Johan Sebatian Bach's life and how his influence grew over time.

1. Johann Sebastian Bach
By: Justin Kord

2. Johann Sebastian Bach
• Widely considered to be one of the most incredible musicians of all time and unquestionably one of
the most brilliant composers in the history of music, Johann Sebastian Bach had a special gift of
crafting masterpieces in every baroque style of music except for the opera. I believe that due to his
devotion to the church Bach was focused on god therefore he was hired by the church who could not
afford all the production costs associated of the opera and also did not have a need for them as
entertainment. It is very interesting to think about what direction Bach could have taken his music if
he had not been bound to the church system. Potentially Bach would have created a new genre of
music that would still be popular today or he could have been more popular during his lifetime if he
was creating the music that was popular at that time and working with other musicians, however,
during his time spent at the church Bach was able to intensely study and develop into a master of his
craft. Much speculation can be made about what could have been accomplished if things were
different but the matter of the fact is that the music that he made spoke for itself and grew in
popularity and influence as the years went by and still to this day Bach is known as one of the most if
not the most influential musician in the history of music.

3. Johann Sebastian Bach
• Being born in a musical family Johann Sebastian Bach was destined
for music greatness. Bach began to learn teachings of violin from his
father and also organ teachings from his uncle Johann Christoph was
at the time the organist for the court and town of Eisenach. Bach’s
parents died when he was young so he lived as a choir boy in
Luneburg where he completed his studies of Lutheran theology
which gave him a solid foundation for his music career in the church.
During this time, the young Bach was exposed to a wide range of
musical influencers of the time where he would study their music and
develop his knowledge. After just finishing his education Johann
Sebastian Bach set to embark on the real world where he got a job as
the organist in Arnstadt which with Bach being so young was “an
indication that already in his late teens he was a highly accomplished
organist in and area full of accomplished organists.” (Stapert, 2007)

4. Johann Sebastian Bach
• However, during his life, he never truly saw himself as a musical genius as he thought of himself as
more of a skilled worker and he continued to work different positions where he would write most of
his music to fulfil the he requirements of his job. I believe this could be one of the main reasons that
during his life he was not a famous artist and did very little travelling therefore his talents were not
widely known outside his close circle of friends and family. Bach took his first position as an
organist but at the age of 23 he was married and decided to take a much better position as the leader
of the orchestra for the Duke of Weimar where he stayed and developed his craft for 9 years before
setting his sights on the music director position that he always wanted. At this time Bach left the
Duke of Weimar to his frustration and joined the young Prince of Cothen who was a passionate
supporter of the arts as he was also a musician himself.

5. Johann Sebastian Bach
• During this time Bach was eager to create and develop a wide variety of
music which made him happy to have such creative control while also
being so highly regarded by the prince. He enjoyed his time so much at
Cohen he eventually got remarried to a singer who was also employed by
the prince and began a new life. During his time spent in Cothen, Bach
also composed The Two-Part inventions which he describes as a
knowledgeable teaching piece that shows how to play cleanly in two
voices. These inventions were so groundbreaking and influential that still
to this day many editions exist that can be purchased by music teachers or
students who are looking to gain knowledge into these styles. It is
understood that these inventions will truly guide students to learning
proper technique and texture that is needed with two voices. Many
experts believe that if students learn and memorize the significance of the
Two-Part inventions that they will be able to learn and play different
pieces from the “classical, romantic and contemporary periods with a
greater sense of skill, dexterity or technical prowess and musical
understanding” (Douthits, 2003)

6. Johann Sebastian Bach
• Due to Bach being a paid to work as a musician of the time, eventually the Prince of Cothen also got married to
a woman who did not enjoy music so therefore Bach’s orchestra got dismissed and he was left again looking for
a new position. The timing was pretty perfect as at this time a relatively large town of Leipzig was looking for a
musical director. Due to Bach, not being widely well known at the time he was originally not considered as a top
candidate but eventually got hired as a 3rd choice for the St. Thomas’s church. “One of the Leipzig town
councilors infamously said, “As the best are not available, I suppose we must take one of the second-rate men.”
(Stapert, 2007)Obviously at this time Bach’s music was not as famous as some of the other composer’s due to
his devotion to god and the way that he carried himself as a skilled worker as opposed to a famous artist. Little
did they know that they who they were talking about would live on to be one of the greats. At the age of 38
Johann Sebastian Bach happily accepted the offer and moved to Leipzig where he would spend the rest of his
remaining years. During this time of his life Bach was extremely involved in his job as it has many aspects that
required him to compose, rehearse and direct a new church cantina every week for their Sunday church routine
as well as being the head of the St. Thomas music school where he was required to teach Latin, play the organ,
maintain all of the schools Instruments and also prepare the choirs for the 3 other main churches in Leipzig. For
any ordinary man or musician this work condition would be almost impossible but Bach was able to fulfill all of
these roles efficiently.

