Johann Sebastian Bach
 
 
Born: March 21, 1685, Eisenach, Germany 
Died: July 28, 1750, Leipzig, Germany
- Biography 
- Musical Examples 
- Works 
- Links
- Baroque Composer Index
In his own words....
"Whereas the Honorable and Most Wise Council of this Town of Leipzig have engaged me as Cantor of the St. 
Thomas School...I shall set the boys a shining example...,serve the school industriously,...bring the music in both 
the principal churches of this town into good estate,...faithfully instruct the boys not only in vocal but also in 
instrumental music...arrange the music so that it shall not last too long, and shall...not make an operatic 
impression, but rather incite the listeners to devotion..treat the boys in a friendly manner and with caution, but, 
in caste they do not wish to obey, chastise them with moderation or report them to the proper place."
German composer and organist. Culminating figure of the German Baroque.
When we say that a composer such as Johann Sebastian Bach was a genius, what are we really saying? It is easy 
to call someone a genius, but far more difficult to explain what that means. The word itself tends to intimidate 
us, and we often feel that it is impossible to bridge the gap and find the human side of genius. So we simply call 
him or her a genius and are done with it.
In the case of Bach, however, his genius is a combination of a number of simpler qualities, all of which point to 
that human side. First, Bach was a craftsman. He lived in an age in which the composer created works according 
to the demands of his employer. For Bach, this meant that his various positions demanded different kinds of 
music. As court organist in Weimar, he produced his most important organ works, and as a composer for the 
Prince of Anhalt-Cöthen he created music that his patron desired: ensemble music (including the famous 
Brandenburg Concertos, written for another royal patron, the Margrave of Brandenburg). But his most important 
and long-term position was as cantor of St. Thomas's Church in Leipzig. Not surprisingly, it is in this period that 
he wrote the bulk of his great church music. Because of the demands of his various employers, Bach was able to 
create works in a wide variety of genres, providing a breadth of expression not often seen.
A second quality we find in Bach is that of a student or an emulator. The composer constantly surrounded himself 
with the music of his contemporaries, and his study of these pieces (often involving re-arranging pieces for 
different combinations of instruments) provided him an insight into a wide variety of national and personal styles. 
Throughout his life, he integrated these ideas into his own unique style.
Bach was also a deeply religious man. His personal Bible is filled with annotations and comments, and this depth 
of feeling finds its way into his sacred music, which often strikes the listener as an intensely personal statement 
of faith.
Finally, Bach had a passion for completeness. Many of his works seem to be exercises in exploring every 
conceivable possibility. An example of this is his two collections of preludes and fugues, the Well-Tempered 
Clavier. In them, Bach explores every possible major and minor key. But it is in his final works that this 
encyclopedic quality stands out. His Musical Offering is a tour de force of variations and contrapuntal inventions 
on a theme suggested to him by Frederick the Great. His Mass in B minor is not a liturgical work, but a 
summation of his sacred style, much of it reworked from earlier pieces. And his Art of Fugue (unfinished at his 
death) is a compendium of contrapuntal techniques unequaled before or since.
None of these qualities, by themselves, explain Bach's genius. In some aspects, he has no equal, and in all 
aspects, his music is unique. Taken together, however, they constitute the human elements of that genius. They 
help us to understand why and how Bach created what he did, and perhaps that is as close as we can come.
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Musical Examples:
?	Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 BWV 1046), I 
?	Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 (BWV 1049), I 
?	Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 (BWV 1050), I 
?	Prelude and Fugue in C Major (BWV 547), Fugue 
?	Musical Offering (BWV 1079) 
?	Cantata 82, Ich habe genug - Aria: "Schlummert ein, ihr matten augen" 
?	Cantata 56, Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen - Aria: "Endlich, endlich wird mein Joch," 
?	Magnificat in D-flat major (BWV 243a) 
?	"Blute nur" from the St. Matthew Passion 
?	Gavotte, from Suite No. 5 in G major (BWV 816) 
?	Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor (BWV 903), Fugue theme 
?	Toccata and Fugue in D minor (BWV 565) 
?	Prelude from Suite No. 5 in C minor for Unaccompanied Cello 
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Works:
?	Sacred vocal works, including over 200 church cantatas; 7 motets; Magnificat (1723), St. John Passion 
(1724), St. Matthew Passion (1727), Christmas Oratorio (1734), Mass in B minor (1749) 
?	Secular vocal works, including over 20 cantatas 
?	Orchestral music, including 4 orchestral suites, 6 Brandenburg Concertos, concertos for 1 and 2 violins, 
and for 1, 2, 3, and 4 harpsichords 
?	Chamber music, including 6 sonatas and partitas for unaccompanied violin, 6 sonatas for violin and 
harpsichord, 6 suites for cello, Musical Offering (1747), flute sonatas, and viola da gamba sonatas 
?	Keyboard music, including 2 volumes of Das wohltemperirte Clavier (The Well-Tempered Clavier, 1722, 
1742), 6 English Suites (c. 1722), 6 French Suites (c. 1722), Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue (c. 1720), 
Italian Concerto (1735), Goldberg Variations (1741–1742), and Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of Fugue, 
c. 1745–1750); suites, fugues, capriccios, concertos, inventions, sinfonias 
?	Organ music, including over 150 chorale preludes, toccatas, fantasias, preludes, fugues, and 
passacaglias 
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Links:
?	A General Biography 
Biographical article extracted from the Grove Concise Dictionary of Music. Includes discussions of works 
and some portraits. 
?	The Bach Family 
J.S. Bach was part of an incredible musical family that stretched from the sixteenth century to the 
nineteenth. This site traces the family tree. Part of Timothy Smith's Bach site at Northern Arizona 
University. 
?	Recordings and Reviews 
A large listing of recordings with sound samples and reviews. From the Classical CD Online site. 
?	Alexandre H. Hohmann's Bach Site 
One of the many extensive Bach sites. This one contains some very good pictures and documents, 
including the notice of Bach's release from prison after a dispute over his position at Weimar. 
?	The J. S. Bach Homepage 
A great place to go for further exploration. Contains a biographical section that includes a tourist guide 
to the cities Bach lived in over the course of his life. There is also an extensive index of Bach's works 
(cross-indexed by title, BWV number, key, year of composition, category, and instrument), and 
recommended recordings (also cross-indexed). 
?	Want Even More? Try Bach Central Station 
Links to over 300 different Bach sites from detailed analyses of his music to Bach on the electric guitar. 
Also links to other classical sites. 
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