Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany in 1685. He was born into a family of musicians, and his brother, Johann Christoph, an organist at St. Michael’s Church at Ohrdruf, raised him after he was orphaned at ten years old. Bach attended St. Michael’s School in Luneburg and sung in the choir between 1700 and 1702. His first position began in 1708 and ended in 1717. He was twenty three years old when he took the position of court organist and chamber musician at Weimar where he produced grand compositions for the organ. He married his cousin, Maria Barbara Bach, in 1707 and had six children during his years at Weimar as well.

Bach then accepted a position at Cothen in 1717 to work for the prince of Anhalt- Cothen. During this period he composed chamber music, suites, concertos, sonatas, and concerti grossi in response to the prince’s wishes. His most famous pieces from this time are the Brandenburg Concertos which he composed for a royal patron, Margrave of Brandenburg. Bach’s wife died in 1720, and he married Anna Magdalena Wilcke in 1721.

In 1723, Bach became cantor in Leipzig at St. Thomas’s Church. He was the overseer for the music for four churches. He wrote music for the church and special events as well. He also trained the choir members and served as director of the Collegium Musicum. His music from this period was more religious in nature. Bach was a devout Lutheran, and many of his compositions are based on hymns written by Martin Luther. Bach had 19-20 children in all. Only nine of his children reached adulthood, but four followed in the father’s footsteps and became great musical composers. Bach eventually went blind due to cataracts and a stroke. He is well known for his book of keyboard compositions titled “The Well Tempered Clavier” which has now been given the nickname “The Old Testament”.