Johann Sebastian Bach

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Born: 1685   Died: 1750   Country: Germany   Period: Baroque
Johann Sebastian Bach was better known as a virtuoso organist than as a composer in his day. His sacred music, organ and choral works, and other instrumental music had an enthusiasm and seeming freedom that concealed immense rigor. Bach's use of counterpoint was brilliant and innovative, and the immense complexities of his compositional style -- which often included religious and numerological symbols that seem to fit perfectly together in a Read more profound puzzle of special codes -- still amaze musicians today. Many consider him the greatest composer of all time.

Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685. He was taught to play the violin and harpsichord by his father, Johann Ambrosius, a court trumpeter in the service of the Duke of Eisenach. Young Johann was not yet ten when his father died, leaving him orphaned. He was taken in by his recently married oldest brother, Johann Christoph, who lived in Ohrdruf. Because of his excellent singing voice, Bach attained a position at the Michaelis monastery at Lüneberg in 1700. His voice changed a short while later, but he stayed on as an instrumentalist. After taking a short-lived post in Weimar in 1703 as a violinist, Bach became organist at the Neue Kirche in Arnstadt (1703-1707). His relationship with the church council was tenuous as the young musician often shirked his responsibilities, preferring to practice the organ. One account describes a four-month leave granted Bach, to travel to Lubeck where he would familiarize himself with the music of Dietrich Buxtehude. He returned to Arnstadt long after was expected and much to the dismay of the council. He then briefly served at St. Blasius in Mühlhausen as organist, beginning in June 1707, and married his cousin, Maria Barbara Bach, that fall. Bach composed his famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor (BWV 565) and his first cantatas while in Mühlhausen, but quickly outgrew the musical resources of the town. He next took a post for the Duke of Sachsen-Weimar in 1708, serving as court organist and playing in the orchestra, eventually becoming its leader in 1714. He wrote many organ compositions during this period, including his Orgel-Büchlein. Owing to politics between the Duke and his officials, Bach left Weimar and secured a post in December 1717 as Kapellmeister at Cöthen. In 1720, Bach's wife suddenly died, leaving him with four children (three others had died in infancy). A short while later, he met his second wife, soprano Anna Magdalena Wilcke, whom he married in December 1721. She would bear 13 children, though only five would survive childhood. The six Brandenburg Concertos (BWV 1046-51), among many other secular works, date from his Cöthen years. Bach became Kantor of the Thomas School in Leipzig in May 1723 and held the post until his death. It was in Leipzig that he composed the bulk of his religious and secular cantatas. Bach eventually became dissatisfied with this post, not only because of its meager financial rewards, but also because of onerous duties and inadequate facilities. Thus, he took on other projects, chief among which was the directorship of the city's Collegium Musicum, an ensemble of professional and amateur musicians who gave weekly concerts, in 1729. He also became music director at the Dresden Court in 1736, in the service of Frederick Augustus II; though his duties were vague and apparently few, they allowed him freedom to compose what he wanted. Bach began making trips to Berlin in the 1740s, not least because his son Carl Philipp Emanuel served as a court musician there. In May 1747, the composer was warmly received by King Frederick II of Prussia, for whom he wrote the gloriously abstruse Musical Offering (BWV 1079). Among Bach's last works was his 1749 Mass in B minor. Besieged by diabetes, he died on July 28, 1750. Read less

Featured Johann Sebastian Bach CDs & DVDs:

Bach: Complete Orchestral Works / Helmuth Rilling
Bach: Complete Orchestral Works / Helmuth Rilling
Release Date: 04/30/2013   Label: Hänssler Classic  
Catalog: 98009   Number of Discs: 11
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Bach: Violin Concertos, Concerto For 3 Violins / Mullejans, Von Der Goltz, Schreiber
Bach: Violin Concertos, Concerto For 3 Violins / Mullejans, Von Der Goltz, Schreiber
Release Date: 04/09/2013   Label: Harmonia Mundi  
Catalog: 902145   Number of Discs: 1
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Bach: Suites No 4, 5 & 6 / Hopkinson Smith
Bach: Suites No 4, 5 & 6 / Hopkinson Smith
Release Date: 02/26/2013   Label: Naive  
Catalog: 8938   Number of Discs: 1
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Bach: Suites No 1, 2 & 3 / Hopkinson Smith
Bach: Suites No 1, 2 & 3 / Hopkinson Smith
Release Date: 02/26/2013   Label: Naive  
Catalog: 8937   Number of Discs: 1
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Bach & Beyond, Part 1 / Koh
Bach & Beyond, Part 1 / Koh
Release Date: 10/30/2012   Label: Cedille Records  
Catalog: 134   Number of Discs: 1
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Work: Partita for Violin solo no 2 in D minor, BWV 1004

