Anna Magdalena Bach
| Anna Magdalena Bach | |
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The Bachs at leisure? The title page to Singende Muse an der Pleiße, a collection of strophic songs published in Leipzig in 1736, by Johann Sigismund Scholze.
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| Born |
Anna Magdalena Wilcke September 22, 1701 Zeitz, Saxony |
| Died | February 22, 1760 (aged 58) Leipzig, Saxony |
| Occupation | Singer, copyist, composer |
| Spouse(s) | Johann Sebastian Bach |
| Children | 13 |
Anna Magdalena Bach (née Wilcke or Wilcken) (22 September 1701 – 22 February 1760) was an accomplished singer and the second wife of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Anna Magdalena Wilcke was born at Zeitz, in the Electorate of Saxony, to a musical family. Her father, Johann Caspar Wilcke (c.1660–1733), was a trumpet player, who had a career at the courts of Zeitz and Weißenfels. Her mother, Margaretha Elisabeth Liebe, was the daughter of an organist. Little is known about her early musical education.
By 1721 Anna Magdalena was employed as a singer (soprano) at the ducal court of Köthen. Johann Sebastian Bach had been working there as Kapellmeister, or director of music, since December 1717. It is possible that Johann Sebastian Bach first heard her sing at Weißenfels, as he is known to have performed at the court there.
Bach married Anna on December 3, 1721, 17 months after the death of his first wife, Maria Barbara Bach. In 1723, Bach was appointed Cantor of the Thomasschule in Leipzig. Anna Magdalena continued to sing professionally after her marriage. For example, she returned to Köthen in 1729 to sing at Prince Leopold's funeral. The Bachs' shared interest in music contributed to their happy marriage. She regularly worked as a copyist, transcribing her husband's music, which she sold as a means to contribute to the family income. Bach wrote a number of compositions dedicated to her, most notably the two Notenbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach. During the Bach family's time in Leipzig, Anna Magdalena organized regular musical evenings featuring the whole family playing and singing together with visiting friends. The Bach house became a musical centre in Leipzig.
Apart from music, her interests included gardening.
Together they raised the children from his first marriage and had 13 children of their own from 1723 to 1742, seven of whom died at a young age:
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