7,000 Bach Fans Worldwide Vote for Their Favorite Works

When 7,000 Bach fans across the globe cast their votes for their favorite cantatas, the results surprised even the experts.

The Leipzig Bach Festival asked listeners from 20 countries to rank their top picks from Johann Sebastian Bach's sacred cantatas, Eurovision-style. Winners got 12 points, runners-up received 10, and so on down the list.

The top 50 pieces will be performed by world-class ensembles at this year's festival, running June 11-21 in Leipzig, Germany. But there's a twist: the final ranking won't be revealed until each concert takes place.

Festival director Michael Maul discovered something beautiful in the voting patterns. The pieces that made the top 10 weren't necessarily the loudest or most triumphant cantatas with trumpets and timpani. Instead, voters chose quieter, more contemplative works that wrestle with life's big questions.

"This says something about why Bach is so important to people today," Maul notes. The winning selections include beloved works like "Lobet den Herrn" (Praise the Lord) alongside deeper, more introspective pieces that speak to modern struggles and hopes.

Bach worked in Leipzig from 1723 until his death in 1750, directing the famous St. Thomas Choir. Today, that same choir opens the Bach Festival each year, connecting past and present through music.

This year marks the 100th official Bach Festival organized by the New Bach Society, though the tradition began in 1901. Wars and political upheaval interrupted the regular schedule over the decades, making this centennial celebration especially meaningful.

The Ripple Effect

Bach's influence has spread far beyond Germany's borders. Museum director Jörg Hansen identified 82 regular Bach festivals happening worldwide, from the oldest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (118 festivals since 1912) to the youngest in Jerusalem, founded just 10 years ago.

The largest international festivals now take place in Malaysia and Oregon. A new exhibition at Bach's birthplace in Eisenach showcases posters from 58 current Bach festivals, plus historical programs, photos, and souvenirs collected from around the world.

This year's festival brings together 122 singers from 20 countries for a special "Family Choir" performance. Iranian-American harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, the artist-in-residence, will perform seven concerts featuring Bach's secular keyboard works.

Three hundred years after Bach walked Leipzig's streets, his music continues building bridges between cultures, generations, and hearts seeking comfort in uncertain times.