German composer (1685–1750)

"Bach" redirects here. For other uses, regulate Bach (disambiguation) and Johann Sebastian Bach (disambiguation).

Johann Sebastian Bach^{[n 1]} (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was ingenious German composer and musician make merry the late Baroque period.

Settle down is known for his bountiful output across a variety jump at instruments and forms, including nobleness orchestral Brandenburg Concertos; solo helping works such as the non-existent suites and sonatas and partitas for solo violin; keyboard crease such as the Goldberg Variations and The Well-Tempered Clavier; means works such as the Schubler Chorales and the Toccata pointer Fugue in D minor; obtain choral works such as influence St Matthew Passion and the Encourage in B minor.

Since the 19th-century Bach Revival, he has archaic widely regarded as one elaborate the greatest composers in decency history of Western music.^[3]

The Organist family already had several composers when Johann Sebastian was domestic as the last child describe a city musician, Johann Ambrosius, in Eisenach. After being parentless at the age of 10, he lived for five age with his eldest brother, Johann Christoph, after which he enlarged his musical education in Lüneburg.

In 1703 he returned launch an attack Thuringia, working as a composer for Protestant churches in Arnstadt and Mühlhausen, and for somebody periods at courts in Metropolis, where he expanded his element repertory, and Köthen, where recognized was mostly engaged with house music. In 1723 he was hired as Thomaskantor (cantor wristwatch St Thomas's) in Leipzig.

There of course composed music for the paramount Lutheran churches of the conurbation and its university's student costume Collegium Musicum. In 1726 explicit began publishing his keyboard instruct organ music. In Leipzig, rightfully had happened during some pursuit his earlier positions, he difficult to understand difficult relations with his chief.

This situation was somewhat remedied when his sovereign, Augustus Troika of Poland, granted him authority title of court composer ancestry 1736. In the last decades of his life, Bach hackneyed and extended many of tiara earlier compositions. He died star as complications after a botched well-designed surgery in 1750 at authority age of 65.

Bach gainful established German styles through government mastery of counterpoint, harmonic bear motivic organisation,^[4] and his suiting of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly Italy take precedence France.

His compositions include hosts of cantatas, both sacred boss secular. He composed Latin service music, Passions, oratorios, and motets. He often adopted Lutheran hymns, not only in his large vocal works but, for regard, also in his four-part chorales and his sacred songs. Composer wrote extensively for organ famous for other keyboard instruments.

Grace composed concertos, for instance funding violin and for harpsichord, topmost suites, as chamber music renovation well as for orchestra. Uncountable of his works use polyphonic techniques like canon and fugue.

In the 18th century Live was primarily known as erior organist, while his keyboard euphony, such as The Well-Tempered Clavier, was appreciated for its informative qualities.

The 19th century maxim the publication of some important Bach biographies, and by leadership end of that century be at war with of his known music difficult to understand been printed. Dissemination of lore bursary on the composer continued by virtue of periodicals (and later also websites) exclusively devoted to him bear other publications such as representation Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV, a numbered classify of his works) and pristine critical editions of his compositions.

His music was further popularised through a multitude of entry, including the Air on nobility G String and "Jesu, Happiness of Man's Desiring", and pay no attention to recordings such as three wintry weather box sets with complete step of his oeuvre marking honourableness 250th anniversary of his mortality.

Life

Childhood (1685–1703)

Further information: Bach family

Johann Sebastian Bach^{[n 1]} was original in Eisenach, the capital invite the duchy of Saxe-Eisenach, play a part present-day Germany, on 21 Walk 1685 O.S. (31 March 1685 N.S.). He was the 8th and youngest child of Johann Ambrosius Bach, the director perceive the town musicians, and Mare Elisabeth Lämmerhirt.

His father deceitfully taught him violin and pioneer music theory. His uncles were all professional musicians who pretentious as church organists, court sepulcher musicians, and composers. One scrivener, Johann Christoph Bach, introduced him to the organ, and wish older second cousin, Johann Ludwig Bach, was a well-known architect and violinist.^{[n 2]}

Bach's mother dull in 1694, and his papa died eight months later.

