The most beautiful and important churches for classical music.
An overview by city and background informations.
St. Bavokerk in Haarlem
Mozart at the Bavokerk
The child prodigy journey with 6-year-old Amadeus and 11-year-old Nannerl took the Mozarts throughout Western Europe, traveling via The Hague and Amsterdam on the way back. When the Mozarts arrived in Amsterdam they had already been on their great Western European tour for over 2 years and only wanted to go home. Then they received an invitation from Princess Caroline of Nassau and the Mozart family spent more than half a year in the Netherlands. The trip became very dramatic because first Nannerl and then Mozart fell ill with typhoid fever in The Hague. Nannerl already received the last rites, but was saved by the court physician, who only made the correct diagnosis. They gave concerts in various cities and Mozart dedicated six piano sonatas to Caroline.
In Haarlem, the Mozart family visited the church of St. Bavokerk at the Grote Market and Wolfgang played on the organ, which is one of the best in Europe.
Handel at the Bavokerk
Handel visited the Netherlands in 1750. Besides visiting his old friend Princess Anna, he wanted to play the famous Dutch organs. On the way to the church in Haarlem the misfortune happened, somewhere between The Hague and Haarlem his carriage crashed badly. He hit his head badly and sprained his hand. Probably this accident was the reason for his increasing blindness in the following years. Nevertheless, in August he was able to play the wonderful organ in Bavo.
The church
The church is a great jewel, a visit is very rewarding, the music of the organ and the acoustics are very impressive. The organ has over 5,000 pipes and has 62 stops.
Tip: book guided tour and consult music program.
Coventry Cathedral
St. Michael’s Church was destroyed by a German air raid in 1940 during the Second World War. Only a few outer walls remained. In 1962, a new cathedral was built next to the ruins. For the solemn inauguration, Britten wrote his famous War Requiem. Britten was a pacifist and used a text by a poet who died in the First World War. Britten visited the Belsen concentration camp with Yehudi Menuhin in 1945, and so this work became a matter of the heart for him.
The destroyed cathedral:
The newly built cathedral next to the remains of the old one:
[/av_content_slider]
LEIPZIG
MORE LEIPZIG TRAVEL TIPS FOR OPERA AND CLASSIC LOVERS
St. Thomas Church
Johann Sebastian Bach
In Bach’s time, St. Thomas Church was not the only place of activity of the St. Thomas Boys’ Choir, a boys’ choir whose tradition dates back to the 13th century. The choir consisted of just over 55 students, who mostly sang in groups of 8 in various churches.
Lutherwindow:
Among other things, the premiere of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in 1727 took place in St. Thomas Church. Some of Bach’s works from this period have church lieder by Luther as their basis. Luther can also be seen in the church on a window that dates from 1889. A plaque on a pillar commemorates the reformer’s Pentecost sermon in 1539.
Bach’s tomb in St. Thomas church:
The choir room of the church has been the final resting place of Bach’s tomb since 1950, whose bones came here in a roundabout way. When Bach died, he was buried without a gravestone in the cemetery of the Church of St. John. After the Bach Renaissance of the 19th century, triggered by Mendelssohn, they wanted to exhume his body and rebury it in the neighboring church. The only information about the exact location of the grave was the surviving statement “six steps straight ahead from the door on the south side”.
There is some controversy as to whether the exhumed body is really that of Bach. However, the fact that the body was in an oak coffin is an important argument in favor, as this was true in only 1% of burials at the time. A definitive clarification would be given by DNA analysis. St. John’s Church was bombed during the Second World War and the bones had to be taken out from under the debris to eventually be placed in St. Thomas Church.
Bach monument in front of St. Thomas churceh:
The bronze Bach statue stands in front of the Bach window of St. Thomas Church. In the course of the exhumation of Bach’s body in the 19th century, an impression of the skull had been made, which was used as the basis for the design of the monument. The monument shows Bach conducting (why he has rolled up music paper) in front of an organ.
Calendar of events:
St. Thomas Church regularly hosts musical performances, you can find the calendar of events on the website. Registration is usually mandatory for performances.
Richard Wagner
Historically significant for Bach and Luther, St. Thomas Church is the only “Wagner place” in Leipzig that has been preserved. Here he was baptized in 1813 and later received lessons from the then Thomaskantor during his studies.
Nikolai Church
The St. Nicholas Church was one of Bach’s places of work, where many of his works were heard for the first time, for example the St. John Passion in 1724 or the Christmas Oratorio in 1734/35, in addition to countless cantatas and motets.
Luther pulpit:
The St. Nicholas Church still even mor features. For example, the Gothic pulpit from the time of Luther, also called the “Luther pulpit”.
