Js bach biography timeline project

1685
Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach on 21 March. He retained assorted memories of his childhood in Eisenach throughout his life, including the coat home (which also contained rooms manner trainee musicians), the traditional grammar kindergarten with its choir in the age Dominican monastery, St George’s Church swallow its organ, and the town arrival, where brass musicians performed from righteousness tower.

1693–95
Bach attended the local Model grammar school.

1694
J.S. Bach’s mother Elisabeth died in May.

1695
Bach’s father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, died on 20 Feb. Now an orphan, Bach moved progress to Ohrdruf, where he lived with brother Johann Christoph, fourteen years her highness senior and the organist at Check up Michael’s Church. Together with his kin Johann Jakob and also his relative Johann Ernst, Bach attended the public school school, at that time a complete prestigious educational establishment in the Territory of Saxe-Gotha. He sang in authority school choir, whose responsibilities include acting at the local Ehrenstein Castle pass for well as at weddings and funerals. Under Johann Christoph’s guidance, Bach sage to play the organ. During that time, the organ at St Michael’s was completely overhauled, giving the teenaged Johann Sebastian an opportunity to wrap up the basics of organ construction. Unimportant person 1704, he wrote a keyboard proportion, the Capriccio in E major, dedicating it to his elder brother. Excellence house where the three Bach brothers lived was later burned down nigh a large fire in 1753.

1700–02
J.S. Bach was a chorister at Judicious Michael’s School in Lüneburg and fastidious pupil of Georg Böhm. He visited Johann Adam Reincken in Hamburg presentday studied the organ heritage of northerly Germany.
The young Bach’s musical settlement qualities were long a matter of hypothesis as there were far too embargo authoritative sources about his early period. In 2006, however, copies of northernmost German organ works were discovered greet the Anna Amalia Library in City which turned out to be interpretation earliest surviving manuscripts written in Bach’s own hand. Analysis of this prominent find shed new light on both aspects of Bach’s biography. In approximate to previous assumptions, Bach must own acquire possessed extraordinary musical and performance present when he was just thirteen, shadow the copies found in Weimar which he produced as a schoolboy extract Lüneburg and Ohrdruf include two show consideration for the most difficult organ compositions take his day. In addition, the stress provides important information about an each assumed but never proven link in the middle of Bach and Georg Böhm (1661–1733), deft noteworthy Lüneburg organist and composer, defence the paper used by Bach take his copies came from Böhm’s tenure. During his training at St Michael’s, Bach was probably therefore also practised pupil or even a journeyman register Georg Böhm.

1702
J.S. Bach successfully welldesigned for the position of organist end in Sangerhausen. However, the job was landliving to another candidate after all while in the manner tha the regional duke personally intervened.

1703
J.S. Bach joined Duke Johann Ernst III’s private orchestra in Weimar for perceive half a year as a violin player, and may have worked as block up assistant to court organist Johann Effler.
In July, Bach went to Arnstadt in order to examine the another organ built by Johann Friedrich Wender at the New Church (now magnanimity Bach Church). Later on, he was appointed organist at the New Faith. Many members of the Bach kinship lived and worked in Arnstadt halfway 1620 and 1792. A total scrupulous seventeen family members were born nearby, while eight got married and xxv were buried in the town.

1705/06
Composer stayed with Dietrich Buxtehude in Lübeck for a few months. Because appease was absent for far longer top agreed, he was severely reprimanded by way of his employer on his return. Without fear completed his journey on foot.

1707
In bad taste June, Bach became the organist tiny St Blasius’s Church in Mühlhausen. Adorned 17 October he married his beyond cousin Maria Barbara in the creed in Dornheim (near Arnstadt).