7. Johann Sebastian Bach
• In 1747, Bach was invited to visit Frederick the Great the
autocratic king of Prussia who was also a musician himself who
was passionate about supporting the art. During his time one of
Bach’s sons C.P.E. Bach worked for Frederick the Great and was
beginning to become known as the more up to date composer
compared to J.S. Bach whose music at the time was “regarded as
old fashioned or too complicated.” (Yudkin, 2016)
• At this time before Bach’s death there were many composers that
were more famous because of the popular styles of music they
made and the famous artists they worked with. When Bach died
in 1750 he left a large collection of work behind that would last
long past his lifetime. Bach was a family man who used his
talents as a means of supporting his family during his life but
behind the life that J.S. Bach lived there was an artistic genius
who’s work would be studied for long after he lived and widely
considered to be some of the most brilliant and most influential
works of all time.

8. Johann Sebastian Bach
• Bach made many masterpieces and he was considered to be the master of counterpoint. Bach
made a wide variety of organ music which extended to preludes, fugues which is the most
challenging counterpoint, Lutheran chorales and organ trio sonatas. During his years working
for the prince of Cothen, Johann Sebastian Bach produced a large variety of solo music which
included suites and sonatas for solo violin, solo cello, solo flute and more. Bach also mended a
new unique keyboard style by drawing from his German roots and his cultural knowledge of
Italian and French music which eventually became a highlight of the entire Baroque period. At
the same time, he also composed a large number of orchestral compositions and “several
concertos including the famous Brandenburg concertos.” (Yudkin, 2016)
• Bach’s church music was also considered some of his best work and some compositions are so
great that they are regarded as some of the most brilliant traditional mass settings in history.
With all the work that Bach did and all of the music and teachings that he left the world there
was an unparalleled level of genius that truly drew people to his works. To this day many argue
that his work and the impact that it has had makes Johann Sebastian Bach the most influential
musician of all time.

9. Johann Sebastian Bach
• “Mozart said of Bach’s works, “Now there is music from which a
person can learn something” (Westmeyer, 2007)
• Which is true even to this day books are written about the creative
genius Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach’s music is still used in many
fashions today which include many concert halls as well as church’s
around the world. Some of the most accomplished musicians of
today still use many works from Bach as a source of influence and
learning. When first faced with the challenges of a Bach piece some
may resist the hard work. After the piece is learned the musicians
will notice how much substance a Bach composition is made up of
compared to others and they will truly appreciate how diverse it is.
(Westmeyer, 2007)

10. Johann Sebastian Bach
• In 2015 there was a study conducted to measure the influence of some of the most
influential musicians of all time. The study used 1/f fluctuation Analysis across
multiple genres to determine who had played the most important role in
influencing the evolution of music. “Overall, Bach had the greatest influence,
which lends credence to Bach’s title of the “original father of harmony”” (Wu,
2015)
• Bach had many admirers some of which are also widely considered to be some
the most influential musicians of all time themselves. After Bach died many
famous musicians gravitated to his work as there was a tremendous amount of
complexity in his compositions that provided much inspiration to many including
the likes of Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn and Brahms.

11. Johann Sebastian Bach
• Through my research I have been able to discover many brilliant
things about Johann Sebastian Bach that truly make one of the
greatest composers in the history of western civilization and
potentially the single most influential artist in the history of music.
From the complexity and diversity that is shown in his work that is
still teaching many aspiring musicians around the world to his
influence on the evolution of music history it is clear to see the
positive impact Bach has left on the world. When looking deeper into
the life of Bach you can see his devotion to god played a major part
in his career and the style of music he made. At the time, Bach was
not as famous as some of the other composer’s due to his loyalty to
the church and it was not until after his death that famous musicians
and experts began to study and give him the credit he truly deserved.
It is evident that Bach’s influence grew over time and changed music
forever even though during his time he was relatively unknown.

12. Bibliography
• Wu, Dan, et al. "Bach Is the Father of Harmony: Revealed by a 1/f Fluctuation Analysis across Musical Genres." PLoS ONE,
vol. 10, no. 11, 2015. Academic
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=subd78095&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA433838895&it=r&asid=5a6c4eac
558152e308721cd0388060d5.
• Sherman, Laura. "J.S. Bach on the harp." American Harp Journal, 2012, p. 26+. Academic
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=subd78095&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA339117986&it=r&asid=716164b
b33ed741b61ba54099c1f7152.
• Westermeyer, Paul. "Freedom and faith: Bach still speaks to the church today." Christian History and Biography, no. 95, 2007,
p. 34+. Academic
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=subd78095&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA255656273&it=r&asid=67e0fe4d
84af0f2152e5479e4faed635.
• Stapert, Calvin R. "The glory of God alone: fueled by his Lutheran faith, J. S. Bach devoted his life to creating music for
refreshment, proclamation, and praise." Christian History and Biography, no. 95, 2007, p. 8+. Academic
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=subd78095&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA255656266&it=r&asid=f729cb23
7c87c78daf1fe2f245c2b314.
• Stanley, Amy, and James Douthit. "Reinventing the inventions." American Music Teacher, Aug.-Sept. 2003, p. 37+. Academic
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=subd78095&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA106390061&it=r&asid=a96e023
9b82ad49e49f1a3b64e1d4032.
• Yudkin, Jeremy. Understanding Music. Pearson, 2016.