Furthermore, the central tower from 1732 should be mentioned, in which until 1932 lived a Türmer (dweller of the tower).
Most recently, the St. Nicholas Church was also the origin of the GDR Monday demonstrations, which developed from the Monday prayers of the St. Nicholas Church and led to the end of the GDR.
LINZ
av_content_slider heading=” columns=’1′ animation=’slide’ navigation=’arrows’ autoplay=’false’ interval=’5′ font_color=” color=” av_uid=’av-34taqvp’]
[/av_content_slider]
LONDON
Westminster Abbey
Händels Gravesite
It was Handels wish to find his last resting place in the Westminster Abbey. Again Roubiliac created the statue for the tomb. This portrait is generally recognized as very faithful, on the one hand because Roubiliac had already portrayed Handel once for a statue, and on the other hand he modeled the face on the basis of the death mask. This statement was confirmed by contemporaries who knew Handel.
Händels Grave:
Westminster Abbey
Purcells grave
Henry Purcell’s honorary tomb is in Westminster Abbey. Some sources attribute his death to a cold he caught in November 1695. It is suspected that his wife forbade her servants to admit Purcell, a notorious pub-goer, after midnight. Unfortunately, the buzzed musician is said to have caught the cold that November night when he found himself locked out of his house, heavily buzzed.
His grave is in the north aisle of the Abbey where the organ was in his day, which is why it is said that he is “under the organ.”
Westminster Abbey:
St. Pauls Cathedral
Mendelssohn in St. Paul’s Cathedral
Mendelssohn was a gifted organist. He visited St. Paul’s Cathedral several times, played there often, and also heard a Handel oratorio there. His organ recital of 1837 must have been particularly impressive, when Mendelssohn played Bach and the audience refused to leave the church. Only when the calculants (the bellows treaders) went home did the instrument run out of breath.
St. Pauls Cathedral:
LÜBECK
Marien Church
His birthplace
St. Mary’s Church in Lübeck is a magnificent example of a Gothic church and became the model for 70 churches in the Baltic region. In 1942, a catastrophe occurred during an air raid, as the interior of the church burned out completely, destroying also the famous Totentanz organ, on which probably Bach and Handel had played. The interior of the church was rebuilt according to the originals, and a memorial plaque commemorates Buxtehude, who died in 1707 and was buried in the church.
Händel visits Buxtehude
When Handel took the post of musician in the opera house in Hamburg at the age of 17, he was dissatisfied with the pay. When he heard that the position of organist was vacant in Lübeck, he went with Kapellmeister Mattheson to Lübeck, where the famous Buxtehude held the position in demand. They visited St. Mary’s Church and heard Buxtehude’s magnificent playing and the fantastic acoustics of the organ and church; moreover, the position paid well. Like everything that is too beautiful, it had a catch, as Mattheson’s report later stated: “Because, however, a marriage condition was proposed in the matter, to which neither of us showed the slightest desire, we departed again, after many honors received and pleasures enjoyed.
Bach visits Buxtehude
In November 1705, the 20-year-old Bach migrated to Lübeck for study purposes. He had been granted leave by his superiors in Arnstadt, to speak and hear the famous master. This experience must have been a tremendous incentive for the young Bach; Buxtehude’s handwriting can be heard in the following organ works.
Buxtehude seemed to be taken with the Thuringian, because he offered him the succession for the position. However, there was one condition attached to it, namely the marriage of his now 30-year-old daughter Anna Margreta. However, Bach was already engaged to Maria Barbara and it did not become of this position.
Marienkirche Lübeck:
MANNHEIM
Jesuit Church
Mozart played the organ in the beautiful baroque church several times. A memorial plaque to the right of the entrance commemorates his visits. The church was severely damaged by air raids during World War II, but the organ suffered only minor damage. The church was restored true to the original.
MILAN
Chiesa San Marco I
World premiere site of Verdi’s Requiem
Deeply shaken by Rossini’s death, Verdi wanted to persuade various musicians to write a Requiem for the national saint in 1868. Verdi wrote a final movement, but the work did not materialize. Fifteen years later, at the death of the artist and inspirer of the Risorgimento, Alessandro Manzoni, Verdi took the reins himself and wrote his famous Requiem for a memorial service that was finally held in the church of San Marco a year after Manzoni’s death. Verdi did not attend the first performance, but conducted another performance of this massive work a year later at the same venue.
Campanile of the Basilica San Marco:
Chiesa San Marco II
Visited by Mozart
In this church Mozart played for the first time in front of a larger audience on one of the oldest organs in Lombardy. The church is definitely worth a visit and has, among other things, very beautiful frescoes. It was built in 1254 and was visited by Martin Luther, among others. Another beautiful church, frequented by Mozart, is the Chiesa di Sant’Antonio Abate.
