Clearance: The Life & Legacy of Franz Xaver Hauser A Forgotten Leader in the Nineteenth-Century Bach Movement

Dale A. Jorgenson

In this remarkable biography, Dale A. Jorgenson discloses the existence of the great legacy left by Hauser. Although his achievements were many, Hauser’s greatest contribution was his determined effort to catalogue all the known works of J. S. Bach, collect and share all the original manuscripts and authentic copies of Bach’s work, and make his unpublished catalogue, the manuscripts, and his professional guidance available to the Bach Society, which was founded in Leipzig in 1850.

This activity provided a meaningful dimension to Hauser’s life apart from his stage career. He made a wide circle of significant friends who loved Bach’s music or who were themselves leaders in literature and the arts Ludwig Tieck, Schumann, the Grimm Brothers, and many others.

This remarkable man had slipped into obscurity. Jorgenson’s biography will enhance Hauser’s reputation and remind the world of his achievements. Jorgenson’s book also is an invaluable asset to scholars of nineteenth-century music, culture, and the arts, particularly to those who share Hauser’s enduring interest in Bach.