1708
In Feb, the cantata Gott ist mein König (‘God is my King’, BWV 71) was first performed to mark position inauguration of the new town legislature. It was one of Bach’s clampdown compositions to be printed during dominion lifetime. In the years to build, Bach was commissioned to write optional extra music for the inauguration ceremonies medium Mühlhausen town council, which can affront taken as a sign of diadem good relations with this Free Regal City in the Holy Roman Reign. Incidentally, the organ at St Blasius’s was reconstructed in the 1950s as a consequence the instigation of Albert Schweitzer household on Bach’s specification drawn up comport yourself 1708.
In June, Bach was right a chamber musician and organist pretend the court of Dukes Wilhelm Painter and Ernst August of Saxe-Weimar. No problem remained there until 1717, composing many works for the organ and klavier as well as more than 30 cantatas. He mainly worked at justness palace church, which was later exterminated by a fire in 1774.

1709
Bachelor was in contact with Georg Philipp Telemann and they exchanged compositions move sheet music.
Evidence of a physical acquaintanceship between Bach and his associate Telemann working in the nearby zone of Eisenach is contained in parallelism between Bach’s son Carl Philipp Emanuel and Johann Nikolaus Forkel, a egghead from Göttingen, who became J.S. Bach’s first biographer. However, original documents proving that the two composers met textile Bach’s Weimar period were long requisite in vain. In the end, copies of a Telemann violin concerto were found in the 1980s which esoteric clearly been written out by Organist. The closeness of their relationship survey borne out by the fact ramble in 1714, Telemann (who by that time was working in Frankfurt) fretful Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s christening skull became his godfather.

1710
Wilhelm Friedemann, Bach’s eldest son, was born on 22 November.

1713
J.S. Bach travelled to Weissenfels, where his first secular cantata was performed. Entitled Was mir behagt, mentor nur die muntre Jagd (‘The spry hunt is all my heart’s desire’, BWV 208), it was written greet celebrate the birthday of Duke Christianly of Saxe-Weissenfels. A few years ulterior, Bach gave a number of recitals at the royal court in Weissenfels, which enjoyed an excellent reputation faraway and wide for the high include of its musical performances. In 1729, Bach was appointed Royal Kapellmeister avail yourself of Saxe-Weissenfels by the Elector of Weissenfels – a position he was powerful to exercise without having to relocate.
In December, Bach passed an run for the post of director rob music in Halle (Saale) but arranged not to take up the estimate after all.

1714
J.S. Bach was promoted to concertmaster – a position which entailed composing new music every month.
On 8 March, Bach’s son Carl Philipp Emanuel was born. One a mixture of his godfathers was Georg Philipp Telemann.

1715
On 11 May, Bach’s son Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach was born. Explicit, too, was destined to become uncluttered musician, but whether he was as well a composer is unknown.

1717
In Lordly, Bach signed his contract as kapellmeister at the court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen, albeit without asking commission to leave Weimar. His resignation was refused and he was imprisoned purpose a month for disobedience. In Dec, Bach was released from detention duct unfavourably dismissed, allowing him to engender work in Köthen. That same thirty days, he travelled to Leipzig, his unconventional home, in order to inspect distinction organ at St Paul’s Church.

1720
Just as Bach returned from a trip generate Karlovy Vary accompanying the prince, recognized learned that his wife Maria Barbara had perished after a short complaint and already been buried. The tireless cause of her death is instantly unknown.
In autumn, Bach travelled set upon Hamburg for an audition.

1721
On 3 December, Bach married court singer Anna Magdalena Wilcke. Just a few era later, Prince Leopold married Princess Friederica Henrietta of Anhalt-Bernburg, which may fake caused Leopold’s interest in music inhibit wane. At any rate, in 1722 Bach began seeking employment elsewhere.

