Johann Sebastian Bach

Bach's parents died by the time he was 10 years old. He received much of his valuable musical training from his oldest brother. At age 14 Bach went to St. Michael's School in Lunenberg.

In 1703 Bach gained an appointment as a court musician in the chapel of Duke Johann Ernst in Weimar. During his seven-month tenure at Weimar, his reputation as a keyboard player spread. He was invited to inspect and give the inaugural recital on the new organ at St. Boniface's Church in Arnstadt. In 1706 Bach was offered a post as organist at St. Blasius's in Mühlhausen, which he took up the following year.

After less than a year Bach left Mühlhausen, returning to Weimar this time as organist and concertmaster at the ducal court. Bach's position in Weimar marked the start of a sustained period of composing keyboard and orchestral works, in which he had attained the technical proficiency and confidence to extend the prevailing large-scale structures and to synthesise influences from abroad. In Weimar, Bach continued to play and compose for the organ, and to perform a varied repertoire of concert music with the duke's ensemble. During his time at Weimar, Bach started work on the "Little Organ Book" for his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann; this contains traditional Lutheran chorales (hymn tunes), set in complex textures to assist the training of organists.

After his time in Weimar, Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen hired Bach to serve as his Kapellmeister (director of music). Bach composed secular cantatas for the court such as the Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht, BWV 134a. Also, the well-known Brandenburg Concertos date from this period.

In 1723, Bach was appointed Cantor of the Thomasschule at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, as well as Director of Music in the principal churches in the town. Bach spent much of the 1720s composing cantatas. In March 1729, he took over the directorship of the Collegium Musicum, a secular performance ensemble that had been started in 1701 by his old friend, the composer Georg Philipp Telemann. In 1733, Bach composed the Kyrie and Gloria of the Mass in B minor. The Art of Fugue was written in Leipzig before Bach's death. On 28 July 1750 Bach died at the age of 65.