Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was born to Johann Ambrosius Bach and Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt in Eisenach, Thuringia. His father was a court trumpeter and town musician, and his mother came from a musical family.

Both of Bach's parents died within a year of each other, and he moved to Ohrdruf to live with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who was an organist.

Bach received a choral scholarship to attend St. Michael's School in Lüneburg, where he studied music and was exposed to a wide range of musical styles and compositions.

Bach secured his first professional position as a court organist in Weimar, marking the beginning of his career as a professional musician and composer.

Bach married his second cousin, Maria Barbara Bach, in Dornheim. They would go on to have seven children together, four of whom survived to adulthood.

Bach was appointed Kapellmeister (music director) to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen, a position that allowed him to focus more on instrumental music and develop his skills as a composer.

Bach was appointed Thomaskantor (cantor of the St. Thomas Church) in Leipzig, a position he held for the rest of his life. He composed many of his most famous works during this period.

Bach dedicated the Mass in B minor to the Elector of Saxony in an attempt to secure a court title. The work is considered one of his greatest achievements and a pinnacle of Baroque choral music.

Bach visited Frederick the Great in Potsdam and was invited to play for the king. The visit resulted in the composition of the Musical Offering, a work based on a theme given to Bach by the king.

Johann Sebastian Bach died in Leipzig after a series of health issues, including cataracts. He was buried in an unmarked grave in the St. John's Churchyard, later moved to the Thomaskirche.