Johann Sebastian Bach During The Baroque Era

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During his lifetime, Johann Sebastian Bach was better known as an organist than a composer. He was one of the greatest religious artists in history. In the midst of his busy agenda, Bach managed to produce marvelous repertoire of music. He left behind over 200 church cantatas, four Passions, one Latin mass, four suites, concertos, solo sonatas and keyboard music, and organ works. His most famous works include the Mass in B Minor, Brandenburg Concertos, The Well-Tempered Clavier, The Art of the Fugue, and Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Forney pg. 140). Bach was a master of invoking and maintaining different emotions. He used counterpoint, the playing of multiple melodies simultaneously, and fugue, the repetitions of a melody with slight variations, to create detailed compositions. Johann Sebastian Bach is considered the greatest composer of the Baroque era and one of the most important composers of all times.
The Baroque era took place between the years of 1600 and 1750, the death of Johann Sebastian Bach. The term Baroque is derived from “barroco,” which translates to irregular shaped pearl. It is used to describe this period in history because it was a time of turbulent changes in politics, religion, and social events. In modern times, artists frequently earn a living by producing exactly the kind of art they are moved to create. However, in the …show more content…

Not only did it influence the music of his day, but it continues to influence the music of today. Numerous musicians have gained insight and inspiration by studying his music. One particular composer who studied Bach’s work was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. According to Carol Talbeck’s “The J.S. Bach Connection,” Frederick the Great, the king of Prussia, introduced Baron Gottfried van Swieten to Johann Sebastian Bach’s music in the late eighteenth century. Van Swieten bought Bach’s manuscripts and shared them with Mozart when the two met on a trip to

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