Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750)
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21, 1685, in Eisenach,
Thuringia, Germany, into a large and distinguished family of
professional musicians. His father, named Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a
violinist and trumpeter, employed by the city of Eisenach. His uncles
were church organists, court musicians and composers. His mother and
father died before Bach was 10. As an orphan, he moved in with his
eldest brother, J. C. Bach, an organist and composer, under whose
tutelage Bach studied organ music as well as the construction and
maintenance of the organ.
Education: At the age of 14, Bach received a scholarship and walked on
foot 300 kilometers to the famous St. Michael's school in Luneburg,
near Hamburg. There he lived and studied for 2 years from 1699-1701. It
was there that he sang a Capella at the boys chorale. Bach's studies
included organ, harpsichord, and singing. In addition he took the
academic studies in theology, history and geography, and lessons of
Latin, Italian, and French. Besides his studies of music by the local
Nothern German composers, Bach had important exposure to the music of
composers from other European nations; such as the French composers
Jean-Baptiste Lully, Marais, and
Marchand, the South German composers
Johann Pachelbel and Froberger, and the
Italians Arcangelo Corelli and
Antonio Vivaldi.
Personality and character: Bach was 17 when he made a 4-month
pilgrimage, walking on foot about 400 kilometers from Arnstadt to the
Northern city of Lubeck. There he studied with 'Dietrich Buxtehude' and
became so involved that he overstayed his leave by three months.
Buxtehude being probably the best organist of his time became the
living link between the founder of Baroque music
Heinrich Schütz and the biggest Baroque
genius, Bach. Back in Arnstadt, Bach wrote 'Toccata and Fugue in D
Minor' (1702), his first masterpiece; which stemmed from his bold organ
improvisations. At that time he was in love with his second cousin
Maria Barbara; whom he was taking upstairs to the church organ, where
her presence was inspirational for his creativity. Bach was punished
for the violation of the restrictions on women's presence in the church
and he was fired. However, he eventually married Maria Barbara.
Cross-cultural studies: Bach studied the orchestral music of
Antonio Vivaldi and gained insight into
his compositional language by arranging Vivaldi's concertos for organ.
Six French suites were written for keyboard; each suite opens with
'Allemande' and consists of several pieces, including 'Courante',
'Sarabande', 'Menuet', 'Gavotte', 'Air',
'Anglaise', 'Polonaise', 'Bourree', and
'Gigue'. As suggested by their titles, the pieces were representing
songs and dances from various cultures. From the music of the Italians
Antonio Vivaldi,
Arcangelo Corelli, and 'Giuseppe
Torelli'; Bach adopted dramatic introductions and endings as well as
vivacious rhythmical dynamism and elaborate harmonization. Bach also
performed the music of English, French, and Italian composers; motets
of the Venetian school, and incorporated their rhythmical patterns and
textural structures in the development of his own style.
Teaching: Bach selected and instructed musicians for orchestras and
choirs in Weimar and Leipzig. His work as a Cantor included teaching
instrumental and vocal lessons to the church musicians and later to the
musicians of the court orchestra. Bach was also a teacher of his own
children and of his second wife. In 1730, Bach presented his second
wife with a musical notebook for studies, known as the 'Notebook of
Anna Magdalena Bach'. Compositions in the notebook were written in a
form of minuete, polonaise, gavotte, march, rondeau, chorale, sonata,
prelude, song, and aria; written mainly by Bach, as well as by his sons
'Carl Philip Emanuel Bach', Johann Christoph Bach, and composers
'Francois Couperin', Georg Bohm, and others.
Family: Bach married his second cousin, named Maria Barbara, who was
the inspirational force for his early compositions. They had seven
children, 4 of whom survived to adulthood. W. F. Bach, J. C. Bach, and
C. P. E. Bach became composers. Maria Barbara died in 1720. On December
3, 1721, Bach married Anna Magdalena (bee Wilcke), a talented soprano,
who was 17 years his junior. They had thirteen children. Bach fathered
a total of 20 children with his two wives. His sons 'Friedemann Bach',
Johann Christoph Bach, and 'Carl Philip Emanuel Bach' became important
composers in the Rococo style. The descendants of Bach are living in
many countries across the world.
Social activity: Bach replaced his friend
Georg Philipp Telemann as the
director of the popular orchestra known as Collegium Musicum, which he
led from 1729-1750. It was a private secular music society that gave
concert performances twice a week at the Zimmerman's Coffeehouse near
the Leipzig market square. Bach's exposure to such a secular public
environment inspired him to compose numerous purely entertainment
pieces for solo keyboard and several violin and harpsichord concertos.
