Johann Sebastian Bach, 1748 portrait by Elias Gottlob Haussmann

Johann Sebastian Bach (March 21, 1685^{[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach#fn_birth)} (O.S.) – July 28, 1750^{[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach#fn_death)} (N.S.)) was a German composer and organist of the Baroque period, and is universally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. His works, noted for their intellectual depth, technical command, and artistic beauty, have provided inspiration to nearly every musician in the European tradition, from Mozart to Schoenberg. Download high resolution version (610x914, 114 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (610x914, 114 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Events April 24 - A congress assembles at Aix-la-Chapelle with the intent to conclude the struggle known as the War of Austrian Succession - at October 18 - The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed to end the war Adam Smith begins to deliver public lectures in Edinburgh Building of... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... Events February 6 - James Stuart, Duke of York becomes King James II of England and Ireland and King James VII of Scotland. ... The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, taking force in 45 BC or 709 ab urbe condita. ... July 28 is the 209th day (210th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 156 days remaining. ... Events March 2 - Small earthquake in London April 4 - Small earthquake in Warrington, England August 23 - Small earthquake in Spalding, England September 30 - Small earthquake in Northampton, England November 16 – Westminster Bridge officially opened Jonas Hanway is the first Englishman to use an umbrella James Gray reveals her sex to... The Gregorian calendar is the calendar widely used in the Western world. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... This article or section should be merged with Pipe organ The Casavant pipe organ at Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, Montreal The organ is a type of keyboard musical instrument, distinctive because the sound is not produced by a percussion action, as on a piano or celesta, or by... Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens: dynamic figures spiral down around a void: draperies blow: a whirl of movement lit in a shaft of light, rendered in a free bravura handling of paint The Baroque was a style in art that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... W.A. Mozart at the age of 21 W.A. Mozart at the age of 34 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) is considered one of the greatest composers of European classical music. ... Arnold Schoenberg, Los Angeles, 1948 For the American music critic and journalist, see Harold Charles Schonberg. ...

Biography

Formative years

J. S. Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany^{[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach#fn_birthplace)}, in 1685 and died in 1750 at the age of 65. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was the town piper in Eisenach, a post that entailed organizing all the secular music in town as well as participating in church music at the direction of the church organist; his uncles were also all professional musicians ranging from church organists and court chamber musicians to composers, although Bach would later surpass them all in his art. In an era when sons were expected to be apprentices to their fathers, we can assume J. S. Bach began copying music and playing various instruments at an early age. Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. ... Events February 6 - James Stuart, Duke of York becomes King James II of England and Ireland and King James VII of Scotland. ... Events March 2 - Small earthquake in London April 4 - Small earthquake in Warrington, England August 23 - Small earthquake in Spalding, England September 30 - Small earthquake in Northampton, England November 16 – Westminster Bridge officially opened Jonas Hanway is the first Englishman to use an umbrella James Gray reveals her sex to... Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. ...

Bach's mother died when he was still a young boy and his father suddenly died when J. S. Bach was nine, at which time Bach moved in with his older brother Johann Christoph Bach, who was the organist of Ohrdruf in Germany. While in his brother's house, Bach continued copying, studying, and playing music. According to one popular legend of the young composer's curiosity, late one night, when the house was asleep, he retrieved a manuscript (which may have been a collection of works by Johann Christoph's former mentor, Johann Pachelbel) from his brother's music cabinet and began to copy it by the moonlight. This went on nightly until Johann Christoph heard the young Sebastian playing some of the distinctive tunes from his private library, at which point the elder brother demanded to know how Sebastian had come to learn them. Ohrdruf is a famous cathedral which J.S. Bach was the organist of. ... Johann Pachelbel (August 1653 - March 3, 1706) was a German Baroque composer and organist, best remembered for his Canon in D. Pachelbel was organist at Erfurt, in the Thuringian region of Germany. ...

Bach as a young man

It was at Ohrdruf that Bach began to learn about organ building. The Ohrdruf church's instrument, it seems, was in constant need of minor repairs, and he was often sent into the belly of the old organ to tighten, adjust, or replace various parts. The church organ, with its moving bellows, manifold stops, and complicated mechanism, was the most complex machine in any European town. This practical experience with the innards of the instrument would provide a unique counterpoint to his unequalled skill in playing it; Bach was equally at home talking with organ builders and with performers. The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... This article or section should be merged with Pipe organ The Casavant pipe organ at Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, Montreal The organ is a type of keyboard musical instrument, distinctive because the sound is not produced by a percussion action, as on a piano or celesta, or by...

While in school and as a young man, Bach's curiosity compelled him to seek out great organists of Germany such as Georg Böhm, Dietrich Buxtehude and Johann Adam Reinken, often taking journeys of considerable length to hear them play. He was also influenced by the work of Nicholas Bruhns. Shortly after graduation (Bach completed Latin school when he was 18, an impressive accomplishment in his day, especially considering that he was the first in his family to finish school), Bach took a post as organist at Arnstadt in 1703. He apparently felt cramped in the small town and began to seek his fortune elsewhere. Owing to his virtuosity, he was soon offered a more lucrative organist post in Mühlhausen. Some of Bach's earliest extant compositions date to this period (including, according to some scholars, his famous Toccata and Fugue in D Minor), but much of the music Bach wrote during this time has been lost. The famous organist Georg Böhm (September 2, 1661 - May 18, 1733) was born in Hohenkirchen, Thuringia Germany. ... Diderik Hansen Buxtehude (ca. ... Johann Adam Reinken (April 27, 1623 - November 24, 1722) was an organist at St. ... Nicholas Bruhns (1665-1697) was one of the greatest organists and composers of his time, and an important influence on Johann Sebastian Bach. ... Arnstadt is a place in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany. ... Events February 2 - Earthquake in Aquila, Italy February 4 - In Japan, the 47 samurai commit seppuku (ritual suicide) February 14 - Earthquake in Norcia, Italy May 27 - Founding of St Petersburg in Russia May 26 - Portugal joins Grand Alliance July 29-31 - Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the... Mühlhausen is a city in the federal state Thuringia, Germany. ... Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is the name of two different pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach: BWV 538 and BWV 565. ...

