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“The aim and final reason of all music should be nothing else but the Glory of God and the refreshment of the spirit.”

Today, it is generally agreed that Johann Sebastian Bach is the greatest composer in history (sorry Ringo Starr fans). Yet, it’s a wonder that any of Bach’s music remains. After all, back in Bach’s day music was composed for only one performance. After it was played, the music paper usually ended up being used to wrap up food to lock in freshness. Thus, there’s no telling how many of the masterpieces of Bach and other Baroque composers were used as eighteenth Century Zip-lock bags and thrown out with the trash.

Bach was born in 1685 to a family that was obsessed with music. Nearly everyone in Bach’s family had some sort of musical talent, and a lot of them ended up being composers. Go to the library and dust off one of those thick music reference guides. Look up the name Bach. Whoa! Not only do you find the great Johann Sebastian Bach and his esteemed sons, C.P.E. and J.C., but you also find Daddy Bach, Granddaddy Bach, Great Granddaddy Bach, Great, Great Granddaddy Bach, Great Uncle Bach, cousin Bach, and brother Bach (to name a few).

Johann Sebastian was expected to keep up the family tradition and his father (Johann Ambrosius Bach) took up the task of teaching Johann Sebastian the violin. Johann Sebastian’s parents died when he was less than ten years old and the young boy was sent to live with his older brother, Johann Christopher Bach. (How many “Johann’s” can a family have?). Bach’s older brother was doing quite well in music. He had taken music lessons from the famous Johann (yes, yet another Johann) Pachelbel (1653-1706) and was growing to be a well-known organist. Brother Bach taught little Bach a lot about playing the organ and little Bach’s fingers were soon flying all over the keyboards.

When Bach was fifteen he was sent to live with Benedictine monks where he sang in the choir. However, his voice broke soon after he was admitted into the choir so he was assigned to play the organ for the monks instead. By the time Bach was 18, he was writing all sorts of organ and vocal pieces for the church. Bach also enjoyed employment from rich folks and nobility during this time. Soon, he had enough money saved to marry, and he was wed to his cousin, Maria Barbara. (Thank goodness her name wasn’t Johann. This is already confusing enough.)

Bach wrote music in many forms including oratorios, sonatas, concerti, organ and keyboard music, suites, and much more. All of Bach’s music, however, was rooted in his deep Christian faith. This faith helped release the constraints set by previous generations who categorized music as either “sacred” or “secular”. To Bach, all music, whether it was meant for the church or for a festival dance, should be written to honor God. Even Bach’s secular music was dedicated with phrases like “To God alone the praise be given for what’s herein to man’s use written.” Bach’s faith was an integral part of even the most common aspects of his everyday life. While puffing his pipe, Bach once summed up the centrality of his faith in a humorous poem:

Bach’s faith led him through many difficult times. In a short span of three years, Bach suffered a number of tragic events. In 1717 Bach was thrown into prison for four weeks because he had refused to continue his employment under a hotheaded duke. Even more tragic was the death of Bach’s wife in 1720. She left him with four children.

Bach remarried in 1721 to Anna Magdalena Wilcke. To celebrate their marriage, Bach wrote his new wife some happy keyboard tunes called the Anna Magdalena handbook. To support his new family, Bach began employment at St. Thomas’ Church in Leipzig and composed many of his most respected masterpieces while serving in this position. Anna Magdalena and Johann Sebastian produced a whole orchestra of sons and daughters during this time and many of Bach’s children became famous musicians and composers. His most famous sons, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) and Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) played major roles in music history and they spread their father’s influence through their compositions for many decades after Johann Sebastian’s death.

Listening to J.S. Bach

Bach wrote what is considered to be the most intricately perfect, finely crafted music ever written. His organ piece Toccata and Fugue, for example, has so many different things going on at the same time that one could listen to it thousands of times and never fully appreciate its complexity. And that’s just a piece written for two hands! His larger works like the Mass in B Minor still leaves musicologists awe-struck at its incredible complex beauty. Yet, throughout all of this complexity, Bach was gifted with an incredible skill for melody. Bach wrote some of the most memorable tunes of the entire Baroque era. His most famous works, like the Toccata and Fugue, Sheep May Safely Graze, the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 are all instantly recognized. Start out with the Brandenburg Concerti and the keyboard music.

