The Life and Music of J. S. Bach

By Laurie Anne Woodill

     Johann Sebastian Bach is the most renowned of seven generations of Bachs to become musicians.
     He was born on March 21, 1685, in Eisenach, Germany. He was taught to play the violin, viola, and organ when he was a young boy. Bach's first musical training was given to him by his father Johann Ambrosius, who was a town musician.
     When Bach was ten years old, his father died. Young Bach then went to live and study with his elder brother Johann Christoph, a student of the famous Pachelbel.
     When he was fifteen, Bach went to work as a chorister at a Lutheran church in Lüneburg. Three years later he became a violinist in the court of Prince Johann Ernst of Weimar. Later that year, he became a church organist in Arnstadt. Here he composed music for Sunday and holiday services.
     In 1707, J.S. Bach married a distant relation, Maria Barbara Bach. They had seven children.
     For nine years Bach worked as a musician in the court of Duke Wilhelm Ernst. During this period, he composed about thirty cantatas and wrote pieces for organ and harpsichord.
     Ten years later Bach became chapelmaster and court musician for Prince Leopold. He composed music for ensembles and wrote music books to help his sons learn organ and harpsichord. These, including the Little Organ Book and the Inventions, are still studied by piano students today.
     About this time, Bach's first wife died and he married Anna Magdalena Wilcken, who bore him thirteen children.
     The remainder of Bach's life was spent as choirmaster of St. Thomas' church. Here he wrote 295 cantatas and 19 fugues, which were all based on one musical theme.
     Bach was a devout Lutheran, as can be seen by his many religious compositions, among which were "The Passion of St. John" and "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."
     Although Bach never studied in other countries, he was able to learn foreign styles by copying and arranging music of foreign composers. He put these styles to use in his compositions such as the French Suite in E flat. During his lifetime, Bach was regarded not as a composer, but as an organist. It wasn't until 1829 that Bach was recognized as the brilliant composer he was.
     Johann Sebastian Bach died July 28, 1750, in Leipzig, Germany, leaving behind compositions in every musical genre of the Baroque era except opera

Band Photos

The band rehearsing at St. Mary's