Professional life

Still not content as organist of Mühlhausen, in 1708 Bach took a position as court organist and concert master at the ducal court in Weimar. Here he had opportunity not only to play the organ but also to compose for it and play a more varied repertoire of concert music with the duke's ensemble. A devotee of contrapuntal music, Bach's steady output of fugues begins in Weimar. The best known example of his fugal writing is probably The Well-Tempered Clavier, which comprises 48 preludes and fugues, one pair for each major and minor key, a monumental work not only for its masterful use of counterpoint but also for exploring, for the first time, the full glory of keys — and the means of expression made possible by their slight differences from each other — available to keyboard musicians when their instruments are tuned according to Andreas Werckmeister's system of well temperament or similar system. Events March 23 - James Francis Edward Stuart lands at the Firth of Forth September 28 - Peter the Great defeats the Swedes at the Battle of Lesnaya Kandahar conquered by Mir Wais In Masuria one third of the population die during the plague J.S. Bach appointed as chamber musician and... Concert-master. ... For the locality in Texas called Weimar see Weimar, Texas, there is also Weimar bei Kassel and Weimar in Marburg-Biedenkopf. ... Counterpoint is a very general feature of music (especially prominent in much Western music) whereby two or more melodic strands occur simultaneously - in separate voices, either literally or metaphorically (if the music is instrumental). ... For the use of the word in psychology see fugue state In music, a fugue is a type of piece written in counterpoint for several independent musical voices. ... Title-page of Das wohtemperierte Klavier A flat major (As-dur) fugue from the second part of Das wohtemperierte Klavier (manuscript) The Well-Tempered Clavier (Das wohltemperierte Klavier in German -- Klavier means piano, but the English word clavier (which means keyboard) looks more like the German title) consists of two... In music theory, the major scale is one of the diatonic scales. ... A minor scale in musical theory can be viewed as the sixth mode of the major scale. ... Counterpoint is a very general feature of music (especially prominent in much Western music) whereby two or more melodic strands occur simultaneously - in separate voices, either literally or metaphorically (if the music is instrumental). ... Well temperaments are a form of musical tuning, also known as circular temperaments, or irregular temperaments. ...

Also during his tenure at Weimar, Bach began work on the Orgelbüchlein for his son Wilhelm Friedemann. This "little book" of organ music contains traditional Lutheran church hymns harmonized by Bach and compiled in a way to be instructive to organ students. This incomplete work introduces two major themes into Bach's corpus: firstly, his dedication to teaching, and secondly, his love of the traditional chorale as a form and source of inspiration. Bach's dedication to teaching is especially remarkable. There was hardly any period in his life when he did not have a full-time apprentice studying with him, and there were always numerous private students studying in Bach's house, including such 18th century notables as Johann Friedrich Agricola. Still today, students of nearly every instrument encounter Bach's works early and revisit him throughout their careers. The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... A chorale is a hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation. ... Johann Friedrich Agricola (January 4, 1720–December 2, 1774) was a German composer, organist, singer, teacher and writer on music. ...

The St. Thomas church in Leipzig

Sensing increasing political tensions in the ducal court of Weimar, Bach began once again to search out a more stable job conducive to his musical interests. Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen hired Bach to serve as his Kapellmeister (director of music). Prince Leopold, himself a musician, appreciated Bach's talents, compensated him well, and gave him considerable latitude in composing and performing. However, the prince was Calvinist and did not use elaborate music in his worship, so most of Bach's work from this period is secular in nature. The Brandenburg concerti, as well as many other instrumental works, including the Six Suites for Solo Cello, the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, and the Orchestral Suites, date from this period. St. ... A Kapellmeister is nowadays the director or conductor of an orchestra or choir. ... In an unadorned church, the 17th century congregation stands to hear the sermon. ... The six Brandenburg concertos (BWV 1046-1051) by Johann Sebastian Bach are a collection of instrumental works presented by Bach to the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1721, but probably composed earlier. ... The Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, acclaimed as some of the greatest works ever written for solo cello, were composed by Johann Sebastian Bach during 1717 - 1723 when he served as a Kapellmeister in Cöthen. ... Sonata (From Latin and Italian sonare, to sound), in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to cantata (Latin cantare, to sing), a piece sung. ... Partita was originally the name for a single instrumental piece of music (16th and 17th centuries), but Johann Kuhnau and later German composers (notably Bach) used it for collections of musical pieces, as a synonym for suite. ...

In 1723, J. S. Bach was appointed Cantor and Musical Director of the Thomaskirche, Leipzig. This post required him not only to instruct the students of the St. Thomas school (Thomasschule) in singing but also to provide weekly music at the two main churches in Leipzig. Bach endeavoured to compose a new church piece, or cantata, every week. This challenging schedule, which amounted to writing an hour's worth of music every week, in addition to his more menial duties at the school, produced some of his best music, most of which has been preserved. Most of the cantatas from this period expound upon the Sunday readings from the Bible for the week in which they were originally performed; some were written using traditional church hymns, such as Wachet auf! Ruft uns die Stimme and Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, as inspiration for the music. Events February 16 - Louis XV of France attains his majority Births February 24 - John Burgoyne, British general (d. ... The word Cantor can mean more than one thing: Cantor is another name for a Hazzan, a member of the Jewish clergy Cantor is the title of a member of a student society who is the main singer at a cantus Famous people named Cantor include: Eddie Cantor, singer & entertainer... Map of Germany showing Leipzig Leipzig [ˈlaiptsɪç] (Polish; Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk) is the largest city in the federal state (Bundesland) of Saxony in Germany. ... Cantata (Italian for a song or story set to music), a vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement. ... The Bible (From Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, plural of βιβλιον, biblion, book, originally a diminutive of βιβλος, biblos, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos, meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported this writing material), is a word applied to sacred scriptures. ...

