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Johann Sebastian BACH

21 March 1685 - 28 July 1750 (age 65)

Click on the above image for more information about it.

German composer and organist. Bach is now considered to be one of the greatest Western composers. During his lifetime however he was famed as an organist rather than as a composer.
He came from a dynasty of 7 generations of musicians extending from the 16th to the 18th century. Apparently he had 76 male relatives who were musicians and 53 of them were called Johann!

Works

Prolific output of well over 1000 works
They are catalogued by BWV number (Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis) as follows:
1-524 · Vocal Works
525-771 · Organ Works
772-994 · Keyboard Works
995-1013 · Other Solo Instrumental Works
1014-1040 · Chamber Works for Duos and Trios
1041-1071 · Concertos and Orchestral Suites
1072-1080 · Canons and Late Contrapuntal Works
1081-1120 · Recently Discovered Works

Best known works:

Brandenburg Concertos
Goldberg Variations
Toccata and Fugue in D minor
St Matthew Passion
The Well Tempered Clavier

A Video Documentary

An interesting documentary on the life and music of J.S.Bach by 'How Stuff Works'.
It lasts about 35 minutes and opens in a new window.
Click on the image.

Buy a quality print at FineArtAmerica

FineArtAmerica can send you a quality print in a variety of sizes and choice of paper. They will also frame it for you if you want.

Toccata & Fugue on YouTube

Family

Father: Johann Ambrosius Bach, organist. Died 1695 leaving Bach orphaned at 10.
Mother: Maria Elisabetha Lammerhirt Bach died in 1864 when he was 9
Siblings: Youngest of 13
Schooling: Father taught him violin and harpsichord. Uncle Johann Christoph Bach introduced him to organ playing.
On being orpaned at 10 he moved in with his eldest brother Johann Christoph Bach who taught him the organ
Partners: 1706 married second cousin Maria Barbara Bach who died in 1720.
In 1721 married soprano Anna Magdalena Wilcke.
Children: 7 with Maria Barbara of which 4 survive to adulthood
13 with Anna of which 6 survived to adulthood.
Best known: Johann Christian - also a composer.
Note: In the 17th century half of new babies died before reaching their first birthday. With the added risks of war and disease average life expectancy among the working class was only 22.

Q: Why did he have so many children?

A: Because his organ had no stops!

Amazon Stores

Books, CDs, DVDs on Amazon.com (USA)

or for UK buyers - Amazon.co.uk

buy unique gifts at Zazzle

The Three B's

The phrase "The Three B's" refers to the supposed primacy of the three composers
Also to the 'Trinity' of Bach the Father, Beethoven the Son and Brahms the Holy Ghost

eBay finds

On eBay you will find bargains galore but more interestingly there is a treasure chest of old items. Out of print books, old recordings no longer available, memorabilia and goods no longer sold on the High Street.To see what is currently on offer take a look at:

for the UK - JSB on eBay.co.uk

Sheet Music

Download JSB sheet music instantly!

JSB Coffee Mug

"Without my morning coffee I'm just like a dried up piece of roast goat." JSB He would have loved this mug! Click on it for a better look.

He loved his coffee and drank 3 or 4 cups a day mostly at Herr Zimmermann's coffee house. He even wrote 'The Coffee Cantata' which is about a father trying to get his daughter to kick the coffee habit!