Music: Communism & the Cantor

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The most esteemed musical post in Germany, that of cantor to the St. Thomas Church Choir in Leipzig, is also the oldest: the first incumbent moved into the job in 1212. For 27 years (1723 to 1750) Johann Sebastian Bach himself directed the choir that has since become the chief custodian of his music. But in the last 3½ years, since scholarly Kurt Thomas took over as choirmaster, there have been persistent reports that the East German government has been trying to force the Thomaner to sing to a Communist tune. Last week Cantor Thomas fled to West Germany, taking with him probably the last hope for the preservation of the world's finest Bach choir.

Before Thomas took the job, the East German Communists appeared ready to give him complete artistic autonomy, but no contract was signed, and Thomas soon found himself subjected to a campaign of harassment. The choir's U.S. tour sched uled for the summer of 1957 was canceled over Thomas' violent protests. The Reds tried to pressure Thomas into performing fewer religious works, and objected to one of his own compositions because it contained the line, "Let us all praise God united." The Leipzig city assembly suggested that in the future the choir perform "songs of the new era." Finally, last week, the choir's long-planned tour of West Germany was abruptly canceled, and Thomas decided he had had enough. Said he in West Berlin: "I hope my decision may serve as an alarm signal. Perhaps there is one last chance to keep the choir from being alienated from its tradition."