On holy days such as Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter, Bach produced cantatas of particular brilliance, most notably the Magnificat in D for Christmas and St. Matthew Passion for Good Friday. The composer himself considered the monumental St. Matthew Passion among his greatest masterpieces; in his correspondence, he referred to it as his "great Passion" and carefully prepared a calligraphic manuscript of the work, which required every available musician in town for its performance. Bach's representation of the essence and message of Christianity in his religious music is considered by many to be so powerful and beautiful that in Germany he is sometimes referred to as the Fifth Evangelist. Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... Good Friday is a special day celebrated by Christians on the Friday before Easter or Pascha. ... Easter is the most important holiday of the Christian year, observed in March, April, or May each year to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead after his death by crucifixion (see Good Friday), which Christians believe happened at about this time of year around AD 30-33. ... Magnificat is the Latin name of the canticle of Mary, the mother of Jesus, which she speaks to Elisabeth, the wife of Zechariah. ... Bachs St. ... Evangelism is the proclaiming of the Christian Gospel. ...

Family life

Morning prayers in the family of Sebastian Bach

Bach married his second cousin, Maria Barbara Bach, on October 17, 1707 in Dornheim after receiving an inheritance of 50 gulden.^{[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach#fn_Maria_Barbara_marriage)} They had 7 children, 4 of whom survived to adulthood. Little is known of Maria Barbara. She died suddenly on July 7, 1720 while Bach was travelling with Prince Leopold. Morning prayers in the family of Sebastian Bach This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Morning prayers in the family of Sebastian Bach This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... October 17 is the 290th (in leap years the 291st) day of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 1 - John V is crowned King of Portugal March 26 - The Act of Union becomes law, making the separate Kingdoms of England and Scotland into one country, the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... The guilder (Dutch gulden), represented by the symbol ƒ, was the name of the currency used in the Netherlands from the 15th century until 1999, when it was replaced by the euro (coins and notes were not introduced until 2002). ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... Events January 6 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings February 11 - Sweden and Prussia sign the (2nd Treaty of Stockholm) declaring peace. ...

While at Cöthen, Bach met Anna Magdalena Wilcke, a young soprano. They married on December 3, 1721. Despite the age difference (she was 17 years his junior), the couple seem to have had a very happy marriage. Anna supported Johann's composing (many final scores are in her hand) while he encouraged her singing. Together they had 13 children. Anna Magdalena Bach-Wilcken (22 September 1701– 22 February 1760) was the second wife of Johann Sebastian Bach. ... This article is about singers. ... December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Pope Innocent XIII becomes pope Johann Sebastian Bach composes the Brandenburg Concertos April 4 - Robert Walpole becomes the first prime minister of Britain September 10 - Treaty of Nystad is signed, bringing an end to the Great Northern War November 2 - Peter I is proclaimed Emperor of All the Russias...

All the Bach children were musically inclined, which must have given the aging composer much pride. His sons Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, Johann Christian Bach, and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach all became accomplished musicians, with J.C. Bach greatly influencing the early work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Although the barriers to women having professional careers were great, all of Bach's daughters most likely sang and possibly played in their father's ensembles. The only one of the Bach daughters to marry, Elisabeth Juliana Friederica, chose as her husband Bach's student Johann Christoph Altnikol. Most of the music we have from Bach was passed on through his children, who preserved much of what C.P.E. Bach called the "Old Bach Archive" after his father's death. Wilhelm Friedemann Bach Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (November 22, 1710 – July 1, 1784) was the eldest, and by common repute the most gifted son, of Johann Sebastian Bach; a famous organist, a famous improvisor, and a complete master of counterpoint. ... Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach (1715–1739) was the fourth son of Johann Sebastian Bach. ... Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (June 21, 1732—January 26, 1795), the ninth son of Johann Sebastian Bach, sometimes referred to as the Bückeburg Bach. Born at Leipzig, Germany, he was taught music by his father. ... Johann Christian Bach Johann Christian Bach (September 5, 1735 – January 1, 1782) was a composer of the Classical era. ... Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (Weimar, March 8, 1714 – December 14, German musician and composer, the second son of Johann Sebastian Bach. ... W.A. Mozart at the age of 21 W.A. Mozart at the age of 34 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) is considered one of the greatest composers of European classical music. ...

At Leipzig, Bach seems to have fit in amongst the faculty of the university, with many professors standing as god-parents for his children, and some of the university's men of letters and theology providing many of the librettos for his cantatas. In this last capacity Bach enjoyed a particularly fruitful relationship with the poet Picander. Sebastian and Anna Magdalena also welcomed friends, family, and fellow musicians from all over Germany into their home; court musicians at Dresden and Berlin as well as musicians including George Philipp Telemann (one of C.P.E.'s godfathers) made frequent visits to Bach's house and may have kept up frequent correspondence with him. Interestingly, Georg Friedrich Händel, who was born in Halle (appr. 50 km from Leipzig) in the same year as Bach, made several trips to Germany, but Bach was unable to meet him, a fact he regretted. Libretto can also refer to a sub-notebook PC manufactured by Toshiba. ... Picander was the pseudonym of Christian Friedrich Henrici (January 14, 1700 - May 10, 1764), German poet and librettist for many of Johann Sebastian Bachs Leipzig cantatas. ... Georg Philipp Telemann (March 14, 1681–June 25, 1767) was a German Baroque music composer, born in Magdeburg. ...

Johann Sebastian Bach

Download high resolution version (610x914, 114 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (610x914, 114 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...

