Johann Sebastian Bach
Facts
Both Maestros
Bach grew up in a very musical family. His parents, uncles, and cousins all played instruments or sang. Bach learned music the way other kids learn to play games.
Mini Maestro
His pieces are sometimes like puzzles, with many voices playing at the same time. Imagine iyou and your friends talking at the same time, but you were able to understand every word.
Mini Maestro
Bach wrote over 1,000 pieces of music, including church music for chorus and orchestra, called cantatas.
Young Maestro
Bach’s music is known for having many melodies happening at the same time fit like fabrics woven together. This style is called counterpoint.
Young Maestro
Bach’s music often sounds like musical conversation. One instrument introduces a theme, then
another answers it. Then the theme moves to other instruments. One example of this style of writing is called a fugue.
Fun Facts
Both Maestros
Double-Decker Keyboard
Many harpsichords have TWO keyboards stacked on top of each other! Each one makes a different sound—like having two instruments in one.
Both Maestros
The King of Instruments
By the time Bach was 18, he became very good at playing the organ, a huge instrument with lots of keys and huge pipes where the music comes out.
Both Maestros
The Long Walk
One time, Bach walked about 250 miles to hear a famous organist perform. The trip took him days to make. Remember, there was no Youtube!
Both Maestros
Get in Line!
Bach had twenty-two kids! Can you imagine if they all had to share a bathroom?
Videos
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1: Bach
The first of Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos, a festive work featuring an unusual combination of horns, oboes, strings, and bassoon in joyful...
Goldberg Variations: Bach
A majestic set of 30 variations on a bass line, ranging from tender arias to playful canons to dazzling technical displays —...
Toccata and Fugue: Bach
Here arranged for piano, this is one of the most famous organ works ever written, opening with a thunderous solo flourish before...
Joy’s of Man’s Desiring: Bach
A beloved chorale prelude from Bach's cantata, with its flowing triplet melody and hymn-like simplicity making it one of the most cherished...
