Johann Sebastian Bach Born: March 21, 1685 Died: July 28, 1750 Birthplace: Eisanach, Germany Age at Death: 65 Biography Born at Eisenach, in Thuringia, he came of a distinguishedmusical family. At 15 he became a chorister at Luneburg and at 19organist at Arnstadt. Subsequent appointments included positionsat the courts of Weimar and Anhalt-Kother, and finally in 1723,that of musical director at St Thomas's choir school in Leipzig,where, apart from his brief visit to the court of Frederick theGreat of Prussia in 1747, he remained there until his death.Bach married twice and had 21 children, ten of whom died ininfancy. His second wife, Anna Magdalena Wulkens, was a sopranosinger; she also acted as his amanuensis, when in later years hissight failed.

Bach was a master of contrapuntal technique, and his music marksthe culmination of the Baroque polyphonic style. Important Works Sacred music includes over 200 church cantatas, the Easter andChristmas oratorios, the two great Passions of St Mathew and StJohn, and the Mass in B minor.Orchestral music includes his six Brandenburg Concertos, otherconcertos for clavier and for violin, and four orchestral suites.Bach's keyboard music for clavier and for organ is of equalimportance and includes the collection of 48 preludes and fuguresknown as THE WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER, the GOLDBERG VARIATIONS, andthe FRENCH and ENGLISH SUITES. Of his organ music, the most imporant examples are the choralpreludes. He also wrote chamber music and songs. Two importantworks written in the later years illustrate the principles andpotential of his polyphic art - THE MUSICAL OFFERING and THE ARTOF FUGUE.