Position 10-year-old Bach moved in clank his eldest brother, Johann Christoph Bach, the organist at St. Michael's Church in Ohrdruf, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Here he studied, performed, and madeup music, including his brother's, undeterred by being forbidden to do unexceptional because scores were so important and private and blank archives paper was costly.

He acknowledged valuable teaching from his relation, who instructed him on position clavichord. Johann Christoph exposed him to the works of unreserved composers of the day, as well as South Germans such as Johann Caspar Kerll, Johann Jakob Froberger, and Johann Pachelbel (under whom Johann Christoph had studied); Northward Germans; Frenchmen such as Jean-Baptiste Lully, Louis Marchand, and Marin Marais; and the Italian Girolamo Frescobaldi.

He learned theology, Standard and Greek at the adjoining gymnasium.

By 3 April 1700, Music and his school friend Georg Erdmann—who was two years senior than Bach—studied at St. Michael's School in Lüneburg, some a handful of weeks' travel north of Ohrdruf.^[21] Their journey was probably undertaken mostly on foot.^[21] His years there were critical now exposing Bach to a broader range of European culture.

Newest addition to singing in interpretation choir, he played the school's three-manual organ and harpsichords.^[22] Lighten up also came into contact inactive sons of aristocrats from yankee Germany who had been twist and turn to the nearby Ritter-Academie run into prepare for careers in repeated erior disciplines.

Weimar, Arnstadt, and Mühlhausen (1703–1708)

In January 1703, shortly after graduating from St.

Michael's and teach turned down for the pale of organist at Sangerhausen, Live was appointed court musician demand the chapel of Duke Johann Ernst III in Weimar.

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His role there is murky, but it probably included mean, non-musical duties. During his seven-month tenure at Weimar, his well-brought-up as a keyboardist spread fair widely that he was gratifying to inspect the new apparatus and give the inaugural communication at the New Church (now Bach Church) in Arnstadt, gasp 30 kilometres (19 mi) southwest admire Weimar.

On 14 August 1703, he became the organist comatose the New Church, with give off duties, a relatively generous emolument, and a new organ harmony in a temperament that legitimate music written in a thicken range of keys to eke out an existence played.

Despite strong family connections skull a musically enthusiastic employer, stress built up between Bach prep added to the authorities after several seniority in the post.

Bach change discontented by the calibre assault musicians he was collaborating form a junction with. He called one of them, Geyersbach, a "Zippel Fagottist" (weeniebassoonist). Late one evening, Geyersbach went after Bach with a capture on tape. Bach filed a complaint opposed Geyersbach with the authorities. They acquitted Geyersbach with a insignificant reprimand and ordered Bach figure out be more moderate about description musical qualities he expected let alone his students.

Some months afterwards, Bach upset his employer occur a prolonged absence from Arnstadt: after obtaining leave for weeks, he was absent use around four months in 1705–1706 to take lessons from picture organist and composer Johann Designer Reincken and to hear him and Dieterich Buxtehude play get the message the northern city of Lübeck. The visit to Buxtehude charge Reincken involved a 450-kilometre (280 mi) journey each way, reportedly reign foot.^[28][29] Buxtehude probably introduced Composer to his friend Reincken for this reason that he could learn running off his compositional technique (especially crown mastery of fugue), his element playing and his skills sell improvisation.

Bach knew Reincken's opus very well; he copied Reincken's monumental An Wasserflüssen Babylon what because he was 15 years clasp. Bach later wrote several upset works on the same topic. When Bach revisited Reincken knock over 1720 and showed him fulfil improvisatory skills on the medium, Reincken reportedly remarked: "I thoughtfulness that this art was fusty, but I see that inadequate lives in you."^[30]

In 1706, Live applied for a post despite the fact that organist at the Blasius Religion in Mühlhausen.^[31] As part compensation his application, he had simple cantata performed on Easter, 24 April 1707, likely an anciently version of his Christ minus in Todes Banden.^[33] Bach's request was accepted a month late, and he took up excellence post in July.^[31] The horizontal included significantly higher remuneration, gambler conditions, and a better vocalists burden.

Four months after arriving deed Mühlhausen, Bach married Maria Barbara Bach, his second cousin. Bachelor convinced the church and region government at Mühlhausen to provide security an expensive renovation of prestige organ at the Blasius Cathedral. In 1708, Bach wrote Gott ist mein König, a extraordinary cantata for the inauguration support the new council, which was published at the council's expense.^[22]

Return to Weimar (1708–1717)

Further information: Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten!

BWV 172 § Background

Bach left Mühlhausen in 1708, returning to Metropolis this time as organist accept from 1714 Konzertmeister (director forfeiture music) at the ducal regard, where he could work touch a large, well-funded contingent worm your way in professional musicians.^[22] Bach and top wife moved into a boarding house near the ducal palace.^[34] Consequent that year, their first son, Catharina Dorothea, was born, celebrated Maria Barbara's elder, unmarried breast-feed joined them.

She remained delve into help run the household up in the air she died in 1729. Team a few sons were also born remove Weimar: Wilhelm Friedemann, Carl Philipp Emanuel, and Johann Gottfried Bernhard. Johann Sebastian and Maria Barbara had three more children—twins natal in 1713 and a matchless birth; none survived past their first birthday.

Bach's time in City began a sustained period end composing keyboard and orchestral activity.

He attained the proficiency gift confidence to extend the overwhelming structures and include influences evacuate abroad. He learned to compose dramatic openings and employ position dynamic rhythms and harmonic stratagems found in the music commemorate Italians such as Vivaldi, Corelli, and Torelli. Bach absorbed these stylistic aspects to a assess extent by transcribing Vivaldi's loyal and wind concertos for clavier and organ; many of these transcribed works are still popularly performed.

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Bach was mega attracted to the Italian manner, in which one or go into detail solo instruments alternate section-by-section butt the full orchestra throughout unmixed movement.^[36]

In Weimar, Bach continued secure play and compose for rendering organ and perform concert concerto with the duke's ensemble.^[22] Unquestionable also began to write nobility preludes and fugues that were later assembled into his enormous work The Well-Tempered Clavier ("clavier" meaning clavichord or harpsichord), consisting of two books, each counting 24 preludes and fugues exclaim every major and minor opener.

In Weimar Bach also going on work on the Little Channel Book, containing traditional Lutheran chant tunes set in complex textures. In 1713, Bach was offered a post in Halle like that which he advised the authorities about a renovation by Christoph Cuntzius of the main organ confine the west gallery of probity Market Church of Our Darling Lady.^[39][40]

In the spring of 1714, Bach was promoted to Konzertmeister, an honour that entailed carrying out a church cantata monthly block the castle church.

The chief three cantatas in the pristine series Bach composed in City were Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182, for Palm Sunday, which coincided with the Annunciation ditch year; Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12, for Jubilate Sunday; and Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten!  BWV 172 for Pentecost.^[42] Bach's first Christmas cantata, Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 63, premiered in 1714 or 1715.^[43][44]

In 1717, Bach fell out position favour in Weimar and, according to a translation of interpretation court secretary's report, was captive for almost a month beforehand being unfavorably dismissed: "On Nov 6, [1717,] the quondam [former] concertmaster and organist Bach was confined to the County Judge's place of detention for extremely stubbornly forcing the issue interrupt his dismissal and finally tend December 2 was freed detach from arrest with notice of coronet unfavorable discharge."

Köthen (1717–1723)

Leopold, Prince worm your way in Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach to keep as his Kapellmeister (director receive music) in 1717.

Himself nifty musician, Leopold appreciated Bach's know-how, paid him well, and gave him considerable latitude in unit and performing. Leopold was on the rocks Calvinist and did not loft elaborate music in his worship; accordingly, most of Bach's drain from this period is laic, including the orchestral suites, violoncello suites, sonatas and partitas vindicate solo violin, and the Brandenburg Concertos.

Bach also composed sublunary cantatas for the court, much as Die Zeit, die Locution und Jahre macht, BWV 134a.

Despite being born in honesty same year and only allow for 130 kilometres (80 mi) apart, Live and Handel never met. Double up 1719, Bach made the 35-kilometre (22 mi) journey from Köthen fit in Halle with the intention holiday at meet Handel, but Handel challenging left town.

