Johann Sebastian Bach was one of Germany’s most prolific composers of the Baroque Era which lasted from 1600 to 1750. Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the lesser known Baroque Composers whose fame was eclipsed by Georg Frederich Handel and Antonio Vivaldi. The majority of Bach’s work was discovered during the eighteenth century and there are still works written by him discovered in old churches, mansions, and family houses.

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in 1685 in Eisenach, Saxe Eisenach and was the youngest son of a church organist Johann Ambrosius Bach and his wife Maria Elizabetha Lammerhirt Bach. Johann Sebastian Bach was born into a long line of organists and musicians. When his parents died, he was left under the care of his older brother who was willing to use him as an assistant only. Bach’s Older Brother was an organist and he did not want Johann Sebastian Bach as an organist. Johann Sebastian Bach would study the organ pieces of his brother and write copies for himself under the cover of night while his brother was asleep. This eventually would lead him to be blind.

Regardless of the obstacles, Bach was awarded a choral scholarship at the age of fourteen to the prestigious St Michael’s School close to Hamburg. It was during his scholarship that he came in contact with the different styles of baroque music which was the order of the day in his era. He mastered most of the works of composers, learned Latin, and studied with future leaders and composers of his generation. He graduated from St Michael’s School in 1703 and went to work in Weimar and Arnstadt where he began to work in earnest in organ compositions and contrapuntal techniques [simultaneous interaction of two or more melodies]. Except for a brief period at Mulhausen, he was at Arnstadt and Weimar where he enjoyed great prestige. This period in Bach’s life was to continue until 1717 when he was offered the musical position at Cothen.

It was at Cothen where he worked in the position of music director. Since he was under the service of Prince Leopold of Anhalt Cothen and the Prince was of the Calvinist Religion, Bach had to conform and not use elaborate music. It was during this period that he wrote the Six Suites for Cello, The Brandenburg Concertos, and the Sonata and Partitas for Violin. He continued in Cothen until he applied for and was hired at Leipzig. It was a decision that he would later regret.

In Leipzig, Bach was at the centre of the storm between those who supported his candidacy [such as the monarchists] and the City State [which was composed of the mercantile class, minor aristocracy, and trade union] which opposed his candidacy but accepted Bach after being awarded full control of the political machinery of culture department in Leipzig. The City State Functionaries had such disdain for Bach that they commented: «We wanted Telemann but we had to settle for second best». It was not surprising since the City State did not appreciate the finest things in art but were willing to impose bureaucratic controls based on their jealousy and envy. Bach tried to find work elsewhere including Danzig and Konigsberg [now Kaliningrad] but this was not to be. Bach spent his last years in Leipzig marginalized by the City State and then died of pneumonia and complications from a botched eye surgery.

Maybe Bach is not with us but his music is with us especially the Brandenburg Concertos, and The Six Suites for Cello [which have been interpreted by Casals and Rostropovich]. Leipzig later was to honour Bach with a status after his death. Germany during its reunification was the scene of many concerts dedicated to Bach’s Music since Bach’s Music reflects the spirit of freedom and a spirituality that has never been duplicated since his time.