Johann Sebastian Bach Baroque Era

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Johann Sebastian BachBaroque Era

• By Nora Freeman
• INST 5035 Creating Digital Resources

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Introduction

• Lifespan (birth and death)
• Family
• Periods of his life/career
• Bibliography

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Lifespan

• Born in Eisenach, Germany on March 21, 1685
• Died in Leipzig, Germany on July 28, 1750
• Lived until he was 65 years old

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Family

• Johann Ambrosius, his father, was court trumpeter
  for Duke of Eisneach and director of musicians of
  the town of Eisenach and died when he was only 9
  years old
• His mother died 9 months before his father died
• Married his first wife, Maria Barbara Bach, who
  was his second cousin, in 1707 (she died in 1720)

• Married his second wife, Anna Magdelena Wilcken,
  a singer and daughter of a court musician in 1721
• He had 20 Children 7 from his first marriage and
  13 from his second marriage

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Periods of Bachs Life

• EISENACH 1685-1695
• OHRDRUF 1695-1700
• LÜNEBURG 1700-1702
• WEIMAR (first term) 1703
• ARNSTADT 1703-1707
• MÜHLHAUSEN 1707-1708

• WEIMAR (second term) 1708-1717
• CÖTHEN 1717-1723
• LEIPZIG 1 1723-1729
• LEIPZIG 2 1729-1740
• LEIPZIG 3 1744-1750

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EISENACH 1685-1695

• Taught by his father how to play violin and
  harpsichord
• Initiated into playing the organ by his uncle
• Attended the old Latin Grammar School when he was
  eight years old
• Learned reading, writing, Latin, grammar, and a
  great deal of scripture, both in Latin and German
  at school

• Joined the choir that the boys of the school
  formed
• Studied with his older brother, Johann Christoph,
  an organist in Ohrdruf, when his father died

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OHRDRUF 1695-1700

• Studied organ under guidance from his brother
• Attended the Gymnasium (grammar school) of
  Ohrdruf
• Studied Latin, Greek, and theology
• Found a position in the choir at Michaelis
  monastery at Lüneburg using his soprano voice

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LÜNEBURG 1700-1702

• Appointed to the select body of singers who
  formed the 'Mettenchor' (Mattins Choir)
• Lost his soprano voice, but became a violinist
  in the orchestra, and as an accompanist at the
  harpsichord for the choir

• Taught by Georg Böhm (famous organist) about
  great organ traditions
• Tried to find employment as an organist in his
  native Thuringia when he was 18
• Became familiar with French style of music

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WEIMAR (first term) 1703

• Became a violinist in the small chamber orchestra
  of Duke Johann Ernst, the younger brother of the
  Duke of Weimar
• Became familiar with Italian style of music
• Became organist for the church in Arnstadt

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ARNSTADT 1703-1707

• Organist at the church in Arnstadt
• Visited Lübeck to hear the great organist,
  Dietrich Buxtehude
• Became inspired after his visit in Lübeck and
  put his new ideas into his playing

• Conflicts arose between Bach and the church
  because the church did not like the new music
• Left and went to the town of Mühlhausen

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MÜHLHAUSEN 1707-1708

• Became organist in Mühlhausen because the
  previous one had just died
• Married his first wife in 1707
• Religious controversy arose in between the
  orthodox Lutherans and the Pietists

• Offered a post from the Duke of Weimar

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WEIMAR (second term) 1708-1717

• Became member of the chamber orchestra and as
  Organist to the Court
• Wrote his music mainly for organ
• Feud broke out between the Duke and his nephew in
  1717 (musicians of Duke could not associate with
  the musicians of the Dukes nephew)

• Offered the post of Capellmeister, which he
  accepted
• Duke of Weimar would not let Bach leave and had
  him arrested
• Bach was later released and allowed to leave

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CÖTHEN 1717-1723

• Became Capellmeister for the Court of
  Anhalt-Cöthen which was the highest rank given to
  a musician during the baroque age
• His master was the young prince Leopold of
  Anhalt-Cöthen

• Able to devote his time to his music because the
  prince allowed him to play any style of music
• Wrote much of his chamber music violin
  concertos, sonatas, keyboard music, etc
• Married his second wife in 1721

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LEIPZIG 1723-1750

• Became Cantor (a.ka. Director of Choir and Music)
  in Leipzig
• Gained the official title of Court Composer to
  the Dresden Court - the Elector of Saxony and
  King of Poland

• His eyesight began to fail him
• Had surgeries which weakened his health
• Had a stroke and died on the 28th of July, 1750

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Bibliography

• Baroque Composers and Musicians
  http//www.baroquemusic.org/bqxjsbach.html
• Johann Sebastian Bach http//www.angelfire.com/id/
  viperboy101/bach.html
• Classical.Net http//www.classical.net/music/comp.
  lst/bachjs.html
• J.S. Bach Archive and Bibliography
  http//odur.let.rug.nl/Linguistics/diversen/bach/i
  ntro.html
• To Hear More Bach Music
• Complete Back Midi Index http//www.bachcentral.co
  m/midiindexcomplete.html