Johann Sebastian Bach Is One

¶ … Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most well-known and liked composers in the world. His music has remained popular although he lived more than 300 years ago, and many recognize him as one of the world's greatest composers of all time. Bach was known as an organ player and composer during his lifetime, but today, everyone seems to know who he is and at least some of his music, and he proves that music can be timeless and inspiring even hundreds of years after it was originally written.

Bach's Life

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach Germany on March 21, 1685. It seems that he was destined to become a musician, because he was born into a musical family. The youngest of eight children, his parents both were musicians, as were many other members of his family. His father was a church organist, and so were several of his uncles. His father taught him to play the violin and harpsichord at a young age, which began his career as a musician and composer, and one of his uncles taught him how to play the organ, which would later become one of his favorite instruments to compose on (Sherrane).

When Bach was only 10, his mother died, and then his father died only eight months later. Left an orphan, Bach went to live with his oldest brother. When he was only 15, he got his first musical position, in the choir of St. Michael's School in Luneburg, and his career was officially underway. Two other writers note that his oldest brother's house was cramped, and Bach applied for a scholarship in order to leave the house to his brother's growing family. They write, "When the opportunity arose Sebastian applied successfully for a charitable choral scholarship at the Michaelisschule (St. Michael's School) in Luneburg, far off to the north-east" (Boyd and Butt 40). Of course, he got the scholarship and traveled there with a friend to continue his musical studies. This happened in 1700, and he studied there until at least 1702 or beyond. From 1702 until 1707 he worked as an organist in various churches throughout Germany (he never left Germany his entire life), and in 1707 he married his second cousin, Maria Barbara, as well.

In 1708, Bach played for Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar and the Duke was so impressed he asked him to become his chamber musician and organist, where Bach served until 1723. By 1714, he had been promoted to a position where he was expected to write a cantata every month. Bach, discontent because he did not receive another promotion, began to look for another job. Biographers Boyd and Butt continue, "[I]n August 1717 was formally offered the post of Kapellmeister to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cthen. Duke Wilhelm Ernst, however, refused to grant Bach his release, and even placed him in secure detention from 6 November to 2 December" (Boyd and Butt 41). Thus, while Bach is known as a musician and composer, there were some times in his life where he faced difficulties and persecution, and this continued throughout his life.

The Duke finally released him, and he went to work for the Prince. In 1720, he returned from a trip to the spa at Carlsbad with the Prince, and found out his wife had died. Four of their seven children were still living, and late in 1721, Bach married Anna Magdalena Wulcken, who had another 13 children with the composer. Again, Bach began to feel difficulties with the Prince, who married a woman that did not like music, and he started looking for a new position. In 1723, Bach got a job in Leipzig where he composed for several of the area's churches. This became one of his prolific musical periods, and he wrote numerous pieces while in Leipzig, many that are some of his most well-known and beloved even today. During this time, he also worked for churches and officials in Dresden, splitting his time between the duties of both cities. Tragically, toward the end of his life, by 1849 he began to go blind, and a traveling surgeon attempted to reverse his sight, but instead he went totally blind after the operation (Sherrane). He continued to write music, but he never regained his sight and his health began to fail, as well. He lived until July 28, 1850, when he died and was buried in Leipzig.

Bach's Works

Everyone seems to know some of J.S. Bach's works, even today. As another biographer says, "By and large a musical conservative, he achieved remarkable heights in the art of fugue, choral polyphony and organ music, as well as in instrumental music and dance forms" (Sherrane). Bach wrote literally thousands of compositions throughout his lifetime, so it is quite difficult to concentrate on just a few. He wrote concertos, arias, chorales, passions, and sonatas, plus many more. Many were for the organ, which was his instrument of choice, but he also wrote for harpsichord, violin, and other instruments. He did not write huge operas or concert pieces, but his chorales and sonatas fall into the category of momentous works, as do many of his other pieces. Another writer notes, "[T]he two- and three-part inventions, the harpsichord suites, the chorale settings, and the preludes and fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier have been the objects of unbroken study, veneration, and emulation by generations of musicians" (Marshall 68). These are the pieces that people tend to recognize today, although in the last few decades, many of his religious pieces have been rediscovered and reassessed by many musicians and experts, adding to the appreciation of his work and style.

Bach wrote in the Baroque style, and even his own sons called some of his work old-fashioned (Sherrane). Some musical analysts support this "old-fashioned" technique when they talk about his many works, often that follow a similar theme and rhythm. He writes of the piece "Fantasia," "There are various countersubjects as well as stretto and doubling in sixths, and the motif is heard against different harmonies as the piece proceeds, including cadence (b. 37), sequence (b. 60) and episode (b. 68)" (Williams 147). This is common in Bach's works, motifs are repeated and so are harmonies and rhythms. It is also quite important to note that Bach was not known as an arranger, and so, many of his works may have been altered by other musicians arranging them for orchestras or other instruments (Williams 2). Bach purists rely on copies of ancient music they know to be in his hand, and they question other arrangements or versions of well-known pieces that cannot actually be traced to his own known works (Williams 2).

Of course, Bach's music changed and matured from his early works to his final pieces. Author Williams continues, "Bach's early preludes and fugues, whatever their medium of performance, document his emulation and assimilation of a wide range of styles from the archaic stile antico, to the rather mechanical 'permutation' fugue on the Reinken model, to rambling, quasi-improvisational Spielfugen in the manner of Bruhns and Buxtehude" (Marshall 85). Later, his works began to take on parts in direct opposition with each other, and even improvisation and a bit of humor (Marshall 113). Some of his most loved works were written during this time, like the "Art of Fugue" and the "Goldberg Variations." Bach's music marks the end of the Baroque period in music, but his work continued to influence composers for decades, including two of his sons. Another writer states, "Thus Bach not only becomes the culmination of the music of his predecessors but also the source for the compositional aesthetic of composers all the way down to Mahler (and perhaps even later)" (Linton). That is another reason Bach is so important, his work influenced other great works, and so lives on in them, as well.

Where Bach Found his Ideas