J OHANN S EBASTIAN B ACH By: Amber Rose Edwards

W HO HE WAS ? Bach was a German composer born in 1685, he died in Youngest of the children of Johann Ambrosius Bach. Musical talent had been in his family for generations, many of his ancestors. When Bach was ten, both parents had died and his elder brother took him in.

W HAT HE DID ? Composer of the Baroque era, the most celebrated member of a large family of nothern German musicians. Admired as being an outstanding harpsichordist and organist, Bach is generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. Creator of the Brandenburg Concertos, The Well- Tempered Clavier, the Mass in B Minor, and other masterpieces of church music. Bach was able to survey and bring together principal styles, forms, and national traditions developed in generations.

W HERE HE LIVED ? He lived in the last part of the Baroque period. Never traveled far, spending all his life in central Germany, but studied all the music he could find.

I N 1709 In 1709, Bach became the composer for the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. He wrote much religious music, a few cantatas, and some organ music. He secured money to buy a house, and he married his cousin, Maria Bach. Maria gave birth to seven children, including Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, another famous composer. Maria died in 1720.

O VER THE YEARS In 1723, Bach became Cantor of St. Thomas’s Church. During the last ten years of Bach’s life, his eyesight was poor, in very late years he was almost blind. Although Bach is known today as a composer, during his lifetime he was better known as a musician, mainly an organist. Among the many instruments he played were harpsichord, organ, and violin.

F AMOUS W ORKS Two of Bach’s famous works are St. John’s Passion and St. Matthew’s Passion. The words to these songs come from the Bible. His Passions were a little like operas, but without scenery and costumes. Bach’s best known works were Brandenburg Concertos. He wrote six of them, and although he never got to hear them, they are enjoyed by many people.

H OW ? His family helped him along the way too become a composer.

I NFLUENCES Bach was later admired by other famous composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin.

L IST OF C OMPOSITIONS St. John Passion performed (1723) St. Matthew Passion peformed (1729) The Christmas Oratorio The Well-Tempered Clavier