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Childhood
Johann Sebastian was the youngest of 8 children born to Johann Ambrosius and Maria Elisabeth -
Family
Both his parents had died by the time he turned 10. His older brothers took care of him after that. -
Early music instruction
Johann's oldest brother, Johann Christoph also taught him to play keyboard instruments. He had opportunity to study & copy scores of other composers, even though he wasn't allowed to because paper was scarce & valuable. Later, he was taught by Georg Bohm, another famous organist and composer of the time. -
Employed in Weimar
First job was not as a musician, though he continued learning to play the organ/keyboard. -
First job as a musician
Bach got his first job as an organist in Arnstadt where he had just played the inaugural recital on the new organ there. He ended up disliking the job because the singers in the choir weren't good enough. Eventually he took a 4-week leave of absence, which he then stretched to 4 months (without permission). During this time he walked some 450 km to visit another leading organist of the time, Dietrich Buxtehude. -
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Weimar, Arnstadt, & Mulhausen
First music gig, crappy choirs, and meeting his wife -
Meeting Maria in Muhlhausen
His next post was at a church in Muhlhausen, where he directed the music and wrote cantatas. He also met and married Maria Barbara, his second cousin. -
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Back to Weimar
Bach and his wife has several children during these years, three of whom did not live to their first birthday -
Compositions
In Weimar Bach composed many works for keyboard (The Well-Tempered Clavier), organ (The Little Organ Book, based on Lutheran Chorales) and baroque orchestra (works influenced by Italian composers). -
Stuck in Jail!
in 1717, Bach wanted out of his job in Weimar and was put in Jail for a month because of it. Eventually they let him go and quit his job. -
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Kothen
Here Bach was the Kappelmeister for Prince Leopold and continued composing, notably the Brandenburg Concertos. -
Chance to meet Handel
Bach walked 35 kms to meet G. F. Handel only to find he had left by the time he go there. They never had another chance to meet. -
More sorrow in the family
In mid July of 1720, while he was away, Maria suddenly passed away. About a year and a half later he married Anna Magdalena, with whom he had 13 children, 6 of whom survived to adulthood. -
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Leipzig
In Leipzig, Bach was appointed Cantor at the St Thomas Church there. -
Composing Cantatas
In Leipzig, for several years, Bach wrote Cantatas for the church services each week. These are works for choir, soloists, and orchestra that were mostly based on Lutheran hymns. -
Other notable compositions
In his last years, Bach also composed some of his greatest works, including the St Matthew Passion, Mass in B Minor, The Great 18 Chorale Preludes, Canonic Variations on Vomm Himmel Hoch, the Goldberg Variations, and The Art of Fugue. -
Declining Health
Bach's health declined in the last year of his life. His eye sight also diminished and he underwent eye surgery. This was not successful and he died from complications on July 28, 1750
