JOHAN SEBASTIAN BEACH

It looks like there’s a mix‑up—there’s no well‑known figure named *Johan Sebastian Beach*.
The most famous person with a similar name is *Johann Sebastian Bach* (1685 – 1750), the German Baroque composer and virtuoso organist. If you meant *Bach*,

---

*Johann Sebastian Bach – A Life in Music (1685 – 1750)*

Johann Sebastian Bach was born on 21 March 1685 (O.S. 31 March) in *Eisenach*, Thuringia (now Germany). He entered the world in a family that had produced musicians for generations—his father, *Johann Ambrosius Bach*, was a town musician and court trumpeter, and his mother, *Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt*, came from a family of civic officials. Orphaned at age 10 after his mother’s death (May 1694) and his father’s a few months later (February 1695), young Johann Sebastian moved to *Ohrdruf* to live with his elder brother *Johann Christoph*, an organist who taught him keyboard and introduced him to the organ repertoire.

At 15, Bach earned a scholarship to *St Michael’s School in Lüneburg*, where he sang in the choir, learned violin, and absorbed the rich North German organ tradition, especially the works of *Georg Böhm* and *Dietrich Buxtehude*. After graduating (1702), he began his professional career as a court musician in *Weimar*, then secured his first organist post at *Arnstadt (1703‑1707)*. His early reputation blossomed through dazzling improvisations and a growing catalog of organ works.

In 1707 he moved to *Mühlhausen* as organist at St Blasius Church, where he married his second cousin *Maria Barbara Bach*. Their first child, *Catharina Dorothea*, was born later that year, and three sons—*Wilhelm Friedemann*, *Carl Philipp Emanuel*, and *Johann Gottfried Bernhard*—would also become notable musicians. After a brief stint, he returned to *Weimar (1708‑1717)* as court organist and later concertmaster, composing many cantatas and organ masterpieces (e.g., early versions of the *Toccata and Fugue in D minor*).

In 1717 Bach accepted the position of *Kapellmeister* at *Köthen*, serving Prince *Leopold of Anhalt‑Köthen*. This period (1717‑1723) was exceptionally productive for secular instrumental music: the *Brandenburg Concertos*, *Orchestral Suites*, *Cello Suites*, and *Sonatas & Partitas for solo violin*. Tragedy struck in 1720 when Maria Barbara died suddenly. The following year he married *Anna Magdalena Wilcke*, a gifted soprano, and together they had 13 more children, many of whom survived to adulthood.

In 1723 Bach moved to *Leipzig* to become *Thomaskantor* at St Thomas Church and director of music for the city’s four main churches. His duties included composing a cantata for every Sunday and feast day, teaching at the Thomasschule, and overseeing music for civic events. Over the next 27 years he produced the *St Matthew Passion*, *St John Passion*, *Mass in B minor*, *Christmas Oratorio*, and countless cantatas, motets, and organ works. His mastery of counterpoint reached its apex in *The Art of Fugue* and *The Well‑Tempered Clavier* (two volumes, 1722 & 1742), a showcase of every major and minor key.

Bach’s fame during his lifetime rested largely on his virtuosity at the organ and his reputation as a teacher. He was respected by contemporaries such as *Handel* and *Telemann*, though his music was considered old‑fashioned by some as the *Classical style* emerged. In his later years he became blind after botched eye surgeries and died on 28 July 1750 in Leipzig. He was buried in St Thomas Church, later rediscovered by *Felix Mendelssohn* in the 19th century, sparking the Bach Revival that cemented his status as one of Western music’s greatest masters.

*Legacy*
Bach’s works epitomize Baroque depth: rich harmony, intricate counterpoint, and profound spirituality. His influence stretches from *Mozart* and *Beethoven* to *Jazz* and *Rock* musicians. Institutions like the *Bach‑Archiv Leipzig* and the annual *Bachfest* celebrate his enduring impact.