Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why was the Bach-Gesellschaft founded in 1850?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Painting by Elias Gottlieb Hausmann of Johann Sebastian Bach wearing a dark coat with a white shirt and holding a sheet of music in his left hand. — Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach.

The Bach-Gesellschaft was founded in 1850, the centenary year of Johann Sebastian Bach’s death, with the primary purpose of publishing his complete works.1

Encouraged by the composer Robert Schumann, the society sought to produce authoritative and authentic editions of Bach's music, which had been undergoing a significant revival since the early 19th century. By 1900, the society successfully achieved its goal of printing all of the composer's then-known works.12