Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was the supreme craftsman of the Baroque era, whose work redefined the possibilities of Western music. Orphaned at ten and raised by his older brother, Bach spent his youth copying scores by candlelight and walking hundreds of miles to study with great organists. His career spanned several church and court positions, including Arnstadt, Weimar, Cöthen, and finally Leipzig, where he maintained a prodigious output of cantatas, passions, and instrumental works. A father of twenty, he taught many of his children to become distinguished musicians while navigating constant tensions with town authorities. Bach’s compositions, such as *The Well-Tempered Clavier* and *The Art of Fugue*, pushed counterpoint and tonal harmony to their theoretical limits. His *B Minor Mass* remains a monumental synthesis of sacred traditions, demonstrating his belief that music's highest purpose was the glory of God and the refreshment of the human spirit.