All times. A little genius was born on March 31, 1685 in the city of Eisenach, which was located in Thuringia.
Johann's family was musical, and each of them could play at least one instrument. The gift and talent of music has been passed down from generation to generation.
The future talent often ran away into the forest and played an old guitar that he found in the attic, and this instrument belonged to the patriarch of the family, Voit Bach.
They say that he almost never parted with her, even when he was grinding flour at the mill, he managed to play and sing songs with his guitar until the evening.
Unfortunately, Johann was left an orphan (at the age of 10), his parents died early. The elder brother Johann Christoph took his little brother to him and gave him his first music lessons.
As a child, the boy learned to play many instruments - cello, violin and viola, clavichord and organ, cymbals. He easily read notes, and then played music on instruments. Johann Sebastian's favorite instrument from childhood to old age was the organ. Possessing perfect hearing, sensitive and vulnerable, he could not stand the false sounds that caused him suffering and pain.
The boy sang in the school choir with a clear voice. When Bach was 15 years old, he went to Lüneburg, where he continued his studies at a vocal school for three years. After that, Johann was a court violinist in Weimar, where he did not stay long, because. he didn't like it at all. Around these years, he writes his first works.
After moving to Arnstadt, the musician holds the position of cantor and organist in the church. He also teaches children to sing and play an instrument.Soon, Prince Anhalt offered to become bandmaster in his orchestra. The new position and free time inspire Bach, he writes cantatas for piano, pieces for violin and cello, suites and sonatas, concertos for orchestra, and, of course, preludes and chorales for organ.
The genius was not even thirty years old, and he had already written more than 500 works, but what! In almost all masterpieces, connoisseurs capture the rhythms and melodies of German folk songs and dances that he heard in childhood and remembered well. Bach's light and warmth, which will not leave anyone indifferent. Contemporaries of that time admired the virtuosic playing of the great composer's instruments more than his works.
Johann Sebastian Bach photo
The music was not clear to everyone, not everyone realized the great talent of this man. Few people admitted that they liked the lyrical calm melody more than the hurricane-like music, although the roaring music captured the listeners. The author, in his works, shared hopes, dreams, faith in truth and in man, goodness and beauty. Loud sounds convincingly and simply "told" about it.
Only a hundred years later, his work was highly appreciated. Much music has been written on biblical themes. Johann arrives in Leipzig in the spring of 1723. At St Thomas' Church he is organist and cantor. Again, he spends a lot of time teaching children, 2-3 times a day he is obliged to play the organ in large churches. But after all, he finds time for his creations, plays the organ for people with pleasure.
Johann Bach began to quickly go blind, and after an unsuccessful operation, he lost his sight. Throughout his life, Johann Sebastian Bach lived in Germany, preferring the provinces. The composer was married twice, his sons (Friedemann, Johann Christian, Carl Philipp Emanuel) continued their father's work and became famous composers. Once or twice a week the family held home concerts.
Johann had many musical instruments, he bought everything as he accumulated money, never borrowing money. Five harpsichords, three violins, three violas and two cellos, lute, viola bass and viola pomposa, one spinet. All this inheritance was left to the children after death, who died on July 28, 1750.
Johann Sebastian Bach is the most remarkable member of the famous Bach musical family and one of the greatest composers of all time. He was born March 31, 1685 in Eisenach and died July 28, 1750 in Leipzig.
Portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach. Artist E. G. Haussmann, 1748
Deprived at the age of 10 of his father, Johann Ambrose Bach (1645 - 1695), Johann Sebastian was placed in the care of his older brother Johann Christoph, an organist in Ohrdruf (Thuringia), who laid the foundation for his musical studies. After the death of his brother, 14-year-old Johann Sebastian went to Lüneburg, where he entered the gymnasium choir as a treble and received a higher school education. From here he often traveled to Hamburg to get acquainted with the playing of the organist Reinken, as well as Celle, and to listen to the famous court chapel. In 1703 Bach became a violinist at the court chapel in Weimar. In 1704 he became an organist in Arnstadt, from where he traveled to Lübeck in 1705 to listen to and study with the famous organist Buchstegude. In 1707, Johann Sebastian became organist in Mühlhausen, in 1708 he became court organist and chamber musician in Weimar, a position he held until 1717.
