Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21, 1685 in Eisenach, Germany to Maria Elisabetha Lämmerhirt Bach and Johann Ambrosius Bach. Johann Sebastian was the youngest of eight children and the most famous today, but his father, uncles, some cousins and several siblings were all musicians of some sort. Johann Sebastian was taught harpsichord and violin by his father, who was the organist at St. George's Church, and a famous uncle, Johann Christoph Bach, taught young Johann Sebastian the organ.
Johann Sebastian was orphaned at 10 years old, losing both his parents within the span of one year, and the young child moved in with his older brother who was the organist at St. Michael's Church in nearby Ohrdruf and studied under Johann Pachelbel.

The portrait above right is of Johann Ambrosius Bach, Johann Sebastians father.

When Johann Sebastian was 14, he received a choral scholarship to study at St. Michael's School in Lüneburg, near Hamburg, one of the largest cities in the Holy Roman Empire. A typical curriculum in this most prestigious of schools would include French, Italian, Latin, history, geography, theology, and physics, besides singing in the choir and his music studies. Being so near a large city, Johann Sebastian would have opportunities not afforded him in Eisenach. Johann also may have had the chance to play the "Böhm Organ" in Johanniskirche, an instrument whose sonic capabilities where widely known; especially since he studied under Georg Böhm, the organist at Johanniskirche and namesake of the Böhm Organ.

After graduating, Bach became court musician in the chapel of Duke Johann Ernst in Weimar, a large town in Thuringia. What he did there is not entirely known, but it did not envolve playing music directly. He may have been an assistant or perhaps did menial jobs. In August 1703, he accepted the post of organist at St. Boniface's Church in Arnstadt. by this time, Johann's prowess with a keyboard was starting to circulate amongst the state of Thuringia, and Johann was already composing some impressive pieces, although the best was yet to come.

In 1706, Johann took the position of organist at St. Blasius's in Mühlhausen, a large city to the north. The position included better pay and conditions, and a good choir. The city of Mühlhausen was proud of their church organist, and even payed for the publication of a cantata he wrote for the inauguration of the new council in 1708 (God is my King BWV 71), but Johann was not afraid of opportunity, and took a better position offered him at the ducal court in Weimar, as court organist and concertmaster. Now he received even better pay and the chance to work with professional musicians.

While working in Weimar, Johann composed many more keyboard and orchestral pieces.

The image upper right is Violin No. 1 in G minor in Bach's own hand

While working as organist at St. Blasius's in Mühlhausen, Johann married his second cousin, Maria Barbara Bach. They had seven children, but three did not make it to adulthood. While at Weimar, Johann composed The Little Organ Book for his eldest son, Wilhelm. On July 7, 1720, while Bach was away, Maria Barbara died unexpectedly.
The following year, the Johann met Anna Magdalena Wilcke, a young, gifted soprano 17 years his junior, and they married on December 3, 1721. Together they had 13 more children; sadly, only 7 survived to adulthood, and three of them became talented musicians.
Two of his children from Mary Barbara; Wilhelm Friedemann Bach and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, became composers in the Rococo style that followed the Baroque.

Image above right is of Johanns eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.

In August 1705, Bach was involved in a brawl in Arnstadt. These are the minutes from the Arnstadt consistory:

"Johann Sebastian Bach, organist here at the New Church, appeared and stated that, as he walked home yesterday, fairly late night ... six students were sitting on the "Langenstein" (Long Stone), and as he passed the town hall, the student Geyersbach went after him with a stick, calling him to account: Why had he [Bach] made abusive remarks about him? He [Bach] answered that he had made no abusive remarks about him, and that no one could prove it, for he had gone his way very quietly. Geyersbach retorted that while he [Bach] might not have maligned him, he had maligned his bassoon at some time, and whoever insulted his belongings insulted him as well ... [Geyersbach] had at once struck out at him. Since he had not been prepared for this, he had been about to draw his dagger, but Geyersbach had fallen into his arms, and the two of them tumbled about until the rest of the students ... had rushed toward them and separated them.

In the year 1717 in Weimar, Bach was jailed for almost a month before being dismissed. This is the account of the court secretary:

" On November 6, the quondam concertmaster and organist Bach was confined to the County Judge's place of detention for too stubbornly forcing the issue of his dismissal and finally on December 2 was freed from arrest with notice of his unfavourable discharge.

Image upper left is the Grand-Ducal Palace in Weimer




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In 1717, Johann was appointed Kapellmeister (director of music) by Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen. The Prince gave Johann freedom in performing and composing, but the Prince did not use elaborate music in his church services. The delightful Brandenburg Concertos are from this period in Johann's life.
Johann's first wife, Maria Barbara Bach, died while Johann was employed by Prince Leopold and had accompanied him abroad.
In 1723, Bach was appointed Cantor of Thomasschule, where he taught singing, and Director of Music at the major churches in the town of Leipzig, most notably St. Thomas' and St Nicholas's. There was a back-and-forth struggle between Johann and some factions of the city government, Johann was a master musician and wanted to emphasize music in the schools, but the city-estate faction wanted to reduce the emphasis of such elaborate music in the schools and churches.
The sheer amount of works composed by Johann is awe-inspiring, and there have been many known to have existed, but lost, probably forever. Johann did not perform or write for the church only, but held concerts in a large concert hall at Zimmerman's Coffee House and other places outside the church.
In 1733, Johann was appointed Royal Court Composer. Johann's last work was dictated from his deathbed, Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit (Before thy throne I now appear).

Johann now 65, becoming frail and blind, dies on July 28,1750. Historians believe he died from a stroke brought on by a bout with pneumonia. He left behind a collection of musical intsruments and over one thousand compositions. He lies in St. Thomas' Church in Leipzig, and flowers adorn the grave every year on the anniversary of his death.