Bach’s Examination of the St. Paul’s Organ

This chapter concerns Johann Sebastian Bach's report, dated 17 December 1717, on Johann Scheibe's organ for St. Paul's Church at Leipzig University. Bach found no major fault in the instrument; however, his report has been judged as lukewarm at best and, at worst, as severely critical of Scheibe. Drawing on documents from the Leipzig University Archives, many of them written by Scheibe, this chapter disputes the commonly held view of Bach's report and shows that Bach's comments actively engaged issues then existing between the builder and Leipzig University. Bach enumerated the organ's problems that could be immediately fixed, problems about which nothing could be done, and problems likely to be encountered in the future; Bach also offered a vigorous defense of Scheibe.