Bach’s biography and his influence on classical music
Even if you don’t know anything about music history, chances are you are familiar with Johann Sebastian Bach. He is considered the “father of classical music” and has had a profound influence on other composers after him, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Frederic Chopin, Claude Debussy, and Ludwig van Beethoven; Those who described him as “Father of Harmony”. But what distinguishes Bach from his contemporaries and other great musicians of history?
Bach was born into a family of German Bach’s biography and his influence on classical music musicians and had a close relationship with music since childhood. Analysts believe that his father, Johann Ambrosius Bach – the leader of the Eisenach City Musicians – taught him the basics of music theory and violin playing at an early age. Although Bach learned music in a basic way during his studies, his musical knowledge was obtained from interacting with other members of the family (a family that trained at least 12 outstanding musicians and 52 of its members were active in the field of music). Bach’s formal education began at the age of seven (early 1690); Latin language and religious teachings were prioritized, the latter later playing a key role in his works.
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When he was 10 years old, his parents passed away and the orphaned boy went to live with his older brother, Johann Christoph Bach, who was a composer and church organist. Johann Christoph continued his father’s path and passed on his musical knowledge to his younger brother. Bach then went to the local school and stayed with his brother’s family until he was 15 years old. In 1700, he went to the “St. Michael’s Church” school in Lüneburg and until 1702, when he left this school, he sang soprano in the church choir. Bach is said to have had a very good voice, but during his teenage years, it changed so he decided to focus on studying instruments such as the harpsichord and violin. In 1703, he began working as an organist, an occupation he continued for decades. Read on to learn more about introducing guitar playing styles and choosing the right style.
Although the importance of Bach’s compositions in the present era is not hidden to anyone, but during his lifetime, few people were aware of his genius. He had reached relative fame in the early 18th century, but not because of his mastery in composition, but because of his high skill in playing the organ. In fact, Bach’s main specialty – which was composition – went unnoticed (until his death in 1750); Therefore, during his lifetime, he was considered only an experienced music teacher and a master organist. Here we should also mention the importance of the famous German musician of the romantic period, “Felix Mendelssohn”. Although composers such as Joseph Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven were familiar with Bach’s works, it was Mendelssohn who showed everyone Bach’s hidden talents by playing the piece “St. Matthew Passion” and many music enthusiasts They knew Bach for the first time.
And the popularity of Johann Sebastian Bach gradually spread. The French composer, Charles Gounod, created his most famous piece, Ave Maria, using his preludes. Famous Italian composer Ferruccio Bozoni converted Bach’s violin-based Schacken to piano, and Franz Liszt and Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote piano versions of some of his works. Many great composers in history studied Bach’s works carefully and were inspired by them, even “Dmitri Shostakovich” (one of the best Russian composers of the 20th century) wrote his famous “24 Preludes and Fugues” after studying Bach’s works. Bach’s music can now be heard in many films and television series, especially the “Air on the G String” and the “Lute Suite in E minor” which have a special place in history. They have music.
What were the achievements of a legendary composer?
The composition style of Johann Sebastian Bach is amazing in many ways, especially when we remember that he was a musician of the “Baroque” period and he passed away years before the birth of musical pioneers such as Mozart. Baroque composers were limited, and many of the classical musical instruments had not yet been invented or were under development (such as the piano). For this reason, Bach’s few works were written for piano, and most of them were arranged for organ and harpsichord. Therefore, between Bach’s music and the composers who came after him, there is a tangible gap and heterogeneity.
Perhaps the most important factor in the development of Henry Bach – which was also particularly important in his personal life – is religion. Bach was close to religion since childhood and studied religious texts. Most of his pieces were written for the church and he used religious symbolism to express his personal feelings and thoughts. Most of his lasting works are inspired by religious hymns, but they appear unique. All these pieces can be heard outside of religious frameworks, but there is no doubt that they are the product of religion.
