The Baroque Music Era is one of the most influential eras of music in music history. One of the most famous and well-known composers from that era is Johann Sebastian Bach (McKay, Hill, et al., 2012). In this discussion we will be analyzing who Bach was and his place in history and critiquing his influences in both today’s musical society and the musical society in the Baroque Era. Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 31, 1685 to a family of musicians well known for their talents (Marshall, 2015). He was taught to play the violin and harpsichord by his father and was taught later to play the organ by his uncle. (Marshall, 2015). His musical talents were not just limited to instruments. Bach had an excellent soprano voice and composed many grand compositions (Marshall, 2015). Bach had the unique talent of being able to analyze, critique, and bring together the older style and customs and bring something new to them (Marshall, 2015). Unfortunately after Bach’s death in 1750 his music and knowledge were brushed aside until the 1800’s when his works were brought about and used as tools in education. (Marshall, 2015). Johann Sebastian Bach had a lasting effect on music and this is evident in his nickname “The Father of Modern Music” (The Reformation Society, 2012). Bach’s teachings are still the basis in which …show more content…
According to Dr. Binford by studying Bach’s music we can learn about a wide array of subjects including, but not limited to cultural ideas and changes in our history (Mcnamee, 2013). There are also many instances where Bach is woven into our society and we don’t even realize it (Mcnamee, 2013). This is shown through films and commercials and is the basis on which music is taught to students today (Mcnamee,
Johann Sebastian Bach was a composer born on March 21, 1685 in Germany during the Baroque period. The Baroque period was a time during history when a certain style of European architecture, music, and art flourished there. Music during that specific time were often focused on lower and higher tones. Bach was able to play the organ, violin, viola, and harpsichord. As a result, he is considered one of the greatest composers of Western history, especially back in his day. Bach was influenced by his family of many musicians. For example, his father Johann Ambrosius Bach taught him how to play the violin and harpsichord, while his uncle had taught him to play the organ.
Johann S. Bach was a classical composer and a very good performer. He was one of the best composers during the Baroque era and took the position of organist for many different places during his career. Bach was and is a very important person in the classical music genre.
Bach’s complex compositional style incorporates religious and numerological symbols that fit perfectly together in a puzzle of musical code. Demanding unfaltering facility in dexterity, precise pitch, particularly in the multiple stoppings, as well as sensitivity to implied polyphonic and harmonic textures. These exceptional works may be the closest thing we have to a “perfect” composition, so why is it that musicians have drastically different alterations and interpretations of his works? It is as if quality, intensity, duration, and even pitch are subject to the performer’s adaptation. By mapping out these alterations performers make to Bach’s music, it becomes possible to map out their respective musical personalities.
If we are to evaluate Bach’s significance as a tutor, should we then assess the success of his students? Bach had taught numerous pupils during his life, particularly since c. 1706/7, where most primary sources are dated from. Johann Casper Vogler was one of Bach’s ‘successful’ students who became a nationally known organist and won an exclusive examination performance in the Markt-Kirche at Hanover. In 1721 he moved to take Bach’s former post as Organist for the Weimar Court. Vogler, previously known as “Anonymous 18”, is of significance today through his hand copies of Bach’s works. His copy of Bach’s Prelude and Fughetta in C Major, BWV 870a, is of particular influence, being highly regarded within performance study practices for having the fingerings written out. It is seen that Bach’s teaching methods went beyond the scope of influencing his direct pupils. Johann Tobias Krebs was another of Bach’s ‘acclaimed’ students who in 1721 accepted the post as Organist at Buttelstedt. Here he was expected to play the organ of Michaeliskirche and instruct at the school. Although J. T. Krebs remained at Buttelstedt for the rest of his life, he is mostly acknowledged as being the father of Johann Ludwig Krebs, also a student of Bach. Johann Ludwig Krebs became to be considered comparable to Bach; continuing the genius particularly through his keyboard technique and counterpoint. The names of some other notable pupils of Bach include Johann Martin Schubart, who in 1717 succeeded Bach at his organist post in Weimar. Another student was Johann Schneider who became organist of St.
