Paul Steinitz founded SBP in 1968 in order to provide a fully professional orchestra for the London Bach Society as it continued to bring before the general public the vast corpus of Bach's output. Its founder members were Alan Loveday, Tess Miller, Michael Laird, Jennifer Ward Clarke, Adam Skeaping and Colin Tilney. Since foundation, a wealth of specialist players has graced the orchestra's concert platform, with the creation of opportunity for newcomers to enter the profession an active policy. A notable debutante is baroque oboist and director Anthony Robson, a leading exponent of all the period oboes and currently principal with OAE as well as SBP.

Pioneering a new sound world

Having introduced the clarino (natural) trumpet, the cornet, the sackbut, and the baroque flute into the chamber orchestra in the early 1960s, Paul Steinitz then set about using them when possible in performances of Schütz and Bach alongside the modern ones in other sections of the orchestra. The results paved the way for a new sound world for the listener that also inspired a whole generation of chamber orchestras to experiment and use period instruments comprehensively in the UK by the 1980s. From the outset, the orchestra has pioneered performances in Britain that are played according to period style and which apply modern scholarship (see: Bärenreiter). Although controversial at the start, the stylistic approach has been accepted generally in the pursuit of performing Bach in a way he would have recognized and ultimately using the instruments with which he would have been familiar. In the beginning heightening the dance element in Bach's music, lightening the upbeats, brisker tempi and adding appropriate ornamentation was all novel and broke new ground, with a new approach to the art of playing secco recitatives, especially in the Bach Passions, enabling the works to be seen and heard in a new light.

Flexibility in direction

Steinitz Bach Players has been able to play a pivotal role in the annual Bach Festival, appearing in concerts that are either self-directed or with a guest conductor occupying the podium. There is no permanent director or conductor, which provides flexibility, and this brings a stimulating variety of contemporary interpreters to the concert platform, a formula that fits well with the contemporary public mood. It also enables the orchestra to work with a wide range of musical personalities. These have included Timothy Brown with his English Voices and Choir of Clare College Chapel Cambridge, Nicholas Kraemer, Anthony Robson, Simon Standage, and world Bach authority Gustav Leonhardt. In 1994 Steinitz Bach Players appeared with the Thomanerchor Leipzig in four performances of Johannes-Passion on the choir's UK debut tour, which the LBS promoted. It was the first time since the 18th century that the Thomanerchor had sung a Bach Passion with an orchestra of period instruments. The conductor was the present Thomaskantor Georg-Christoph Biller, whose predecessor in the 18th century was none other than J S Bach himself.

SBP in the 21st century

With its folio of achievement well stocked and with an eye to responding to its contemporary public role, the SBP will continue to share with its audiences some of the best-loved Bach works as well as some lesser known gems from his treasury, whether performed in the sophisticated concert hall, the village church or in the sponsor's board room!

Views from the Stalls:

The Pioneering Launch of Steinitz Bach Players (SBP):

"The main object in forming this orchestra is to introduce a type of string-playing more in line with eighteenth century style than that used by players of today in music of the period, and in this way a better balance with wind will be obtained (clarini, recorders and 'baroque' trombones have been used in LBS concerts for some time). Inevitably changes will be gradual, and at first the main objects will be to phrase in a lighter manner and to reduce vibrato and attack. Eventually too, all the players will use the older type of bow." - The Times, 1968

BBC Invitation Concert broadcast:

"Tonight we hope to give to this early music (Schütz) the characteristic lightness and gracefulness which properly belong to it by using old-style bows and a different style of bowing. The double bass will be replaced by its predecessor the violone, and reconstructions of the small 'baroque trombone' will be substituted for the modern instruments." - Radio Times, 1969

"The SBP played with grace, wit and style making a splendid start to the Festival." - Early Music Magazine, 1993

Anthony Robson making his debut as a guest director/soloist in 1999:

"..spirited playing' '..polished performance' '... stylishly characterised, exuding a sense of enjoyment... His exceptionally smooth tone and imaginative (oboe) playing were a highlight of the concert." - Early Music Today, 1999

Steinitz Bach Players' appearance as part of a Bach Festival Weekend with the Chantry Singers:

"Bath Abbey was full to overflowing... The Cantata 31, Der Himmel lacht!, written for Easter Sunday, reflects the unusually lavish set-up Bach had at his disposal at the court of Weimar. Strings, oboes, trumpets and timpani proclaimed the resurrection with a glowing sound" - The Guardian, 2003

On Brandenburg 4:

"It was nice to see a number of players finding little things to smile about in a work as well known as this - such apparent enjoyment is appreciated by audiences." - Early Music Review, 2004