Bach. The best works
That year, Bach met in Dresden with the famous French pianist Marchand, whom he made such an impression with his playing that he suddenly left, evading the musical competition offered to him. In the same year, Bach became court bandmaster to the prince of Anhalt-Köthen, and in 1723 he received the vacant position of cantor at the school of St. Thomas in Leipzig, which he held until his death. In addition to occasional trips to Dresden after his appointment as Saxon-Weissenfell Kapellmeister and a visit to Berlin (1747), where he was honorably received by Frederick the Great, Bach lived in Leipzig in complete seclusion, devoting himself entirely to service, family and students. It was here that his most significant works arose, for the most part (especially spiritual cantatas) due to official duties. In old age, he had the misfortune to go blind.
Johann Sebastian Bach. Life and art
Johann Sebastian Bach was not only a brilliant composer, but also one of the greatest piano and organ performers. Contemporaries most of all admired his last quality, while the full recognition of his outstanding composing activity fell to later generations.
Bach was married twice: first to his cousin Maria Barbara Bach, daughter of Johann Michael Bach, who died in 1720, and then (since 1721) to Anna Magdalene, daughter of the chamber musician Wülken in Weissenfels, who outlived her husband. Bach left behind 6 sons and 4 daughters; 5 more sons and 5 daughters died before his death.
Many famous musicians came out of the Bach school. Among them, the first place is occupied by his four sons, who made themselves a significant name in the history of music, or at least occupied an outstanding position in the musical world in their time.
About the works of the composer - see the article Bach's Creativity - Briefly. Biographies of other great musicians - see the block "More on the topic ..." below the text of the article.
Johann Sebastian Bach, whose biography is still being carefully studied, is included, according to the New York Times, in the top 10 most interesting biographies of composers.
In the same row with his name are such names as Beethoven, Wagner, Schubert, Debussy, etc.
Let us also get acquainted with this great musician in order to understand why his work has become one of the pillars of classical music.
J. S. Bach - German composer and virtuoso
The name of Bach comes to our minds one of the first when listing the great composers. Indeed, he was outstanding, as evidenced by the more than 1,000 pieces of music left over from his lifetime.
But do not forget about the second Bach - a musician. After all, both of them were true masters of their craft.
In both guises, Bach honed his skills throughout his life. With the end of the vocal school, the training did not end. It continued throughout life.
Proof of professionalism, in addition to surviving musical compositions, is an impressive career as a musician: from organist in the first position to director of music.
It is all the more surprising to realize that many contemporaries negatively perceived the composer's musical compositions. At the same time, the names of musicians popular in those years have practically not been preserved to this day. Only later did Mozart and Beethoven rave about the composer's work. From the beginning of the 19th century, the work of the virtuoso musician began to revive thanks to the propaganda of Liszt, Mendelssohn and Schumann.
Now, no one doubts the skill and great talent of Johann Sebastian. Bach's music is an example of the classical school. Books are written about the composer and films are made. The details of life are still the subject of research and study.
Brief biography of Bach
The first mention of the Bach family appeared in the 16th century. Among them were many famous musicians. Therefore, the choice of a profession by little Johann was expected. By the 18th century, when the composer lived and worked, they knew about 5 generations of the musical family.
Father and mother
Father - Johann Ambrosius Bach was born in 1645 in Erfurt. He had a twin brother, Johann Christoph. Along with most members of his family, Johann Ambrosius worked as a court musician and music teacher.
Mother - Maria Elisabeth Lemmerhirt was born in 1644. She was also from Erfurt. Maria was the daughter of a city councilor, a respected person in the city. The dowry left by him for his daughter was solid, thanks to which she could live comfortably in marriage.
