Johann Sebastian Bach
![1748 portrait of Bach, showing him holding a copy of the six-part [[Canon (music)|canon]] [[BWV 1076]].{{sfn|Wolff|Emery|2001|loc="10. Iconography"}}](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Johann_Sebastian_Bach.jpg)
The Bach family already counted several composers when Johann Sebastian was born as the last child of a city musician, Johann Ambrosius, in Eisenach. After being orphaned at the age of 10, he lived for five years with his eldest brother Johann Christoph, after which he continued his musical education in Lüneburg. From 1703 he was back in Thuringia, working as a musician for Protestant churches in Arnstadt and Mühlhausen and, for longer periods, at courts in Weimar, where he expanded his organ repertory, and Köthen, where he was mostly engaged with chamber music. From 1723, he was employed as Thomaskantor (cantor at St Thomas's) in Leipzig. There, he composed music for the principal Lutheran churches of the city and its university's student ensemble Collegium Musicum. From 1726, he published some of his keyboard and organ music. In Leipzig, as had happened during some of his earlier positions, he had difficult relations with his employer. This situation was little remedied when his sovereign, Augustus III of Poland, granted him the title of court composer in 1736. In the last decades of his life, he reworked and extended many of his earlier compositions. He died of complications after a botched eye surgery in 1750 at the age of 65.
Bach enriched established German styles through his mastery of counterpoint, harmonic, and motivic organisation, and his adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. Bach's compositions include hundreds of cantatas, both sacred and secular. He composed Latin church music, Passions, oratorios, and motets. He often adopted Lutheran hymns, not only in his larger vocal works but, for instance, also in his four-part chorales and his sacred songs. He wrote extensively for organ and for other keyboard instruments. He composed concertos, for instance for violin and for harpsichord, and suites, as chamber music as well as for orchestra. Many of his works employ contrapuntal techniques like canon and fugue.
Throughout the 18th century, Bach was primarily valued as an organist, while his keyboard music, such as ''The Well-Tempered Clavier'', was appreciated for its didactic qualities. The 19th century saw the publication of some significant Bach biographies, and by the end of that century, all of his known music had been printed. Dissemination of scholarship on the composer continued through periodicals (and later also websites) exclusively devoted to him and other publications such as the ''Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis'' (BWV, a numbered catalogue of his works) and new critical editions of his compositions. His music was further popularised through a multitude of arrangements, including the ''Air on the G String'' and "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", and of recordings, such as three different box sets with complete performances of the composer's oeuvre marking the 250th anniversary of his death. Provided by Wikipedia
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201by Lee, Karen, Greene, Susan, Drover, Deanna, Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827, Liszt, Franz, 1811-1886, Debussy, Claude, 1862-1918, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Schubert, Franz, 1797-1828, Morel, Fran�ois, 1926-, Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759, Chausson, Ernest, 1855-1899, Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791Get access
Published 1993
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202by Tucker, Lynn C., Szutor, Kristina, Rose, Kathie, King, Gordon, Fang, Katie, Ganne, Louis, 1862-1923, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Wilson, Ransom, Borne, Fran�ois, Damar�, Eug�ne, Barber, Samuel, 1910-1981, Reinecke, Carl, 1824-1910, Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827, Chopin, Fr�d�ric, 1810-1849Get access
Published 1996
