Johann Sebastian Bach – A Composer Like None Other

Johann Sebastian Bach was deemed to be a musician as he was born into a musical family. Born in Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach on March 31, 1685, he was the youngest of his siblings. The German composer and organist was known for his priestly works for choir, orchestra and solo instruments.

His father had a great influence on his musical passion and development. He received his earliest training and teaching from his father. Following his father’s death in 1695, he moved to Ohrdruf where he lived and studied the organ with his older brother Johann Christoph. On top of that, he received prestigious training and education at schools in Eisenach, Ohrdruf and Luneburg.

He would move on to receive his first permanent positions in Anstadt from 1703-1707 and Muhlhausen from 1707-1708. Both of these positions were as an organist. He would perform, compose and teach throughout these years while also developing an interest in building organs. From there, he moved on as a court organist at Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Weimar from 1708-1713 and as concertmaster from 1714-1717. Many of his best organ compositions were created during this time.

Keeping with the frantic life that J. S. Bach led, he moved on to become Music Director for the Prince Leopold of Cuthen from 1717-1723. The compositions he created here were used for instrumental solo or ensemble and were used as court entertainment and for instruction. Some of the work he composed here included the Brandenburg Concertos, the first volume of Das wohltemperirte Clavier, the “French” and “English” Suites for harpsichord, and many of the sonatas and suites for other instruments.

Following this gig, Bach was appointed as cantor at the St. Thomas Church and School, and Director of Music for Leipzig in 1723. He would finally settle in and continue with these positions for the rest of his career. Both of these positions kept him busy and active.

He was responsible for overseeing the events that were sponsored by the municipal council where he would use pupils from the St. Thomas School, the city’s professional musicians, and university students. When working with singers he often divided them into four choirs. Typically his performing group would have around 16 singers and 8 instrumentalists.

His most impressive compositions during the first six years in Leipzig are arguably his sacred cantatas and the St. John and St. Matthew Passions. Following 1729 he began to tone down his composition of sacred vocal music. He began to re-use his own repertory of cantatas and turned to music of his contemporaries.

He became director of the Leipzig Collegium Musicum, which was an organization that was founded in 1704, in 1729-1737 and 1739-1741. This group of musicians performed weekly concerts.

In the 1730s Johann Sebastian Bach renewed his interest in keyboard compositions. This is where he would prepare the first three volumes of his Clavier-Ubung for publication and had his fourth volume appear in 1741-1742. The last decade of his life he completed and revised numerous large-scale projects that he had started earlier in life. This all took place in the 1740s including the Well-Tempered Clavier, a manuscript collection of chorale preludes and the B Minor mass. On top of this, he also continued his interest in building organs and stayed on top of the construction of harpsichords and pianofortes.

His health gradually declined as he became increasingly blind. The celebrated British eye surgeon John Taylor was unsuccessful with his operation on Bach while visiting Leipzig in 1750. Even before this, he there was a noticeable difference in his health.

On July 28, 1750 Johann Sebastian Bach died at the age of 65. The cause of his death according to a contemporary newspaper was “from the unhappy consequences of the very unsuccessful eye operation.” Some still speculate the real cause of death was from a stroke that was complicated by pneumonia.

After passing away, his estate was valued at 1158 thalers and consisted of five Clavecins, two lute-harpsichords, three violins, three violas, two cellos, a viola da gamba, a lute and a spinet. In addition, there were 52 “sacred books” he possessed including many by Martin Luther Muller and Pfeffer.

His abilities as an organist did not go unnoticed as he was greatly respected throughout Europe. Surprisingly, he was not widely recognized as a great composer until the revival of his performances of music in the first half of the 19th century. Some of his works include the Brandenburg concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the mass in B Minor, the St. Mathew Passion, the St. John Passion, and the Cello Suites. He is now referred to as one of the greatest composers of all time.