Later life

Having spent much of the 1720s composing weekly cantatas, Bach assembled a sizable repertoire of church music that, with minor revisions and a few additions, allowed him to continue performing impressive Sunday music programs while pursuing other interests in secular music, both vocal and instrumental. Many of these later works were collaborations with Leipzig's Collegium Musicum, but some were increasingly introspective and abstract compositional masterpieces that represent the pinnacle of Bach's art. These erudite works start with the four volumes of his Clavier-Übung ("Keyboard Practice") a set of keyboard works to inspire and challenge organists and lovers of music that includes the Six Partitas for Keyboard (Vol. I), the Italian Concerto, the French Overture (Vol. II), and the Goldberg variations (Vol. IV). Events January 6 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings February 11 - Sweden and Prussia sign the (2nd Treaty of Stockholm) declaring peace. ... Collegium Musicum is a Latin term for a group of amateur musicians connected with a university. ... Partita was originally the name for a single instrumental piece of music (16th and 17th centuries), but Johann Kuhnau and later German composers (notably Bach) used it for collections of musical pieces, as a synonym for suite. ... The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, is a theme and variations by Johann Sebastian Bach, originally written for the harpsichord but nowadays frequently performed on the piano. ...

At the same time, Bach wrote a complete Mass in B Minor, which incorporated newly composed movements with portions from earlier works. Although the mass was never performed during the composer's lifetime, it is considered to be among the greatest of his choral works. The Mass in B Minor (BWV 232) is a work of music by Johann Sebastian Bach. ...

In 1747 Bach went to Frederick the Great's court in Potsdam, where the king played a theme for Bach and challenged him to improvise a fugue based on his theme. Bach improvised a three-part fugue on Frederick's pianoforte, then a novelty, and later presented the king with a Musical Offering which consists of fugues, canons and a trio based on the "royal theme". Its six part fugue includes a slightly altered subject more suitable for extensive elaboration. Frederick's original theme begins in triads and then ends with a chromatic descent more characteristic of the rococo style. However, Bach used chromatic descent in many other works, famously the Fugue in G minor from Sonata No. 1 for Unaccompanied Violin and in the romanesca bass line in his monumental Chaconne in D minor from Partita No. 2 for Unaccompanied Violin. Events January 31 - The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Dock Hospital April 9 - The Scottish Jacobite Lord Lovat was beheaded by axe on Tower Hill, London, for high treason; he was the last man to be executed in this way in Britain May 14 - First battle of Cape... Frederick the Great Frederick II of Prussia (Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was the Hohenzollern king of Prussia 1740–86. ... (This article is about the German city of Potsdam. ... The piano Piano is a common abbreviation for pianoforte, a large musical instrument with a keyboard (see keyboard instrument). ... The Musical Offering (German title Musikalisches Opfer or Das Musikalische Opfer) is a collection of canons and fugues and other pieces of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, based on a musical theme by Frederick II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) and dedicated to him. ... The Musical Offering (German title Musikalisches Opfer or Das Musikalische Opfer) is a collection of canons and fugues and other pieces of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, based on a musical theme by Frederick II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) and dedicated to him. ...

Bach's famous unfinished work, The Art of Fugue, was written months before his death. It consists of eighteen complex fugues and canons based on a simple theme, the last quadruple fugue of which stopped unexpectedly after the composer introduced a third theme, a play on his name. A magnum opus of thematic transformation and contrapuntal devices, this work is often cited as the summation of polyphonic techniques. The Art of Fugue or The Art of the Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge), BWV 1080, is an unfinished work by Johann Sebastian Bach composed in 1748-1749 and published after his death in 1750. ... The Art of Fugue or The Art of the Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge), BWV 1080, is an unfinished work by Johann Sebastian Bach composed in 1748-1749 and published after his death in 1750. ... In music, the BACH motif is the sequence of notes B flat, A, C, B natural. ...

The final work Bach completed was a chorale prelude for organ dictated to his son-in-law, Johann Christoph Altnikol, from his deathbed. Entitled Vor Deinen Thron Tret Ich Hiermit (Before Thy Throne I Now Appear), when the notes of the final cadence are counted and mapped onto the Roman alphabet, the word "BACH" is again found. The chorale is often played after the unfinished fourteenth fugue to conclude performances of The Art of Fugue. In music, the BACH motif is the sequence of notes B flat, A, C, B natural. ...

Johann Sebastian Bach spent his last days in Leipzig and died there in 1750. During his life he composed over 1,000 pieces.

Works

the BWV numbering system

Violin Sonata #1 in G minor (BWV 1001) in Bach's handwriting

Johann Sebastian Bach pieces are indexed with BWV numbers, where BWV is Bach Werke Verzeichnis. The catalogue, published in 1950, was compiled by Wolfgang Schmieder and the BWV numbers are sometimes referred to as Schmieder Numbers. A variant of this system uses S, instead of BWV, for Schmieder. Download high resolution version (535x847, 217 KB)This is Bachs Sonata #1 in G minor, in his own handwriting. ... Download high resolution version (535x847, 217 KB)This is Bachs Sonata #1 in G minor, in his own handwriting. ... BWV is the acronym for: the SIL code for the language Bahau River Kenyah spoken in Borneo. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Wolfgang Schmieder (1901-1990) was a German musicologist who in 1950 published the BWV, or Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (Bach Works Catalogue), a catalog of musical works by Johann Sebastian Bach. ...