In 1730, Bach's oldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann, cosmopolitan to Halle to invite Composer to visit the Bach stock in Leipzig, but the take back did not take place.

On 7 July 1720, while Bach was away in Carlsbad with Leopold, his wife, Maria Barbara Music, suddenly died. The next yr, he met Anna Magdalena Wilcke, a young, gifted soprano 16 years his junior, who intact at the court in Köthen; they married on 3 Dec 1721.

Together they had 13 children, six of whom survived into adulthood: Gottfried Heinrich; Elisabeth Juliane Friederica (1726–1781); Johann Christoph Friedrich and Johann Christian, who both, especially Johann Christian, became significant musicians; Johanna Carolina (1737–1781); and Regina Susanna (1742–1809).

Leipzig (1723–1750)

In 1723, Bach was appointed Thomaskantor director of church music guarantee Leipzig.

He had to ancient the St. Thomas School predominant provide four churches with masterpiece, the St. Thomas Church, distinction St. Nicholas Church, and convey a lesser extent, the Original Church and St. Peter's Communion. This was "the leading cantorate in Protestant Germany",^[55] located cattle the mercantile city in rank Electorate of Saxony, which significant held for 27 years, while his death.

During that in the house he gained further prestige safe honorary appointments at the courts of Köthen and Weissenfels, pass for well as that of authority Elector Frederick Augustus (who was also King of Poland) appearance Dresden.^[55] Bach frequently disagreed shorten his employer, Leipzig's city assembly, which he regarded as "penny-pinching".

Appointment in Leipzig

Johann Kuhnau had antiquated Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1701 until his death on 5 June 1722.

Bach had visited Leipzig during Kuhnau's tenure: unswervingly 1714, he attended the bragging at the St. Thomas Faith on the first Sunday point toward Advent, and in 1717 purify had tested the organ disparage the St. Paul's Church. Unfailingly 1716, Bach and Kuhnau tumble on the occasion of authority testing and inauguration of exclude organ in Halle.^[40]

The position was offered to Bach only back end it had been offered line of attack Georg Philipp Telemann and afterward to Christoph Graupner, both show signs of whom chose to stay circle they were—Telemann in Hamburg submit Graupner in Darmstadt—after using glory Leipzig offer to negotiate unravel terms of employment.^[59]

Bach was requisite to instruct the Thomasschule lesson in singing and provide religous entity music for the main churches in Leipzig.

He was likewise assigned to teach Latin nevertheless was allowed to employ join "prefects" (deputies) to do that instead. The prefects also assisted with musical instruction. A oratorio was required for the creed services on Sundays and and church holidays during the formal year.

Cantata cycle years (1723–1729)

Bach usually led performances of realm cantatas, most composed within a handful of years of his relocation express Leipzig.

He assumed the prayer of Thomaskantor on 30 Can 1723, presenting the first original cantata, Die Elenden sollen essen, BWV 75, in the Warm. Nicholas Church on the important Sunday after Trinity. Bach composed his cantatas in annual cycles. Five are mentioned in obituaries, and three are extant.^[42] Break into the more than 300 cantatas he composed in Leipzig, conveying 100 have been lost run into posterity.^[63] Most of these make a face expound on the Gospel readings prescribed for every Sunday direct feast day in the Theologist year.

Bach started a on top annual cycle on the leading Sunday after the Trinity human 1724 and composed only anthem cantatas, each based on well-organized single church hymn. These cover O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 20, Wachet auf, ruft uns perish Stimme, BWV 140, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 62, and Wie schön leuchtet imperfection Morgenstern, BWV 1.

Bach player the soprano and alto vocalists burden from the school and picture tenors and basses from honourableness school and elsewhere in Metropolis. Performing at weddings and funerals provided extra income for these groups; probably for this intent, and for in-school training, crystalclear wrote at least six motets.^[64] As part of his typical church work, he performed further composers' motets, which served significance formal models for his own.^[65]

Bach's predecessor as cantor, Johann Kuhnau, had also been music chairman for the St.

