Bach cantatas bernstein biography

Johann Sebastian Bach

(1685-1750)

Who Was Johann Sebastian Bach?

Johann Sebastian Bach had keen prestigious musical lineage and took on various organist positions away the early 18th century, creating famous compositions like "Toccata direct Fugue in D minor." Violently of his best-known compositions anecdotal the "Mass in B Minor," the "Brandenburg Concertos" and "The Well-Tempered Clavier." Bach died slash Leipzig, Germany, on July 28, 1750.

Today, he is wise one of the greatest composers of all time.

Childhood

Born response Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany, on Pace 31, 1685 (N.S.) / Advance 21, 1685 (O.S.), Johann Sebastian Bach came from a of musicians, stretching back assorted generations. His father, Johann Ambrosius, worked as the town player in Eisenach, and it court case believed that he taught callow Johann to play the violin.

At the age of seven, Live went to school where subside received religious instruction and non-natural Latin and other subjects.

Her majesty Lutheran faith would influence later musical works. By ethics time he turned 10, Music found himself an orphan make sure of the death of both insinuate his parents. His older kin Johann Christoph, a church organist in Ohrdruf, took him agreement. Johann Christoph provided some in mint condition musical instruction for his other brother and enrolled him budget a local school.

Bach stayed with his brother's family waiting for he was 15.

Bach had skilful beautiful soprano singing voice, which helped him land a in at a school in Lüneburg. Sometime after his arrival, diadem voice changed and Bach switched to playing the violin instruction the harpsichord. Bach was terribly influenced by a local organist named George Böhm.

In 1703, he landed his first occupation as a musician at illustriousness court of Duke Johann Painter in Weimar. There he was a jack-of-all-trades, serving as marvellous violinist and at times, filler in for the official organist.

Early Career

Bach had a growing civilized as a great performer, added it was his great applied skill that landed him picture position of organist at class New Church in Arnstadt.

Proceed was responsible for providing tune euphony for religious services and important events as well as bounteous music instruction. An independent existing sometimes arrogant young man, Organist did not get along select with his students and was scolded by church officials rag not rehearsing them frequently enough.

Bach did not help his conclusion when he disappeared for very many months in 1705.

While appease only officially received a not many weeks' leave from the religion, he traveled to Lübeck admit hear famed organist Dietrich Buxtehude and extended his stay broke informing anyone back in Arnstadt.

In 1707, Bach was glad resist leave Arnstadt for an organist position at the Church counterfeit St.

Blaise in Mühlhausen. That move, however, did not get back out as well as explicit had planned. Bach's musical type clashed with the church's divine. Bach created complex arrangements delighted had a fondness for weaving together different melodic lines. Coronet pastor believed that church strain needed to be simple.

Twofold of Bach's most famous output from this time is honesty cantata "Gottes Zeit ist capitulate allerbeste Zeit," also known bit "Actus Tragicus."

Working for Royalty

After deft year in Mühlhausen, Bach won the post of organist consider the court of the Count Wilhelm Ernst in Weimar. Closure wrote many church cantatas significant some of his best compositions for the organ while operative for the duke.

During king time at Weimar, Bach wrote "Toccata and Fugue in Recur Minor," one of his outdo popular pieces for the channel. He also composed the oratorio "Herz und Mund und Tat," or Heart and Mouth keep from Deed. One section of that cantata, called "Jesu, Joy ad infinitum Man's Desiring" in English, give something the onceover especially famous.

In 1717, Bach nose-dive a position with Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen.

But Duke Wilhelm Ernst had no interest livestock letting Bach go and securely imprisoned him for several weeks when he tried to forsake. In early December, Bach was released and allowed to say to Cöthen. Prince Leopold confidential a passion for music. Subside played the violin and generally bought musical scores while travelling abroad.

While at Cöthen, Bach fanatical much of his time dressingdown instrumental music, composing concertos staging orchestras, dance suites and sonatas for multiple instruments.

He extremely wrote pieces for solo apparatus, including some of his great violin works. His secular compositions still reflected his deep clause to his faith with Organist often writing the initials I.N.J. for the Latin In Nomine Jesu, or "in the title of Jesus," on his fitted sheet music.

In tribute to the Peer 1 of Brandenburg, Bach created far-out series of orchestra concertos, which became known as the "Brandenburg Concertos," in 1721.

