Portrait of Bach in 1748, when he was 61 years old. Painted by Elias Gottlob Haussmann.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born in 1685, in Eisenach, Germany. He was a composer, harpsichordist, conductor and music teacher. Bach's family had a very long history of music tradition, because of that, he had contact with music since childhood.
Throughout his life, Bach had various titles related to the court and the church. He had more prominence as the Kapellmeister of the St. Thomas Church, in Leipzig, where he was buried.
Bach's grave, in the St. Thomas Church(Leipzig).
Bach's musical personality started with studies of the traditional germanic counterpoint, something very characteristic of his work. Later, he began to show italian and french influences in his compositions. Through these different styles, his music became very rich when it comes to the multiplicity of musical tendencies.
Bach is considered to be the father of all musicians and an example of absolute excellence in music. Throughout his life, he basically worked with every music genre known at the time, except for opera. Musicologists, however, believe that Bach's late cantatas(cantatas are a form of vocal composition that can be accompanied by instruments, a choir or both of them, they were very explored during the Baroque Period) show a lot of influence from the baroque opera style.
Something that sounds very disconcerting now that we know about how important Bach is to music history and theory is the fact that Bach did not get much praise for his compositions when he was alive. As a composer, he was very limitedly approved by his contemporaries and his music did not become popular at all during his life.
Bach only started receiving more recognition in the 19th Century, mostly because of Felix Mendelssohn, a german composer who had a lot to do with the birth of the Romantic Period and it's character.
In today's perception, Bach is the greatest name of the Baroque Period and considered the "Father of Music", rightfully so. He had influence in the works of the greatest composers of all time and was openly recognized as the greatest by names like Ludwig Van Beehoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Bach's signature.
Some examples of Johann Sebastian Bach's most important works are:
-The Brandenburg Concertos
(https://open.spotify.com/album/5jMYJmjUYMHvuWhJTjitaD?si=E-Qyk_7ZSa-FtypqC13ySw&dl_branch=1)
-The Well-Tempered Clavier
(https://open.spotify.com/album/2hYizcKgB3qoyTbxqkIB1A?si=TTWj0X_vTgC9z5YSqE5ZfQ&dl_branch=1)
-The Mass in B Minor
(https://open.spotify.com/album/176ZzPmFeG7vbAwYdwJU1M?si=35u2hGuFT2qhrOTnxIv0Cg&dl_branch=1)
-The Orchestral Suites
(https://open.spotify.com/album/2hepGgEkxWLHtT5R3yJqxu?si=saOd_fFsQIi7VIyZVjJxjw&dl_branch=1)
I decided to link these pieces here so you can easily take a listen if you're interested. It's kinda hard not to appreciate them! :)
Until today, we do not have the right number to represent how many pieces Bach really composed. But it is believed that it goes beyond a thousand, and, among these, the majority of pieces have more than a single movement.
Even though it's hard to know the details about Bach's personality and life, because there's not a lot of documentation, I think we can safely assume that the importance he gave music goes beyond what we can even imagine. Bach completely devoted his life to music and his work became a path we walk until this very day when it comes to developing musical theory.
He mastered the use of counterpoint, harmony and melody, becoming a completely developed musician and composer. His music is full of detail and every single note written was thought out to fit perfectly and elevate whatever piece it was in.
These are some of the reasons to why Johann Sebastian bach is such an important person to music history and overall music. But...I must say, I'm writing this very humbly and I do not fully believe I can explain who was Bach, maybe understanding him is only possible through the feeling of listening to his music. In the end, the most I can express about Bach is my gratitude as a musician.
I hope you've liked to get to know more about this distinct and important figure! Thank you for your attention, time and vote! :)
Hope everyone's having a great day.