J.S. Bach Recommendations-

Keyboard Music

- Well Tempered Clavier (harpsichord, or arranged for piano)

- Anna Magdalena Hand Book (harpsichord or arranged for piano)

- Goldberg Variations (harpsichord or arranged for piano)

- Toccata and Fugue (organ)

Orchestral Music

- Brandenburg Concerti Nos. 1-6

- Oboe Concerto

- Orchestral Suite No. 3

- Violin Concerti Nos. 1 and 2

Sacred Vocal Music

- St. Mathew’s Passion

- Mass in B Minor

- Magnificant

- “Sheep May Safely Graze” (Cantata No. 208)

(1685-1750)

The Biggest Bigwig of Western Music



Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) The Biggest Bigwig of Western Music “The aim and final reason of all music should be nothing else but the Glory of God and the refreshment of the spirit.” – Johann Sebastian Bach Today, it is generally agreed that Johann Sebastian Bach is the greatest composer in history (sorry Ringo Starr fans). Yet, it’s a wonder that any of Bach’s music remains. After all, back in Bach’s day music was composed for only one performance. After it was played, the music paper usually ended up being used to wrap up food to lock in freshness. Thus, there’s no telling how many of the masterpieces of Bach and other Baroque composers were used as eighteenth Century Zip-lock bags and thrown out with the trash. Bach was born in 1685 to a family that was obsessed with music. Nearly everyone in Bach’s family had some sort of musical talent, and a lot of them ended up being composers. Go to the library and dust off one of those thick music reference guides. Look up the name Bach. Whoa! Not only do you find the great Johann Sebastian Bach and his esteemed sons, C.P.E. and J.C., but you also find Daddy Bach, Granddaddy Bach, Great Granddaddy Bach, Great, Great Granddaddy Bach, Great Uncle Bach, cousin Bach, and brother Bach (to name a few). Johann Sebastian was expected to keep up the family tradition and his father (Johann Ambrosius Bach) took up the task of teaching Johann Sebastian the violin. Johann Sebastian’s parents died when he was less than ten years old and the young boy was sent to live with his older brother, Johann Christopher Bach. (How many “Johann’s” can a family have?). Bach’s older brother was doing quite well in music. He had taken music lessons from the famous Johann (yes, yet another Johann) Pachelbel (1653-1706) and was growing to be a well-known organist. Brother Bach taught little Bach a lot about playing the organ and little Bach’s fingers were soon flying all over the keyboards. When Bach was fifteen he was sent to live with Benedictine monks where he sang in the choir. However, his voice broke soon after he was admitted into the choir so he was assigned to play the organ for the monks instead. By the time Bach was 18, he was writing all sorts of organ and vocal pieces for the church. Bach also enjoyed employment from rich folks and nobility during this time. Soon, he had enough money saved to marry, and he was wed to his cousin, Maria Barbara. (Thank goodness her name wasn’t Johann. This is already confusing enough.) Bach wrote music in many forms including oratorios, sonatas, concerti, organ and keyboard music, suites, and much more. All of Bach’s music, however, was rooted in his deep Christian faith. This faith helped release the constraints set by previous generations who categorized music as either “sacred” or “secular”. To Bach, all music, whether it was meant for the church or for a festival dance, should be written to honor God. Even Bach’s secular music was dedicated with phrases like “To God alone the praise be given for what’s herein to man’s use written.” Bach’s faith was an integral part of even the most common aspects of his everyday life. While puffing his pipe, Bach once summed up the centrality of his faith in a humorous poem: “On land, on sea, at home, abroad, I smoke my pipe and worship God.” Bach’s faith led him through many difficult times. In a short span of three years, Bach suffered a number of tragic events. In 1717 Bach was thrown into prison for four weeks because he had refused to continue his employment under a hotheaded duke. Even more tragic was the death of Bach’s wife in 1720. She left him with four children. Bach remarried in 1721 to Anna Magdalena Wilcke. To celebrate their marriage, Bach wrote his new wife some happy keyboard tunes called the Anna Magdalena handbook. To support his new family, Bach began employment at St. Thomas’ Church in Leipzig and composed many of his most respected masterpieces while serving in this position. Anna Magdalena and Johann Sebastian produced a whole orchestra of sons and daughters during this time and many of Bach’s children became famous musicians and composers. His most famous sons, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) and Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) played major roles in music history and they spread their father’s influence through their compositions for many decades after Johann Sebastian’s death. Listening to J.S. Bach Bach wrote what is considered to be the most intricately perfect, finely crafted music ever written. His organ piece Toccata and Fugue, for example, has so many different things going on at the same time that one could listen to it thousands of times and never fully appreciate its complexity. And that’s just a piece written for two hands! His larger works like the Mass in B Minor still leaves musicologists awe-struck at its incredible complex beauty. Yet, throughout all of this complexity, Bach was gifted with an incredible skill for melody. Bach wrote some of the most memorable tunes of the entire Baroque era. His most famous works, like the Toccata and Fugue, Sheep May Safely Graze, the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 are all instantly recognized. Start out with the Brandenburg Concerti and the keyboard music. J.S. Bach Recommendations- Keyboard Music - Well Tempered Clavier (harpsichord, or arranged for piano) - Anna Magdalena Hand Book (harpsichord or arranged for piano) - Goldberg Variations (harpsichord or arranged for piano) - Toccata and Fugue (organ) Orchestral Music - Brandenburg Concerti Nos. 1-6 - Oboe Concerto - Orchestral Suite No. 3 - Violin Concerti Nos. 1 and 2 Sacred Vocal Music - St. Mathew’s Passion - Mass in B Minor - Magnificant - “Sheep May Safely Graze” (Cantata No. 208)


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