Paul Steinitz OBE (25 August 190 – 21 April 1988) was an English post-war organist, best known as an interpreter of Johann Sebastian Bach's music. He founded the London Bach Society and Steinitz Bach Players, performing among other significant Bach projects, a complete cycle of Bach's cantatas, mainly in London venues, over a period of 29 years, the first public cycle of the extant church and secular works in the UK.
Career
(Charles) Paul (Joseph) Steinitz was born in Chichester in 1909, the son of an Anglican clergyman. He was educated privately and later studied at the Royal Academy of Music, and with George Oldroyd and Stanley Marchant. He was a skilled organist, obtaining his fellowship diploma (FRCO) in 1930, only six months after taking his associateship diploma (ARCO) from the Royal College of Organists. In the 1930s, he served as director of music at St. Mary's parish church, Ashford, Kent, where he developed his keen interest on Bach while studying for his Doctorate (University of London, 1940). Having founded the London Bach Society in 1946, Steinitz was then appointed director of music and organist at the Priory Church of St. Bartholomew-the-Great in London (1949–1961) and became senior, then principal lecturer at University of London Goldsmiths College (1945–1977), serving on the University of London Senate during his tenure. He was appointed professor at the Royal Academy of Music (1945–1984), then consultant professor from 1984 to 1988.
London Bach Society
In 1946 Steinitz founded the (South) London Bach Society with the aim of performing Bach's works in their original form, free from the romantic exaggerations which had been habitual from the Victorian era and using appropriate editions. From 1950 onwards Bach's works were performed in the German language, a controversial move at the time as the language was still perceived as an enemy tongue. In 1952 Steinitz directed the first performance in Britain of Bach's St Matthew Passion in its complete and original German form using the 1736 score. The presentation was a conscious attempt to 'get back to Bach in its original form' that has since been acknowledged as a key moment in the move towards performing Bach's music according to period style and to scale. The annual performances that followed became a highlight of the musical calendar, were broadcast regularly and drew a Who's Who of solo artistry to the platform. Through these and his other influential Bach projects and performances, Steinitz is widely acknowledged to be a pioneer in the field, a key figure in the British Bach revival of the 20th century.
The word "South" was dropped from the London Bach Society's title in 1952, and later Steinitz embarked on the mammoth task of performing all 208 of Bach's extant cantatas to British audiences. This project was begun in November 1958 and completed in December 1987, just a few months before Steinitz's death. In 1968 he founded the Steinitz Bach Players, a group of professional players who shared Steinitz's ideals of authentic performance. The playing style complemented the singing style of the choir in the cantatas and passions and their performances of the St Matthew Passion – and sometimes the St John Passion – were eagerly awaited annual events, generally given in prominent London churches. Performances given beyond the capital brought the singers and players to leading British Festivals, and there were frequent tours abroad, including United States, Israel, German Democratic Republic (1964 and 1983, including St. Thomas' Church Leipzig both times) and Bulgaria.
Steinitz's music making was not restricted to Bach and other Baroque composers. He was a champion of contemporary, mostly British, composers. Commissions and first performances were established in the 1950s and 1960s and included works by Stravinsky (Canticum Sacrum, guest conducted by Robert Craft, in 1956), Bruno Maderna, Luigi Dallapiccola, Peter Maxwell Davies, John Tavener, Anthony Milner, Stanley Glasser (sung in Zulu), Christopher Brown, Geoffrey Burgon and his own pupil Nicholas Maw.