History of the Society

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The beginnings of the American Bach Society can be dated to 1971, when a group of American scholars met in Princeton and formed a chapter of the Neue Bachgesellschaft (New Bach Society), an organization founded in 1900 in Leipzig, Germany, to promote the study and performance of Bach’s music.

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When Germany became a divided country after World War II, the New Bach Society sought to retain its membership and enable members living in East Germany to attend its annual meetings. By forming chapters in East and West Germany as well as the United States, the Neue Bachgesellschaft became an international organization.

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Charter members of the American chapter included Gerhard Herz, Alfred Mann, Robert Marshall, Arthur Mendel, William Scheide, and Christoph Wolff. As secretary, Mann administered the chapter’s business from the offices of the oldest American Bach organization, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. The Bach-Jahrbuch and English translations of the Gesellschaft’s newsletters were distributed annually to chapter members. The New Bach Society, American Chapter, held its first meeting in 1972 at the Moravian Seminary in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, during the Bethlehem Bach Choir’s sixty-fifth festival, and continued to meet every three years until 1988.

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In 1988, under the leadership of George Buelow, the chapter incorporated as the American Bach Society, an independent non-profit organization. Beginning in 1990, the Society has held meetings on a biennial basis. Most meetings take place in association with a college or university, though they are occasionally hosted by other institutions, such as the Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institution (2000), the Leipzig Bach Archive (2006), and The Bach Choir of Bethlehem (1972 and 2008).

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PUBLICATIONS

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From 1989 to 1993 the Society published the journal BACH in collaboration with the Riemenschneider Bach Institute (Baldwin-Wallace University, Berea, Ohio).

Since 1993 the Society has independently published a semiannual newsletter featuring articles, reviews, and information about members of the Society. It appeared under the name Newsletter of the American Bach Society until 2004 when it was replaced with Bach Notes.

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In 1995 the Society initiated Bach Perspectives, the leading English-language serial publication devoted to Bach studies. Volumes feature cutting-edge research by top scholars in the field and are edited by members of the Society in consultation with an editorial board. New volumes appear, on average, every other year. Vols. 1–4 were published by the University of Nebraska Press in collaboration with the American Bach Society; beginning with volume 5, the series is published by the University of Illinois Press in collaboration with the Society. Since 2025, all volumes of Bach Perspectives are available open access.

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In 1997 the Society sponsored (with PGM Recordings) The Uncommon Bach: Johann Sebastian Bach Organ Works—Variants, Rarities, and Transcriptions, a CD recording made by Joan Lippincott and George Ritchie on the Richards-Fowkes organ at St. Alphonsus Parish Church, Seattle, Washington.

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ABS Guides, a series published by Oxford University Press, focuses on well-known works of J. S. Bach and is designed to appeal to practitioners, music scholars, and a non-specialist general audience. The first three volumes in the series appeared in 2024 and 2025; a fourth volume is forthcoming.

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In addition to Bach Perspectives and Bach Notes, the American Bach Society has sponsored a handful of other publications: Exploring the World of J. S. Bach: A Traveler’s Guide by Robert L. Marshall and Traute M. Marshall (University of Illinois Press, 2016); The Organs of J. S. Bach by Christoph Wolff and Markus Zepf, translated by Lynn Edwards Butler (University of Illinois Press, 2012); and Commentaries on the Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach: A Selected Guide, by Hans-Joachim Schulze, translated by James Brokaw (University of Illinois Press, 2024).

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GRANTS AND PRIZES

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The exceptional generosity of American Bach Society members—some of whom remain anonymous—has greatly enhanced the Society’s ability to pursue the mission of supporting the study, performance, and appreciation of the music of J. S. Bach and his circle.

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The William H. Scheide Grant and Prize were established in 1992, honoring in perpetuity William H. Scheide (1914–2014), one of the founding members of the ABS and its first major benefactor. William H. Scheide Research Grants, which support research projects on Bach or figures in his circle, are primarily awarded to Ph.D. candidates, junior faculty, and independent scholars who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States or Canada, although senior faculty are also encouraged to apply, especially when institutional research support is limited or unavailable. Stipends, awarded annually, range from $2,000 to $10,000.

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The William H. Scheide Prize, a sum of $1,000 awarded biennially, honors a publication of exceptional merit on Bach or figures in his circle by a scholar in the early stages of his/her career who is professionally active in North America. Eligible publications include books, articles, and editions that have appeared in the previous two calendar years.

