The life story of composer Johann Sebastian Bach
Summary
TLDRJohann Sebastian Bach, born in 1685 in Eisenach, Germany, was a prodigious composer and musician from a musical family. He worked as a court musician and later as a director of music, composing over a thousand pieces, including the renowned 'Well-Tempered Clavier' and 'Brandenburg Concertos.' Despite his high standards and occasional clashes with his employers, Bach's music, ranging from church compositions to lullabies, has left a lasting legacy, making him one of the most celebrated composers in classical music history.
Takeaways
- 🎵 Johann Sebastian Bach was a renowned composer of the Baroque period, known for his significant contributions to classical music.
- 👴 Born in 1685, he lived almost twice as long as Mozart, who died at 35, and passed away at the age of 65.
- 🎭 Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany, at a time when Germany was a collection of small states, not yet a unified country.
- 🎼 Coming from a musical family, Bach's father was a town musician, and his uncles were professional musicians.
- 🏡 After the death of his parents, Bach moved in with his brother Johann Christoph, who taught him music.
- 🎓 At 15, Bach won a singing scholarship to St. Michael's, a prestigious boarding school, where he further honed his musical skills.
- 💼 Bach's first job was as a court musician for the Duke of Weimar, where he started with menial tasks and eventually became the director of music.
- 👨👩👧👦 He married his cousin Maria Barbara, with whom he had seven children, two of whom also became composers.
- 🏆 Bach's work, including the Well-Tempered Clavier and the Brandenburg Concertos, showcases his mastery of various musical forms and his innovative approach.
- 🏛️ He held the esteemed position of the Thomas Cantor in Leipzig, composing and performing music for four churches, demonstrating his prolific output.
- 👨⚕️ Bach's later life was marked by declining eyesight, leading to an unsuccessful surgery that resulted in blindness, and he died shortly thereafter.
- 🌟 Today, Bach is celebrated as one of the greatest composers in history, leaving behind over a thousand pieces of music that span various genres and purposes.
Q & A
How old would Johann Sebastian Bach be if he were alive today?
-Johann Sebastian Bach would be over 330 years old if he were alive today.
What was the lifespan of Bach compared to Mozart?
-Bach lived for 65 years, which is almost twice as long as Mozart.
What significant historical figures lived during the same time as Bach?
-Bach lived at the same time as the scientist Isaac Newton and the founding fathers of the USA, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.
Where was Johann Sebastian Bach born and in what year?
-Bach was born in Eisenach, in the middle of Germany, in the year 1685.
What was the profession of Bach's father?
-Bach's father was the head of the town musicians.
At what age did Bach lose both his parents and move in with his brother?
-Bach was only 10 years old when he lost both his parents and had to move in with his older brother, Johann Christoph.
What was Bach's first job as a musician?
-Bach's first job as a musician was as a court musician for the Duke of Weimar.
How many children did Bach have with his wife Maria Barbara?
-Bach and his wife Maria Barbara had seven children, though only four of them reached adulthood.
What was the significance of the 'Well-Tempered Clavier' that Bach composed?
-The 'Well-Tempered Clavier' is a collection of preludes and fugues in every major and minor key, showcasing Bach's mastery of composition.
What was the reason behind Bach's move to Leipzig?
-Bach moved to Leipzig to take up the position of the Thomas Cantor, which involved composing and performing music for four churches.
What health issue did Bach face in his later years, and what was the consequence of the attempted treatment?
-In his later years, Bach faced problems with his eyesight. An attempted surgery to correct this issue went wrong, resulting in his blindness, and he died shortly after.
Outlines
🎼 Johann Sebastian Bach: A Musical Genius
This paragraph introduces Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the most renowned composers in classical music history. Born in 1685 in Eisenach, Germany, Bach belonged to a highly musical family and was exposed to music from a young age. His father was a town musician, and his uncles were professional musicians. After the death of his parents, he moved in with his brother, Johann Christoph, who taught him about music. At 15, Bach won a singing scholarship to St. Michael's, a prestigious boarding school. He later became a court musician for the Duke of Weimar, where he started as an organist and choir director. Bach was known for his high standards and was not satisfied with the choir's performance, leading him to seek inspiration from other musicians. He eventually became the director of music, allowing him to work with a high-quality orchestra and compose extensively. His works include the Well-Tempered Clavier, a collection of preludes and fugues in every major and minor key. Despite a job offer from the Prince of Cothen, Bach stayed with the Duke of Weimar, focusing on composing music for various instruments and orchestras, including the Brandenburg Concertos. After six years, he moved to Leipzig to become the Thomas Cantor, a position that involved composing and performing music for four churches. His later years were marked by declining eyesight, and he underwent surgery that unfortunately led to blindness. Bach passed away shortly after, leaving behind over a thousand pieces of music that continue to be celebrated today.
