Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany in 1685. One of eight children, Bach was part of a very musical family and was taught to play the harpsichord and violin by his father. He also benefited from instruction by his uncle, cousin, and brother. Although his parents died when he was a teenager, he continued the musical education that they had started. A the age of fourteen he was awarded a scholarship to the St. Michael’s School in Lüneburg on the basis of his musical talent.

At the age of 18, Bach was hired as a court musician for the Duke of Weimar. During this period he paid several visits to the German organist Dieterich Buxtehude, who was an important influence on the young composer. Bach wished to study formally with Buxtehude, but he could not accept the condition of marriage to Buxtehude’s daughter.

At the age of 21, Bach accepted a better-paid position as a chapel organist in Mühlhausen. It was here that he married his second cousin (which was not considered unusual at the time, although it is unheard of today.) They had seven children, four of whom survived, and two of whom became successful composers like their father. Over the next few years, the family moved to new communities where Bach continued to accept better job offers and expand his musical repertoire to write for orchestras and choirs as well as organ.

In 1723 Bach was appointed the director of music at a church in Leipzig, Germany – a position that he would hold for the rest of his life. It was his job to teach the singers and to compose and perform music for the weekly services. The music that he wrote for his church is studied by conservatory students today as a model of how to compose.

Over the course of his life, Bach wrote many works of music, including the famous Mass in B Minor, the Brandenburg Concertos, and a collection of keyboard songs titled The Well-Tempered Clavier.

Bach died in 1750 at the age of 65. As with many people from that time period, the cause of his death is unclear, although modern historians believe he may have suffered from a stroke. Bach’s significance is so great that musicians consider his death to mark the end of the Baroque period.

It is interesting to note that, while he is considered a giant of European music, Bach was not famous in his lifetime. Although he was well-respected in the communities where he worked, he did not become a celebrity until many years after his death.