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In the last years of his life, Bach was nearly blind and living poorly, and his Baroque music was considered outdated as tastes changed.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

Pierre Reymond (1513 - 1584)
Pierre Reymond
1513 - 1584
Giuseppe Bonito (1707 - 1789)
Giuseppe Bonito
1707 - 1789
Francisco Risi (1608 - 1685)
Francisco Risi
1608 - 1685
Gregorio Fernández (1576 - 1636)
Gregorio Fernández
1576 - 1636
Antonio Tibaldi (1633 - 1684)
Antonio Tibaldi
1633 - 1684
Hans Gillisz. Bollongier (1600 - 1672)
Hans Gillisz. Bollongier
1600 - 1672
Hans Grass (1934 - 2014)
Hans Grass
1934 - 2014
Jean Baptiste Vanmour (1671 - 1737)
Jean Baptiste Vanmour
1671 - 1737
Salomon Rombouts (1650 - 1702)
Salomon Rombouts
1650 - 1702
Jean Brindesi (1826 - 1888)
Jean Brindesi
1826 - 1888
Georg Gärtner (1575 - 1654)
Georg Gärtner
1575 - 1654
Pieter Bout (1658 - 1719)
Pieter Bout
1658 - 1719
Jan van Bunnik (1654 - 1727)
Jan van Bunnik
1654 - 1727
Giuseppe Franco (1550 - 1628)
Giuseppe Franco
1550 - 1628
Matteo Rosselli (1578 - 1650)
Matteo Rosselli
1578 - 1650
Peter Ykens (1648 - 1695)
Peter Ykens
1648 - 1695
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