J. S. Bach and Pietism J. S. Bach and Pietism (Spring 1993) New
research by theologians and music historians has given rise to a
new set of questions about J. S. Bach’s relationship to Pietism,
a reform movement that was flourishing in Germany when he wrote
his cantatas and passions. What links, if any, did Bach have to
the movement? How well did he know the writings of the Pietistic
fathers? And, what influence did their writings have on his
sacred works? Bach’s Career as a Church Musician: Early Years
(Summer 1993) My purpose, in this series of articles, is to
examine Bach’s relationship to Pietism in light of the new
research that has been carried out in theological circles over
the past two decades. Many church historians, including Peter
Erb, Ernest Stoeffler, and Dale Brown, no longer describe
Pietism as a separatist movement that sprang to life at the end
of the seventeenth century and quickly spread throughout
northern Europe, eventually reaching America. Rather, they
argue, it needs to be seen as the