The catalogue is organised thematically rather than chronologically: BWV 1-222 are cantatas, BWV 225-248 the large-scale choral works, BWV 250-524 chorales and sacred songs, BWV 525-748 organ works, BWV 772-994 other keyboard works, BWV 995-1000 lute music, BWV 1001-1040 chamber music, BWV 1041-1071 orchestral music and BWV 1072-1126 canons and fugues. In compiling the catalogue Schmieder largely followed the Bach Gesellschaft Ausgabe, a comprehensive edition of the composer's works produced between 1850 and 1905. Cantata (Italian for a song or story set to music), a vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement. ... A chorale is a hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation. ... This article or section should be merged with Pipe organ The Casavant pipe organ at Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, Montreal The organ is a type of keyboard musical instrument, distinctive because the sound is not produced by a percussion action, as on a piano or celesta, or by... The lute is a plucked string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back. ... Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ... Canon can mean: A rule adopted by an ecumenical council of the Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches. ... For the use of the word in psychology see fugue state In music, a fugue is a type of piece written in counterpoint for several independent musical voices. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1905 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

For a list of works catalogued by BWV number, see List of compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach. The BWV numbers given here for the works of Johann Sebastian Bach are from Bach-Werke Verzeichnis by Wolfgang Schmieder, a thematic catalogue of Bachs works. ...

Organ works

Bach was best known during his lifetime as an organist, organ consultant, and composer of organ works both in free genres (such as preludes, fantasias, and toccatas) and proscribed forms like the chorale prelude. Despite his lack of formal training as an organist, Bach established a reputation early on for his great creativity and ability to integrate aspects of several different national styles into his organ works. A decidedly North German influence was exerted by Georg Böhm, whom Bach came in contact with in Lüneburg, and Dietrich Buxtehude in Lübeck, whom the young organist visited in 1704 on an extended leave of absence from his job in Arnstadt. Around this time Bach also copied the works of numerous French and Italian composers in order to gain insights into their compositional languages, and later even arranged several violin concertos by Vivaldi and others for organ. His most productive period (1708-1714) saw not only the composition of several pairs of preludes and fugues and toccatas and fugues, but also the writing of the Orgelbüchlein ("Little Organ Book"), an unfinished collection of 49 short chorale preludes intended to demonstrate various compositional techniques that could be used in setting chorale tunes. After leaving Weimar, Bach's output for organ fell off, although his most well-known works (the six trio sonatas, the Clavierübung III of 1739, and the "Great Eighteen" chorales, revised very late in his life) were all composed after this time. Bach was also extensively engaged later in his life in consulting on various organ projects, testing newly-built organs, and dedicating organs in afternoon recitals. In music, a prelude is a short piece, usually in no particular form. ... The fantasia (also Eng. ... Toccata (Italian for touched) is a piece of classical music for a keyboard instrument, generally emphasizing the dexterity of the performer. ... In music, a chorale prelude is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. ... The famous organist Georg Böhm (September 2, 1661 - May 18, 1733) was born in Hohenkirchen, Thuringia Germany. ... Map of Germany showing Lüneburg Lüneburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, about 50km southeast of Hamburg. ... Diderik Hansen Buxtehude (ca. ... Statistics State: Schleswig-Holstein District: Independent city Area: 214. ... Arnstadt is a place in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany. ... Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Vivaldi (March 4, 1678, Venice – July 28, 1741, Vienna), nicknamed Il Prete Rosso, meaning The Red Priest, was an Italian priest and baroque music composer. ... For the use of the word in psychology see fugue state In music, a fugue is a type of piece written in counterpoint for several independent musical voices. ... A chorale is a hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation. ... Sonata (From Latin and Italian sonare, to sound), in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to cantata (Latin cantare, to sing), a piece sung. ...

Other keyboard works

Bach wrote many works for "clavier," usually understood to mean an unspecified keyboard. Although the piano ("Klavier" in German) was invented in Bach's lifetime, most scholars doubt he had one or intended any of his music for it. His keyboard works may have been intended for harpsichord or clavichord instead. This article is about the modern musical instrument. ... A harpsichord is the general term for a family of European keyboard instruments, including the large instrument nowadays called a harpsichord, but also the smaller virginals, the muselar virginals and the spinet. ... Clavichord A clavichord is a small, very quiet, European keyboard musical instrument. ...

His best known keyboard works are the Two-part inventions and Three-part inventions (or "sinfonias"), probably intended for instructional purposes rather than concert use. He also wrote a set of English suites and a set of French suites, complex and difficult music based loosely on dance forms. He also wrote a number of other solo dances, suites, partitas, and the like. His best-known work is The Well-Tempered Clavier, a set of preludes and fugues in each of the twelve major and minor keys. The word "well-tempered" refers to the temperament in which the keyboard is tuned; tuning systems before Bach's time weren't flexible enough to allow compositions in all keys to be played without retuning. It is, however, uncertain what temperament he meant. Six suites for keyboard, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1722. ... Title-page of Das wohtemperierte Klavier A flat major (As-dur) fugue from the second part of Das wohtemperierte Klavier (manuscript) The Well-Tempered Clavier (Das wohltemperierte Klavier in German -- Klavier means piano, but the English word clavier (which means keyboard) looks more like the German title) consists of two... In music theory, the key identifies the tonic triad, the chord, major or minor, which represents the final point of rest for a piece, or the focal point of a section. ... In psychology, Temperament is the general nature of an individuals personality, such as introversion or extraversion, it derives from the theory of the humours. ...

Chamber music

Bach wrote music for single instruments (in particular a set of sonatas and partitas for solo violin, unaccompanied, and a similar set for cello), duets, and other small ensembles. He wrote trio sonatas, solo sonatas (for a single instrument accompanied by continuo), and a large number of canons, mostly for unspecified instrumentation. The most significant examples of the latter are The Art of the Fugue and The Musical Offering. The trio sonata is a musical form which was particularly popular around the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century. ... Sonata (From Latin and Italian sonare, to sound), in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to cantata (Latin cantare, to sing), a piece sung. ... Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervallic content (the intervals which make up a sonority), later chords, in relation to a bass note. ... The Art of Fugue or The Art of the Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge), BWV 1080, is an unfinished work by Johann Sebastian Bach composed in 1748-1749 and published after his death in 1750. ... The Musical Offering (German title Musikalisches Opfer or Das Musikalische Opfer) is a collection of canons and fugues and other pieces of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, based on a musical theme by Frederick II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) and dedicated to him. ...

