Johann Sebastian Bach

(1685– 1750)

Baroque Era Composer

Johann Sebastian Bach came from a large family of musicians. More

than seventy of his uncles, cousins, brothers and other relatives made

their living with music. Once a year all the relatives would get together and have a big family party. They

were all musicians, so there was lots of singing and musical fun.

J.S. Bach (who usually went by Sebatian) was born March 31, 1685

to Johann Ambrosius Bach and Maria Elisabeth Lammerhirt. His father was a town musician and taught Sebastian about music.

Unfortuanately, Sebatian’s mother died when he was nine years old and his father died the next year.

Johann Ambrosius Bach father of J.S. Bach

Sebastian went to live with his older brother, Christoph, in

the nearby town of Ohrdruf. Christoph was known as an excellent

church organist. He not only taught Sebastian how to play the harpsichord and organ, but also how to tune

and fix broken organs.Sebastian tested and repaired

organs in different towns around Germany.

Baroque Era Organ

Sebastian was fifteen years old when he left his

brother’s home to look for a job. He would often go

from town to town looking for work as a musician.

Some jobs were better than others. When he was

seventeen he got a great job as a violinist in the royal

court at Celle, Germany. However as part of the job he has to clean the kitchen

every morning.Baroque Era Violinist

It wasn’t long before J.S. Bach became well known for his

remarkable talent as an organist and composer of church music. One of his most famous organ

compositions is called Little Organ Fugue in G minor. This piece is

filled with big, powerful sounds. It had an energy and force that

was known to cause church rafters and windows to shake.

Sebastian also wrote pieces for church services called a cantata.

A cantata usually has a lead singer and a choir accompanied by an

orchestra. Bach playing the organ

J.S. Bach played and composed his music during

a time known as the Baroque period. In the

1600s and 1700s, everything in Europe

seemed to have grand fancy, and decorative feeling to it. Art and

architecture were created to show off the palaces and

homes of kings, queens, dukes and wealthy

businessmen.

Baroque Architecture

Baroque music also had kind of a grand decorative feeling. It was often filled with the sounds of voices, violins,

trumpets, and flutes, each playing different melodies at the same time. J.S.Bach was an expert at making

complicated Baroque pieces sound natural and pleasing.

Example of Baroque Art

Sebastian married Maria Barbara Bach a distant relative. Maria was happy to travel around with her husband and raise their four

children. Sadly, she died after thirteen years of marriage. A year later he married Anna Magdalena. Together they had thirteen

children.

Johann Sebastian Bach and Family

Sebastian was a loving father and made sure his children got good grades, learned to play musical instruments and helped out

around the house. Four of Bach’s sons became famous composers and musicians.

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

Johann Christian Bach

Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach

Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach

Later in his life Sebastian knew things were changing musically, but he decided to stick with his favorite Baroque style.

When he died in 1750 he had composed some of the world’s most beautiful music ever.

Johann Sebastian BachJ. S. Bach Memorial