1723
Condensation February, Bach was appointed cantor bargain St Thomas’s Church in Leipzig. Honourableness position had been vacant since say publicly death of Johann Kuhnau the former year. Initially, Georg Philipp Telemann was picked by the town council summit be his successor, but he refused when offered a pay rise get through to Hamburg. Johann Christoph Graupner, at deviate time kapellmeister in Darmstadt, was tactless in the second round, but aborted to be released by his commander. Accordingly, J.S. Bach became the fresh cantor and ‘director musices’ of Metropolis with effect from 1 June.
Bach’s relationship with his former employer, Empress Leopold, remained intact. Despite having sinistral Köthen, he was still allowed look after use the title of Royal Kapellmeister and was commissioned to write marvellous cantata every year in honour remind you of the prince’s birthday.
Bach’s duties importation cantor of St Thomas’s included excellence weekly performance of cantatas at cathedral services on Sundays and feast years. This amounted to about sixty cantatas for each ecclesiastical year. According sure of yourself his son Carl Philipp Emanuel, Organist wrote five annual cantata cycles, though just under three have come put on top to us. Bach’s first Leipzig oratorio cycle has survived almost in warmth entirety, but the identities of class librettists are largely unknown. With class exception of a few older compositions from Bach’s Weimar period, the cantatas from the first Leipzig cycle were all newly written compositions. Even albeit Bach received assistance from senior choirboys in connection with rehearsals and righteousness time-consuming copying-out of parts by jostle, his workload for the weekly cantatas must have been immense.

1724
A question broke out between Bach and Johann Gottlieb Görner, the director of air at the University of Leipzig, topple the division of responsibilities for penalisation performed at St Paul’s Church.
Loftiness St John Passion (BWV 245) was performed for the first time mind 7 April.
Bach began his satisfaction with librettist Picander (the pseudonym depose Christian Friedrich Henrici) which was meant to last twenty years.
The Canticle Cantata Cycle (Bach’s second Leipzig oratorio cycle) was written. For it, Composer used a technique already employed fail to notice Johann Schelle, one of his forage at St Thomas’s: each cantata was based on a well-known Protestant anthem, which was elaborately arranged in distinction opening chorale and performed unaltered give it some thought the closing chorale. In the medial sections, the original chorale underwent robust musical and textual variations and took the form of arias and recitatives, combining the traditional chorale cantata lay into the modern cantata form reflecting honourableness Italian opera. By sticking to that principle, Bach did not have look after resort to using older material, beam so the cantatas in his alternative Leipzig cycle, too, were almost go into battle new compositions.

1725–27
Bach’s third annual oratorio cycle was written.

1727
The St Apostle Passion (BWV 244, 1st version) was performed for the first time effect 11 April.

1729
In March, Bach took charge of Schott’sches Collegium Musicum.
Drowsy the beginning of the eighteenth hundred, churches and the royal courts weren’t the only patrons of music, which also flourished among the middle education in almost all of Europe’s lilting strongholds. Among the foremost musical institutions were the Collegia Musica – societies at which mainly amateur musicians universally gave private and public recitals.
Leadership Collegium Musicum, which Bach took extend of in 1729, had previously back number headed by Georg Balthasar Schott, once the organist at Neukirche (‘New Church’) in Leipzig. It was based better Café Zimmermann, one of the nicest and most popular coffeehouses in immediate area. Rehearsals and weekly concerts were reserved there, including open-air performances in influence summer. Alongside music by contemporary composers, Bach also performed plenty of dominion own compositions, including the Orchestral Suites (BWV 1066–68) as well as king violin and harpsichord concertos (BWV 1041–43, BWV 1052–58). On special occasions much as birthdays and name days, increased recitals were organized to which Bachelor contributed several secular cantatas. It was for one of these ‘extraordinary’ concerts that Bach composed his famous Kaffee-Kantate (‘Coffee Cantata’, BWV 211), an indisputable allusion to the Collegium Musicum’s public venue.
Working with the Collegium Musicum proved to be especially important about Bach’s clavier compositions. After moving shabby Köthen in 1717, he had maladroit thumbs down d longer officially been an organist, don so the recitals at Café Zimmermann gave him a welcome opportunity be determined demonstrate his proficiency not only because cantor and director of music however also at the keyboard. Moreover, that collaboration also benefited Bach’s position whereas cantor of St Thomas’s, for loftiness Collegium Musicum proved to be top-hole useful source of capable temporary musicians for performances requiring a larger get-up than the choir could muster.

1730
Music wrote a ten-page complaint to primacy town council (‘Short but Most Indispensable Draft for a Well-Appointed Church Music’) in a bid to secure more funding for the choir and orchestra.

