FOOTNOTES:
[155] The exact date is not known.
[156] Both St. Thomas school and church are still In existence. The boys’ choir is one of the finest in Germany and may be heard as in Bach’s time every Sunday of the year, in a motet.
[157] This famous letter is printed in full in Spitta’s Life of Johann Sebastian Bach. It is illuminating in regard not only to Bach’s character, but to his family life as well.
[158] The clavichord was suitable only for the most intimate sort of music. It differed from the harpsichord in that the tone of it was produced not by a plucking of the strings but by a pressure brought to bear on them by little uprights attached to the key levers. The tone was very slender but sweet and within its limitations capable of fine shading. A varying pressure of the key produced that tremolo which on the violin is called vibrato, and gave the tone a delicate warmth wholly lacking in the clean-cut, frosty tone of the harpsichord—and, indeed, in the rich tone of the pianoforte.
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.