His role there is unclear, but it probably included menial, non-musical duties. Michael's and being turned down for the post of organist at Sangerhausen, Bach was appointed court musician in the chapel of Duke Johann Ernst III in Weimar. In January 1703, shortly after graduating from St. Weimar, Arnstadt, and Mühlhausen (1703–08) Stauffer reports the discovery in 2005 of the organ tablatures that Bach wrote out when still in his teens of works by Reincken and Dieterich Buxtehude, showing "a disciplined, methodical, well-trained teenager deeply committed to learning his craft". Because of his musical talent Bach had significant contact with Böhm while a student in Lüneburg, and also took trips to nearby Hamburg where he observed "the great North German organist Johann Adam Reincken". While in Lüneburg, Bach had access to St. John's Church and possibly used the church's famous organ from 1553, since it was played by his organ teacher Georg Böhm. He came into contact with sons of aristocrats from northern Germany, sent to the highly selective school to prepare for careers in other disciplines. In addition to singing in the choir, he played the School's three-manual organ and harpsichords. His two years there were critical in exposing Bach to a wider range of European culture. Their journey was probably undertaken mostly on foot. Michael's School in Lüneburg, some two weeks' travel north of Ohrdruf. īy 3 April 1700 Bach and his schoolfriend Georg Erdmann–who was two years Bach's elder–were enrolled in the prestigious St. Also during this time he was taught theology, Latin, Greek, French and Italian at the local gymnasium. J.C. Bach exposed him to the works of great composers of the day, including South German composers such as Johann Pachelbel (under whom Johann Christoph had studied) and Johann Jakob Froberger North German composers Frenchmen, such as Jean-Baptiste Lully, Louis Marchand, and Marin Marais and the Italian clavierist Girolamo Frescobaldi. He received valuable teaching from his brother, who instructed him on the clavichord. There he studied, performed, and copied music, including his own brother's, despite being forbidden to do so because scores were so valuable and private and blank ledger paper of that type was costly. The 10-year-old Bach moved in with his eldest brother, Johann Christoph Bach (1671–1721), the organist at St. Michael's Church in Ohrdruf, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. īach's mother died in 1694, and his father died eight months later. One uncle, Johann Christoph Bach (1645–93), introduced him to the organ, and an older second cousin, Johann Ludwig Bach (1677–1731), was a well-known composer and violinist.
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH PROFESSIONAL
His uncles were all professional musicians, whose posts included church organists, court chamber musicians, and composers. He was the eighth and youngest child of Johann Ambrosius, who probably taught him violin and the basics of music theory.
He was the son of Johann Ambrosius Bach, the director of the town musicians, and Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, the capital of the duchy of Saxe-Eisenach, in present-day Germany, on 21 March 1685 O.S.
He is now generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. His music is revered for its technical command, artistic beauty, and intellectual depth.īach's abilities as an organist were highly respected during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognised as a great composer until a revival of interest in and performances of his music in the first half of the 19th century. Bach's compositions include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the Mass in B minor, two Passions, and over three hundred cantatas of which around two hundred survive. He enriched established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period.