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A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1900
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1ing the whole night through. In 1703 he became violinist in the Weimar court orch., but the following year quitted this post for the more congenial one of org. of the new church at Arnstadt. Some of his comp.s of this early period, f. clav. and org., are of importance. In 1705 he obtained leave of absence, and walked to Lübeck, to make the acquaintance of the famous organist Dietrich Buxtehude. He was so impressed with this master's style, that he trebled his leave of absence, and returned only after a peremptory summons from the church-consistory of Arnstadt. He received favorable offers from different places, and on June 29, 1707, accepted the app. as org. at Mühlhausen. On Oct. 17 he married his cousin, Maria Barbara Bach, daughter of Johann Michael [7]. The following year, he went to Weimar, played before the reigning duke, and was at once offered the post of court organist. In 1714 he was made Concertmeister. All this time he was writing much church- and organ-music. In his autumn vacations he made professional clavichord- and org.-tours. In 1713 he visited Kassel and Halle, Leipzig in 1714 (where he furnished all the organ-music for a service cond. in the Thomaskirche, and prod. a cantata), Halle again in 1716, and Dresden in 1717. In this town his challenge to Marchand, a French organist of high reputation, was evaded by the latter's failure to appear. In 1717 B. was app. Kapellm. and dir. of chamber-music to Prince Leopold of Anhalt, at Köthen, and this period is especially rich in the production of orchestral and chamber-music. In 1719 he revisited Halle, hoping to meet Händel; but the latter had just left for England. In 1720, during his absence at Carlsbad, his wife died suddenly. In the autumn of the same year he applied, though (owing to bribery) without success, for the organistship of the Jacobikirche, Hamburg. Here he again met the aged Reinken, whose admiration he excited by his brilliant playing. In 1721 he married his second wife, Anna Magdalene Wülken, a daughter of the court-trumpeter at Weissenfels. Thirteen children were born to them. Of highly-cultured musical taste, she participated in his labors, and wrote out the parts of many of his cantatas. B. prepared 2 books of music especially for her. In May, 1723, he succ. Johann Kuhnau as cantor at the Thomasschule, Leipzig, becoming also org. and dir. of mus. at the two principal churches, the Thomaskirche and the Nicolaikirche, and continuing in the service of Prince Leopold of Anhalt as Kapellm. von Haus aus. He further received the app. of hon. Kapellm. to the Duke of Weissenfels, and, in 1736, that of court composer to the King of Poland, Elector of Saxony. He remained in his post at Leipzig for 27 years, and there composed most of his religious music. He often visited Dresden, where his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann, was app. in 1733 org. of the Sophienkirche. On these occasions he frequently attended the Italian opera, then cond. by Hasse. His 2nd son, Karl Philipp Emanuel, was app. in 1740 chamber-musician to Frederick II. of Prussia. He communicated to his father the king's oft-expressed wish to see and hear him; and on May 7, 1747, with his son Wilhelm Friedemann, B. arrived at Potsdam. Here, at the king's request, he tried, and improvised upon, the various Silbermann pianos in the different rooms of the palace, to the admiration of his royal host, and of the musicians who followed them from room to room. The next day B. tried, in a similar manner, the principal organs in Potsdam, finally improvising a 6-part fugue on a theme proposed by the king. On his return to Leipzig he wrote a 3-part fugue on this theme, a Ricercare in 6 parts, several canons inscribed "Thematis regii elaborationes canonicae," and a Trio for flute, violin, and bass; dedicating the whole to Frederick as a "Musikalisches Opfer."—Bach was nearsighted from childhood, and later his eyes showed symptoms of weakness, probably due to the strain of his youthful night-labors; in 1749 an unsuccessful operation resulted in total blindness, and his hitherto robust health also declined. His sight was suddenly restored on July 10, 1750; but 10 days later, stricken by apoplexy, he died. He worked to the end, dictating the choral "Vor deinen Thron tret' ich hiermit," his last composition, a few days before his death.
3Clearness and acuteness of intellect, strength of will, irresistible persistency, a love of order, and a high sense of duty were his leading characteristics. His home-life was of the happiest description. Among the long list of his distinguished pupils were Johann Ludwig Krebs, Gottfried August Homilius, Johann Friedrich Agricola, Philipp Kirnberger, Johann Theophilus Goldberg, Marpurg, Joh. Kaspar Vogler; also his own sons Wilhelm Friedemann, Karl Philipp Emanuel, and Johann Christoph Friedrich, for whose instruction he wrote the "Clavierbüchlein" and the "Kunst der Fuge." He engraved several of his own works on copper; invented the "viola pomposa" (an instr. between viola and 'cello), and a "Lauten-Clavicembalum" (a clavichord with catgut strings); he promoted the adoption of the tempered system of tuning keyboard stringed instr.s; and introduced the style of fingering which, with comparatively few modifications, is still in use.
5Bach's compositions mark an epoch. They are a fusion of two eras:—the polyphonic contrapuntal (thematic development by strict and free imitation) and the harmonic tonal (chord-combinations founded on the modern system of major and minor keys). His originality and fecundity of thematic invention are astounding; moulded with his consummate contrapuntal art, and the freedom born of full mastery, polyphonic structures were reared which will be the admiration of ages. His style is elevated, and of sustained individuality in melody, rhythm, and harmony; the momentum of his grand fugues is inexorable as the march of Fate. As an inexhaustible mine for study, the complete
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