Bethlehem’s Bach Choir has been around for over 100 years. Like a monument to another time it blends community spirit with high art in a way that few organizations do today. And most of it is owed to a man named J. Fred Wolle (1863-1933). Wolle (pronounced Wally) had roots deep in the Moravian musical tradition. His ancestors had first come to Bethlehem in the late 18th century. His grandfather Peter Wolle began the family’s sacred music tradition. He composed a great deal of sacred choral music and was best known for the creation of the Moravian hymn book. He was also the first Moravian …

Any visitor to Paris will tell you among the most impressive sites in the French capital is the tomb of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. And with him there is his older brother Joseph, a former King of Spain. But even more surprising 190 years ago, in 1821 this royal personage walked the streets of Bethlehem and registered at the Sun Inn under the noble incognito of the Count de Survilliers. But local folks quickly got wise as to who this really was. Passing him on the streets Bethlehem gentlemen would doff their hats while saying, “Good day, Mr. Bonaparte.” How and why did this grand …