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203by Martin, Nicholle, Rowsell, Sally, Oliver, Kristen, Lee, Michelle, MacDonald, Martin A., Stoyles, Lynette, Schumann, Robert, 1810-1856, Telemann, Georg Philipp, 1681-1767, Britten, Benjamin, 1913-1976, H�e, Georges Adolphe, 1858-1948, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Poulenc, Francis, 1899-1963, Prokofiev, Sergey, 1891-1953Get access
Published 1996
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204by Tulk, Amanda, Steeves, Timothy, Heys, Leslee, Jeffrey, Colin, Jeffrey, Tristan, Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Rachmaninoff, Sergei, 1873-1943, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, 1809-1847, Massenet, Jules, 1842-1912, Parker, Michael, 1948-, Debussy, Claude, 1862-1918, Saint-Sa�ns, Camille, 1835-1921Get access
Published 2000
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205by LeDrew, Dawn, O'Leary, Chris, Dunsmore, Douglas, Adams, Cecil Kinette, Stride, Chad, Willcocks, David, 1919-, Cook, D. F., Monteverdi, Claudio, 1567-1643, Willan, Healey, 1880-1968, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Britten, Benjamin, 1913-1976, Distler, Hugo, 1908-1942, Honegger, Arthur, 1892-1955, Pinkham, DanielGet access
Published 1995
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206by Pezel, Johann, 1639-1694, Holborne, Anthony, 1565-1602, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Eval�d, Viktor Vladimirovich, 1860-1935, Roberts, Charles Lucky, Scheidt, Samuel, 1587-1654, Forsyth, Malcolm, Clarke, Herbert L. (Herbert Lincoln), 1867-1945, Calvert, Morley, 1928-, Lavall�e, Calixa, 1842-1891, Joplin, Scott, 1868-1917Get access
Published 1984
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207by Davenport, Benjamin, Herriott, John, Lane, Denyse, Sullivan, Michelle, Wall, Donna, Barry, Diana, Shostakovich, Dmitrii Dmitrievich, 1906-1975, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Saint-Sa�ns, Camille, 1835-1921, Haydn, Joseph, 1732-1809, Massenet, Jules, 1842-1912, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, 1809-1847, Bart�k, B�la, 1881-1945Get access
Published 1989
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208by Moyst, Kurt, Vey, Brett, Wicks, Andrew, Locke, Allan, Noftall, Peter, Lauro, Antonio, Dowland, John, 1563?-1626, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Brouwer, Leo, 1939-, Johnson, John, T�rrega, Francisco, 1852-1909, Smith-brindle, Reginald, Granados, Enrique, 1867-1916, Scarlatti, Domenico, 1685-1757, Villa-Lobos, Heitor, Alb�niz, Isaac, 1860-1909Get access
Published 2002
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209by Yee, Thomas, Hoekman, Rafael, Spurvey, Donna, Rowsell, Sally, Pack, Russette, Martin, Ross, Woodland, Craig, Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827, Chopin, Frédéric, 1810-1849, Liszt, Franz, 1811-1886, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Shostakovich, Dmitrii Dmitrievich, 1906-1975, Gaubert, Philippe, 1879-1941, Bizet, Georges, 1838-1875, Bozza, Eugène, 1905-1Get access
Published 1995
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210by Mase, Raymond, Aley, John, Borror, Ronald, Biddlecome, Robert, Wakefield, David, Ferrabosco, Alfonso, ca. 1575-1628, Simpson, Thomas, 1582-1628?, Dowland, John, 1563?-1626, Eval�d, Viktor Vladimirovich, 1860-1935, Carter, Elliott, 1908-, Ripley, Hosea, 1821-1887, Foster, Stephen Collins, 1826-1864, Bolcom, William, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750Get access
Published 1981
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211by Castella, Lesley, Smith, Michelle, Martin, Ross, DeLay, Darlene, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791, Schumann, Robert, 1810-1856, Ravel, Maurice, 1875-1937, Debussy, Claude, 1862-1918, Vivaldi, Antonio, 1678-1741, Brahms, Johannes, 1833-1897, Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759, Meyerbeer, Giacomo, 1791-1864Get access
Published 1996
