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As German family of musicians and composers, the Bachs achieved the height of their fame in the
17th and 18th centuries. Seven Bach generations achieved greater or lesser prominence in music
from 1580 to about 1800. Of the group, Johann Sebastian Bach has been acclaimed as one of the
giants of musical history.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany, on March 21, 1685. Or-phaned when he
was ten, he was cared for by his eldest brother. In 1700 he became part of a select choir of poor
boys at the school of the Michaelskirche, Luneburg. He held various musical posts, including that
of organist at Arnstadt (1703-07), at Muhlhausen (1707-08), and at Weimar (1708-17). He was
kapellmeister (music director) at Kothen from 1717 to 1723.
As an organist and choirmaster for Lutheran churches near his birthplace, Bach devoted his life to
composing music for the church services. His incredible output marks the summit of the
polyphonic, or contrapuntal, style.
Amazingly versatile and productive, he wrote magnificent music for the organ, for choral groups,
for clavier and harpsichord, for orchestra, and for small groups of instru-ments. Bach was the
master of the technique known as the fugue. In this, voices or in-strumental parts enter at different
points, each imitating the first. After entering, however, each part is varied. The result is a very
complex counterpoint.
Bach perfected the chorale-prelude, a contrapuntal composition based upon a cho-rale, or hymn
tune, of the Lutheran church. Chorales were also used in Bach's cantatas large works for a chorus
of singers and accompanying instruments. Other compositions by Bach include a number of suites,
whose various movements consist of dance rhythms of the 16th to 18th centuries the allemande,
courante, saraband, and gigue.
One of Bach's most famous works is `The Well-Tempered Clavier,' a collection of preludes and
fugues (the prelude is a freer form than the fugue). It was written to show the advantages of the
even-tempered method of tuning keyboard instruments. Also well known are the six `Brandenburg
Concertos'.
Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750 was famous as a master of the organ and other instruments
during his lifetime. Johann Sebastian Bach's music was neglected after his death until the early
1800s. His works brought to a climax the baroque period during which many new forms and styles
were developed. The "English Bach," Johann Christian Bach as a young man became a
fashionable composer who deeply influenced English mu-sical life. In 1764, while he was serving
as master of music to King George III, he and Carl Friedrich Abel started a popular series of
concerts.
The youngest son of Johann Sebastian, Johann Christian Bach was born in Leipzig on Sept. 5,
1735. He received musical training from his half brother, Carl Philipp Emanuel. Johann Christian
moved to Italy when he was 20. He studied in Bologna, converted to Roman Catholicism, and was
named organist of the Milan Cathedral in 1760. Johann Christian died in London on Jan. 1, 1782.
Bach wrote literally thousands of compositions, many for use in churches or in in-struction.
Combining elements of the Lutheran chorale, the French and Italian orchestral styles, and baroque
organ music, Bach produced the `Brandenburg' concertos (1721) for orchestra, `The
Well-Tempered Clavier' (1722-44) for keyboard, the `St. John' (1723) and `St. Matthew' (1729)
passions, nearly 200 cantatas, the `Mass in B Minor' (completed about 1738), and hundreds of
others.
Married twice, Bach fathered 20 children. In 1723 he accepted the posts of cantor of the
Thomaskirche school and director of church music for the city of Leipzig, Germany. He died in
Leipzig on July 28, 1750.
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