complete with enclosures, may be submitted anytime after Tuesday 1 August 2006. No entries will be accepted after the deadline date of Saturday 7 October 2006.
3. At Entry please enclose a CD/Dat/Mini disk (no cassettes) and this should consist of One Recitative and One Aria of your choice by Bach. Please label the disk with your name and a high quality production is required.
4. Please supply a photocopy of your Birth Certificate or any other official document e.g. Passport that confirms the date and place of your birth.
5. Please supply a CurriculumVitae that includes details of your musical and academic education, scholarships, most recent performances and future plans and a concise biography (150 words max).
6. The names of two referees who will support your entry, but who are not members of the Jury, must be submitted whom the London Bach Society reserves the right to consult and request a reference. The referees should be professional musicians of national or international repute.


ENTRY FEE

The Entry fee is £30 (45 Euros), which should accompany the Entry Form. Cheques (payable to London Bach Society) or Credit Cards (Visa/MasterCard/Maestro) are accepted and will be processed for all who are accepted into the First Round. Entry fees become non-refundable on late withdrawals that are not accompanied by a Medical Certificate, or that are made without a minimum of seven days’ notice.


REPERTOIRE

This is to be all-Bach with no repeat repertory at any stage, including the Audition Disk.

Entry:
Please submit a CD/Dat/Mini Disk (no cassettes) of high quality that contains one recitative and one aria of your own choice. On adjudication of these, successful entrants will then proceed to the First Round and be notified during the third week in October.

The First Round – 6 November 2006*:
This will comprise a prescribed recitative and two contrasting Arias of your choice. The prescribed recitative should be prepared from one of the following as appropriate: -

~ Soprano – Cantata BWV 52, No. 2 “Falsche Welt, dir trau’ ich nicht!…”
~ Alto/Counter Tenor – Cantata BWV 35, No 6 “Ach, starker Gott, …”
~ Tenor – Cantata BWV 140, No. 2 “Er kommt, er kommt, der Bräutgam’ kommt!…”
~ Baritone/Bass – Cantata BWV 180, No. 6 “ Herr, laß an mir dein treues Lieben…”

The Semi-Final – 8 November 2006:
A Recitative & Aria from a Bach Passion

The Final – 10 November 2006:
A mixed programme no longer than 20 minutes to include one recitative of substance. (N.B. The orchestral forces for the Final will be drawn from woodwind, strings & basso continuo and small scale, reflecting the fruits of modern Bach scholarship.)

General Note on Repertoire, Language & Editions:
Singers are encouraged to explore Bach’s vocal repertoire in making their choices and credit will be given for imaginative programming. The repertoire should be sung in the original language at every stage i.e. German or Latin, using the most authoritative edition you can find.


ACCOMPANISTS & INSTRUMENTAL ACCOMPANIMENT

Accompanist:
Entrants should provide their own accompanists for the First and Semi-Final Rounds. They should be of a professional standard and conversant with continuo playing technique.

The Entry Disk
Piano or appropriate instrumental accompaniment is acceptable.

First Round (6 Nov* ):
A Harpsichord (A= 415 Hz) will be available.

The Semi-Final (8 Nov):
Semi-finalists will have a Peter Collins Pipe Continuo Organ and a Harpsichord available, pitch A=415Hz. Appropriate instrumental accompaniment in addition to keyboard is welcome at own cost and organisation.

The Final (10 Nov):
The Finalists will be accompanied by Steinitz Bach Players (woodwind, strings & continuo) playing period instruments and directed by Anthony Robson. The pitch will be A=415 Hz. A rehearsal for each Finalist will take place during the afternoon of 10th Nov in St. John’s, Smith Square.

*A substantial entry may also require use of morning on 6th, the 4th and/or 5th Nov (please bear with us).

If you have any queries, please feel free to direct them to us by phone (01883 717372) or email.

To add to the Church Cantatas, Secular Cantatas, Passions & Oratorios, Latin Church Music and Motets, we now have the Bach Organ Works on our unique Bach Music Database.

We are indebted to Richard and Michael Smith who have carried out the technical work specially for us that adds all 231 pieces to the site, and we hope that the existence of this facility will provide quick and easy reference for the browser.

There are also some Introductory Notes and Notes on the various Fields. We are aiming to add all the extant works to the site eventually, and we are now over half way through. The next collection added will be the Bach instrumental works.