The parents of the future musician got married in 1668. The couple had eight children.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 31, 1685, becoming the youngest child in the family. They lived then in the picturesque city of Eisenach with a population of about 6,000 people. Johann's mother and father are Germans, therefore the son is also German by nationality.
When little Johann was 9 years old, Maria Elisabeth died. A year later, a few months after the registration of the second marriage, the father dies.
Childhood
The orphaned 10-year-old boy was taken in by his older brother, Johann Christoph. He worked as a music teacher and church organist.
Johann Christoph taught little Johann how to play the clavier and organ. It is the latter that is considered the composer's favorite instrument.
Little is known about this period of life. The boy studied at a city school, which he graduated at the age of 15, although usually young people 2-3 years older became her graduates. So we can conclude that the study was given to the boy easily.
Another fact from the biography is often mentioned. At night, the boy often rewrote the notes of the works of other musicians. One day, the older brother discovered this and strictly forbade doing this from now on.
Music training
After graduating from school at the age of 15, the future composer entered the St. Michael vocal school, which was located in the city of Lüneburg.
During these years, the biography of Bach, the composer, begins. During his studies from 1700 to 1703, he wrote the first organ music, gaining knowledge of modern composers.
In the same period, for the first time, he travels to the cities of Germany. In the future, he will have this passion for travel. Moreover, all of them were made for the sake of acquaintance with the work of other composers.
After graduating from a vocal school, the young man could go to university, but the need to earn a living forced him to abandon this opportunity.
Service
After graduating, J.S. Bach received a position as a musician at the court of Duke Ernst. He was just a performer, he played the violin. I haven't started writing my own musical compositions yet.
However, dissatisfied with the work, after a few months he decides to change it and becomes the organist of the Church of St. Boniface in Arndstadt. During these years, the composer created many works, mainly for the organ. That is, for the first time in the service I got the opportunity to be not only a performer, but also a composer.
Bach received a high salary, but after 3 years he decided to move because of tense relations with the authorities. Problems arose due to the fact that the musician was absent for a long time due to a trip to Lübeck. According to available information, he was released to this German city for 1 month, and he returned only after 4. In addition, the community expressed complaints about the ability to lead the choir. All this together prompted the musician to change jobs.
In 1707, the musician moved to Mühlhusen, where he continued to work. In the Church of St. Blaise, he had a higher salary. Relations with the authorities developed successfully. The city government was satisfied with the performance of the new worker.
Yet a year later, Bach again moved to Weimar. In this city, he received a more prestigious position as a concert organizer. 9 years spent in Weimar became a fruitful period for the virtuoso, here he wrote dozens of works. For example, he composed "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" for organ.
Personal life
Before moving to Weimar, in 1707, Bach married his cousin Maria Barbare. During their 13 years of marriage, they had seven children, three of whom died in infancy.
After 13 years of marriage, his wife died, and the composer remarried 17 months later. This time Anna Magdalena Wilke became his wife.
She was a talented singer and subsequently sang in a choir led by her husband. They had 13 children.
Two sons from his first marriage - Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel - became famous composers, continuing the musical dynasty.
creative path
Since 1717, he has been working for the Duke of Anhalt-Köthen as a bandmaster. Numerous suites were written over the next 6 years. The Brandenburg Concertos also belong to this period. If in general to evaluate the direction of the composer's creative activity, then it is worth noting that during this period he wrote mainly secular works.
In 1723, Bach became a cantor (that is, organist and choir conductor), as well as a teacher of music and Latin at the Church of St. Thomas. For the sake of this, he again moves to Leipzig. In the same year, the work "Passion according to John" was performed for the first time, thanks to which the high position was received.
The composer wrote both secular and sacred music. He performed classical spiritual works in a new way. The Coffee Cantata, the Mass in B minor and many other works were composed.