In 1700, his brother couldn’t house him anymore, and that was when Bach decided to move far away to attend the Latin School in Lüneburg. Because of his talent in singing, he was recommended for a Freistelle at the school, meaning free tuition, room and board. At this point, Bach was a competent instrumentalist. He learnt how to play the violin from his father, choral singing from school, and keyboard instruments from his older brother. He was hungry to improve and gain knowledge. Hence, even though forbidden, he would secretly copy music under the moonlight for months so that he could have a copy of his own for studying and practicing. By this age, other musical prodigies had already composed their own works. For example, Beethoven composed his rondo when he was fifteen years old. From just this incident, we can tell how dedicated and music hungry he was even as a young child. Bach was more famous as an organist than a composer during his lifetime. He had been interested in the organ for a long time, especially during his stay with his older brother in Ohrdruf. He was only allowed to listen and observe. But he always knew
Johan Sabastian Bach was a very talented German Composer who wrote music in the Baroque time period. He was born March 31st , 1685, and lived until July 28th, 1750. He was born in Eisenach Germany, into a family of musical talents. In Germany at this time, they had just gone through the Scientific Revolution, and they were starting the Industrial Revolution, and Enlightenment. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was the director of the town musicians, and a lot of his extended family were also professional musicians. After his dad and brother sparked his interest into music, Bach decided to attended St. Michael's School in Luneburg for two years. After graduation he became the director of music for a German Prince, he became the director of music at several Lutheran churches, and taught music at the St. Thomas school. His most famous pieces ________ were called exquisite due to his artistic
influential of all composers is Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach’s effect on music history can never
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German organist and great composer, best known for the Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, and The Well-Tempered Clavier. He was born on March 31, 1685, in Eisenach, Germany. He was from a long line of musicians, all 67 men in his family was a musician and 53 of them were named Johann. While Bach’s mother read him Bible stories his father taught him the violin. Both of his parents died before he turned ten and he then went to live with his brother. While living with his brother he learned to play the keyboard and he studied composition on his own.
By the age of nine, Bach’s sister, one of his brothers, mother and father had all passed away. Both Bach and another brother, moved in with their eldest brother. While living there, he was able to continue studying the organ and harpsichord and soon mastered and peice that was put in front of him. Bach grew up in a fairly religious household. This is something that he carries with him throughout his life in his career.
Johann Sebastian Bach is probably one of the greatest composers of his time, as well as our time. As a boy he had a fantastic soprano singing voice and always took the lead roles in the church and school choirs. He started composing fairly early on in his life and his first main works, including the Preludes and Variations for the organ, were composed between the ages of 17 and 20.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born into a family of musicians. It was only natural for him to pick up an instrument and excel in it. His father taught him how to play the violin and harpsichord at a very young age. All of Bach’s uncles were professional musicians, one of them; Johann Christoph Bach introduced him to the organ. Bach hit a turning point in his life when both of his parents died at the age of ten years old. Bach’s older brother Johann Christoph Bach took him in and immediately expanded his knowledge in the world of music. He taught him how to play the clavichord and exposed him to great composers at the time. At the age of fourteen, Bach and his good friend George Erdmann were awarded a choral scholarship to the prestigious
Johann Sebastian Bach is known as one of the greatest German composers of all time. He contributed a lot to the Enlightenment era (1685-1815). His music was used much for religious worship. His work is iconic because he was the “supreme master of counterpoint, allowing him to write music as the musical equivalent of textual ideas” (Bach, Johann Sebastian). He was orphaned at the age of ten and taken in by his brother, Johann Christoph. He took after his brother, and by 15, he was singing in the choir at St. Michaels Church. By 18, he was a violinist in the chamber orchestra of Duke Johann Ernst. He then left that church to be the church organist at Arnstadt instead. There, the church let Bach leave to study with Dietrich Buxtehude, a composer
When Bach was eight years old he went to the old Latin Grammar School. He was taught reading and writing, Latin grammar, and a great deal of scripture, both in Latin and German. The boys in the school formed the choir of the St. Georgenkirche. This also gave Bach an opportunity to sing in the regular services, as well as in the nearby villages. He has an uncommonly fine treble voice.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was unlike most other composers of his time. “He wrote music for the glory of God, and to satisfy his own burning curiosity, not for future fame.” During the 1700s, people knew him as a talented musician, not as a composer, as we do today. He never left his country to pursue bigger and better things. Bach was content as long as he could play music. Traditions were very important to him. He wanted to carry on the musical tradition of his family, and never opted to change the traditional ways of composing, as did most composers. Bach’s work is vast and unique.
Before looking more closely at the composers’ works, they must be placed in their proper historical contexts. Bach was a great composer of the