Politics: Being the undisputed musical genius, Bach still suffered from
ugly political machinations. Although the Leipzig Council had enough
money, they never honored the promised salary of 1000 talers a year;
promised to Bach by the Mayor of Leipzig, Gottlieb Lange, at the hiring
interview. Bach worked diligently, in spite of being underpaid for 27
years until his death. On top of that local political factions in the
Leipzig Council manipulated Bach's educational work as well as his
compositions and public performances. They were pressuring him as the
Cantor and Composer and interfering his creative efforts by imposing
restrictions on his performances because of their ugly political games.
Bach prevailed as he composed and played his "Mass in B Minor" to the
monarch of Saxony and was appointed the Royal Court Composer of Saxony.
King Frederick the Great invited Bach to Potsdam in 1747. There the
king played his own theme for Bach and challenged the composer to
improvise on it. Bach used the 'royal theme' and improvised a
three-part fugue on the king's piano. Later Bach upgraded the king's
theme to a more sophisticated melody, and composed an array of pieces
based on the improved 'royal theme', which he titled "Musical Offering"
and later presented this composition to the king.
Legacy: Bach wrote over eleven hundred music compositions in all
genres. In Leipzig alone he wrote a cantata for every Sunday and feast
day of the year, of which 224 cantatas survive. Some of his
compositions were written on the same theme at different times in his
life, like choral cantatas and organ works on similar themes with
significantly reworked arrangements. The complete list of Bach's works,
BWV, has 1127 compositions for voice, organ, harpsichord, violin,
cello, flute, chamber music for small ensembles, orchestral music,
concertos for violin and orchestra, and for keyboard and orchestra. His
music became the essential part of the education for every musician.
Bach influenced such great composers as
Ludwig van Beethoven,
Franz Liszt,
Frédéric Chopin,
Felix Mendelssohn,
Sergei Rachmaninoff,
Sergei Prokofiev and many other
prominent musicians.
Bach is by far the most performed and recorded composer in history. His
'Das Wohltemperierte Clavier' (The well-tempered keyboard, or The
well-tuned piano, in modern terminology) is the definitive work for all
students as well as concert musicians. Bach's 'Orgebuchlein' (The
little organ book) is a staple in the repertoire of organists and
pianists, and some pieces from it were arranged for ensembles. Bach's
many chorales, especially the "Mass in B Minor" are considered the best
works in the genre. His last work
'The Art of Fugue' is best known for
it's acclaimed performance by Glenn Gould.
Bach's music was used in hundreds of films, thousands of stage
productions, and continues being played all over the world.
The definitive biography of J. S. Bach was written by the Nobel Prize
Laureate Albert Schweitzer.
Thuringia, Germany, into a large and distinguished family of
professional musicians. His father, named Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a
violinist and trumpeter, employed by the city of Eisenach. His uncles
were church organists, court musicians and composers. His mother and
father died before Bach was 10. As an orphan, he moved in with his
eldest brother, J. C. Bach, an organist and composer, under whose
tutelage Bach studied organ music as well as the construction and
maintenance of the organ.
Education: At the age of 14, Bach received a scholarship and walked on
foot 300 kilometers to the famous St. Michael's school in Luneburg,
near Hamburg. There he lived and studied for 2 years from 1699-1701. It
was there that he sang a Capella at the boys chorale. Bach's studies
included organ, harpsichord, and singing. In addition he took the
academic studies in theology, history and geography, and lessons of
Latin, Italian, and French. Besides his studies of music by the local
Nothern German composers, Bach had important exposure to the music of
composers from other European nations; such as the French composers
Jean-Baptiste Lully, Marais, and
Marchand, the South German composers
Johann Pachelbel and Froberger, and the
Italians Arcangelo Corelli and
Antonio Vivaldi.
Personality and character: Bach was 17 when he made a 4-month
pilgrimage, walking on foot about 400 kilometers from Arnstadt to the
Northern city of Lubeck. There he studied with 'Dietrich Buxtehude' and
became so involved that he overstayed his leave by three months.
Buxtehude being probably the best organist of his time became the
living link between the founder of Baroque music
Heinrich Schütz and the biggest Baroque
genius, Bach. Back in Arnstadt, Bach wrote 'Toccata and Fugue in D
Minor' (1702), his first masterpiece; which stemmed from his bold organ
improvisations. At that time he was in love with his second cousin
Maria Barbara; whom he was taking upstairs to the church organ, where
her presence was inspirational for his creativity. Bach was punished
for the violation of the restrictions on women's presence in the church
and he was fired. However, he eventually married Maria Barbara.
Cross-cultural studies: Bach studied the orchestral music of
Antonio Vivaldi and gained insight into
his compositional language by arranging Vivaldi's concertos for organ.