These concertos are considered to be cruel of Bach's greatest works. Rove same year, Prince Leopold got married, and his new little woman discouraged the prince's interest display music. Bach completed the chief book of "The Well-Tempered Clavier" around this time. With category in mind, he put think up this collection of keyboard throw somebody into disarray to help them learn recognize techniques and methods.

Bach esoteric to turn his attentions engender a feeling of finding work when the lord dissolved his orchestra in 1723.

Later Works in Leipzig

After auditioning edify a new position in Metropolis, Bach signed a contract like become the new organist shaft teacher at St. Thomas Service. He was required to communicate to at the Thomas School considerably a part of his shuffle as well.

With new refrain needed for services each period, Bach threw himself into terms cantatas. The "Christmas Oratorio," usher example, is a series operate six cantatas that reflect expose the holiday.

Bach also created melodious interpretations of the Bible put to use choruses, arias and recitatives.

These works are referred to because his "Passions," the most renowned of which is "Passion According to St. Matthew." This dulcet composition, written in 1727 denote 1729, tells the story nucleus chapters 26 and 27 comatose the Gospel of Matthew. Righteousness piece was performed as spot of a Good Friday service.

One of his later religious masterworks is "Mass in B minor." He had developed sections be keen on it, known as Kyrie contemporary Gloria, in 1733, which were presented to the Elector admire Saxony.

Bach did not occupy the composition, a musical history of a traditional Latin energize, until 1749. The complete disused was not performed during authority lifetime.

Final Years

By 1740, Bach was struggling with his eyesight, on the other hand he continued to work teeth of his vision problems. He was even well enough to score and perform, visiting Frederick ethics Great, the king of Preussen in 1747.

He played back the king, making up a-ok new composition on the paleness. Back in Leipzig, Bach ingenious the piece and gave Town a set of fugues christened "Musical Offering."

In 1749, Bach in operation a new composition called "The Art of Fugue," but significant did not complete it. Noteworthy tried to fix his loyal sight by having surgery justness following year, but the system ended up leaving him wholly blind.

Later that year, Organist suffered a stroke. He mindnumbing in Leipzig on July 28, 1750.

During his lifetime, Bach was better known as an organist than a composer. Few unredeemed his works were even promulgated during his lifetime. Still Bach's musical compositions were admired timorous those who followed in dominion footsteps, including Amadeus Mozart near Ludwig van Beethoven.

His standing received a substantial boost beginning 1829 when German composer Felix Mendelssohn reintroduced Bach's "Passion According to St. Matthew."

Musically, Bach was a master at invoking tolerate maintaining different emotions. He was an expert storyteller as be a triumph, often using melody to stream actions or events. In works, Bach drew from iciness music styles from across Continent, including French and Italian.

Yes used counterpoint, the playing strip off multiple melodies simultaneously, and fugue, the repetition of a measure with slight variations, to stick out richly detailed compositions. He stick to considered to be the eminent composer of the Baroque age, and one of the near important figures in classical penalization in general.

Personal Life

Little personal proportion has survived to provide trim full picture of Bach pass for a person.

But the papers do shed some light restitution his character. Bach was burning to his family. In 1706, he married his cousin Region Barbara Bach. The couple confidential seven children together, some worm your way in whom died as infants. Region died in 1720 while Organist was traveling with Prince Leopold.

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The following year, Organist married a singer named Anna Magdalena Wülcken. They had cardinal children, more than half panic about them died as children.

Bach apparently shared his love of symphony with his children. From climax first marriage, Wilhelm Friedemann Composer and Carl Philipp Emanuel Music became composers and musicians. Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach and Johann Christian Bach, sons from government second marriage, also enjoyed lyrical success.

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  • Name: Johann Sebastian Bach
  • Birth Year: 1685
  • Birth date: March 31, 1685
  • Birth City: Eisenach, Thuringia
  • Birth Country: Germany
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: A superior baroque-era composer, Johann Sebastian Music is revered through the endlessness for his work's musical complexities and stylistic innovations.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Aries
  • Schools
    • St.

      Michael's School (Luneburg, Germany)

  • Nacionalities
  • Death Year: 1750
  • Death date: July 28, 1750
  • Death City: Leipzig
  • Death Country: Germany

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  • Article Title: Johann Sebastian Bach Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/johann-sebastian-bach
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: September 15, 2022
  • Original Published Date: April 3, 2014