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Bach

Throughout the various periods in history, numerous men and women are known for extreme success in their profession. So much so that, at their peak, they were deemed prime representatives of their day. Some have not only represented their period, but have risen to such great esteem that they are known worldwide as being one of the greatest minds to have worked in their field. However, even more compelling than the work of these great minds is how they affected the people and work that came after them in their field. "The mark of a great influence is when everything before you is mundane, and everything after you bears your name."(unknown). In war, Alexandre the Great(356 BC-323 BC) excelled beyond all others in his conquest of the world, earning his recognition as one of the greatest generals of all times. Without the experiments performed by the inquiring minds of Isaac Newton(1643-1727) or Thomas Edison(1847-1931), we wouldn't have electricity or be nearly as far along in the study of physics and celestial bodies.
During the seventeenth century, western European civilizations struggled to decide what religion was the correct one to follow. The matter was resolved however after Martin Luther, John Calvin, and multiple others initiated a Protestant reformation., which in turn led to a counter reformation by the Roman Catholic Church; included in this counter reformation was a push for new forms of art which exalted the Church's holy position. It was this push , around 1600, that began the period known as baroque. Lasting until around 1760, the baroque period gave way for clergy and artists alike to flourish in their pursuit of art that could communicate religious themes through direct, emotional involvement and the use of extreme ornamentation.
In observing music during this period, we find that dozens of artists contributed to the mass amounts of music generated from it, but, among them, only three are accredited with unofficially being considered the best of...