Johann Sebastian Bach

Sara Naeem Cheema Lejla Causevic Karacic

Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21, 1685 in Eisenach and died on July 28,
1750 in Leipzig. He was the composer, most known for the Baroque Era, he was the
most celebrated composer in a big Germanic family known for north musicians who are
German. By many of his contemporaries he was primarily admired as an outstanding
harpsichordist, organist, and an expert on organ buildings. He is celebrated as the
creator of Brandenburg Concertos, The Well-Tempered Clavier, the Mass in B Minor,
and many other amazing pieces instrumental music and Church, he is well known as
one of the greatest composers out there. In the History of Music, he has been appeared
at a propitious moment. Bach brought together the principal styles, forms and national
traditions that had been improved during generations and by his virtue of synthesis.
Bach drafted a genealogy, Ursprung der musicalisch-Bachischen Familie, which means
“Origin of the Musical Family”. Johann Sebastian Bach was the youngest child of
Johann Ambrosius Bach and Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt, his parents. His father was a
string player, employed by the town council and ducal court of Eisenach. Johann
Sebastian Bach started school in 1692 or 1693 with frequent absences. He attended the
Georgenkirche, his musical education was picked up the rudiments of his father since
he was a string player. Georgenkirche was where Johann Christoph Bach was an
organist until 1703. Bach’s both parents were dead by 1695, his eldest brother had
been looking after him, his eldest brother was also named Johann Christoph, he was an
organist at Ohrdruf. Christoph was a pupil of Johann Pachelbel of the influential
keyboard and he gave him formal lessons of keyboard. Young Bach did well in school,
by 1700 his voice was secured and gave him a place in a choir of poor boys at the
school in Michaelskirche, Lüneburg. He was making himself useful as he remained at
Lüneburg, since his voice had been broken out. He certainly studied in a school library,
which had a modern collection of church music. He likely listened to George Böhm, who
was the organist at the Johanniskirche. He traveled to Hamburg to hear Johann Adam
Reinken, a famous organist and composer at the Katharinenkirche. He also managed to
attend the performances by the French orchestra supported by the duke of Celle. After
some time in Lüneburg and Ohrdurf, Bach returned to Thuringia in the late summer of
1702. He had become quite skilled at playing the organ by this point and had moved
away from the string-playing tradition of his family. He mainly focused on performing
and composing keyboard sacred music. It’s unclear what he did in the following months,
by March 4, 1703, he joined the orchestra of Johann Ernst, the duke of Weimar.
However, this was only a short-term position as he was interested in a new organ
getting built in Arnstadt. When the organ was completed, he helped to test it and was
arranged as the organist there at the age of 18. There are records suggesting that he
had also been a court organist in Weimar, even though he may have played there from
time to time. During his time in Arnstadt, Bach focused on keyboard music, especially
the organ. However, he was in need of uncovering to the renowned organ music of
Dietrich Buxtehude. To solve this, Bach took a month’s leave to travel to Lübeck and
learn from Buxtehude. Upon his return, Bach faced complaints from his employers,
including his uncontrolled use of harmonization in hymn tunes and his failure to produce
cantatas. These issues may have been a result of Bach’s thinking with the organ and
his strained
relationships with local musicians. Despite these complaints, Bach was not dismissed,
indicating that his employers recognized his exceptional talent and were reluctant to let
him go. During his early years, Bach was exposed to the musical traditions of the
Thuringian area, including the traditional forms and hymns of the Lutheran service. He
also learned from the formalistic styles of the south, likely influenced by his brother
Johann Christoph. Additionally, he eagerly studied the works of northern rhapsodists,
particularly Buxtehude. By 1708, Bach had likely reached a point where he had learned
all he could from his German ancestors and had combined elements of both northern
and southern German styles. He also independently studied French organ and
instrumental music. During Bach’s early years, a few of his works can be confidently
attributed to this time period. These include the Capriccio sopra la lontananza del suo
fratello dilettissimo, the chorale prelude on Wie schön leuchtet, and a preliminary
version of the organ Prelude and Fugue in G Minor. The provided “BMV” numbers are
the catalog numbers established by Wolfgang Schmeider. In 1707, Bach got a job at the
Blaisuskirche in Mühlhausen and married his cousin Maria Barbara Bach. During his
time in Mühlhausen, Bach wrote several traditional church cantatas and composed
famous organ pieces. He also worked on expanding the choir library and tries to
promote music in the surrounding villages. Bach resigned from his position in June
1708, possibly due to conflicts with his pastor and dissatisfaction with the musical
environment. He then moved to Weimar, where he remained on good terms with people
from Mühlhausen and continued his musical pursuits. Bach held the position of court
organist at Weimar and was also part of the orchestra. He was encouraged by Wilhelm
Ernst to focus on the organ in the beginning years. He would occasionally travel to
Weissenfels and in February 1713, he performed his first secular cantata, know as the
Hunt Cantata, during a court celebration. In 1713, Bach held the chance to replace
Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow at the Liebfrauenkirche in Halle, but he decided to stay at
Weimar because the duke offered him a higher salary. In 1714, he became the
concertmaster and was responsible for composing a cantata every month. Bach
became friends with Johann Gottfried Walther, a relative who was a music lexicographer
and composer. They both participated in musical activities at the Gelbes Schloss, which
was occupied by Dule Wilhelm’s nephews, Ernst August and Johann Ernst passed
away in 1725 at the age of 19. During the years 1708-1714, there is limited information
on Bach’s development due to a lack of dated works. However, it is clear from the
cantatas he wrote between 1714-1716 that he was heavily influenced by the new styles
and forms of Italian opera and concerto composers like Vivaldi. This influence can be
seen in specific cantatas from this period. Bach adopted Italian forms such as refrain
and da capo schemes, which allowed him to create larger musical forms. These
techniques influenced his arias, concerto movements, fugues, and treatment of
chorales. Most of Johann Sebastian Bach’s compositions at Weimar include the
Orgelbüchlein, the majority of the 18 ”Great” chorale preludes, the first organ trios, and
many organ preludes and fugues. The “Great” Prelude and Fugue in G Major for organ
was revised around 1715, and it is possible that the Toccata and Fugue in F Major was
performed in Weissennfels. On December 1, 1716, Johann Samuel Drese, the musical
director a Weimar, passed away. His son took over his position but was not very well-
known. It is believed that Bach felt resentful about being passed over and eventually
accepted a job as the musical director for Prince Leopold of Köthen in August 1717.
However, Duke Wilhelm did not accept Bach’s resignation, possibly due to his friendship
with the duke’s nephews who were on bad terms with the duke. In September, a contest
between Bach and the renowned French organist Louis Marchand was arranged in
Dresden. The exact details are unclear, but Marchand evaded the contest by leaving
Dresden a few hours before it was supposed to take place, implying that Bach won.
This may have given Bach the confidence to reiterate his request to leave Weimar,
which led to his imprisonment by the duke for a month from November 6 to December
2. Shortly after his release, Bach relocated to Köthen, which is approximately 30 miles
north of Halle.