Orchestral works

Bach's best-known orchestral works are the Brandenburg concertos, so named because he submitted them as a job audition for the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1721 (he didn't get the job). These works are examples of the concerto grosso genre. He also wrote a number of solo concertos for violin, harpsichord, and even two, three, and four harpsichords. He also wrote four Orchestral suites, a series of stylized dances for orchestra. The six Brandenburg concertos (BWV 1046-1051) by Johann Sebastian Bach are a collection of instrumental works presented by Bach to the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1721, but probably composed earlier. ... Graf is a German noble title equal in rank to a count or an earl. ... Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ... The concerto grosso was a popular form of baroque music centered around an ensemble, usually having four to six movements in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists (the concertino) and full orchestra (the ripieno). ...

Vocal and choral works

Cantatas

Bach performed a cantata every Sunday at the Thomaskirche, on a theme corresponding to the lectionary readings of the week. Although he performed cantatas by other composers, he also composed at least three entire sets of cantatas, one for each Sunday and holiday of the church year, at Leipzig, in addition to those composed at Mühlhausen and Weimar. In total he wrote over 300 cantatas, of which only 195 survive. Cantata (Italian for a song or story set to music), a vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement. ... Wiktionary has a definition of: Lectionary A Lectionary is a book or listing that contains a collection of readings for Christian worship. ...

His cantatas vary greatly in form and instrumentation. Some of them are only for a solo singer; some are single choruses; some are for grand orchestras, some only a few instruments. A very common format, however, includes a large opening chorus followed by one or more recitative-aria pairs for soloists (or duets), and a concluding chorale The recitative is part of the corresponding Bible reading for the week and the aria is a contemporary reflection on it. The concluding chorale often also appears as a chorale prelude in a central movement, and occasionally as a cantus firmus in the opening chorus as well. The best known of these cantatas are Cantata No. 4 ("Christ lag in Todesbanden"), Cantata No. 80 ("Ein feste Burg"), Cantata No. 140 ("Wachet auf") and Cantata No. 147 ("Herz und Mund un Tat und Leben"). A chorale is a hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation. ... In music, a chorale prelude is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. ... In music, cantus firmus is the basic material to be set using polyphony. ... Wachet auf is a noted cantata by J.S. Bach, BWV 140. ...

In addition, Bach wrote a number of secular cantatas, usually for civic events such as weddings. The Coffee cantata, concerning a girl whose father won't let her marry until she gives up her coffee addiction, is the best known of these.

Motets

As part of Bach's regular church work, he copied and performed motets by many other composers (indeed, he usually began each Sunday service with one). These motets were mostly double-choir motets of the Venetian school, or more contemporary imitations of the style. In Western music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions. ... In music history, the Venetian School is a term used to describe the composers working in Venice from about 1550 to around 1610; it also describes the music they produced. ...

Bach wrote several motets himself, and they are also mostly for double choir. Exactly how many motets is a matter of dispute; there are six undoubted motets by Bach, a couple others of doubtful authorship, and some works classified in the BWV as cantatas but considered by some scholars to be motets. It is not certain for what occasion Bach wrote these works, but it is thought that most were for funerals. BWV is the acronym for: the SIL code for the language Bahau River Kenyah spoken in Borneo. ...

There are no instrumental parts for these motets (except Lobet den Herrn, which has a continuo part), but it was typical of performance practice of the time to double vocal works with instruments and accompany them with continuo, so this method is often followed for modern performances; other performers do them a cappella. The authentic performance movement is an effort on the part of musicians and scholars to perform works of classical music in ways similar to how they were performed when they were originally written. ...

Large works

Bach's large choral-orchestral works include the famous St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion, both written for Holy Week services at the Thomaskirche, the Christmas Oratorio (a set of six cantatas for use in the Liturgical season of Christmas), a Magnificat in two versions, one in D major for a substantial orchestra with trumpets and timpani, and one for a smaller orchestra in E-flat major, with extra movements interpolated among the movements of the Magnificat text. Bachs St. ... Originally meant to be performed for the first time in the St Thomas’s church in Leipzig, the St John Passion was first performed in 1724 in the St Nicholas’s church It is shorter and more dramatic than the St Matthew Passion. ... The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in some Christian churches which determines when Feasts, Memorials, Commemorations, and Solemnities are to be observed and which portions of Scripture are to be read. ... Magnificat is the Latin name of the canticle of Mary, the mother of Jesus, which she speaks to Elisabeth, the wife of Zechariah. ...

Bach's other large work, the Mass in B minor, was assembled by Bach near the end of his life, mostly from pieces composed earlier (such as Cantata 191 and Cantata 12). It was never performed in Bach's lifetime, or even after his death until the 19th century. The Mass in B Minor (BWV 232) is a work of music by Johann Sebastian Bach. ...

All these works, unlike the motets, have substantial solo parts as well as choruses.

