Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) - photo 1

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German Baroque composer, Kapellmeister, organist and teacher.

Johann Sebastian Bach was the youngest child in the family of musician Johann Ambrosius Bach (1645-1695) and belonged to a large family of North German musicians whose dynasty he himself traced back to his great-great-grandfather Veit Bach, a Lutheran baker in the late 16th century. Johann was orphaned at an early age and was taken into care by his older brother, the organist Johann Christoph Bach. In August 1703 he was appointed official organist of the church in Arnstadt, then from 1714 he worked as Kapellmeister and concertmaster at the Weimar court, to which time his first compositions date. In 1736 he was appointed court composer to the King of Saxony, thus recognizing his merits as a composer and organist. While working as a concertmaster, Bach also mastered almost all the instruments in the orchestra.

In the last years of his life, Bach was nearly blind and living poorly, and his Baroque music was considered outdated as tastes changed. But in the 19th century, interest in Bach's works increased dramatically, and he became the favorite composer of many subsequent musicians. Johann Sebastian's sons Wilhelm Friedemann, Carl Philipp Emanuel and Johann Christian continued the family dynasty and also became musicians. And Johann Sebastian Bach himself was surrounded by students throughout his life.

Although his contemporaries admired Bach's playing on the harpsichord and organ, today it is his compositions that are considered some of the finest works of mature Baroque music. His most widely known works today include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Masses in B minor, and many other masterpieces of church and instrumental music. Bach's rich legacy includes sacred and secular compositions, especially cantatas, organ pieces and concertos (Bach composed more than 1,000 musical works in all significant genres of his time, except opera), which influenced many later composers. Johann Sebastian Bach was able to encompass and unite the major styles, forms and national traditions developed in previous generations. Today he is considered one of the greatest composers of all time.

Date and place of birt:21 march 1685, Eisenach, Germany
Date and place of death:28 july 1750, Leipzig, Germany
Period of activity: XVIII century
Specialization:Composer, Educator
Art style:Baroque

Creators Baroque

Ignaz Elhafen (1658 - 1715)
Ignaz Elhafen
1658 - 1715
Giovan Battista Langetti (1625 - 1676)
Giovan Battista Langetti
1625 - 1676
Pieter Gerritsz. Van Roestraeten (1630 - 1700)
Pieter Gerritsz. Van Roestraeten
1630 - 1700
Evaristo Baskenis (1617 - 1677)
Evaristo Baskenis
1617 - 1677
Claude Mellan (1598 - 1688)
Claude Mellan
1598 - 1688
Frans van Stampart (1675 - 1750)
Frans van Stampart
1675 - 1750
Johann Theodor de Bry (1561 - 1623)
Johann Theodor de Bry
1561 - 1623
Jean-Baptiste le Saive I (1571 - 1624)
Jean-Baptiste le Saive I
1571 - 1624
Pieter Soutman (1580 - 1657)
Pieter Soutman
1580 - 1657
Tommaso Redi (1665 - 1726)
Tommaso Redi
1665 - 1726
Adrien Vachette (1753 - 1839)
Adrien Vachette
1753 - 1839
Francesco Faraone Aquila (1676 - 1740)
Francesco Faraone Aquila
1676 - 1740
Jacob Levecq (1634 - 1675)
Jacob Levecq
1634 - 1675
Bartholomäus Spranger (1546 - 1611)
Bartholomäus Spranger
1546 - 1611
Guillaume Courtois (1628 - 1679)
Guillaume Courtois
1628 - 1679
Claude Callot (1620 - 1687)
Claude Callot
1620 - 1687
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