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Johann Sebastian Bach

Regarded as perhaps the greatest composer of all time,

Bach was known during his lifetime primarily as an

outstanding organ player and technician. The youngest of

eight children born to musical parents, Johann Sebastian

was destined to become a musician. While still young, he

had mastered the organ and violin, and was also an

excellent singer. At the age of ten, both of his parents died

within a year of each other. Young Sebastian was fortunate

to be taken in by an older brother, Johann Christoph, who

most likely continued his musical training. At the age of

fifteen, Bach secured his first position in the choir of St.

Michael's School in Lüneburg. He travelled little, never

leaving Germany once in his life, but held various postitions

during his career in churches and in the service of the courts

throughout the country. In 1703 he went to Arnstadt to

take the position of organist at the St. Boniface Church. It

was during his tenure there that Bach took a month's leave

of absence to make the journey to Lübeck (some 200

miles away, a journey he made on foot) to hear the great

organist Dietrich Buxtehude. One month turned into five,

and Bach was obliged to find a new position at Mülhausen

in 1706. In that year he also married his cousin, Maria

Barbara. Bach remained at Mülhausen for only a year

before taking up a post as organist and concertmaster at

the court of the Duke of Weimar.

In 1717, Bach moved on to another post, this time as

Kapellmeister at the court of Prince Leopold in Cöthen.

During the years Bach was in the service of the courts, he

was obliged to compose a great deal of instrumental music:

hundreds of pieces for solo keyboard, orchestral dance

suites, trio sonatas for various instruments, and concertos

for various instruments and orchestra. Of these, the most

famous are the six concerti grossi composed for the Duke

of Brandenburg in 1721, and the...