Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach (b. Eisenach, 25 March 1685; d.Leipzig, 28 July 1750) was the greatest composer of his time. He ranks with Mozart and Beethoven as one of the giants in the history of music. He lived in the last part of the Baroque period. He never travelled very far, spending all his life in central Germany, but he studied all the music he could find by other composers of his time. His own music shows that he learned from the music of Italian, French and German composers. He spent several years working at courts. Here he wrote most of his chamber music and orchestral music. Most of his life, however, he worked in a church where he was expected to write church music. Bach wrote almost every kind of music except opera. During the last part of his life most composers were writing in a new style called the Classical style, but Bach always wrote in the Baroque style. That made some people at the time think he was old-fashioned, but today we know that his work is the very best of Baroque music.

Early Life

Bach came from an extremely musical family. Many of his relatives were professional musicians of some sort: fiddlers and town musicians, organists, Kantors (Directors of Music in a Church), court musicians and Kapellmeisters (Directors of Music at a court). Most of them played several instruments. Of his twenty children several of them became quite famous composers, especially Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach (1714-1788), Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784).

We hardly know anything about Johann Sebastian’s childhood. He must have sung in the church choir at Eisenach where he was born. He may have learned instruments from his father. When he was nine years old his mother and father both died within a few months of one another. He went to live with his uncle Johann Christoph Bach in a small town called Ohrdruf nearby. Johann Christoph was an excellent teacher and taught the young boy a lot. There was a good school there, and he learned religion, reading, writing, arithmetic, singing, history and science. There is a well known story that there was one music book which his uncle would not let him study. So the young boy took it at night and copied the music down by moonlight. When his uncle found him doing this he took it away from him. We cannot be sure that the story is true, but it could well have been. It shows that he learned by copying manuscripts (music written by hand). Music was not often published in those days: you had to write music out if you wanted a copy.

When he was fifteen he went to the large town of Lüneburg. At first he sang treble in the choir, but his voice very soon broke so he made himself useful playing instruments. He learned by listening to famous organists like Reincken (1623-1722) who lived to a great age, and Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707). Bach got his first job in 1703 in Arnstadt. It was a well-paid job for a young lad of 18. There was a new organ in the church and Bach already knew a lot about organ building as well as being a brilliant organist. They asked him to examine the new organ, and then offered him a job. Bach spent four years as organist there. He composed some organ works. Unfortunately the congregation were not musical enough to like it. They did not understand the ornamental notes he added to the hymn tunes. Bach got rather fed up with the priests who were always moaning about it, and so he resigned and took another job in Mühlhausen, not far away. After a year there he gave up that job and went to a big town called Weimar.

Weimar years (1708-1717)

Johann Sebastian was made organist to the Duke of Weimar. At the Duke’s court there was a chapel with an organ. Bach composed many of his great organ works at this time. He became very famous as an organist as was invited to play in other big churches and to give advice on organ building. He was extremely good at improvising. On one occasion he was in Dresden at the same time as a French organist called Louis Marchant. There was going to be a competition between the two men to see who was better at improvisation. Bach was practising the day before and Marchant heard him. He realized that Bach would win, so he ran away.

In 1714 the Duke made Bach Konzertmeister (Concert Master) which meant he earned more money. He had to write cantatas for the services. In 1717 he was offered a job in the town of Cöthen where he would earn an even better salary. The Duke was angry and did not want him to go, but Bach insisted so the Duke put Bach in prison for a month. In the end he had to let him go.

Cöthen (1717-1723)

At Cöthen Bach worked for Prince Leopold. The Prince was very musical and a nice man to work for. Bach was Kapellmeister (Director of Music) and was treated well. The organ was not very good and it was not used much, so Bach did not write any organ music during this period. The Duke had an orchestra and Bach was in charge. Nearly all Bach’s orchestral works were written in Cöthen: the Brandenburg Concertos, the violin concertos, the orchestral suites, the solo music for violin and for cello, and a lot of keyboard music (for harpsichord or clavichord).

During 1719 the great composer Handel, who had moved to England, visited his mother. Bach wanted to meet Handel who was only 30km away, but these two famous men never met. Handel wanted to spend his short time in Germany with his mother who was elderly and frail, knowing that it would be last time he would see her.

Bach’s first wife Maria Barbara died in 1720. He had had six children by her. Soon afterwards he married Anna Magdalena with whom he had another fourteen children. However, several of his children died young.

Leipzig (1723-1750)

In 1723 Bach moved to Leipzig to become Kantor at the St Thomas Church, a very large church in the town. “Kantor” meant that he was in charge of all the music, both at St Thomas and at another church nearby. He also had to compose music for the town. It was an excellent job, and more secure than being at a court. The schools were good for his sons. Bach stayed here until his death. He loved his job and worked very hard. He composed lots of cantatas for the services. These services were very long, lasting about three hours. Many of the cantatas he wrote last about 30 minutes, and that was just one part of a service! He had assistants to play the organ. Bach himself directed the choir and the orchestra. There were probably 16 singers in the choir and 18 players in the orchestra. He wrote the St Matthew Passion and the St John Passion. Both these works, which are very long, tell the story of Jesus’ dying on the cross. They are among the most famous pieces of music ever written. He also wrote cantatas for special occasions such as weddings or funerals.

Life was not always easy, and there sometimes arguments with the people who ruled the church. The sub-deacon wanted to choose some of the hymns, but this was the Kantor’s job. Bach was a sensible man, and he managed to get his way without making enemies. On another occasion he argued with the headmaster of the school (Bach had to do some teaching at the church school) about who was allowed to choose the choir prefects. This actually went to court, and Bach lost the case.

Bach often made journeys to other towns. In 1747 he visited the court of King Frederick the Great near Berlin. The King gave Bach a tune to play on the harpsichord. Bach sat down and improvised a piece using this theme. The King was very impressed. Later Bach wrote a very long composition for flute, violin and harpsichord with cello accompaniment, in lots of movements, all based on this theme. At the end the tune is heard in six voices all together. He called it the Musical Offering, and he sent it to king who was very pleased. In the picture at the top of this article Bach is holding the music of the 6 part movement (called: a ricercar).

Bach loved writing fugues, and he decided to write a collection called The Art of Fugue. He wanted to publish it and he was making some changes, but sadly he died before he could finish it. In his last year or two he became blind in spite of two eye operations.

Bach’s music and how to enjoy it

Bach wrote so much music that it cannot all be mentioned here. Beginner pianists will know some of his small pieces, e.g. Minuet in G, although some musicians do not feel sure that this is by Bach. He wrote lots of music for his pupils, who were often his own sons. The Inventions in 2 and 3 parts (i.e. voices) are an excellent start to playing contrapuntal music. The Well-Tempered Clavier is a collection of 48 Preludes and Fugues, written to show that, with the new way of tuning keyboard instruments, you could now play in any key. All these works could be played on the harpsichord or clavichord or even the organ. In those days the German word “Clavier” meant: any keyboard instrument. Bach wrote lots of great organ music. The most popular one is the Toccata and Fugue in D minor.

The Brandenburg Concertos, Orchestral Suites and the Violin Concertos are great fun and quite easy to listen to as they have very strong, rhythmic life and singable tunes. There is lots of beautiful music in the Cantatas, although they are in German and it is a help to know what the choir or soloists are singing about. The motets, the two passions and the Mass in B minor (in German: Hohe Messe) are among the greatest works the world has ever heard.

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