Bach Essay, Research Paper

Bach

Biological Sketch:

Johann Sebastian Bach

Born: March 21, 1685, Eisenach

Died: July 28, 1750, Lepizig

Personal Life:

A) Family

1) Parents:

Father: Johann Ambrosius Bach

Mother: Maria Elisabeth Lammerhirt

2) Children (Those noted by name):

Wilhelm Friedemann

Carl Philipp Emanuel

Johann Gottfried Bernhard

Johann Christoph Frederick

Johann Christian

3) Wives

His cousin Maria Barbara, Oct. 17 1684

Anna Magdalena 1720

B) Health

Fairly good all his life(I couldn t find any thing that talked about his health)

Eyesight deteriorated in the 1740 s

Went completely bind in 1750

Died 1750

C) Character and personality

Seemed to skip school allot

Didn t live the life of a saint

Became dissatisfied with the possibilities for a well-regulated church music

Social climber

D) Physical Features

Medium built

Career:

A) Instruments:

Organ

Violin

Harpsichord

Clavichord

Cello

B) Instruction:

First lessons were by his brother

George Bohm

C) Significant places:

Luneburg is where Bach attended school by singing in the choir.

Arnstadt is where Bach got his first serious job.

Leipzig is where Bach spent the last 27 years of his life and also gave the first performances of the St. John Passion and produced the Magnificat and the St. Matthew Passion.

D) Significant people:

Johann Christoph (brother) gave Sebastian his first keyboard lessons

Johann Adam Reinken influenced Bach

Dietrich Buxtchude Abendmusiken deeply influenced him with organ music and vocal works.

Tobias Lammerhirt left Bach a small inheritance

Johann August Ernesti was the godfather of two of Bach s children

E) Employers:

Duke Johann Ernst of Sxony-Weimar, 1702

Neue Kirche, August 1703

Blasiuskirche, June 1707

Wihelm Ernst, 1708

Prince Leopold, December 1717

St. Thomas, May 5 1723

Duke Christian von Sachsen-Weissenfels, 1729

Frederick Augustus II, 1736

F) Means of earning a living:

Performing musician

Teaching students

Allowing a band to practice in his house

Dealer of books and music

Renting musical instruments

G) Financial situation:

Bach s financial situation was constantly changing, from being well paid to being hardly paid at all

Music:

A) Style:

New galant

Stile antico

B) General characteristics:

Less dense polyphonic structure and the emphasis on a main part

A regular and rather fixed phrase structure

A slower harmonic rhythm

Use popular dance rhythms and folk songs

Used musical resources of three different lands

C) Output:

Durch Adams Fall

These are the Holy Commandments

Art of Fugue

The Well-Tempered Clavier

BrandenBurg Concerto s

Mass in B Minor

Das Wohltemperierte Clavier II

D) Groups:

Collegium Musicum

Sources:

Music an appectiation, Rodger Kamin

Internet site: classicalmus.com/composere/bach.html

Internet site: www.let.rug.nl/Linguistics/diversen/bach.htm