J. S.

BACH
(born Eisenach, 21 March 1685; died Leipzig, 28 July 175!
"e #as $he younges$ son o% Johann &'brosius (ach, a $o#n 'usician,
%ro' #ho' he probably learn$ $he )iolin and $he rudi'en$s o% 'usical
$heory* +hen he #as $en he #as orphaned and #en$ $o li)e #i$h his
elder bro$her Johann ,hris$oph, organis$ a$ -$* Michael.s ,hurch,
/hrdru%, #ho ga)e hi' lessons in 0eyboard playing* 1ro' 17 $o
172 he a$$ended -$* Michael.s -chool in L2neburg, #here he sang in
$he church choir and probably ca'e in$o con$ac$ #i$h $he organis$ and
co'poser 3eorg (4h'* "e also )isi$ed "a'burg $o hear J*&* 5einc0en
a$ $he organ o% -$* ,a$herine.s ,hurch*
&%$er co'pe$ing unsuccess%ully %or an organis$.s pos$ in -angerhausen
in 172, (ach spen$ $he spring and su''er o% 176 as .lac0ey. and
)iolinis$ a$ $he cour$ o% +ei'ar and $hen $oo0 up $he pos$ o% organis$
a$ $he 7eu0irche in &rns$ad$* 8n June 177 he 'o)ed $o -$* (lasius,
M2hlhausen, and %our 'on$hs la$er 'arried his cousin Maria (arbara
(ach in nearby 9ornhei'* (ach #as appoin$ed organis$ and cha'ber
'usician $o $he 9u0e o% -a:e;+ei'ar in 178, and in $he ne:$ nine
years he beca'e 0no#n as a leading organis$ and co'posed 'any o%
his <nes$ #or0s %or $he ins$ru'en$* 9uring $his $i'e he %a$hered se)en
children, including +ilhel' 1riede'ann and ,arl =hilipp E'anuel*
+hen, in 1717, (ach #as appoin$ed >apell'eis$er a$ ,4$hen, he #as
a$ <rs$ re%used per'ission $o lea)e +ei'ar and #as allo#ed $o do so
only a%$er being held prisoner by $he du0e %or al'os$ a 'on$h*
(ach.s ne# e'ployer, =rince Leopold, #as a $alen$ed 'usician #ho
lo)ed and unders$ood $he ar$* -ince $he cour$ #as ,al)inis$, (ach had
no chapel du$ies and ins$ead concen$ra$ed on ins$ru'en$al
co'posi$ion* 1ro' $his period da$e his )iolin concer$os and $he si:
Brandenburg Concertos, as #ell as nu'erous sonalas, sui$es and
0eyboard #or0s, including se)eral (e*g* $he Inventions and Book I of
the '48'! in$ended %or ins$ruc$ion* 8n 172 Maria (arbara died #hile
(ach #as )isi$ing >arlsbad #i$h $he prince; in 9ece'ber o% $he
%ollo#ing year (ach 'arried &nna Magdalena +ilc0e, daugh$er o% a
cour$ $ru'pe$er a$ +eissen%els* & #ee0 la$er =rince Leopold also
'arried, and his bride.s lac0 o% in$eres$ in $he ar$s led $o a decline in
$he suppor$ gi)en $o 'usic a$ $he ,4$hen cour$* 8n 1722 (ach en$ered
his candida$ure %or $he pres$igious pos$ o% Director musices a$ Leipzig
and >an$or o% $he ?ho'asschule $here* 8n &pril 1726, a%$er $he
pre%erred candida$es, ?ele'ann and 3raupner, had #i$hdra#n, he #as
o@ered $he pos$ and accep$ed i$*
(ach re'ained as ?ho'as0an$or in Leipzig %or $he res$ o% his li%e,
o%$en in conAic$ #i$h $he au$hori$ies, bu$ a happy %a'ily 'an and a
proud and caring paren$* "is du$ies cen$red on $he -unday and
%eas$day ser)ices a$ $he ci$y.s $#o 'ain churches, and during his early
years in Leipzig he co'posed prodigious Buan$i$ies o% church 'usic,
including %our or <)e can$a$a cycles, $he Magnifcat and $he St. John
and St. Matthe !assions* "e #as by $his $i'e reno#ned as a )ir$uoso
organis$ and in cons$an$ de'and as a $eacher and an e:per$ in organ
cons$ruc$ion and design* "is %a'e as a co'poser gradually spread
'ore #idely #hen, %ro' 1726 on#ards, he began $o bring ou$
published edi$ions o% so'e o% his 0eyboard and organ 'usic*
1ro' abou$ 172C (ach.s in$eres$ in co'posing church 'usic sharply
declined, and 'os$ o% his sacred #or0s a%$er $ha$ da$e, including $he b
Minor Mass and $he Christmas "ratorio, consis$ 'ainly o% .parodies. or
arrange'en$s o% earlier 'usic* &$ $he sa'e $i'e he $oo0 o)er $he
direc$ion o% $he collegiu' 'usicu' $ha$ ?ele'ann had %ounded in
Leipzig in 172 ; a 'ainly a'a$eur socie$y #hich ga)e regular public
concer$s* 1or $hese (ach arranged harpsichord concer$os and
co'posed se)eral large;scale can$a$as, or serena$as, $o i'press $he
Elec$or o% -a:ony, by #ho' he #as gran$ed $he cour$esy $i$le o%
#ofcom$ositeur in 1766*
&'ong $he 16 children born $o &nna Magdalena a$ Leipzig #as (ach.s
younges$ son, Johann ,hris$ian, in 1765* 8n 17DD (ach.s second son,
E'anuel, #as 'arried, and $hree years la$er (ach )isi$ed $he couple
and $heir son (his <rs$ grandchild! a$ =o$sda', #here E'anuel #as
e'ployed as harpsichordis$ by 1rederic0 $he 3rea$* &$ =o$sda' (ach
i'pro)ised on a $he'e gi)en $o hi' by $he 0ing, and $his led $o $he
co'posi$ion o% $he Musica% "&ering, a co'pendiu' o% %ugue, canon,
and sona$a based on $he royal $he'e* ,on$rapun$al ar$i<ce
predo'ina$es in $he #or0 o% (ach.s las$ decade, during #hich his
'e'bership (%ro' 17D7! o% Lorenz Mizler.s learned -ocie$y o% Musical
-ciences pro%oundly a@ec$ed his 'usical $hin0ing* ?he ,anonic
Earia$ions %or organ #as one o% $he #or0s (ach presen$ed $o $he
socie$y, and $he un<nished 'rt of (ugue 'ay also ha)e been in$ended
%or dis$ribu$ion a'ong i$s 'e'bers*
(ach.s eyesigh$ began $o de$eriora$e during his las$ year and in March
and &pril 175 he #as $#ice opera$ed on by $he i$ineran$ English
oculis$ John ?aylor* ?he opera$ions and $he $rea$'en$ $ha$ %ollo#ed
$he' 'ay ha)e has$ened (ach.s dea$h* "e $oo0 <nal co''union on
22 July and died si: days la$er* /n 61 July he #as buried a$ -$* John.s
ce'e$ery* "is #ido# sur)i)ed hi' %or $en years, dying in po)er$y in
176*
(ach.s ou$pu$ e'braces prac$ically e)ery 'usical genre o% his $i'e
e:cep$ %or $he dra'a$ic ones o% opera and ora$orio (his $hree
.ora$orios. being ora$orios only in a special sense!* "e opened up ne#
di'ensions in )ir$ually e)ery depar$'en$ o% crea$i)e #or0 $o #hich he
$urned, in %or'a$, 'usical Buali$y and $echnical de'ands* &s #as
nor'al a$ $he $i'e, his crea$i)e produc$ion #as 'os$ly bound up #i$h
$he e:$e'al %ac$ors o% his places o% #or0 and his e'ployers, bu$ $he
densi$y and co'ple:i$y o% his 'usic are such $ha$ analys$s and
co''en$a$ors ha)e unco)ered in i$ layers o% religious and
nu'erological signi<cance rarely $o be %ound in $he 'usic o% o$her
co'posers* Many o% his con$e'poraries, no$ably $he cri$ic J*&*
-cheibe, %ound his 'usic $oo in)ol)ed and lac0ing in i''edia$e
'elodic appeal, bu$ his chorale har'oniza$ions and %ugal #or0s #ere
soon adop$ed as 'odels %or ne# genera$ions o% 'usicians* ?he course
o% (ach.s 'usical de)elop'en$ #as undeAec$ed ($hough no$ en$irely
uninAuenced! by $he changes in 'usical s$yle $a0ing place around
hi'* ?oge$her #i$h his grea$ con$e'porary "andel (#ho' chance
pre)en$ed his e)er 'ee$ing!, (ach #as $he las$ grea$ represen$a$i)e
o% $he (aroBue era in an age #hich #as already reFec$ing $he (aroBue
aes$he$ic in %a)our o% a ne#,.enligh$ened.one*