If we briefly characterize the work of a musical virtuoso, then it is impossible to do without mentioning Bach's polyphony. This concept in music was known even before him, but it was during the composer's life that they began to talk about the polyphony of a free style.
In general, polyphony means polyphony. In music, two equal voices sound simultaneously, and not just melody and accompaniment. The skill of the musician is evidenced by the fact that students-musicians are still studying according to his works.
Last years of life and death
For the last 5 years of his life, the virtuoso was rapidly losing his sight. To keep composing, he had to dictate the music.
There were also problems with public opinion. Contemporaries did not appreciate Bach's music, they considered it obsolete. This was due to the flowering of classicism, which began in that period.
In 1747, three years before his death, the Music of the Offering cycle was created. It was written after the composer visited the court of Frederick II, King of Prussia. This music was meant for him.
The last work of the outstanding musician - "The Art of the Fugue" - consisted of 14 fugues and 4 canons. But he didn't get to finish it. After his death, his sons did it for him.
Some interesting moments from the life and work of the composer, musician and virtuoso:
- After studying the history of the family, 56 musicians were found among the relatives of the virtuoso.
- The musician's surname is translated from German as "stream".
- Having once heard a work, the composer could repeat it without error, which he did repeatedly.
- Throughout his life, the musician moved eight times.
- Thanks to Bach, women were allowed to sing in church choirs. His second wife became the first chorus girl.
- He wrote more than 1000 works in his entire life, therefore he is rightfully considered the most "prolific" author.
- In the last years of his life, the composer was almost blind, and the operations performed on his eyes did not help.
- The grave of the composer for a long time remained without a tombstone.
- Until now, not all the facts of the biography are known, some of them are not confirmed by documents. Therefore, the study of his life continues.
- Two museums dedicated to him were opened in the homeland of the musician. In 1907 a museum was opened in Eisenach, and in 1985 in Leipzig. By the way, the first museum contains a lifetime portrait of the musician, made in pastel, about which nothing was known for many years.
Bach's most famous musical compositions
All works of his authorship were combined into a single list - the BWV catalog. Each composition is assigned a number from 1 to 1127.
The catalog is convenient in that all works are divided by types of works, and not by year of writing.
To count how many suites Bach wrote, just look at their numbering in the catalog. For example, the French suites are numbered from 812 to 817. This means that a total of 6 suites were written within this cycle. In total, 21 suites and 15 parts of suites can be counted.
The most recognizable piece is the Scherzo in B minor from "Suite for Flute and String Orchestra No. 2", called "The Joke". This melody was often used for calling on mobile devices, but despite this, unfortunately, not everyone will be able to name its author.
Indeed, the titles of many of Bach's works are not well known, but their melodies will seem familiar to many. For example, Brandenburg Concertos, Goldberg Variations, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.
The most interesting of Bach's life is a short biography for children. Famous Bach quotes. All the best of Bach's biography and work.
Bach - biography briefly for children
J. S. Bach (1685-1750)- German composer, teacher, organist. During his life he wrote more than a thousand pieces of music.
Bach's biography briefly:
- Born March 31, 1685.
- Place of birth: Eisenach, Germany.
- Died: July 28, 1750.
The future great composer Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685 into a family of professional musicians. The boy was gifted with an ear for music, so from childhood, at the behest of his parents, he studied music. The family in every possible way accompanied the development of their son - the older brother, for example, taught his younger brother to play the organ.
From the age of 15, Bach lived in Lüneburg where he studied vocals, playing various musical instruments. In the same place, the future star of the German classics managed to get acquainted with the musical stars of that time - famous composers, whose works Bach looked up to.
At the age of 16, Bach, influenced by the music of idols, created the first piece of music that made the boy popular. Since 1700, he created his organ works, taking step by step on the path of a musical career to independence and glory.
Since 1705, J. Bach has been writing music for the church choir of his city, receiving material rewards. Gradually, the fame of the gifted young man spread among the nearest towns - more and more people come to Bach's concerts, eager to hear another brilliant organ work.