🎵 Exploring Bach's Music: A Journey Through Time
The second paragraph serves as an invitation to explore Johann Sebastian Bach's music, emphasizing the timeless and diverse nature of his compositions. It suggests that Bach's music is not only for listening but also for experiencing various emotions and activities. The paragraph concludes with a musical interlude, encouraging the listener to check out Bach's music for themselves, hinting at the joy and depth that can be found in his works.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Johann Sebastian Bach
💡Baroque Period
💡Composer
💡Court Musician
💡Organist
💡Well-Tempered Clavier
💡Brandenburg Concertos
💡Thomas Cantor
💡Musical Family
💡Blindness
Highlights
Johann Sebastian Bach would be over 330 years old now, having lived for 65 years.
Bach lived almost twice as long as Mozart.
He is one of classical music's most famous composers.
Bach was born 70 years after Shakespeare and died six years before Mozart.
He lived at the same time as Isaac Newton and the founding fathers of the USA.
Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany, in 1685.
He was born into a musical family, with everyone playing or composing music.
At 10, Bach moved in with his older brother after the death of his parents.
At 15, Bach won a singing scholarship to St. Michael's, a smart boarding school.
Bach's first job was as a court musician for the Duke of Weimar.
He married his cousin Maria Barbara, with whom he had seven children.
Bach wrote his famous Toccata and Fugue during his time at Weimar.
He once walked 450 kilometers to see the superstar organist Dietrich Buxtehude perform.
Bach was promoted to director of music, allowing him to work with high-quality musicians.
He composed the Well-Tempered Clavier, a set of preludes and fugues in every major and minor key.
Bach received a job offer from the Prince of Cothen, where he focused on music for violins, flutes, and lutes.
The Brandenburg Concertos were composed as a present for the nobleman Lord Brandenburg.
Bach moved to Leipzig to start the best job in music at the Thomas Church.
He composed music for four churches in Leipzig, demonstrating an immense workload.
The Goldberg Variations were written for a Russian ambassador who couldn't sleep.
Bach was known as a brilliant organist in his lifetime.
He left us with over a thousand pieces of music to enjoy.
Transcripts
wanna meet the guy who wrote this johann
sebastian he'd be over 330 years old by
now
he lived for 65 years almost twice as
long as Mozart if you want to impress
people say ah yes bark the Baroque
period yes he's one of classical music's
most famous composers he was born 70
years after Shakespeare and he died six
years before Mozart he lived at the same
time as the scientist Isaac Newton and
the founding fathers of the USA George
Washington and Benjamin Franklin Barth
was born in eisenach in the middle of
Germany in 1685 remember Germany wasn't
a country back then just a bunch of
little States run by princes and dukes
it won't surprise you that he was born
into a monster musical family everyone
was either playing or composing music
his dad was head of the town musicians
and all his uncles earned their living
by playing when he was only 10 poor chap
his mother and then his father died he
had to move in with his older brother
Johann Christoph taught in tons about
music like playing the keyboard and
copying and composing music just like
learning a new language at 15 bark won a
singing scholarship just of Michael's a
smart boarding school where he mixed
with rich boys and he got to play the
school organ he practiced so much and he
got so good that it wasn't long before
the Duke of avemar offered him his first
job as court musician
right with all first jobs bark had to
start at the bottom cleaning and tidying
but soon he was in charge of the choir
and playing the organ that's when he
wrote his famous to Carter it was also
about this time that he married his
cousin Maria Barbara and they had seven
children only four made it to adulthood
and two of Bark's sons grew up to be
well known composers themselves johann
sebastian had high standards and he
thought the duke's choir was dreadful
annoyed he disappeared from his work to
go off and see the superstar organist
books to hooda perform in a town 450
kilometers away and he walked there and
remember playing the organ back then was
a bit like playing the electric guitar
is today really quite cool the duke must
have forgiven buff because he promoted
him to director of music now he could
work with high-quality musicians in an
orchestra and work on composing he wrote
a bunch of preludes and fugues in every
major and minor key known as the
well-tempered clavier he was getting
really good as his reputation grew he
got a job offer from the Prince of cotan
don't go said the Duke of vie Martin's
musical superstar but bark was off
serious Church music didn't interest the
prince but he was really into singing
and he played in the court orchestra
during this time bark focused on music
for violins flutes and lutes and
orchestras the best example is the
Brandenburg Concertos which he composes
a present for the nobleman Lord
Brandenburg after six years with the
prince in cotan bath moved to the city
of Leipzig to start the best job in
music the Thomas can draw what's that he
composed and performed music for not
just one but four four churches in
Leipzig imagine the workload he stayed
in this job for the rest of his life
writing composing rehearsing and
performing the Goldberg Variations are a
set of 30 variations on one tune written
for a Russian ambassador who couldn't
sleep barks music helped him nod off for
much of his life bark was a healthy man
but as he got older he had problems with
his eyesight at 65 he decided to have a
surgery which went wrong
it made him blind and he died shortly
afterwards johann sebastian bach was
known as a brilliant organist in his
lifetime but we know him today is one of
the greatest composers who ever lived
he left us well over a thousand pieces
of music to enjoy music for chilling
[Music]
tunes for sleeping pieces to practice on
the piano
music to jump that joy to check him out
for yourself
[Music]
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)