Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685-1750) Composer

Style Period: Baroque

• late contrapuntal style, fugue
• chorales
• represents the period when the suite reached its highest point

Born in Eisenach (in Thuringia) in 1865. Died in Leipzig in 1750, aged 65.

The Bach family produced an extraordinary number of professional musicians over the course of seven generations (JS was the fifth generation). Johann Sebastian Bach lived in Protestant (Lutheran) north Germany at a time when music was an important part of court life, religious observance and daily life of people. Bach occupied positions as choir-boy, violinist in Duke of Weimar's orchestra, organist of town churches, chief court musician, and for the last of his 30 years, cantor of the municipal school of St. Thomas in Leipzig with charge of the music in its associated churches.

He was married twice and was father of twenty children.

Through copying and arranging scores, Bach became familiar with the style of the music of the main composers of France, Germany, Austria and Italy, assimilating the characteristics of each. He composed in practically all the forms of music of the time except opera.

Compositions include

• 6 Brandenburg concertos
• Organ works such as Toccata and Fugue
• Keyboard Works such as
  • Preludes and Fugues
  • Goldberg Variations
  • Well-Tempered Clavier
  • Toccatas, Suites, Partitas, Inventions, Chromatic Fantasia
  • Concertos e.g. Italian Concerto
• Choral works
  • St. Matthew Passion
  • Canatatas, Oratorios, Masses, Magnificat, Chorales
• Other Instrumental works
  • Sonatas and Partitias for unaccompanied violin
  • Suites for unaccompanied cello
  • Concertos

Updated May 11, 2000