In 1708 Bach takes a permanent job church bandmaster and composer, increases the circle of professional contacts, gets to know a greater number of talented figures, gathering around him an environment permeated with creative, constructive energy.
Personal life of J.S. Bach
In 1707 the composer married on a second cousin, Mary Barbara. In the same year, Bach changes jobs, moving with his family to Weimar. The marriage turned out to be surprisingly successful in the first years - the wife gave birth to the composer 6 children, three of whom, unfortunately, died in infancy. The children from Bach's first marriage also became musicians.
Wife dies in 1720. Children had to be brought up, so a year later Bach marries again. Bach's second wife was a young, previously unknown singer, Anna Magdalena Wilhelm, who became the star of the bandmaster's choir. Second wife Bach gave birth to 13 children.
Since 1717, Bach worked and created under the leadership of the Duke of Anhalt-Ketenesky - a normal practice for the 18-19 century. In the period from 1717 to 1725, suites, cello parts, and compositions for the orchestra were born.
In 1723 Bach became director of the music school in Leipzig.. Until the end of his life, the composer was extremely in demand - the musical talent of the genius Bach was always welcomed by the audience and patrons.
By the end of his life, Bach was gradually losing his sight, so he dictated the last fugues to an assistant. J.S. Bach died on July 28, 1750 in the last city where he worked, in Leipzig.
Bach quotes:
- "Where there is pious music, there is always the gracious presence of God."
- "The purpose of music is to touch hearts."
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Johann Sebastian Bach (March 31 (21), 1685, Eisenach - July 28, 1750, Leipzig), German composer, organist, harpsichordist. The philosophical depth of content and the high ethical meaning of Bach's works put his work among the masterpieces of world culture. Johann Bach summarized the achievements of the musical art of the transitional period from baroque to classicism. Bach is an unsurpassed master of polyphony. The composer's works: The Well-Tempered Clavier (1722-44), Mass in B Minor (c. 1747-49), Passion According to John (1724), Passion According to Matthew (1727 or 1729), St. 200 spiritual and secular cantatas, instrumental concertos, numerous compositions for organ, etc.
Johann Sebastian Bach was the sixth child in the family of the violinist Johann Ambrose Bach, and his future was predetermined. All Bachs who lived in mountainous Thuringia, from the beginning of the 16th century. were flutists, trumpeters, organists, violinists, bandmasters. Their musical talent has been passed down from generation to generation. When Johann Sebastian was five, his father gave him a violin. He quickly learned to play it, and music filled his whole life. The nature that surrounded his hometown of Eisenach sang in all voices, and the little violinist tried to reproduce its sounds. His happy childhood ended early, when the future composer was 9 years old. First, his mother died, and a year later, his father. The boy was taken in by his older brother, who served as an organist in a nearby town. Johann Sebastian entered the gymnasium - his brother taught him to play the organ and clavier. But one performance was not enough for the boy - he was drawn to creativity. Once he managed to extract from the always locked cabinet the cherished music book, where his brother had written down the works of famous composers of that time. At night, secretly, he rewrote it. When the half-year work was already nearing completion, his brother caught him doing this and took away everything that had already been done ... These sleepless hours in the moonlight would have a detrimental effect on J.S. Bach's vision in the future.
At 15, Bach moved to Lüneberg, where in 1700-1703. studied at the school of church choristers. During his studies, he visited Hamburg, Celle and Lübeck to get acquainted with the work of famous musicians of his time, new French music. The first compositional experiments of Bach belong to the same years - works for organ and clavier.
After graduation, Bach was busy looking for a job that would provide his daily bread and leave time for creativity. From 1703 to 1708 he served in Weimar, Arnstadt, Mühlhausen. In 1707 he marries his cousin Maria Barbara Bach. His creative interests were concentrated then mainly on music for organ and clavier. The most famous work of that time is "Capriccio for the Departure of a Beloved Brother".
