Johann Sebastian Bach Essays (879 words) - German Lutherans

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21, 1685 he died on July 28, 1750. He was born in the city Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach. His mother is Maria Elisabeth Lammerhirt. His father is Johann Ambrosius Bach, who was the director of the Stadtpfeifer or the towns? musicians. He was the youngest one of his family. His father taught him how to play the harpsichord and the violin. His Uncle Johann Christoph Bach taught him how to play the organ. At the age of 10 years old he became an orphan. He moved in with his oldest brother Johann Christoph Bach, who was named after his uncle. His brother was the organist at the Michaeliskirche in nearby Ohrdurf. His brother taught him how to play the clavichord. At the age of 14, Bach, along with his older school friend George Erdmann, was awarded a choral scholarship to study at the prestigious St. Michael?s School in Luneburg. Not far from the northern seaport of Hamburg, one of the largest cities in the Holy Roman Empire. His two years there appear to have been critical in exposing him to a wider palette of European culture than he would have experienced in Thuringia. In addition to signing in the cappella choir, he played the school?s three-manual organ and its harpsichord. He also probably learned Latin, history, geography, and physics. He would have come into contact with the sons of noblemen from northern Germany sent to the highly selective school to prepare for careers in diplomacy, government, and the military. While in Luneburg young Bach would have visited the Johanniskirche also known as the Church of St. John, and heard the church?s famous organ. Given his innate musical talent, Bach would have had significant contact with prominent organist of the day in Luneburg, most notably Bohm as well as organist in nearby Hamburg, such as Johann Adam Reincken. In January 1703, Bach graduated from St. Michael?s School. That same month he tried auditioning for an organist post at Sangerhausen, but he failed the audition. He took a post as a court musician in the chapel of Duke Johann Ernst in Weimar, Thuringia. During his seven-month tenure at Weimar, his reputation as a keyboard player spread. He was invited to inspect and give the inaugural recital on a new organ at St. Boniface?s Church in Arnstadt. His family had many connections with the oldest town in Thuringia, about 25 miles from to the southwest of Weimar at the edge of the Great Forest. In August of 1703, he was offered the post of organist at the St. Boniface?s Church, with light duties, a relatively generous salary, and a fine new organ tuned to a modern system that allowed a wide range of keys to be used. Bach accepted the post as the organist at the St. Boniface?s Church. At this time, Bach was embarking on the serious composition of organ preludes; these works, in the North Germany tradition of virtuosic, improvisatory preludes, already showed tight motivic control. In these works the composer had yet to fully develop his power of large-scale organization and his contrapuntal technique. A strong family connections and a musically enthusiastic employer failed to prevent tension between the young organist and the authorities after several years in the post. Bach had an unauthorized absence from Arnstadt for several months in 1705-1706. Before he went absent Bach was in a brawl in Arnstadt. When he visited the great master Dieterich Buxtehude his Abendmusiken at the Marienkirche in the northern city of Lubeck. The trip reinforced Buxtehude?s style as a foundation for Bach?s earlier work, and that he overstayed his planned visit by several months. Bach said that the time he spent with the old man was of great value in art. Despite his comfortable position in Arnstadt, by 1706 Bach realized that he needed to escape from his family milieu and further his career. He was offered a more lucrative post as the organist at St. Blasius?s in Muhlhausen, a large and important city to the north. That following year, Bach took up this senior position with significantly increased salary and conditions, including good choir. Four months after arriving to Muhlhausen, he married