1. One of the greatest composers of all time.
Johann Sebastian Bach
One of the greatest composers of all time.
Picture from jsbach.org

2. Who was Johann Sebastian Bach?
In his time, Bach was best know for playing the organ
Bach mastered the organ, as well as the harpsichord and the violin
Picture from communio.stblogs.org

3. Who was Johann Sebastian Bach?
Bach is credited with 1128 compositions, the latest of these discovered in March of 2008
One of Bach’s works, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (heard here), is a traditional wedding song often used today
His compositional style, which included religious & numerological symbols, amazes today’s musicians
Audio by amclassical.com

4. Early Years of Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was born March 21, 1685 in Germany
Was taught by his father to play the violin & harpsichord
Was taught by his uncle to play the organ
At the age of 8, he was recognized for his “uncommonly fine treble voice”

5. Early Years of Bach
When Bach was 9 his mother died, & his father died just 9 months later
He was taken in by his eldest brother who became his harpsichord and organ teacher
At 15, Bach’s “excellent voice” landed him a spot in the choir of Michael’s School in Luneburg, Germany
As Bach was growing up, he learned a lot about building organs and how they worked

6. Bach’s Adult Life In 1706, Bach married his cousin Maria
Barbara, with whom he fathered 7 children
The year following Maria Barbara Bach’s sudden death in 1720, Bach remarried to Anna Magdalena
Anna Magdalena Bach bore J. S. Bach 13 children
Of Bach’s 20 children, 10 of them died in infancy and 4 of them became well-known composers
Picture from Wikipedia

7. Bach’s Adult Life Bach also wrote several poems An Easter Blessing
Bless this day the joy of life,
The revelation of the flesh,
The paradise of man and wife
Joined to share the gift of bliss.
Bless this day the pain of life,
The passion that redeems the flesh,
The love between a man and wife
Beyond all agony and bliss.
Bless this day the end of life,
The peace within the dying flesh,
The bond between a man and wife
That long outlasts their bit of bliss.
Bless this day the whole of life,
The grace of being more than flesh,
The voyage of a man and wife
Across the mystery of bliss.
Poem from poemsforfree.com

8. Bach’s Adult Life
Bach was a devout Lutheran and composed several works for the church
Near the end of 1749, Bach’s eyesight was declining
He had surgery preformed by a traveling surgeon which led to complete blindness
Even after Bach became blind, he still composed by dictating to a pupil

9. Bach’s Work Bach is know for Christian and secular compositions
St. Matthew Passion
St. John Passion
Christmas Oratorio
The Well-Tempered Clavier
Brandenburg Concertos
Fantasia super: Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott
And too many more to mention

10. Seen here, in Bach’s own handwriting, is his Violin Sonata No
Seen here, in Bach’s own handwriting, is his Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor
Picture from Wikipedia

11. Bach’s Death
Johann Sebastian Bach died on July 28, 1750 due to a stroke
Bach was buried at St. Thomas’ Church in Leipzig, Germany
Bach’s death marks the end of the Baroque Age of music
Photo from sacred-destinations.com

12. Why Bach is Baroque
Bach was know for his “complete mastery of major and minor tonality” which developed in the Baroque Age
Bach also employed an exaggerated expressiveness which developed in his time
The Baroque was an age of master musicians, Bach fits into that category

13. Bach’s legacy will live on throughout all time.
Clip Art from Microsoft Office 2010

14. Works Cited
Gordon, Nicholas. “An Easter Blessing.” Poems For Free. N.d. Web. 4 Apr
“Johann Sebastian Bach.” A-M Classical. 8 Dec Web. 3 Apr
“Johann Sebastian Bach.” Baroque Music. N.d. Web. 3 Apr
“Johann Sebastian Bach.” Tile.net. N.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2011
“Johann Sebastian Bach.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Apr Web. 3 Apr
Koster, Jan. J.S. Bach Home Page. N. d. Web. 3 Apr
Matthews, Roy T., F. DeWitt Platt, & Thomas F. X. Noble. The Western Humanities:
Seventh Edition. New York: McGraw Hill, Print.
Sherrane, Robert. “The Baroque Age: Johann Sebastian Bach.” IPL2: Information You Can Trust. N.d. Web. 3 Apr
“Thomaskirche, Leipzig.” Sacred Destinations. N.d. Web. 4 Apr
Zalonski, Paul. “Johann Sebastian Bach: 259th anniv of death.” Communio.
28 July Web. 3 Apr sebastian-bach-259th-an.html