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212by Clarke, Penni, Wells, Ellen, Martin, Nicholle, Kao, Andy, Keels, Tim, Rowsell, Sally, Howlett, Terrence, Way, Brian, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Faur�, Gabriel, 1845-1924, Verdi, Giuseppe, 1813-1901, Hindemith, Paul, 1895-1963, Arnold, Malcolm, Jacob, Gordon, 1895-1984, Torelli, Giuseppe, 1658-1709, Bozza, Eug�ne, 1905-1991Get access
Published 1993
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213by Boyle, Patrick, Way, Brian, Smith, Sarah, Heys, Leslee, Lee, Michelle, Kennan, Kent Wheeler, 1913-2003, Ravel, Maurice, 1875-1937, Gallois-Montbrun, Raymond, Hovhaness, Alan, 1911-2000, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Dutilleux, Henri, 1916-, Burton, Eldin, Haydn, Joseph, 1732-1809, Rachmaninoff, Sergei, 1873-1943, Debussy, Claude, 1862-1918Get access
Published 1999
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214by Brazil, Ginette, Morrissey, Karen, Martin, Ross, Meaney, Elizabeth, King, Gordon, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Bart�k, B�la, 1881-1945, Chopin, Fr�d�ric, 1810-1849, Gershwin, George, 1898-1937, Schubert, Franz, 1797-1828, Debussy, Claude, 1862-1918, Musgrave, Thea, Schumann, Robert, 1810-1856, Milhaud, Darius, 1892-1974Get access
Published 1996
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215by Mews, Douglas, Stanley, John, 1713-1786, Reger, Max, 1873-1916, Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791, Liszt, Franz, 1811-1886, Alain, Jehan, 1911-1940, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Buxtehude, Dietrich, 1637-1707, Charpentier, Marc-Antoine, 1643-1704, Le B�gue, Nicolas, 1631-1702, Gigout, Eug�ne, 1844-1925Get access
Published 1978
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216by Burt, Jennifer, Duff, Jim, Knowles, Kenneth, Gingery, Ralph, Dilkey, John, Harbach, Otto, 1873-1963, Kern, Jerome, 1885-1945, Cole, 1891-1964, Sayre, Charles, Jarvis, Jeff, Koehler, Arlen, Harold, 1905-1986, Delugg, Stein, Beach, Doug, Slonaker, David, Gershwin, George, 1898-1937, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Scheidt, Samuel, 1587-1654, Arnold, MalcolmGet access
Published 1994
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217by Hillier, Heather, Tucker, Lynn, Fisher, Melanie, Skinner, Rose, Martin, Nicholle, Brazil, Ginette, DiNillo, Romano, Stoyles, Lynette, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Behrens, Jack, 1935-, Ravel, Maurice, 1875-1937, Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759, Vaughan Williams, Ralph, 1872-1958, Parker, Michael, 1948-, Houllif, Murray, Tanner Peter Hyde, 1936-, Kolb, BarbaraGet access
Published 1996
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218by Pear, Dawn, Shortall, Lori, Sheppard, Tony, Knight, Pamela, Burry, Derrick, Vorobieva, Irina, Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791, Saint-Sa�ns, Camille, 1835-1921, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Lacome, Paul, Pryor, Arthur, 1870-1942, Vivaldi, Antonio, 1678-1741, Lloyd Webber, Andrew, 1948-, Rossini, Gioacchino, 1792-1868, Gershwin, George, 1898-1937Get access
Published 1992
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219by Hayward, Angela, Dickinson, Danette, Reid, Jennifer, Barter, Mark, Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791, Debussy, Claude, 1862-1918, Haydn, Joseph, 1732-1809, Beckwith, John, 1927-, Verdi, Giuseppe, 1813-1901, Schumann, Robert, 1810-1856, Rachmaninoff, Sergei, 1873-1943, Morel, Fran�ois, 1926-, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827, Telfer, NancyGet access
Published 1997
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220by Halfyard-Martin, Julia, Edwards, Neil, Tuach, Heather, Kao, Heather, Oliver, Kristen, Jeffrey, Tristan, Rathnavalu, Maya, Collins, Julia, Anstey, Christopher, Dahn, Nancy, Schubert, Franz, 1797-1828, Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791, Vivaldi, Antonio, 1678-1741, Hindemith, Paul, 1895-1963, Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750, Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich, 1840-1893, Grieg, Edvard, 1843-1907Get access
Published 1997
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