(Berlin, October 4, 1796 – Berlin, April 15, 1869)
He was an influential figure in the Berlin music scene in the second third of the 19th century. Although he is now perhaps primarily remembered as Felix Mendelsohn Bartholdy's teacher, he was also a composer. This fascinating trio shows that, although he was not one of the great composers, he wrote music that was enjoyable to play and listen to.
His compositions consist largely of sacred works and keyboard works.
August Wilhelm Bach is not related to Johann Sebastian Bach's family. His father Gottfried, organist at the Dreifaltigkeitskirche in Berlin, was his first music teacher. After attending high school, he became a freelance music teacher outside Berlin from 1813.
In 1814 he returned to Berlin to take up the post of organist at the Gertraudenkirche when his hope of taking over from his late father had failed. He perfected his musical training with Carl Friedrich Zelter on counterpoint and Ludwig Berger on piano. In 1816 he became organist at the Marienkirche in Berlin and in 1820 professor of organ and musical theory at the Institute of Sacred Music, just founded by Zelter, of which he took over as director upon the latter's death in 1832 (he continued to be director until his death of him). August Wilhelm Bach had a great influence on organ building in Prussia, having become commissioner of the royal commission for organ building.
From 1833, he was a member of the Senate of the Royal Academy of Arts and a teacher in that Academy's department of musical composition. From the early 1830s until his death, he was a very influential figure in the musical life of Berlin. As an organist, he was very involved in recognizing the work of Johann Sebastian Bach.
In addition to compositions for soloists, choir, and orchestra, including the 100th psalm Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt, Auguste Wilhelm Bach wrote various organ works (preludes, fantasies, fugues, etc.), piano works, and chamber music works. Very in tune with the musical taste of his time, they rarely express an original musical language.
His three-part collection published around 1830 entitled Der practische Organist (The Practical Organist) includes organ pieces intended for learning and has long been a point of reference.
