Bach was best known during his lifetime as an organist, organ consultant, and composer of organ works in both the traditional German free genres—such as preludes, fantasias, and toccatas—and stricter forms, such as chorale preludes and fugues.
At a young age, he established a reputation for his great creativity and ability to integrate foreign styles into his organ works. Around this time, Bach copied the works of numerous French and Italian composers to gain insights into their compositional languages, and later arranged violin concertos by Vivaldi and others for organ and harpsichord.
During his most productive period —14 he composed about a dozen pairs of preludes and fugues, five toccatas and fugues, and the Little Organ Book , an unfinished collection of 46 short chorale preludes that demonstrates compositional techniques in the setting of chorale tunes.
Bach was extensively engaged later in his life in consulting on organ projects, testing newly built organs, and dedicating organs in afternoon recitals.
Bach wrote many works for harpsichord, some of which may have been played on the clavichord. Many of his keyboard works are anthologies that encompass whole theoretical systems in an encyclopaedic fashion. Bach wrote for single instruments, duets, and small ensembles.
Many of his solo works, such as his six sonatas and partitas for violin BWV — , six cello suites BWV — , and partita for solo flute BWV , are widely considered among the most profound works in the repertoire.
Bach composed a suite and several other works for solo lute. He wrote trio sonatas; solo sonatas accompanied by continuo for the flute and for the viola da gamba; and a large number of canons and ricercars, mostly with unspecified instrumentation. These works are examples of the concerto grosso genre. It is widely accepted that many of the harpsichord concertos were not original works, but arrangements of his concertos for other instruments now lost.
A number of violin, oboe, and flute concertos have been reconstructed from these. In addition to concertos, Bach wrote four orchestral suites, and a series of stylised dances for orchestra, each preceded by a French overture.
As the Thomaskantor, beginning mid of , Bach performed a cantata each Sunday and feast day that corresponded to the lectionary readings of the week. In total he wrote more than sacred cantatas, of which approximately survive. His cantatas vary greatly in form and instrumentation, including those for solo singers, single choruses, small instrumental groups, and grand orchestras. Many consist of a large opening chorus followed by one or more recitative-aria pairs for soloists or duets and a concluding chorale.
The recitative is part of the corresponding Bible reading for the week and the aria is a contemporary reflection on it. The melody of the concluding chorale often appears as a cantus firmus in the opening movement.
Among his best known cantatas are:. In addition, Bach wrote a number of secular cantatas, usually for civic events such as council inaugurations. Several of them were composed for funerals. The two versions of the Magnificat one in E-flat major, with four interpolated Christmas-related movements, and the later and better-known version in D major , the Easter Oratorio , and the Ascension Oratorio are smaller and simpler than the Passions and the Christmas Oratorio.
All of these movements have substantial solo parts as well as choruses. It is not known what direction of development Bach had intended for his last Mass to take. John and St. His access to musicians, scores and instruments as a child and a young man and his emerging talent for writing tightly woven music of powerful sonority, allowed him to develop an eclectic, energetic musical style in which foreign influences were combined with an intensified version of the pre-existing German musical language.
From the period —14 onward he learned much from the style of the Italians. During the Baroque period, many composers only wrote the framework, and performers embellished this framework with ornaments and other elaboration. This practice varied considerably between the schools of European music; Bach notated most or all of the details of his melodic lines, leaving little for performers to interpolate.
This accounted for his control over the dense contrapuntal textures that he favoured, and decreased leeway for spontaneous variation of musical lines. At the same time, Bach left the instrumentation of major works including The Art of Fugue open. He wrote more cogent, tightly integrated chorale preludes than most.
For example, the St Matthew Passion illustrates the Passion with Bible text reflected in recitatives, arias, choruses, and chorales. He wrote much for the keyboard and led its elevation from continuo to solo instrument with harpsichord concertos and keyboard obbligato.
Virtuosity is a key element in other pieces, such as the Prelude and Fugue in E minor BWV for organ in which virtuosic passages are mapped onto alternating flute and reed solos within the fugal development. Bach produced collections of movements that explored the range of artistic and technical possibilities inherent in various genres. The most famous example is The Well-Tempered Clavier , in which each book presents a prelude and fugue in every major and minor key.
Each fugue displays a variety of contrapuntal and fugal techniques. The house where the three Bach brothers lived was later burned down during a large fire in Bach successfully applied for the position of organist in Sangerhausen. However, the job was given to another candidate after all when the regional duke personally intervened. Later on, he was appointed organist at the New Church. Many members of the Bach family lived and worked in Arnstadt between and A total of seventeen family members were born there, while eight got married and twenty-five were buried in the town.
Because he was absent for far longer than agreed, he was severely reprimanded by his employer on his return. He completed his journey on foot. He remained there until , composing numerous works for the organ and harpsichord as well as more than thirty cantatas. He mainly worked at the palace church, which was later destroyed by a fire in In the end, copies of a Telemann violin concerto were found in the s which had clearly been written out by Bach.
Bach travelled to Weissenfels, where his first secular cantata was performed. A few years later, Bach gave a number of recitals at the royal court in Weissenfels, which enjoyed an excellent reputation far and wide for the high quality of its musical performances. In , Bach was appointed Royal Kapellmeister of Saxe-Weissenfels by the Elector of Weissenfels — a position he was entitled to exercise without having to relocate. In December, Bach passed an audition for the post of director of music in Halle Saale but decided not to take up the position after all.
Bach was promoted to concertmaster — a position which entailed composing new music every month. One of his godfathers was Georg Philipp Telemann. Bach did not help his situation when he disappeared for several months in In , Bach was glad to leave Arnstadt for an organist position at the Church of St.
This move, however, did not turn out as well as he had planned. Bach's musical style clashed with the church's pastor. Bach created complex arrangements and had a fondness for weaving together different melodic lines. His pastor believed that church music needed to be simple.
One of Bach's most famous works from this time is the cantata "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit," also known as "Actus Tragicus. He wrote many church cantatas and some of his best compositions for the organ while working for the duke.
But Duke Wilhelm Ernst had no interest in letting Bach go and even imprisoned him for several weeks when he tried to leave. Prince Leopold had a passion for music. He played the violin and often bought musical scores while traveling abroad. He also wrote pieces for solo instruments, including some of his finest violin works. His secular compositions still reflected his deep commitment to his faith with Bach often writing the initials I.
In tribute to the Duke of Brandenburg, Bach created a series of orchestra concertos, which became known as the "Brandenburg Concertos," in These concertos are considered to be some of Bach's greatest works.
That same year, Prince Leopold got married, and his new bride discouraged the prince's interest in music. Bach completed the first book of "The Well-Tempered Clavier" around this time.
With students in mind, he put together this collection of keyboard pieces to help them learn certain techniques and methods. Bach had to turn his attentions to finding work when the prince dissolved his orchestra in After auditioning for a new position in Leipzig, Bach signed a contract to become the new organist and teacher at St.
Thomas Church. He was required to teach at the Thomas School as a part of his position as well. With new music needed for services each week, Bach threw himself into writing cantatas.
The "Christmas Oratorio," for example, is a series of six cantatas that reflect on the holiday. Bach also created musical interpretations of the Bible using choruses, arias and recitatives.
These works are referred to as his "Passions," the most famous of which is "Passion According to St. The piece was performed as part of a Good Friday service. One of his later religious masterworks is "Mass in B minor. Bach did not finish the composition, a musical version of a traditional Latin mass, until
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