Among the achievements of Johann Sebastian Bach in the field of musical art, perhaps “Counterpoint” is one of the most important (combination of two or more notes that harmonize with each other but at the same time maintain their independent character). In other words, he mixed several different musical ideas and created a unified, pleasing structure, but these ideas did not lose their independence. Counterpoint is now an integral part of modern music and can be found in some of the most famous songs of the last few decades, such as Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” or The Beatles’ “For Nobody.” This technique was not Bach’s invention, but by trial and error and pushing the boundaries, the composer created works that gave perfect clarity to the counterpoint.
He also revolutionized concepts such as harmony and modulation, and Western music became more brilliantly structured thanks to Bach’s advanced approach to four-part harmony. The development of “ornamentation” techniques should also be considered one of Bach’s great works. Embellishment means adding extra notes to a melody with the purpose of beautifying, coloring or creating a different feeling. Embellishment is now considered one of the common techniques of modern music and allows artists to add new layers to the piece and convey different emotions to the listener.
Why is Bach’s music magical?
Emanuel Heim, conductor and harpsichordist: I love the music of Johann Sebastian Bach because it relaxes me. Whenever I play Bach, I feel like coming home. There are many hidden elements in Bach’s pieces; For young musicians, it’s rich music, but what you get from it is really spontaneity of expression. You can listen to Bach from different angles, admire the structure and skill or hidden genius, but even if you have no knowledge of music, you can still enjoy these melodies.
Alain de Botton, philosopher:
Contemporary music is more about the love between people, but what makes Bach’s music so influential is the love for the master. This approach of the composer should be a big obstacle for someone like me who does not believe in God, but it is not. What I admire about Bach is that he tells me what it feels like to believe in God. His music is about attachment to an ideal ideal being (God), something purer, better and higher.
German Greer, Australian writer: Composers can be ambitious, distant or deep, but they can never depart from Bach’s technique of chromaticism. When they get older, they consciously return to him to feel the essence of western music again and heal their pains. You understand why Beethoven took such great care in creating his last quartets because Bach had taught him to listen to the cries of his passionate soul. I love Bach’s vigilance, perseverance and humility. I also love his longings and mourning for a god. Bach gave beliefs a physical form. The marriage of his music with the ballads of “Martin Luther” (the famous priest), shows you why the religious school of Protestantism was revolutionary and heroic in those days; The era when God had a physical presence in the lives of religious believers and salvation seemed close.
Suzy Quattro, rock singer and bass guitarist: I learned classical piano and percussion from the age of seven, and it was a window that crystallized the rest of my life. I love Bach for his use of two-part melodies and clever repetition of notes. Also for his finger exercises, which made me strengthen my fingers for playing bass guitar and I still do them before I get ready for gigs.
Cathy Mitchell, theater director:
I often play Bach before practice sessions. I don’t play well either, but I like the order of those [pieces]. My brain has to use too much energy to convert the notes into sounds, but this sound hypnotizes me. My favorite album is Glenn Gould’s 48 Preludes and Fugues by Bach. Glenn Gould’s playing is mathematical and precise, and in the background, you can hear his voice humming the songs. And that faint whisper is exactly what I love about Gould and Bach.
Andrew Motion, English poet and novelist: I grew up in a family that didn’t listen to much classical music and went to schools that focused on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. That’s why I didn’t listen to Bach much until I was twenty years old and it didn’t penetrate my heart. But twenty years later, when I had a serious illness and it took me a long time to recover, he became my favorite composer. Not just because there wasn’t enough room in my brain for romantic orchestral sounds, but more because it offered an exciting combination of beauty and emotion. Now there is hardly a day in my life that goes by without listening to him.
Ian Bostridge, tenor: Bach is a strange combination of metaphysics and emotion, a worthy precursor to the positive effects of classical music. He made oratorios that show different dimensions of man, and although I am a rational person, I must admit that Bach’s music points to a world beyond. In his rare fugues, there is a passionate connection between the cosmos and human emotions.