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The Frances Alford Brokaw Grant, established by James A. Brokaw II in 2015, is a stipend of $1,500 awarded to an undergraduate student in North America to pursue research at the Riemenschneider Bach Institute (RBI) at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, on a project relating to Bach or figures in his circle. The RBI collection comprises over 30,000 items, including Bach-oriented manuscripts, books, archival materials, and scores.

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Two new awards were established in 2020: the ABS Diversity Grant, which is open to all, and the ABS German-language Study Grant, which is primarily intended for Ph.D. candidates.

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In 2026, the ABS Wolff Research Fellowship was established. Named in honor of Christoph Wolff for his exceptional achievements in Bach studies and his longstanding, generous support of the American Bach Society, the fellowship supports Bach-related research lasting a few months to a year, for either a doctoral student engaged in dissertation work, an independent scholar, or a college or university faculty member. Awards range from $10,000 to $50,000 annually.

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In addition, the American Bach Society offers grants to members and students who have little or no financial support for travel to the Society’s biennial meeting.

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THE RUTH AND NOEL MONTE FUND

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In 2017, the American Bach Society received a sizable bequest from the estate of Dr. Noel S. Monte, a New York-based dentist. The gift established “The Ruth and Noel Monte Fund” at the American Bach Society. Dr. Monte made the gift in honor of his late wife Ruth Monte, a longtime member of the Society. Trained as a pianist in her native Romania, Ruth Monte moved to the United States in 1980 at the age of 22 and studied at The Juilliard School. She felt a particularly deep affinity for the music of J. S. Bach, and a distinctive feature of her recitals was to perform the same work by Bach on the piano as well as the harpsichord or organ.

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Ruth and Noel Monte were deeply devoted to Bach and his music, sensing its great impact on the human brain and culture throughout the world. To them, Bach represented a bright planet appearing in the sky only once, requiring centuries for the human mind to observe and fully comprehend. The Monte Fund supports and promotes this living musical treasure for present and future generations.

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Chief among the projects the Ruth and Noel Monte Fund supports is the Ruth Monte Memorial Bach Competition for high-school-age pianists who currently reside in North America. Held every three years, the competition is built around Book I of J. S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. The inaugural competition took place in June 2023 at Notre Dame University (South Bend, Indiana), and the second competition was held at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) in June 2026.

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VIDEOS

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From 2020 to 2024, the American Bach Society published Tiny Bach Concerts, a video series. Each concert features a performance of a Bach composition and brief commentary by an expert.

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In 2024 the Society launched the ABS Book Club, a members-only virtual book club hosted by Carrie Tipton. The first book club pick was David Schulenberg’s biography of J. S. Bach published by Oxford University Press in 2020. The second pick, in 2025, was Rethinking Bach, an essay collection edited by Bettina Varwig and published by Oxford University Press in 2021.

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COLLABORATIONS

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Since 2000, the American Bach Society and The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, have co-sponsored the Bach Vocal Competition for American Singers, a biennial competition for young American singers with a special interest in the music of J. S. Bach. The first-prize winner is awarded a $3,000 career development grant and an invitation to perform as a soloist with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem under the direction of Christopher Jackson, its artistic director and conductor. The next competition takes place in October 2026.

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In 2021, the American Bach Society (ABS), together with the American Handel Society (AHS), the Haydn Society of North America (HSNA), the Mozart Society of America (MSA), and the Society for Eighteenth-Century Music (SECM), founded

Encounters with Eighteenth-Century Music. This virtual forum convenes about once a month during the academic year.​

—  Mary Greer

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Chairmen of the New Bach Society, American Chapter

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1972-1974 Gerhard Herz

1974-1977 Robert L. Marshall

1977-1982 Robert Freeman

1982-1987 Paul Brainard

1987-1988 George Buelow

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Presidents of the American Bach Society

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1988-1992 George Buelow

1992-1996 Don O. Franklin

1996-2000 George B. Stauffer

2000-2004 Robin A. Leaver

2004-2008 Gregory G. Butler

2008-2012 Mary Greer

2012-2016 Stephen Crist

2016-2020 Markus Rathey

2020-2024 Daniel Melamed

2024-           Lynn Edwards Butler