1731
The St Mark Passion (BWV 247) was performed on 23 March make public the very first time.

1732
Christoph Friedrich Bach was born on 21 June.

1733
Bach submitted the Kyrie and Gloria of his Mass in B subordinate (BWV 232 I–II) to Frederick Venerable II, the new Elector of Sachsen, in Dresden, partly in the desiderate of being granted the prestigious baptize of a Saxon Court Composer takeoff Kapellmeister.

1734–35
Betwwen 25 December and 6 January, the six parts making search out the Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) were first performed in public.

1735
Johann Faith Bach was born on 5 September.

1736
Disagreement emerged between Bach and Johann August Ernesti, the rector of Frank Thomas’s School, over who had ethics power to appoint choir prefects.
Improvement November, after repeated requests, Bach was appointed Composer to the Electoral European and Royal Polish Court, strengthening potentate hand in the dispute over wreath powers with the authorities in Leipzig.

1741
Bach travelled to Berlin for depiction first time. His cantata O pocketbook Tag, erwünschte Zeit (‘O lovely mediocre, o hoped-for time’, BWV 210) was first performed at the wedding farm animals physician Georg Ernst von Stahl. Supporter a long time, hardly anything was known about the history of that congratulatory cantata; even the date was only roughly estimated at 1738–41. Character recipient of this work was belief to have been one of Bach’s Leipzig patrons – but who exactly?
A few years ago, the link up with of candidates was augmented by top-notch previously overlooked figure: Georg Ernst von Stahl from Berlin, a personal doctor of medicine and court counsellor, who had once been regarded as a friend standing supporter of Bach’s sons Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel rather rather than a patron of Bach himself. Involve auction catalogue indexing Georg Ernst von Stahl’s estate mentioned not just frequent pieces of sheet music but very rather vaguely »a cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach«, designated as lot digit 5. And when sheet music desert seemed to fit the bill was examined in the year 2000, a-one figure 5 that had been afterwards added in Indian ink was amazingly found on the original set abide by parts for the wedding cantata ‘O lovely day, o hoped-for time’.
Magnanimity hypothesis that the cantata had antediluvian written for Georg Ernst von Stahl is backed up by his study data. After Bach had stayed learn von Stahl’s house during his gain victory trip to Berlin in August 1741, Georg Ernst von Stahl got wed just one month later and could well have commissioned Bach to decay a special cantata for the condition. Further evidence is provided by neat as a pin passage in the cantata itself: »In this way in many a allot / Will your well-deserved praise pulsate. / Your fame will like pure diamond stone, / Yes like grand tough steel be durable, / Unfinished it echoes throughout the whole world.« Previously this metaphor – a bewildering one, given that steel is manage without no means harder than diamond – had been disregarded. But given righteousness findings outlined above, and bearing tab mind that the German word detail steel is ‘Stahl’, it can flaw interpreted as a veiled allusion holiday at the cantata’s recipient.

1747
In May, J.S. Bach visited Frederick II in Potsdam and Berlin. It was the lone time when Bach was still attentive that he was mentioned on rendering front page of a newspaper considering that an unknown editor of Berlinische Nachrichten reported on Bach’s evening arrival, prestige welcome extended by the king, Bach’s performance »on the so-called forte courier piano«, and finally the king intriguing Bach to improvise a fugue get hold of the cuff on a given instant – a great moment in prestige history of music which led come into contact with Bach’s famous anthology of canons favour fugues known as The Musical Offering.

1748
Bach completed his Mass in Bungling minor (BWV 232) – a Missa tota (complete mass).

1749
Bach’s health corrupt. He suffered from a serious watch condition as well as motor difficulties in his right arm and emperor writing hand.

1750
J.S. Bach underwent qualified surgery by the famous yet dubious ophthalmologist Sir John Taylor, who stayed in Leipzig from 4 to 7 April in 1750. Complications necessitated block up additional operation. Although Bach was counsel to see again for a consequently time, he suffered a stroke endure died shortly afterwards on 28 July in 1750.