Johann Sebastian Bach

Birth Date: March 31, 1685

Death Date: July 28, 1750

Period: Baroque (1600-1750)

Nationality: German

Composing Genres: Keyboard, Orchestral, Cantatas, Motets, Passions/Oratorios, Lute Compositions,

Chamber music, Canons

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Thuringia, Germany. His father, Johann Ambriosius Bach taught
him both violin and the harpsichord while his brother, Johann Christoph Bach taught him the
clavichord. He was the youngest of eight children and his family was extremely involved with music.
All of his uncles were professional musicians and it was his uncle, Johann Christoph Bach (different
one I think) introduced him to the organ.

After both parents died, J.S. Bach went to live with his eldest brother Johann Christoph Bach (the
clavichord one). He studied and performed at St. Michael’s Church and there he was introduced to
multiple big names at the time, such as Johann Pachelbel and Johann Jakob Froberger.

It was then in which J.S. Bach and one of his friends, Georg Erdmann, enrolled in St. Michael’s
School. There he was exposed to a wide variety of different music, such as French and Italian music.

After graduating he applied for the post of the organist at Sangerhausen but didn’t receive the job.
He worked and was able to make himself a name and was soon invited to perform a keyboard recital
at the church in Arnstadt. He became the organist at this new church and developed a tuning that
allowed songs to be written in all keys.

While being the organist, tension built up and some interesting insults were exchanged between
Bach and the choir. This was all resolved though.

He later moved back to Weimar in 1708. In Weimar he and his wife had three kids, Wilhelm
Friedemann, Carl Philipp Emanuel and Johann Gottfried Bernhard. While in Weimar he composed
many keyboard and orchestral works and started incorporating ideas from other composers that he
learnt from his time abroad. This was the time in which he started to write the preludes and fugues
for The Well-Tempered Clavier.

He was apparently jailed for a month for too stubbornly forcing the issue of his dismissal. After that
he moved to Köthen and served as the director of music for Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen. He
appreciated Bach’s talents better than his previous employers and gave him room for all his
composing and performing needs. His time in Köthen was when he wrote his famous Bradenburg
Concertos.

His wife unexpectedly died in 1720 but he remarried and had six more children that survived
through to adulthood. In 1723, he was appointed Thomaskantor, literally the musical director of St.
Thomas Church in Leipzig. He held this position for twenty-seven years until his death.