Johann Sebastian Bach & His Musial Masterpieces

Music from all over the world has been molded by the many composers in music history. Different styles and sounds have helped shape the music world today. One of the great composers in history is Johann Sebastian Bach. Best known for his eccentric and dramatic sound, he spent most of his career as an organist. Bach is considered to be the best composers in music history with a library of over 1000 pieces of work. Bach was a very spiritual man that worked really hard to prevail in making some of the greatest music of all time. His life, era of music he was involved in, and famous pieces of work all prove that Bach was a very Influential composer.

Johann Sebastian Bach was born March 31 1685 in Eisenach, Germany. He was proceeded by a large family of musicians that were mostly known in Germany. His father, Johann Ambrosius, was the town musician in Eisenach. His father also taught him how to play the violin. Bach attended a religious school named St. Michaels when he was around the age of 7. By the time Bach reached age 10, both of his parents died and he became an orphan (Stapert). His older brother, Johann Cristoph took him in until around age 15. By this time Bach had began to sing and play the harpsichord. Although he was able to play other instruments, he is best known for playing the organ. Bach went on to marry his first wife Maria Barbara Bach shortly after moving out of his brothers house. She happened to be his second cousin. They were married from 1707 to 1720 and had many children together. Out of the 7 children they had together, 3 of them died during child birth. After her sudden death in 1720, Bach went on to marry his second wife, Anna Magdalena Bach in 1721. Together they had a total of 13 kids in which 7 of them died at a young age. As Bach got older, his eyesight began to worsen and he was eventually overcome by blindness after failed eye surgery. On July 28, 1750 he died of a stroke (Marshall).

Bach had a very successful career during his lifetime. During his early career, he took on many jobs working for the church. One job that Bach took on was a job being an organist for the New Church in Arnstadt. After taking s break from working for the church, Bach decided to travel, for a while. He took on a new job at the Church of St. Blaise in Mühlhausen. While working here, Bach’s style of music and sound began to change from dramatic to a more simple sound. One of the famous pieces of work brought on from this change is called “Gottes zeit ist die allerbesle Zeit” also known as “Actus Tragicus” (Leaver). As Bach continued to write church cantatas, he also be an to work for the courts. While working for the courts, Bach was able to compose solo keyboard and orchestral pieces as well as concertos. Over the span of Johann Sebastian Bach’s career, he made many famous secular and sacred works for the church and orchestra. He had skillfully mastered composing fugal works. His great style landed him through title of best organist in the world and many musicians after him were, and still are inspired by his musical accomplishments.

Johann Sebastian Bach was a major composer of the Baroque Era. The Baroque era came to be right before the Neoclassical Era and right after the Renaissance Era of music. This era of music was very popular in European countries during the 17th century, starting around the year 1600 and continuing all the way up to the 18th century which ended around the year 1750. The word baroque is considered to be the Western European form of art and music. Johann Sebastian Bach’s work fit into this era because his style of music was both dynamic and ornate. During this time, composers and musicians were highly sought upon by local government, aristocracy, and the church. Only composers and artists with great connections to someone involved in the government or the church would actually earn money for their work. Bach was often asked by the church to write pieces, not by choice, but just to be able to work and earn a living. During this time period, many musicians believed that music was a form of communication. This era of music blends ideas from ancient Greek and Roman ideas that music could stimulate the emotions of those listening. In addition to having a philosophical meaning the baroque era also had very special sound. Different sounds in instruments including performance technique, pitch, and timbre helped set the baroque era apart from other time periods in music history.

Many famous musicians were inspired by the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. Some of these composers include Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig Van Beethoven. Composers like Beethoven create architecture through his music that mirrors the counterpoint found in some of Bach’s pieces (The New York Times). Bach’s music has also inspired other people to recreate some of his pieces. A musician named Alison Balsom was very inspired by a few movements from Bach and decided that they could be played on different instruments and sound just as good (Balsom). Not only did Bach create the concept of counterpoint, he also used many melodies. Unlike many music creators today who sample other people’s music instead of creating their own, Bach created his own pieces using ideas and themes from other composers. Today, music can be made without instruments, with all kinds of technology, and even your smart phone. Records, CD’s, and even digital recordings are the way we listen to music today. Sometimes it is nice to take a step back and listen to music from before and admire the beauty in it. Bach is considered to be one of the greatest composers alive and his music is still loved and inspires millions around the world.

Works Cited Page

Da Fonseca-Wollheim, Corinna. "Going Back to Bach for Inspiration." New York Times, 19 Oct. 2017, p. C2(L). Opposing Viewpoints In Context, http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.losrios.edu/apps/doc/A510266458/OVIC?u=cclc_sac&sid=OVIC&xid=4ed9110f. Accessed 18 July 2018.

Marshall, Robert L. "Toward a Twenty-First-Century Bach Biography." Musical Quarterly, vol. 84, no. 3, Fall2000, p. 497. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.losrios.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=4142579&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Leaver, Robin A. "Sermons That Sing." Christian History & Biography, no. 95, Summer2007, pp. 28-33.EBSCOhost, ezproxy.losrios.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=26329216&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

STEARNS, DAVID PATRICK. "Writing the BOOK on BACH. (Cover Story)." Opera News, vol. 79, no. 1, July 2014, pp. 24-27. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.losrios.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=96704881&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Balsom, Alison. "Young Blood." Classic Record Collector, no. 48, Spring2007, p. 104. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.losrios.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=25165858&site=ehost-live&scope=site.