Legacy

In his later years and after his death, Bach's reputation as a composer declined: his work was regarded as old-fashioned compared to the emerging classical style. He was far from forgotten, however: he was remembered as a player and teacher (as well, of course, as composer), and as father of his children (most notably C. P. E. Bach). His best-appreciated compositions in this period were his keyboard works, in which field other composers continued to acknowledge his mastery. Mozart and Beethoven were among his most prominent admirers. On a visit to the Thomasschule in Leipzig, Mozart heard a performance of one of the motets (BWV 225) and exclaimed, "Now, here is something one can learn from!"; on being given the parts of the motets, "Mozart sat down, the parts all around him, held in both hands, on his knees, on the nearest chairs. Forgetting everything else, he did not stand up again until he had looked through all the music of Sebastian Bach". Beethoven was also a devotee, learning the Well-Tempered Clavier as a child and later calling Bach "Urvater der Harmonie" ("original father of harmony") and "nicht Bach, sondern Meer" ("not a stream but a sea", punning on the literal meaning of the composer's name). ^{[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach#fn_1)} The revival in the composer's reputation among the wider public was prompted in part by Johann Nikolaus Forkel's 1802 biography, which was read by Beethoven among others. Goethe became acquainted with Bach's works relatively late in life, through a series of performances of keyboard and choral works at Bad Berka in 1814 and 1815; in a letter of 1827 he compared the experience of listening to Bach's music to "eternal harmony in dialogue with itself". ^{[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach#fn_2)}. But it was Felix Mendelssohn who did most to revive Bach's reputation with his 1829 Berlin performance of the St. Matthew Passion. Hegel, who attended the performance, later called Bach a "grand, truly Protestant, robust and, so to speak, erudite genius which we have only recently learned again to appreciate at its full value". ^{[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach#fn_3)}. Mendelssohn's promotion of Bach, and the growth of the composer's stature, continued in subsequent years. The Bach Gesellschaft (or Bach Society) was founded in 1850 to promote the works, and over the next half century it published a comprehensive edition. Thereafter Bach's reputation has remained consistently high. During the 20th century the process of recognising the musical as well as the pedagogic value of some of the works has continued, perhaps most notably in the promotion of the Cello Suites by Pablo Casals. Another development has been the growth of the authentic or period performance movement, which attempts to present the music as the composer intended it. Examples include the playing of keyboard works on the harpsichord rather than a modern grand piano, and the use of small choirs or single voices instead of the larger forces favoured by 19th and early 20th century performers. The Classical period in Western music occurred in a large part of the 18th century, and into the early 19th century. ... Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (Weimar, March 8, 1714 – December 14, German musician and composer, the second son of Johann Sebastian Bach. ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) was one of the most significant and influential of all composers of Western classical music. ... Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized December 17, 1770 – March 26, 1827) was a German composer of Classical music, the predominant musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras. ... Map of Germany showing Leipzig Leipzig [ˈlaiptsɪç] (Polish; Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk) is the largest city in the federal state (Bundesland) of Saxony in Germany. ... In Western music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions. ... Johann Nikolaus Forkel (February 22, 1749–March 20, 1818), was a German musician, musicologist and music theorist. ... 1802 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (pronounced [gø tə]) (August 28, 1749–March 22, 1832) was a German writer, politician, humanist, scientist, and philosopher. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1827 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Felix Mendelssohn wrote his first symphony at the young age of fifteen. ... 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Berlin (pronounced: , German ) is the capital of Germany and its largest city, with 3,387,404 inhabitants (as of September 2004); down from 4. ... Bachs St. ... Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (August 27, 1770 - November 14, 1831) was a German philosopher born in Stuttgart, Württemberg, in present-day southwest Germany. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, acclaimed as some of the greatest works ever written for solo cello, were composed by Johann Sebastian Bach during 1717 - 1723 when he served as a Kapellmeister in Cöthen. ... Pau Casals i Defilló (December 29, 1876 – October 22, 1973), commonly known as Pablo Casals, was a virtuoso Catalan, Spanish cello player (and later conductor). ... The authentic performance movement is an effort on the part of musicians and scholars to perform works of classical music in ways similar to how they were performed when they were originally written. ... A harpsichord is the general term for a family of European keyboard instruments, including the large instrument nowadays called a harpsichord, but also the smaller virginals, the muselar virginals and the spinet. ... A grand piano is the concert form of a piano. ... A choir is a musical ensemble. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

Johann Sebastian Bach's contributions to music, or to borrow a term popularized by his student Lorenz Christoph Mizler, "musical science" are frequently compared to the "original geniuses" of William Shakespeare in English literature and Isaac Newton in physics. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Sir Isaac Newton in Knellers 1689 portrait Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727 by the Julian calendar in use in England at the time; or 4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727 by the Gregorian calendar) was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and alchemist who wrote...

Media

File links The following pages link to this file: Apollo 8 Accordion Antonio Vivaldi Aramaic language Symphony No. ... Bwv558. ... Bach - cantata 140. ... Bach - cantata 140. ... Bach - cantata 140. ... Bach - cantata 140. ... Bach - cantata 140. ... Bach - cantata 140. ... Bach - cantata 140. ... Jsbach bwv996 01. ... Jsbach bwv996 02. ... Jsbach bwv996 03. ... Jsbach bwv996 04. ... Jsbach bwv996 05. ... Jsbach bwv996 06. ... Johann Sebastian Bach - Klavierkonzert d-moll - 1. ... Johann Sebastian Bach - Klavierkonzert d-moll - 2. ... Johann Sebastian Bach - Klavierkonzert d-moll - 3. ... JSBach - BWV971 -1. ... JSBach - BWV971 -2. ... JSBach - BWV971 -3. ... Jsbach BWV 1013. ...

