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Composer

Johann Sebastian Bach

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Interpretive sketch of Johann Sebastian Bach, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
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Life and music

Bach grew up in Eisenach and continued his education in Ohrdruf and Lüneburg. His early musical life included organ study and a visit to Dietrich Buxtehude in Lübeck. He worked in Weimar and Köthen before becoming Leipzig's cantor and music director. That appointment required a continuing supply of music for church services, alongside rehearsals and the copying of performance parts.

Explore preludes, inventions, suite movements and concerto movements. Follow one line through a phrase, then hear what another line contributes. A C-major prelude, a two-part invention and an Italian Concerto finale offer contrasting experiences. A piece appearing in a Bach family notebook is not automatically composed by Bach.

Sources

Where to start

  1. Prelude in C major, BWV 846Level 4, estimatedOpen to everyone
  2. Two-Part Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971: III. PrestoLevel 9, estimatedWith Maestro

More pieces in the Music Room

A conversation in two voices

The prelude gallery

Themes transformed

More pieces