Temple
of Johann Sebastian Bach
Encarta®
Online:
Bach, Johann Sebastian
(1685-1750), German organist and composer of the baroque era, one of the
greatest and most productive geniuses in the history of Western music.
Bach was born in Eisenach, Thüringen, into a family that over seven generations
produced at least 53 prominent musicians. His father, Johann Ambrosius,
a town musician, was his first teacher.
II Early Years
Starting in 1700 Bach held various positions as
a church chorister, a chamber orchestra violinist, and a church organist.
In 1705 Bach studied for a brief time with renowned Danish-born German
organist and composer Dietrich Buxtehude and was greatly influenced by
his organ music.
In 1707 Bach became the organist of the Church
of Saint Blasius in Mülhausen. The next year he went to Weimar as organist
and violinist at the court of Duke Wilhelm Ernst, becoming concertmaster
of the court orchestra in 1714. In Weimar he composed about 30 cantatas,
wrote organ and harpsichord works, and began traveling throughout Germany
as an organ virtuoso.
III Later Years
Bach moved to Leipzig in 1723 and spent the rest
of his life there as musical director and choirmaster of Saint Thomas's
church and church school. Of the 295 cantatas that he wrote in Leipzig,
202 survive. He also wrote the Passion of St. John, the Passion of St.
Matthew, and the Mass in B Minor in Leipzig, as well as numerous keyboard
pieces including the Goldberg Variations; Part II of the Well-Tempered
Clavier; and the Art of the Fugue.
IV The Bach Revival
After Bach's death he was remembered less as a
composer than as an organist and harpsichord player. For about 80 years
his music was neglected by the public, although a few musicians admired
it, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. A revival
of interest in Bach's music occurred in the mid-19th century. German composer
Felix Mendelssohn arranged a performance of the Passion of St. Matthew
in 1829, which did much to awaken popular interest in Bach.
V Master of Counterpoint
Bach is perhaps best known as a supreme master
of counterpoint. He understood and used every resource of musical language
that was then available, combining such diverse idioms as rhythmic French
dances, graceful Italian melodies, and intricate German counterpoint all
in one composition.
