The Life and Legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach

The Life and Legacy of Johann Sebastian bachelorThe Life and Legacy of Johann Sebastian bachelorMany important figures have impacted and shaped the comprehensive history of westbound classical medicament. Even today, most laymen k instantaneously of the names of the great classical composers like prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and can even identify some of the most iconic melodies such as the opening subject to Ludwig Van Beethovens 5th Symphony. Surprisingly, these men of great talent all stem from the foundation influence by angiotensin-converting enzyme German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Now, the name J.S. Bach evokes the Baroque period of euphony and its influence can be seen throughout the deeds of later periods and another(prenominal) composers. With such a satisfying impact, J.S. Bach in actuality had a very modest and local career and after Bachs death, his music was approximately completely forgotten. It was through his bequest among musicians and protgs whi ch sparked a rekindling of Bachs music and he now receives immense admiration and veneration for his practicedly challenging keyboard works, his potent liturgical works, and his vast amount of sheer repertoire.Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 31st, 1685, into a highly musical family. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was the director of the township musicians and was skilled in the violin and harpsichord. J.S. Bach was the youngest of eight children all of whom were trained in harpsichord, violin, and basic music theory. Bach also had many uncles who were all professional person musicians working as local organists, court chamber musicians, and composers. Thus, J.S. Bach was immersed in music from a young age and also was trained in music theory, composition, the harpsichord, clavichord, organ, and violin. In particular, his older brother Johann Christoph Bach, an organist at the St. Michaels church service in Ohrdruf and pupil of Johann Pachelbel, became a prominent musi cal figure in J. S. Bachs life and further engendered his passion for music. At the age of 14, Bach attended the prestigious St. Michaels School in Luneburg, Germany where he was exposed to a all-encompassing variety of cultural sounds such as the music of Northern and Southern Germany, Italy, and France. In 1703, J. S. Bach was appoint the position of court musician at the chapel of Duke Johann Ernst III in the city of Weimar but was unhappy with his work as he was often unsatisfied with the church choirs and the amount of composing he was responsible for. Thus, Bach and his family was required to travel and move in order to seek better job opportunities. However, unlike most musicians, who would travel all across atomic number 63 performing and making a living, Bach lived relatively local moving from town to town all within the confines of Germany.Bach often had ideologic differences with his employer and he would compose some of his greatest works all in different cities and churches as well require to teach students. For instance, in 1723, Bach was appointed the Cantor of the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig where he served and composed till his death 27 years later. Bach was required to teach the students of the St. Thomas Church singing and keyboard. It was at this time that Bach wrote his Inventions and Sinfonias for keyboard, a collection of exercises that most pianists play even to this day in order to improve their technique, articulation, dexterity, precision, and speed. It was also as Thomaskantor that he wrote his Mass in B minor, considered to be one of the greatest choral works of all time.Johann Sebastian Bach died on July 28th, 1750 and although he was celebrated as an organist and harpsichordist, very few people beyond the city of Weimar knew of Bachs compositions. It was only the great composers and keyboardist to keep Bachs music alive in conservatories and libraries. Thus, the even the greatest of composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Frederic Chopin, and Felix Mendelssohn, all revered Bachs work as excellent keyboard music. This is because Bachs music was one of the most highly technical for the era, another being the music of Bachs contemporary, George Frederic Handel. During the Baroque period, keyboard instruments were often for accompaniment to harmonize and contrast with the string instruments of the orchestra. However, substantial advances for keyboard in result of Bachs compositions led to more solo prominence in music as well as facilitated the invention of the pianoforte, now one of the most learned music instruments.Moreover, Bach has left not only a large amount of music manuscripts but also his legacy as a keyboardist, and composer of liturgical and secular music. Through his travels and his encounters with different finishs and colleagues within the Baroque Era, Bach was able to capitalize on both the aesthetic culture of the time and the variety of styles across countries. Also, as Bach had shift ed positions and employers many times, he was required to create new music contextually depending on purpose and location. As Bach was a religiously devoted man, he wrote a numerous amount of chorales, pastoral songs, and congregational hymns for the choir and organ or harpsichord. As Bach began teaching and instructing, Bach began to write more works for keyboard that included a variety of preludes and fugues, toccatas, fantasies, and theme and variation works.Baroque music in general is classified ad by its heavily ornate technicality and grandiose sounds all within a systematically controlled framework. Thus, Bachs music is highly articulate and technical a reason why the great pianists Felix Mendelssohn and Franz Liszt both practiced with Bach works and built upon his keyboard foundation. Bach also further developed German music through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic, and motivic organization, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms and textures. However, after Bachs death, mu ch of his music was deemed archaic and old-fashioned as new composers such as Franz Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven brought forth the new era of Classical music. Soon, most of the general public did not know of J. S. Bachs name in the beginning of the 19th century. Many pivotal figures reincarnated Bachs name through the years. First, Johann Nikolaus Forkels wrote the composers biography in 1802. The pianist and composer, Felix Mendelssohn further popularized Bachs name by arranging and performing the St. Matthew Passion. The performance proved to be successful as Bachs name and reputation as a composer soon revived. By the 1850s, the Bach-Gesellschaft, or the Bach Society, was founded in order to further preserve Bachs works and promote his repertoire. New works by Bach are still being found to this day.Bachs enormous library of music is simply a testament to his manufacture and creativity. With such music, Bach was able to pave a way for future musicians and composers. Through his advancement in keyboard work, Bach provided the technique for great pianists. With his teachings and instructions, many of his protgs moved on to become great Classical era composers. Even presently, Bachs works are performed by the finest of performers and has become very a household name for both musicians and laymen alike.Works ConsultedBach, Johann Sebastian (1685-1750). Encyclopedia of world biography. Detroit Gale, 1998Grout, D. J. (1980) A history of western music. New York, NY W. W. NortonKerman, J. and G. Tomlinson (2012). Listen (7th edition). Boston, MA Bedford/St. MartinsKennedy, M. (2006) The Oxford dictionary of music. New York, NY Oxford University PressKevorkian, T. Bach Family. Europe, 1450 to 1789 Encyclopedia of the early modern world.Ed. Jonathan Dewald. New York Charles Scribners Sons, 2004The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Ed. Stanley Sadie. London MacmillanPublishers, 1980.Randel, D. M. (2003) The Harvard Dictionary o f Music. Cambridge, MA Harvard UniversityPress.