Bach Paper

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in 1685 in Eisenach and died in 1750.

His father was Johann Ambrosius Bach, a trumpet player. At the age of 10

years old, Bach loses both his parents and lives with his older brother, Johann

Christoph Bach. Bach arrives in Arnstadt when he was 18 years old, working

there as an organist. He later moves to Mulhausen and then again to Weimar.

In Weimar he is employed by the Duke of Weimar and the Church.

The First Period of his works starts with his traveling around and ends

in 1717. His Organ works were considered Eclectic. He takes the structure of

the old and combines it with the contemporary with Italian influences. The

evolution of the Improvisatory genres begins as well. Toccatas, Preludes,

Fantasia also have fugal sections. The Prelude has violin style figures, a trait

seen in Vivaldi and also chains of suspensions, characteristic of Corelli. The

Fugue had a violin like subject with the structure similar to the Ritornello

form of a concerto. A cadenza for the pedals was included at the end, an

important concerto feature.

The Second Period begins 1717 and ends in 1723. J.S Bach becomes

the Kapellmesiter or Music Director to Prince Leopold in Cothen. In 1730,

Bach visits Carlsbad and meets the Margrave of Brandenburg, hoping to earn

his favor, he composes the Six Brandenburg Concerto. Concertos 1, 2, 4, and

5 were made in the concerto grosso style and concertos 3 and 6 were done

in the concerto ripieno style. The Margrave turned him down, devastating
Bach. Later that year, bach suffered another traumatic loss, his first wife,

Maria Barbara, died. It is around this time that Bach writes the famous

Chaconne from the Violin Partita no. 2 in D minor. He writes 6 Violin and

Partitas.

Other instrumental suites and sonatas he composed during the Second

Period were his Flute Sonatas, the Siciliano in E-flat Major being a famous

movement from a sonata. The 6 Cello Suites were also written now. The most

famous of his works composed in 1722 was the first book of the Well-

Tempered Clavier. In it were 24 Preludes and Fugues in every major and

minor key. The order was chromatic, major and minor. Prelude and Fugue no.

1 was in C Major, no. 2 in C minor, no. 3 in C# sharp Major, no. 4. In C#

Minor, etc.

1723 marks the end of the Second Period of Bachs works. Prince

Leopold marries and his wife was not fond of Bachs music, eh then moves to

the last place of employment and residence, Leipzig, beginning his last

period. The Third Period begins in 1723 and ends with Bachs death in 1750.

He worked at St. Thomas Church and school, teaching Latin and voice, and

providing church music for four churches. Part of the church job was to write

a new cantata every week. He composed over 200 of these German Lutheran

Cantatas. He also composed two Passions. The Passion according to Saint

John and according to Saint Matthew. He wrote only one Catholic Mass, his

Mass in B Minor. In 1942, he wrote the second book of the Well-Tempered

Clavier. It was less cohesive, using the stile galante style, a return to a more
simplistic time before the complexity of the late Baroque era. It didnt stop

Bach from writing more beautiful music though.