In the music world Johann Sebastian Bach is not only considered one of the Greats but a giant among the greats. He was born in 1685 in the town of Eisenach, Germany. His father and all his uncles were musicians and so he learned early and often his way around the violin and harpsichord. At age 10 Bach’s father and mother died so he was raised by an older brother. Interestingly, there were no pianos as we know today, back in Bach’s time, they had not yet been invented. The layout of the keys on a Harpsichord are the same as a piano but in the Harpsichord when you play one of the keys, a little hook plucks the sting to make a sound. On a piano, when you play one of the keys, a little hammer comes down and hits a string producing the vibrations we know as notes. Even though both devices produce a sound of the same frequency, there is a qualitative difference in the sound to the ears.
Bach demonstrated great proficiency in playing both the harpsichord and the organ and as a result found himself employed by Churches around Germany. However, he had difficulty in holding on to long term employment in Church because he was very critical of the musical talent of the “amateurs” who made up his church choirs and orchestras. In fact, he was jailed for a short time for being abusive to his amateur musicians.
When Bach was 21 he married his second cousin, Maria. They were married for 14 years and had 5 children some of them like Carl Emanuel became excellent composers themselves. Bach’s first wife died in 1720 and in 1721 Bach remarried to 19 year old Anna Magdalena and together they had 13 more children.
Bach was a prolific composer as was required of Church musicians in his day. The head priest would require a new prelude and postlude for every Sunday service, no repeats allowed. His most famous compositions during this period of time were 24 Preludes and Fugues written in each major and minor key and the Brandenburg Concertos.
By 1740 Bach’s health started failing and he started work on his legacy work, the Mass in B minor. Just as Mozart used his last years to write his legacy piece, the Requiem so did Bach. The B minor Mass was complete in 1749 and Bach died in 1750 never to have seen his masterpiece performed. For those who have the time and patience, her is a link to the complete 2 hour long Mass.
For those who want a taste of the B minor Mass: