Johann Sebastian Bach

J.S. Bach (1685 – 1750) was, along with Vivaldi and Handel, one of the pre-eminent composers of the later Baroque era. Of the three he never gained the international recognition that he deserved in his lifetime; nevertheless he is considered by many to be the greatest composer who has ever lived.

During his life, Bach's principal vocation was as a church composer. He produced a voluminous quantity of sacred music including over 100 cantatas and a number of large scale oratorios. The Mass in B minor, widely regarded as Bach's greatest achievement, was written as a job application for a position at the court of the Elector of Saxony. Bach was also prolific in the fields of orchestral, chamber and instrumental music, much of which remains in the core repertoire. Beethoven commented that 'Bach was not-so-much a brook but a sea', his vast output providing an inspiration for musicians and composers to this day. A number of his sons, J.C. Bach and C.P.E. Bach in particular, became notable composers in their own right.

Key works: Brandenburg Concertos; Orchestral Suites; Violin Concertos; A Musical Offering; Violin Sonatas; Cello Sonatas; Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin; Goldberg Variations; The Well Tempered Clavier; Organ Works inc. Toccata & Fugue in D Minor; Art of Fugue; Cantatas; St. John Passion; St Matthew Passion; Mass in B Minor.

Key Artists: Pablo Casals, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, John Eliot Gardiner, Glenn Gould, Arthur Grumiaux, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Emma Kirkby, Otto Klemperer, Karl Richter, Trevor Pinnock, Rosalyn Tureck, David Oistrakh,

Influenced by: Buxtehude, Schutz, Vivaldi

Influenced: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Reger, Stravinsky, Schoenberg etc.