Bach, who came from a family of over 53 musicians, was nothing short of a virtuoso instrumentalist as well as a masterful composer. Born in Eisenach, Germany, on March 21, 1685, he was the son of a masterful violinist, Johann Ambrosius Bach, who taught his son the basic skills for string playing. Along with this string playing, Bach began to play the organ, which is the instrument he would later on be noted for in history. His instruction on the organ came from the player at Eisenach's most important church. He instructed the young boy rigorously until his skills surpassed anyone’s expectations for someone of such a young age. Bach suffered early trauma when his parents died in 1695. He went to go live with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who also was a professional organist at Ohrdruf. He continued his younger brother's education on the organ, as well as int

roducing him to the harpsichord. The rigorous training on these instruments combined with Bach’s masterful skill pa!

Three works of particular importance are the “Mass in B minor,” “Easter Oratorio,” and “The Art of Fugue.” “Mass in B Minor” is nothing short of incredible. Every tone, phrase, and emotion is brought to life. This particular version was conducted by Karl-Friedrich Beringer. He arranged the piece for the orchestra, choir, flute, oboe, organ, and violin. The soloists (both vocal and instrumental) are colorful and sensitive, the choir sings with impeccable clarity, and the orchestra sounds pure and focused. Though today’s enhancements in technology make this possible, the ensemble did not need any help. There is nothing that holds this ensemble down. The recording to my surprise becomes a doorway that leads to something extraordinary, nothing short of wonderful. The importance of this piece is quite significant. The fact that this piece was written for a mass says it all. In Bach’s time, nothing was quite as important as the church and Bach’s mass is a testament to that.

Although he was blinded by cataract problems in the early 1740s, he still managed to compose masterful pieces up until days before his death. His last musical composition that he crafted happened to be a choral prelude, which was dedicated to his son-in law. To this day more than 1,000 of Bach’s accomplished compositions survive. Some of his most famous works include the “Brandenburg Concerto,” The “Mass In B Minor,” “The Goldberg Variations for Harpsichord,” his immense amount of fugues and chorales including his “Fugue in G minor,” as well his Christmas and Easter oratorios, which was another schism in his music genre (Bettmann). Quite frankly, the list goes on and on.

Once again he did not remain there too long, only a little over a year, when he moved again to Weimar where he accepted the position of head concertmaster and organist in the Ducal Chapel. It was here that Bach settled himself and began to compose the first collection of his finest early works which, included organ pieces and cantatas. By this time Bach had been married for several years. He actually became married to his cousin Maria Barbara. They, for the most part, had a happy marriage. By this stage of

Some topics in this essay:
Philippe Herreweghe, Bettmann Bach’s, Sebastian Bach, St Thomas, Karl-Friedrich Beringer, Maria Barbara, Ambrosius Bach, Bach Germany, Johann Christoph, Arnstadt Bach, “mass minor”, johann sebastian bach, sebastian bach, st thomas, accepted position, johann sebastian, “easter oratorio”, “brandenburg concerto”, choir flute, church bach’s, string playing,