Having received in 1708 a place as a court musician from the Duke of Weimar, Bach settled in Weimar, where he spent 9 years. These years in Bach's biography became a time of intense creativity, in which the main place belonged to compositions for organ, including numerous choral preludes, organ toccata and fugue in D minor, passacaglia in C minor. The composer wrote music for the clavier, spiritual cantatas (more than 20). Using traditional forms, Johann Bach brought them to the highest perfection.
In Weimar, Bach's sons were born, the future famous composers Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel.
In 1717, Bach accepted an invitation to the service of Leopold, Duke of Anhalt-Keten. Life in Keten was at first the happiest time in the life of the composer: the prince, an enlightened person for his time and a good musician, appreciated Bach and did not interfere with his work, invited him on his trips. Three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin, six suites for solo cello, English and French suites for clavier, six Brandenburg concertos for orchestra were written in Koethen. Of particular interest is the collection "The Well-Tempered Clavier" - 24 preludes and fugues, written in all keys and in practice proving the advantages of a tempered musical system, around the approval of which there were heated debates. Subsequently, Bach created the second volume of the Well-Tempered Clavier, also consisting of 24 preludes and fugues in all keys.
But the cloudless period of Bach's life was cut short in 1720: his wife dies, leaving four young children.
In 1721 Bach married for the second time to Anna Magdalena Wilcken. In 1723, the performance of his "Passion according to John" took place in the church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and soon Bach received the position of cantor of this church while simultaneously acting as a school teacher at the church (Latin and singing).
In Leipzig (1723-50) Bach became the "musical director" of all the churches in the city, supervising the staff of musicians and singers, observing their training, appointing the works necessary for performance, and doing much more. Not knowing how to cheat and skimp and not being able to perform everything conscientiously, the composer repeatedly found himself in conflict situations that darkened his life and distracted him from creativity. By that time, the composer had reached the pinnacle of mastery and created magnificent examples in various genres. First of all, this is sacred music: cantatas (about two hundred survived), "Magnificat" (1723), masses (including the immortal "High Mass" in B minor, 1733), "Matthew Passion" (1729), dozens of secular cantatas (among them - the comic "Coffee" and "Peasant"), works for organ, orchestra, harpsichord (among the latter, it is necessary to highlight the cycle "Aria with 30 variations", the so-called "Goldberg Variations", 1742). In 1747, Bach created a cycle of plays "Musical Offerings" dedicated to the Prussian King Frederick II. The last work was a work called "The Art of the Fugue" (1749-50) - 14 fugues and 4 canons on one topic.
In the late 1740s, Bach's health deteriorated, with a sudden loss of sight particularly worrying. Two unsuccessful cataract surgeries resulted in complete blindness. About ten days before his death, Bach suddenly regained his sight, but then he had a stroke that brought him to the grave.
The solemn funeral caused a huge gathering of people from different places. The composer was buried near the church of St. Thomas, in which he served for 27 years. However, later a road was laid through the territory of the cemetery, the grave was lost. Only in 1894 the remains of Bach were accidentally found during construction work, then the reburial took place.
The fate of his legacy was also difficult. During his lifetime, Bach enjoyed fame. However, after the death of the composer, the name and music of Bach fell into oblivion. Genuine interest in his work arose only in the 1820s, which began with the performance of the Matthew Passion in Berlin in 1829 (organized by F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy). In 1850, the "Bach Society" was created, which sought to identify and publish all the composer's manuscripts (46 volumes were published in half a century).
Bach is the largest figure in world musical culture. His work is one of the pinnacles of philosophical thought in music. Freely crossing the features of not only different genres, but also national schools, Bach created immortal masterpieces that stand above time. Being the last (along with G. F. Handel) great composer of the Baroque era, Bach at the same time paved the way for the music of the new time. Among the followers of Bach's searches are his sons. In total, he had 20 children, only nine of them survived their father. Four sons became composers. In addition to those mentioned above - Johann Christian (1735-82), Johann Christoph (1732-95).
Composer Bach - biography.
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