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Johann
Sebastian Bach, born 21st March 1685 in Germany.
Bach is considered the greatest composer during a period of music called the Baroque. Baroque music, written in the early 1700s, is very complex – usually two melodies are played at the same time and balance each other in sound (similar to a round in singing, except using different songs).
Bach was
not a young musician, even though he became very important – mostly when other
composers discovered his work after he died.
Bach was left an orphan and lived with his older brother from 10 years of
age. His
brother taught him keyboard instruments.
He learnt violin and keyboard until his 18th birthday and then
began performing in Cathedrals as part of services and composing for special
occasions in the church.
Bach spent most of his
later life devoted to his wife and children and composing music to use outside
church. He
married Anna Magdalena, a singer, and had 13 children.
He became blind 10 years before he died but continued to write music –
some of the most complex ever written.
Bach was a
very religious man, and so much of his work was written for church, in
opera-like form.
Although he wrote about 60 books full of music for use outside the
church, most of this was not acknowledged until 100 years after he died.
The later work was very grand and used for royal ballroom dances.
His music is made of many complicated melodies, with high and low notes
in balance. |
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Last modified: April 13, 2009 |
