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JS Bach was a Baroque composer, organist, singer and violinist. He was a counterpoint master
known for church music famous for St. John Passion (with "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring") and St.
Matthew Passion. Bach's music was "rediscovered" in the 19th century with the "Bach revival"
promoted by Felix Mendelssohn.
JS Bach came from a distinguished family of musicians and composers, as far back as the 16th
century. In his own immediate family, only few were not musicians. Among his children more known
in the musical circle were: Wilhelm Friedemann, Carl Philipp Emanuel (CPE) Johann Christoph
Friederich Bach, and Johann Christian Bach (JC).
German Protestant Musician
Bach was a devoted German Protestant. His sacred music includes about 200 church cantatas, the
Easter and Christmas oratorios, masses and magnificat, canons, chorales, and the two great
passions, St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion, the culmination of his work in church choral
music.
Orchestral Music
JS Bach's orchestral music includes his 6 Brandenburg Concertos (written in 1721, a group of six
works dedicated to Christina Ludwig, the Margrave of Brandenburg), and 4 instrumental suites.
Keyboard Music
His keyboard music for pianoforte and organ, fugues, and choral music are of equal importance to
him. They include a collection of 48 preludes and fugues (the Toccata and Fugue in D minor for
Organ is the haunted house music made famous by the original Phantom of the Opera), and of his
organ music, the finest examples are the chorale preludes.
Other Compositions
JS Bach also wrote sonatas, partitas, chamber music and songs, and The Italian Concerto, a
spectacular work for solo piano or harpsichord, other concertos for keyboard and violin, and the
collections of instrumental music in his final years at Leipzig.