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  • 1.
    Bach: Sonatas And Partitas For Solo Violin / Kristof Barati
    Bach: Sonatas And Partitas For Solo Violin / Kristof Barati
    Label: Brilliant Classics   Catalog: 94667 Release Date: 05/28/2013   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Kristóf Baráti
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    Bach: Six Sonatas & Partitas / Gottfried Schneider
    Bach: Six Sonatas & Partitas / Gottfried Schneider
    Label: Oehms   Catalog: 868 Release Date: 04/30/2013   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Gottfried Schneider
    CD: $34.99
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  • 3.
    The Complete J.S. Bach Edition - 32gb Usb Stick
    The Complete J.S. Bach Edition - 32gb Usb Stick
    Label: Teldec   Catalog: 4661127 Release Date: 04/30/2013   Number of Discs: Fla
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Max van Egmond,  Kurt Equiluz,  Paul Esswood,  Walter Gampert  ... 
    Conductor:  Nikolaus Harnoncourt,  Gustav Leonhardt,  Ton Koopman,  Jaap Schröder  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Vienna Concentus Musicus,  Chorus Viennensis,  Vienna Boys' Choir  ... 
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  • 4.
    Bach: Sonata BWV 1001, Partita BWV 1004 / Miguel Rincon
    Bach: Sonata BWV 1001, Partita BWV 1004 / Miguel Rincon
    Label: Carpe Diem   Catalog: 16295 Release Date: 02/26/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Miguel Rincon
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    Bach: Sonatas And Partitas, Vol. 1 / Rudiger Lotter
    Bach: Sonatas And Partitas, Vol. 1 / Rudiger Lotter
    Label: Oehms   Catalog: 838 Release Date: 02/26/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Rudiger Lotter
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  • 6.
    Beyond: Bach, Scelsi / Luneburg
    Beyond: Bach, Scelsi / Luneburg
    Label: Coviello Classics   Catalog: 61302 Release Date: 02/26/2013  
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Giacinto Scelsi
    Performer:  Barbara Lüneburg
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  • 7.
    Bach: Sei Solo - Sonatas & Partitas For Violin
    Bach: Sei Solo - Sonatas & Partitas For Violin
    Label: Phi   Catalog: 8 Release Date: 02/12/2013   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Christine Busch
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  • 8.
    Beyond
    Label: Coviello Classics   Catalog: 61302 Release Date: 02/05/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Giacinto Scelsi
    Performer:  Barbara Lüneburg
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  • 9.
    Bach & Beethoven / Maxim Vengerov, Itamar Golan
    Bach & Beethoven / Maxim Vengerov, Itamar Golan
    Label: Wigmore Hall Live   Catalog: 56 Release Date: 01/29/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Henri Wieniawski,  Johannes Brahms
    Performer:  Maxim Vengerov,  Itamar Golan
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  • 10.
    Bach: A Retrospective, Vol. 3
    Bach: A Retrospective, Vol. 3
    Label: Centaur Records   Catalog: 3211 Release Date: 01/22/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Steven Staryk,  Kenneth Gilbert
    Conductor:  Bernard Haitink,  Steven Staryk
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  • 11.
    Walther, Westhoff, Bach
    Label: Ars Produktion   Catalog: 38126 Release Date: 01/01/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Jakob Walther,  Johann Paul von Westhoff,  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Olaf Reimers,  Klaus Mader,  Wolf-Eckart Dietrich,  Uta Pape
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  • 12.
    Alicja Smietana Plays Bach, Gould, Previn & Part
    Alicja Smietana Plays Bach, Gould, Previn & Part
    Label: Solo Musica   Catalog: 176 Release Date: 10/30/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  André Previn,  Glenn Gould,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Arvo Pärt
    Performer:  Evelyne Berezovsky,  Alicja Smietana
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  • 13.
    Bach & Beyond, Part 1 / Koh
    Bach & Beyond, Part 1 / Koh
    Label: Cedille Records   Catalog: 134 Release Date: 10/30/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Eugène Ysaÿe,  Kaija Saariaho,  Missy Mazzoli