Six French suites were written for keyboard; each suite opens with
'Allemande' and consists of several pieces, including 'Courante',
'Sarabande', 'Menuet', 'Gavotte', 'Air',
'Anglaise', 'Polonaise', 'Bourree', and
'Gigue'. As suggested by their titles, the pieces were representing
songs and dances from various cultures. From the music of the Italians
Antonio Vivaldi,
Arcangelo Corelli, and 'Giuseppe
Torelli'; Bach adopted dramatic introductions and endings as well as
vivacious rhythmical dynamism and elaborate harmonization. Bach also
performed the music of English, French, and Italian composers; motets
of the Venetian school, and incorporated their rhythmical patterns and
textural structures in the development of his own style.
Teaching: Bach selected and instructed musicians for orchestras and
choirs in Weimar and Leipzig. His work as a Cantor included teaching
instrumental and vocal lessons to the church musicians and later to the
musicians of the court orchestra. Bach was also a teacher of his own
children and of his second wife. In 1730, Bach presented his second
wife with a musical notebook for studies, known as the 'Notebook of
Anna Magdalena Bach'. Compositions in the notebook were written in a
form of minuete, polonaise, gavotte, march, rondeau, chorale, sonata,
prelude, song, and aria; written mainly by Bach, as well as by his sons
'Carl Philip Emanuel Bach', Johann Christoph Bach, and composers
'Francois Couperin', Georg Bohm, and others.
Family: Bach married his second cousin, named Maria Barbara, who was
the inspirational force for his early compositions. They had seven
children, 4 of whom survived to adulthood. W. F. Bach, J. C. Bach, and
C. P. E. Bach became composers. Maria Barbara died in 1720. On December
3, 1721, Bach married Anna Magdalena (bee Wilcke), a talented soprano,
who was 17 years his junior. They had thirteen children. Bach fathered
a total of 20 children with his two wives. His sons 'Friedemann Bach',
Johann Christoph Bach, and 'Carl Philip Emanuel Bach' became important
composers in the Rococo style. The descendants of Bach are living in
many countries across the world.
Social activity: Bach replaced his friend
Georg Philipp Telemann as the
director of the popular orchestra known as Collegium Musicum, which he
led from 1729-1750. It was a private secular music society that gave
concert performances twice a week at the Zimmerman's Coffeehouse near
the Leipzig market square. Bach's exposure to such a secular public
environment inspired him to compose numerous purely entertainment
pieces for solo keyboard and several violin and harpsichord concertos.
Politics: Being the undisputed musical genius, Bach still suffered from
ugly political machinations. Although the Leipzig Council had enough
money, they never honored the promised salary of 1000 talers a year;
promised to Bach by the Mayor of Leipzig, Gottlieb Lange, at the hiring
interview. Bach worked diligently, in spite of being underpaid for 27
years until his death. On top of that local political factions in the
Leipzig Council manipulated Bach's educational work as well as his
compositions and public performances. They were pressuring him as the
Cantor and Composer and interfering his creative efforts by imposing
restrictions on his performances because of their ugly political games.
Bach prevailed as he composed and played his "Mass in B Minor" to the
monarch of Saxony and was appointed the Royal Court Composer of Saxony.
King Frederick the Great invited Bach to Potsdam in 1747. There the
king played his own theme for Bach and challenged the composer to
improvise on it. Bach used the 'royal theme' and improvised a
three-part fugue on the king's piano. Later Bach upgraded the king's
theme to a more sophisticated melody, and composed an array of pieces
based on the improved 'royal theme', which he titled "Musical Offering"
and later presented this composition to the king.
Legacy: Bach wrote over eleven hundred music compositions in all
genres. In Leipzig alone he wrote a cantata for every Sunday and feast
day of the year, of which 224 cantatas survive. Some of his
compositions were written on the same theme at different times in his
life, like choral cantatas and organ works on similar themes with
significantly reworked arrangements. The complete list of Bach's works,
BWV, has 1127 compositions for voice, organ, harpsichord, violin,
cello, flute, chamber music for small ensembles, orchestral music,
concertos for violin and orchestra, and for keyboard and orchestra. His
music became the essential part of the education for every musician.
Bach influenced such great composers as
Ludwig van Beethoven,
Franz Liszt,
Frédéric Chopin,
Felix Mendelssohn,
Sergei Rachmaninoff,
Sergei Prokofiev and many other
prominent musicians.
Bach is by far the most performed and recorded composer in history. His
'Das Wohltemperierte Clavier' (The well-tempered keyboard, or The
well-tuned piano, in modern terminology) is the definitive work for all
students as well as concert musicians. Bach's 'Orgebuchlein' (The
little organ book) is a staple in the repertoire of organists and
pianists, and some pieces from it were arranged for ensembles. Bach's
many chorales, especially the "Mass in B Minor" are considered the best
works in the genre. His last work
'The Art of Fugue' is best known for
it's acclaimed performance by Glenn Gould.
Bach's music was used in hundreds of films, thousands of stage
productions, and continues being played all over the world.
The definitive biography of J. S. Bach was written by the Nobel Prize
Laureate Albert Schweitzer.