Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period who is regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of the Western music. His works include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Mass in B minor, and the Well-Tempered Clavier.

Early Life and Education

Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685 into a family of musicians. He was orphaned at the age of ten and was raised by his elder brother Johann Christoph.

He studied the organ and the keyboard and the violin. He was influenced by the works of the composers of the German and the Italian schools.

He held a series of the positions as an organist and a court musician in Weimar, Köthen, and Leipzig. He married Maria Barbara Bach in 1707 and Anna Magdalena Wilcke in 1721.

The Organ Works

Bach composed a large body of the works for the organ, including the toccatas, the fugues, and the chorale preludes. The Toccata and Fugue in D minor is among the most famous.

He was renowned as an organist and improvised the complex works. The chorale preludes are the settings of the Lutheran hymns for the liturgical use.

The Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor and the Fantasia and Fugue in G minor show his mastery of the contrapuntal form. He developed the fugue into a form of great complexity.

The organ works influenced the development of the music for the instrument. They remain a central part of the repertoire of the organists.

The Leipzig Period

Bach was appointed the cantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig in 1723. He was responsible for the music of the principal churches of the city.

He composed a large number of the cantatas for the liturgical year. He also composed the Passions, the Magnificat, and the Mass in B minor.

The St Matthew Passion and the St John Passion are the settings of the Passion of Christ. They are the masterpieces of the sacred music of the Baroque.

The Well-Tempered Clavier is a collection of the preludes and the fugues in all the keys. The work is a summary of the contrapuntal technique.

The Later Years and the Legacy

Bach composed the Art of Fugue and the Musical Offering in his last years. The works are the culmination of the contrapuntal art.

He held the title of the court composer to the Elector of Saxony. He was a member of the Society of Musical Sciences of Leipzig.

He died in 1750 in Leipzig. His works were neglected after his death and were revived by Felix Mendelssohn in the nineteenth century.

He is now regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. His works are performed and studied throughout the world.

The Cantatas and the Sacred Music

Bach composed more than two hundred cantatas for the liturgical use. The works are the settings of the texts for the church year.

He composed the St Matthew Passion and the St John Passion. The works are the masterpieces of the sacred music of the Baroque.

The Mass in B minor is the summary of the sacred music. The work was composed over the course of many years and was not performed in the lifetime of the composer.

The Instrumental Works

Bach composed the Brandenburg Concertos for the orchestra. The works are the models of the concerto grosso.

He composed the Well-Tempered Clavier as the collection of the preludes and the fugues in all the keys. The work is a summary of the contrapuntal technique.

The Art of Fugue and the Musical Offering are the culmination of the contrapuntal art. The works are the testament of the composer.

The Honours and the Memory

Bach's works were revived by Felix Mendelssohn in the nineteenth century. The performance of the St Matthew Passion in 1829 began the revival.

The Bach Archive in Leipzig and the Bach House in Eisenach are devoted to his life and work. The Neue Bachgesellschaft promotes the performance of his music.

He is regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. His works are performed and studied throughout the world.

The Family and the Career

Bach came from a family of musicians that produced several generations of the composers and the performers. He was orphaned at the age of ten.

He married Maria Barbara Bach in 1707 and the couple had seven children. After her death he married Anna Magdalena Wilcke in 1721 and they had thirteen more children.

Four of his sons became the composers of note. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Christian Bach were the most famous of them.

The Positions and the Employers

Bach worked in Weimar, Köthen, and Leipzig. He served the courts and the churches as the organist and the cantor.

He wrote much of the keyboard and the instrumental music at Köthen for the prince. He wrote the sacred music at Leipzig for the churches.

He was a member of the Society of Musical Sciences of Leipzig. He held the title of the court composer to the Elector of Saxony.

See also

• Baroque music
• Fugue
• Cantata
• Classical music