Spotlight on Great Classical Composers: Bach
As part of our efforts to provide guidance for our communities through weekly blog posts, we are rolling out a brand new series, Spotlight on Great Classical Composers ~!
Spotlight on Great Classical Composers focuses on sharing about some of the greatest classical music composers, so we can all hear of their life journeys beyond their works.
Our first blog post in this Series is on Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750), a German composer and musician of the Baroque period.
Some of J.S. Bach’s most notable works include the Brandenburg Concerti, The Well-Tempered Clavier and the Mass in B Minor. However, beyond his famed compositions, many do not know of the trials faced by this great composer, through his lifetime.
Born to the highly respected court trumpeter and town musician Johann Ambrosius Bach and the daughter of the Erfurt city councilor, Johann Sebastian Bach was the youngest son in a lively family of musicians. However, before the age of 10, J.S. Bach found himself an orphan, and grew up under the care of his eldest brother, Johann Christoph.
After the passing of his parents and the period under the care of Johann Christoph, J.S. Bach received an opportunity in 1700 to move to Lüneburg to attend school. There, he was able to join the matins choir, whose members consisted of children from lower social-economic backgrounds.
Despite facing financial difficulties growing up, Sebastian was always diligent and had immense curiosity and hunger for musical knowledge. He spent his teenage years studying and devouring music of his time, and began his composition journey through extensive study and copy of others’ compositions.
J.S. Bach arrived to Cöthen in 1717 to take up the position of Court Music Director for Prince Leopold and his orchestra, and this was where he embarked on the creation of many of his notable instrumental works. During this time, he also wrote cantatas for Prince Leopold’s birthday, and compiled pedagogical keyboard works such as the Clavierbüchlein for his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.
J.S. Bach spent his final years in Leipzig, and eventually passed on 28 July 1750 as a father to 20 children, of whom only 10 lived to maturity. Despite his widespread influence and the high regard he is now held with, Bach’s music was neglected for a long period of time upon his passing, and was only brought back into public light in the 1800s.
Bach faced many personal challenges and obstacles during his lifetime, even from his childhood. But he did not give up on pursuing and honing his craft as a composer, including standing up for his rights as a man and as a musician.
Beyond this, there is so much more to Bach and his inspirational life journey as a professional brethren, teacher, as well as a faithful husband and father. If you would like to share snippets of Bach’s stories with your children, join The Glasshouse and be greeted by easy-to-follow stories, brought to life by illustrations and animations, like the ones above ~!
July 2020 collections in The Glasshouse #origins for children ages 0 to 6 and 6 to 12 ~ is now available (!) and children can learn more about Bach, our composer of focus for the month, right now with us !
The Glasshouse #origins is definitely one of the best ways to introduce the great classical music composers and musicians to your children. The Glasshouse #origins offers young buds and new sprouts quality sustained exposure to classical music ~ through unique monthly collections of Storyboards, Activities and Canvases. Join us in The Glasshouse for exciting journeys of growth !
You can also find more ways to engage your child and interest him/her in classical music from our blog post last week ~
We hope you have enjoyed our first Spotlight on Great Classical Composers. We are excited to introduce more great creatives to you ! Stay tuned ~!