Johann Sebastian Bach

Born in Eisenach, Germany, in 1685, Johann Sebastian Bach came from a large musical family and built his career as an organist, court musician, and church cantor. He held important posts in Arnstadt, Mühlhausen, Weimar, Köthen, and finally Leipzig, where he spent the last decades of his life as cantor at St. Thomas Church.

Bach composed in many forms except opera, and he is especially celebrated for his keyboard music, orchestral works, chamber music, and sacred vocal music. Among his best-known works are the Brandenburg Concertos, the Mass in B minor, the St Matthew Passion, The Well-Tempered Clavier, and the Goldberg Variations. His writing is admired for combining technical brilliance with emotional power.

Although his reputation changed over time after his death in 1750, Bach is now widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in history. His music influenced generations of later composers and remains a cornerstone for performers, listeners, and students around the world.