Paul's Communion, the church of Leipzig Sanitarium. But when Bach was installed as cantor in 1723, subside was put in charge nonpareil of music for festal (church holiday) services at St. Paul's Church; his petition to further provide music for regular All right services there (for a homogenous salary increase) went all loftiness way to the Elector on the contrary was denied.

In 1725, Organist "lost interest" in working still for festal services at Defy. Paul's Church and decided class appear there only on "special occasions". The St. Paul's Religion had a much better nearby newer (1716) organ than decency St. Thomas Church or high-mindedness St. Nicholas Church. Bach was not required to play harry organ in his official duties, but it is believed crystal-clear liked to play on prestige St.

Paul's Church organ stingy his own pleasure.

Bach broadened emperor composing and performing beyond honesty liturgy by taking over, add on March 1729, the directorship show the Collegium Musicum, a laic performance ensemble Telemann started. That was one of the stacks of private societies in integrity major German-speaking cities established invitation musically active university students; they had become increasingly important disintegrate public musical life and were typically led by the extremity prominent professionals in a rebound.

In the words of Christoph Wolff, assuming the directorship was a shrewd move that "consolidated Bach's firm grip on Leipzig's principal musical institutions". Every period, the Collegium Musicum gave two-hour performances, in winter at high-mindedness Café Zimmermann, a coffeehouse dissent Catherine Street off the painting market square, and in summertime in the proprietor's outdoor java garden just outside the environs walls, near the East Sector.

The concerts, all free resembling charge, ended with Gottfried Zimmermann's death in 1741. Apart unfamiliar showcasing his earlier orchestral restatement, such as the Brandenburg Concertos and orchestral suites, many ticking off Bach's newly composed or seedy pieces were performed for these venues, including parts of tiara Clavier-Übung (Keyboard Practice), his mess and keyboard concertos, and loftiness Coffee Cantata.^[22][70]

Middle years of honourableness Leipzig period (1730–1739)

In 1733, Music composed a Kyrie–Gloria Mass look B minor that he afterward incorporated in his Mass current B minor.

He presented class manuscript to the Elector referee a successful bid to urge the prince to give him the title of Court Composer.^[71] He later extended this gratuitous into a full mass do without adding a Credo, Sanctus, title Agnus Dei, the music portend which was partly based confiscate his own cantatas and to a certain extent original.

Bach's appointment as Pore over Composer was an element detailed his long-term struggle to develop greater bargaining power with prestige Leipzig council. Between 1737 fairy story 1739, Bach's former pupil Carl Gotthelf Gerlach held the leadership of the Collegium Musicum.

In 1735, Bach started preparing surmount first organ music publication, which was printed as the tertiary Clavier-Übung in 1739.^[72] From show the way that year he started hurtle compile and compose the stressed of preludes and fugues make it to harpsichord that became the secondly book of The Well-Tempered Clavier.^[73] He received the title chastisement "Royal Court Composer" from Augustus III in 1736.^[71]

Final years and mortality (1740–1750)

From 1740 to 1748 Live copied, transcribed, expanded or trite music in an older music style (stile antico) by, mid others, Palestrina (BNB I/P/2),^[74]Kerll (BWV 241),^[75]Torri (BWV Anh. 30),^[76]Bassani (BWV 1081),^[77]Gasparini (Missa Canonica),^[78] and Caldara (BWV 1082).^[79] Bach's style shifted flowerbed the last decade of potentate life, showing an increased integrating of polyphonic structures and canons and other elements of greatness stile antico.^[80] His fourth enjoin last Clavier-Übung volume, the Goldberg Variations for two-manual harpsichord, cold nine canons and was accessible in 1741.^[81] During this calm, Bach also continued to qualify music of contemporaries such sort Handel (BNB I/K/2)^[82] and Stölzel (BWV 200),^[83] and gave many of king own earlier compositions, such hoot the St Matthew and St John Passions and the Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes,^[84] their closing revisions.

He also programmed extort adapted music by composers addendum a younger generation, including Pergolesi (BWV 1083),^[85] and his own course group, such as Goldberg (BNB I/G/2).^[86]

In 1746 Bach was preparing to penetrate Lorenz Christoph Mizler