Further reading

• The New Bach Reader by Hans T. David (Editor), Arthur Mendel, Christoph Wolff Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company; New Ed edition (1999) ISBN 0393319563
• J. S. Bach (Vol 1) by Albert Schweitzer Publisher: Dover Publications (1966) ISBN 0486216314
• Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician by Christoph Wolff Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company (2001) ISBN 0393322564
• J. S. Bach As Organist: His Instruments, Music, and Performance Practices by George Stauffer, Ernest May Publisher By Indiana University Press (1999)ISBN 025321386X
• The Bach Reader (W. W. Norton, 1966), edited by Hans T. David and Arthur Mendel, contains much interesting material, such as a large selection of contemporary documents, some by Bach himself.
• The early biography by Johann Nikolaus Forkel, Über Johann Sebastian Bachs Leben, Kunst und Kunstwerke (1802), a translation of which is included in The Bach Reader (see above), is of considerable value, as Forkel was able to correspond directly with people who had known Bach.
• An early groundbreaking study of Bach's life and music is the multi-volume Johann Sebastian Bach (1889), by Philippe Spitta.
• Another famous study of his life and music is J. S. Bach (1908), by the versatile scholar and organist Albert Schweitzer.
• Christoph Wolff's more recent works (Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician and Johann Sebastian Bach: Essays) include a discussion of Bach's "original genius" in German aesthetics and music. Wolff gives an exciting account of the discovery of the famous Bach Family archive, evacuated from wartime Berlin's Singakademie to Silesia and from there vanished into Russia until just a few years ago, at <http://athome.harvard.edu/dh/wolff.html>.
• Douglas Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid uses the music of Bach to explore formal methods, logic, mathematics and other topics.

Johann Nikolaus Forkel (February 22, 1749–March 20, 1818), was a German musician, musicologist and music theorist. ... Albert Schweitzer (January 14, 1875 - September 4, 1965) was a German theologian, musician, philosopher, and physician. ... Christoph Wolff (born May 24, 1940) is a German-born musicologist, presently on the faculty of Harvard University. ... Douglas Richard Hofstadter (born February 15, 1945) is an American academic. ... GEB cover Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Douglas Hofstadter, first published in 1979 by Basic Books. ...

See also

• Bach family
• Glenn Gould
• Helmut Walcha
• Helmuth Rilling
• List of compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach
• List of recordings of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach
• Rosalyn Tureck
• Wanda Landowska

The Bach family was of importance in the history of music for nearly two hundred years. ... Glenn Herbert Gould (September 25, 1932–October 4, 1982) was a celebrated Canadian pianist, noted especially for his recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach. ... Helmut Walcha was a German organist who was born on October 27, 1907 in Leipzig, Germany, and died on August 11, 1991 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. ... Helmuth Rilling (b. ... The BWV numbers given here for the works of Johann Sebastian Bach are from Bach-Werke Verzeichnis by Wolfgang Schmieder, a thematic catalogue of Bachs works. ... Partial list of recordings of music by Johann Sebastian Bach St. ... Rosalyn Tureck (December 14, 1914 - July 17, 2003) was an American pianist and harpsichordist who was particularly associated with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. ... Wanda Landowska (July 5, 1879 – August 16, 1959), harpsichordist whose performances, teaching, recordings and writings played a large role in reviving the popularity of that instrument in the early 20th century. ...

External links

• Glory to God Alone: The Life of J.S. Bach entry (http://www.elca.org/co/mosaic/winter02.html)
• 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica entry (http://www.mckeeth.org/wikilinks/bach1911.html)
• J.S. Bach Home Page (http://www.jsbach.org/)
• Bach-Archiv Leipzig (http://www.bach-leipzig.de/)
• J. S. Bach bibliography on the web (http://www.music.qub.ac.uk/~tomita/bachbib)
• J. S. Bach's Education and Career (http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/life.html)
• J.S.Bach cantatas (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/) extensive references including cantatas by BWV number.
• Online recordings of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier (http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/wtc.html)
• Free recordings of Bach's Cantata 140 and other audio examples (http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/Bach/)
• Free recordings of Bach's 15 Three-Part Inventions (Sinfonias) for keyboard (http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/Pandora/vorbis/piano/Hokanson/Master_Works/index.html)
• J.S Bach's Scores (http://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/make-table.cgi?Composer=BachJS&preview=1) by Mutopia Project
• Piano Society - Bach (http://www.pianosociety.com/index.php?id=10) - Features a small biography and various free recordings, including the complete first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier.
• Free Bach sheet music for download. (http://www.pianopublicdomain.com) Features free sheet music collection of J. S. Bach.

File links The following pages link to this file: Abraham Lincoln Aristotle Ayn Rand Adolf Hitler Al Gore A Modest Proposal Articles of Confederation Arthur Schopenhauer Albert Einstein Amhrán na bhFiann Arthur Conan Doyle Ada programming language Antarctic Treaty System Andrew Jackson Andrew Johnson Adam Smith Bill Clinton Bible... Wikisource is a sister project to Wikipedia that aims to create a free wiki compendium of primary source texts in any language, as well as translations of source texts. ... The Mutopia project is an effort to create a library of public domain sheet music, in a way similar to Project Gutenbergs library of public domain books. ...

Notes

1. ⇧ School of Music at Brigham Young University Johann Sebastian Bach (http://www.byu.edu/music/areas/keyboard/Organ/composers/bach.html). Retrieved April 25, 2005. "b. Eisenach, March 21, 1685"
2. ⇧ ibid. "d. Leipzig, July 28, 1750"
3. ⇧ ibid.
4. ⇧ Carolina Classical Connection (1997-2005). J.S. Bach Biography: Muhlhausen (http://www.carolinaclassical.com/bach/muhlhausen.html). Retrieved April 27, 2005. "Bach$-1òùs maternal uncle, died at Erfurt, bequeathing to his nephew a sum of 50 gulden. This inheritance...[made] it possible for Bach to propose and subsequently to marry his second cousin from Arnstadt, Maria Barbara Bach...The wedding took place on October 17 in the village church at Dornheim, near Arnstadt."
5. ⇧ Michelle Rasmussen, Bach, Mozart, and the 'Musical Midwife' (http://www.schillerinstitute.org/music/m_rasmus_801.html), August, 2001
6. ⇧ http://www.bremen.de/web/owa/p_anz_presse_mitteilung?pi_mid=76241
7. ⇧ http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Vocal/BWV244-Spering.htm