J.S.+Bach

**J.S. Bach (March 31, 1685-July 28, 1750)**


 * [[image:bach-hau.jpg width="227" height="295"]] || Johann Sebastian Bach was a [|German] composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the [|Baroque] period and brought it to its ultimate maturity. He began by playing the violin and organ. [|[][|3] He was born and raised in Thuringia and never went further than Hamburg and Lubeck towards the north and Carlsbad towards the south. His geographic location was limited. [|]]

Even with his great accomplishments, he was little known and recognized for playing the organ. He composed over 1,100 works in his lifetime. Although he did not introduce new forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust [|contrapuntal] technique, an unrivalled control of harmonic and [|motivic] organisation, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. Revered for their intellectual depth, technical command and artistic beauty, Bach's works include the //[|Brandenburg concertos]//, the //[|Goldberg Variations]//, the //[|Partitas]//, //[|The Well-Tempered Clavier]//, the //[|Mass in B minor]//, the //[|St Matthew Passion]//, the //[|St John Passion]//, the //[|Magnificat]//, //[|The Musical Offering]//, //[|The Art of Fugue]//, the //[|English]// and //[|French Suites]//, the //[|Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin]//, the //[|Cello Suites]//, more than 200 surviving [|cantatas], and a similar number of [|organ] works, including the famous //[|Toccata and Fugue in D minor]// and //[|Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor]//, as well as the //[|Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes]// and //[|Organ Mass]//.

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Bach's abilities as an organist were highly respected throughout Europe during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognised as a great composer until a revival of interest and performances of his music in the first half of the 19th century. He is now generally regarded as one of the main composers of the Baroque style, and as one of the greatest composers of all time.[|] ======


 * Resources:**

[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach#cite_note-3]
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