    Performer:  Jennifer Koh
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  • 14.
    Bach: Sei Solo A Violino, Vol. 2
    Bach: Sei Solo A Violino, Vol. 2
    Label: Flora   Catalog: 403 Release Date: 10/09/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  François Fernandez
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  • 15.
    All-Baroque Box (From Monteverdi To Bach) [50-CD Limited Edition]
    All-Baroque Box (From Monteverdi To Bach) [50-CD Limited Edition]
    Label: Archiv Produktion (Dg)   Catalog: 001719702 Release Date: 09/25/2012   Number of Discs: 50
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  George Frideric Handel,  Domenico Scarlatti,  Giovanni Battista Pergolesi  ... 
    Performer:  Peter Harvey,  Stephen Varcoe,  Anthony Rolfe Johnson,  Michael Chance  ... 
    Conductor:  John Eliot Gardiner,  Paul McCreesh,  Marc Minkowski,  Trevor Pinnock  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  English Baroque Soloists,  Monteverdi Choir,  Gabrieli Consort  ... 
    On sale! $169.98
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  • 16.
    Black & White Ballets
    Black & White Ballets
    Label: Arthaus Musik   Catalog: 100085 Release Date: 09/25/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Anton von Webern,  Steve Reich
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  • 17.
    Bach, Paganini, Ysaye: Teosed Sooloviiulile
    Bach, Paganini, Ysaye: Teosed Sooloviiulile
    Label: Estonian Record Productions   Catalog: 3109 Release Date: 07/31/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Niccolò Paganini,  Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer:  Sigrid Kuulmann
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  • 18.
    Par.ti.ta / Vadim Gluzman
    Par.ti.ta / Vadim Gluzman
    Label: Bis   Catalog: 1972 Release Date: 07/24/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Lera Auerbach,  Eugene Ysaye
    Performer:  Vadim Gluzman
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  • 19.
    Bach: Sonatas & Partitas For Solo Violin / Arzewski
    Bach: Sonatas & Partitas For Solo Violin / Arzewski
    Label: Bridge   Catalog: 9358 Release Date: 06/12/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Cecylia Arzewski
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  • 20.
    Suite Inspiration
    Suite Inspiration
    Label: Soundset   Catalog: 1039 Release Date: 06/12/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Georg Pisendel,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Kieren MacMillan
    Performer:  Jonathan Swartz
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  • 21.
    The Complete Bach Edition
    The Complete Bach Edition
    Label: Teldec   Catalog: 664202 Release Date: 03/27/2012   Number of Discs: 154
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Max van Egmond,  Kurt Equiluz,  Paul Esswood,  Walter Gampert  ... 
    Conductor:  Nikolaus Harnoncourt,  Gustav Leonhardt,  Ton Koopman,  Jaap Schröder  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Vienna Concentus Musicus,  Chorus Viennensis,  Vienna Boys' Choir  ... 
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  • 22.
    Bach: Sonatas & Partitas / Nathan Milstein
    Bach: Sonatas & Partitas / Nathan Milstein
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 6787412 Release Date: 03/26/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Nathan Milstein
    CD: $22.99
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  • 23.
    Bach In Jakobi
    Bach In Jakobi
    Label: Cavi Music   Catalog: 7771021 Release Date: 03/13/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Hartmut Schill
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  • 24.
    Bach: Guitar Transcriptions / Graham Anthony Devine
    Bach: Guitar Transcriptions / Graham Anthony Devine
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8572740 Release Date: 02/28/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Graham Anthony Devine
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  • 25.
    Bach: Violin Sonatas And Partitas / Itzhak Perlman
    Bach: Violin Sonatas And Partitas / Itzhak Perlman
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 85281 Release Date: 01/24/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman
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