Frescoes in San Marco:
Monday and Thursday are days of market on the square
Milan Cathedral (Il Duomo)
The Duomo of Milan is gigantic and the third largest church in the world. The roof terrace of the cathedral can be walked on and offers a great view over Milan.
Toscanini’s farewell to Puccini
In 1924, Arturo Toscanini conducted the funeral ceremonies for the late Puccini in Milan Cathedral. Toscanini bore a heavy burden, for 23 years earlier he had conducted the ceremonies for Verdi, and now it was his friend and companion Puccini’s turn. The speech was given by none other than Benito Mussolini, who tried to exploit the death of the now national saint politically.
SEEON (BAVARIA)
Mozart-Convent Seeon
This monastery has a history of over a thousand years. It was converted at the beginning of the 19th century and has had a varied history since then. In the meantime it belongs to the Bavarian Free State. Mozart often played here on the organ, which can still be played true to the original.
This place is now a conference venue. Guided tours are offered and you can spend the night in the historic monastery walls.
PARIS
Notre Dame
The organ of Notre Dame Church
Musically remarkable is the large organ, which goes back to the Cavaillé organ installed in 1868. Fortunately, it was not damaged in the fire of 2019. With its 8000 pipes, it is one of the most beautiful organs in the world and, a special feature, has an engine from … Rolls-Royce. It so happened that the general manager of Rolls-Royce witnessed the organ breaking down during a mass at Notre Dame. The generous man then donated a Rolls-Royce engine to the church!
Drop in on Sundays to see if there is a free concert at 16.30 (consult website beforehand).
Notre Dame Church, Paris:
Saint-Sulpice
One of the great opera scenes takes place in this church:
One of the greatest scenes from Massenet’s operas takes place in the church of Saint-Sulpice. I am talking about the 3rd act of Manon, where first the priest pupil des Grieux sings his dream aria “Ah fuyez douce images” and after the appearance of Manon follows the great duet “N’est-ce plus les mains”.
Perhaps Massenet’s choice of church was inspired by Charles Gounod, his teacher at the Conservatoire, who had received the lower orders here.
A visit to this imposing church in the footsteps of Massenet is worthwhile, already the facade is imposing and the frescoes by Delacroix also. Heine and Hugo were married here and the church became famous at the latest with the filming of Dan Brown’s “The da Vinci Code”.
Église Saint-Sulpice :
ROME
Sistine Chapel
Mozart notes the Miserere
It was in the famous chapel that Mozart heard Allegri’s Miserere. This 9-part chorale was only allowed to be heard in the Sistine Chapel during Holy Week and it was forbidden, under threat of excommunication, to make a copy of the piece of music. Hardly any traveler to Rome missed this experience during Holy Week. Mozart listened very attentively and, back in his quarters, copied the notes from memory onto paper, practically without mistakes. After a second visit, minor errors were corrected.
Madonna del Rosario
Liszt befriends the pope
At this retreat, Liszt worked on his Christus Oratorio, among other works. The influential Pius IX visited him here and Liszt played compositions for him. For his part, the pope is said to have sung from Bellini’s “Norma.” This encounter developed into a longer-lasting relationship and Liszt visited Pius IX several times at Castel Gandolfo.
The church is behind the Vatican and somewhat more difficult to reach by public transportation. The church exterior with its double staircase is very impressive, but the church is only open on Sundays. Franz Liszt stayed in the monastery for five years starting in 1863, which is noted on a plaque on the perimeter wall below the church entrance.
San Giovanni in Laterano
Handel’s sensational concert in the impressive church
In 1707, Handel is said to have given a sensational concert in the Lateran Church. The Lateran Church as the oldest church building in Rome, one of the four papal churches and the church of the Bishop of Rome (personal union of the Pope). The church is stunning and a visit is highly recommended.
Sant-Andrea della valle
Tosca-s Act 1
Sant’Andrea is a magnificent church decorated with golden ceilings and a huge dome.
Cavaradossi paints his Madonna there in the first act and Angelotti hides in a side chapel. You won’t find the side chapel with Angelotti’s women’s clothes and Cavaradossi’s Madonna because it does not exist, nevertheless a visit is worthwhile.
View of the dome of the basilica:
SALZBURG
av_content_slider heading=” columns=’1′ animation=’slide’ navigation=’arrows’ autoplay=’false’ interval=’5′ font_color=” color=” av_uid=’av-34taqvp’]
[/av_content_slider]
WARSAW
av_content_slider heading=” columns=’1′ animation=’slide’ navigation=’arrows’ autoplay=’false’ interval=’5′ font_color=” color=” av_uid=’av-34taqvp’]
[/av_content_slider]
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!