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Johann Sebastian Bach: Musicians
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Bach came from a distinguished German family of musicians and composers, traced as far back as the 16th century. In his own immediately large J.S. Bach family, few were not musicians. More known in the musical circle among his children were: Wilhelm Friedemann, Carl Philipp Emanuel (CPE), Johann Christoph Friederich Bach, and Johann Christian Bach (JC).
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At Leipzig, Bach seems to have maintained active relationships with several members of the faculty of the university. He enjoyed a particularly fruitful relationship with the poet Picander. Sebastian and Anna Magdalena welcomed friends, family, and fellow musicians from all over Germany into their home. Court musicians at Dresden and Berlin, and musicians including Georg Philipp Telemann (one of Emanuel’s godfathers) made frequent visits to Bach’s apartment and may have kept up frequent correspondence with him. Interestingly, George Frideric Handel, who was born in the same year as Bach in Halle, only 50 km from Leipzig, made several trips to Germany, but Bach was unable to meet him, a fact that Bach appears to have deeply regretted.[14]
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When an opening developed at St. Michael's School in Lüneburg in 1700, Bach was awarded a scholarship for his fine voice. After his voice changed, he was transferred to the orchestra and played violin. Bach often traveled to Hamburg, Germany, to hear other musicians. During this time he ... began composing chorale preludes (organ compositions that were played before hymns sung in the Lutheran worship service). Bach graduated from St. Michael's School in 1702.
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In his last years Bach became very weakened and frail through his eye trouble. Presumably from the summer of 1749 he was no longer active in his post, since in June 1749 the Leipzig Council had the tactlessness to approve a 'test for a future Cantor of St. Thomas's, in case the Capellmeister and Cantor Herr Sebast: Bach should die' and to nominate Gottlob Harrer as his successor. Two eye operations, which the English oculist Taylor performed on Bach early in 1750, went badly. On the evening of 28 July 1750 he died as the result of a stroke. The press contained brief obituary notices on the deceased 'famous musician.' But at that time those who knew his work had scarcely any notion -- let alone appreciation -- of his greatness.
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Bach was a part of perhaps the most amazing musical family in history. For over two hundred years they were a family of musicians and composers. Bach's father, uncles and elder brother were all professional musicians, as well as numerous other more distant relatives, while his sons Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Christian Bach became important musicians and composers in their own right.
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Bach came from a family of musicians; his father and brother were his early teachers. Bach composed in all genres of the late Baroque except opera . His music was composed for particular occasions, therefore, his works are appropriate to his jobs--organ music early (and late), at Cöthen he had nothing to do with the church and his compositions during that period reflected the position. He was trained as violinist and organist and he studied music by copying scores of others or writing fugues on themes of others composers (Corelli, Legrenzi).
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