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Born to a family of avid musicians, it is believed his father taught him to play the violin
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This was at the age of seven, so it is estimated that it was within September of 1692
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He left to go see Dietrich Buxtehude in Lubeck with only a few weeks leave from the church. He extended his stay without informing anyone back in Arnstadt.
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No specific date, but this was in 1705. He only received a few weeks leave from the church and didn't tell anyone that he left. He traveled to Lübeck to see famed organist Dietrich Buxtehude perform.
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No specific date. He resumed position as an organist at the Church of St. Blaise in Mühlhausen. His musical ideas clashed with that of the pastor's, Bach enjoyed complexity and rhythm mending while the pastor thought that church music should be simple. One of his most famous pieces from that period was "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit," also known as "Actus Tragicus."
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No specific date, but he moved in 1707. He resumed position as an organist, but his musical styles clashed with that of the pastor's. Bach was very complex and enjoyed weaving melodies together, while the pastor believed that church music should be simple. One of his most famous pieces from this period is "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit", or "Actus Tragicus".
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He left for a position as the organist at the court of Duke Wilhelm Ernst in Weimar. He wrote many church compositions at this time.
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In 1717, he wanted to leave for a position at the court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen. But it took awhile for the duke to let him go, so he left in early December.
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At this time with Prince Leopold, he composed many orchestrations involving cello, violin, and organ. Many of these are based on Christianity and are very famous today.
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He wrote many arias based on Bible verses, including the very famous Kyrie and Gloria.
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In Leipzig, he took a position at St. Thomas's Church as the organist and teacher. He wrote 6 cantatas at this time.
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By 1740, his eyesight began to decline. But he still carried on with shows, including playing for Frederick the Great, King of Prussia in 1747.
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He tried to compose "The Art of Fugue" in 1749, but he didn't finish it.
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Bach suffered a stroke and died in Leipzig on July 28th, 1750
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No specific date. He was greatly influenced by a local organist by the name of George Böhm.
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No specific date.
His older brother, Johann Christoph provided musical instruction and enrolled him in a school. He stayed with his brother until he was 15. -
No specific date. This was due to his beautiful soprano singing voice
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No specific date. His Lutheran faith would later influence his compositions.
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He was very independent and sometimes arrogant, so he didn't get along with his students. He was also yelled at by church officials for not rehearsing them as often as he should've. No specific date.
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He attempted surgery to fix his eyesight, but he went completely blind as a result. (no specific date)
