MUSIC

Examine the role of religion in Bach's life. When and where did he compose sacred music? Did he feel compelled to write religious music, or was it more of a job?

Examine the role of religion in Bach's life. When and where did he compose sacred music? Did he feel compelled to write religious music, or was it more of a job?

Introduction

Childhood and adolescence

Johann Sebastian Bach was born March 21, 1685 in Eisenach, Thuringia small town in Germany, where his father, Johann Ambrosius was a town musician, and his uncle, Johann Christoph - organist. The boy soon began to study music. Apparently, his father taught him to play the violin, his uncle - the organ, and thanks to a good soprano voice, he was accepted into the choir, who sang motets and cantatas. At 8 years old boy went to church school, where he made great progress. Happy childhood ended for him at the age of nine, when he lost his mother, and a year and a father. Sirota took over his upbringing in a modest house of the elder brother, an organist in Ohrdruf near, there is the boy went back to school and continued his music lessons with my brother. At Ohrdruf Johann Sebastian spent 5 years.

When he was fifteen, on the recommendation of a school teacher, he was able to continue their education at the school at the church of St. Michael in Lüneburg in northern Germany. To get there, he had to walk three hundred kilometers. There he lived on the full board, received a small scholarship, he studied and sang in the choir school, enjoy a high reputation (aka the morning chorus, Mettenchor). It was a very important stage in the formation of Johann Sebastian. Here he became acquainted with the best of choral literature, started a relationship with the famous master of organ art Bemom George (his influence is evident in the early organ compositions of Bach), got an idea of ??French music, which had the opportunity to hear at the court of the nearby Celle, which was held in high esteem the French Culture in addition, he frequently traveled to Hamburg to hear virtuoso Johann Adam Reinke, the largest representative of the North German organ school (Wolff, 2007).

In 1702 at the age of 17 years, Bach returned to Thuringia, and serving as little as a "lackey and violinist" in the Weimar court, obtained a position as organist in Arnstadt New Church, the town where the Baja served both before and after him, until 1739. Thanks to the excellent performance has passed the test, he was immediately appointed a salary far exceeds that which was paid to his family. He remained in Arnstadt to 1707, leaving the city in 1705, to attend the famous "evening concerts," which held in Lübeck, in the north, a brilliant organist and composer Dietrich Buxtehude. Obviously, in Luebeck was so interesting that Bach spent four months instead of four weeks, which begged a ...