Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Johann Sebastian Bach, pronounced: [ˈjoːhan zeˈbasti̯a(ː)n ˈbax] ; March 31, 1685 [March 21 in the Julian calendar] - July 28, 1750), a German composer and organ, harpsichord, and violin player. He was also a master of Baroque music and is considered one of the most important composers in the history of Western music. Bach was born into a musical family in Eisenach, the Holy Roman Empire (located in today's Thuringia, Germany), and received music education from an early age. After the death of his parents, Bach moved to Odlov and was raised by his eldest brother. He lived in poverty. At the age of 15, he went to Lüneburg to study and make a living on his own. After graduation, Bach served as organist in Arnstadt and Mühlhausen (1703-1708), and later served as court musician in Weimar (1708-1717) and Köthen (1717-1723), as well as church music director in Leipzig (1723-1750). Bach continued to study composition by himself throughout his life, studying all the works of his predecessors and younger generations. He was extremely prolific throughout his life, and his works were known for their excellent quality and quantity. In addition to operas, he covered almost all genres of music at that time, including oratorios, Passions, oratorios, motets, masses, chants, solos for various instruments, suites, chamber music and concertos, etc. Although Bach did not create a new style, his creations widely incorporated musical techniques from Germany, Italy, France and other countries, and presented them with skillful polyphonic techniques, demonstrating the essence and profound thoughts of Baroque music style. But as music turned to a simpler, lighter style, Bach's polyphony was regarded as obsolete after his death, and his achievements went unappreciated for decades, becoming known only as an organist and teacher. Although great composers such as Mozart and Beethoven highly praised Bach, it was not until the Romantic era, when the composer Mendelssohn adapted and conducted Bach's "Matthew Passion" in Berlin in 1829 that the music world recognized the value of Bach's music. Composers after the early Romantic period were also mostly influenced by Bach. Since then, several generations of musicians have discovered, studied, organized and promoted his works, and Bach has gradually regained his lofty status. In the 2005 German Television Channel 2 poll for the greatest German, he ranked sixth, second only to Martin Luther and Marx among figures before the 20th century.