Birth: March 21, 1685, Eisenach, Germany
Death: July 28, 1750, Leipzig, Germany
Early Influences:
- Born into a family of musicians
- Parents died when he was nine years old
- Given an orchestral post at Weimar in 1703 (age 18)
Education:
- Learned keyboarding from brother, Johann Christoph
- Attended the Lyceum
- Participated in the school choir
Major Accomplishments:
- Six Brandenburg Concertos composed in 1717, 1717, 1711, 1720, 1720, and 1708 respectively
- Two books of The Well-Tempered Clavier composed in 1722 and 1738
- Mass in B Minor composed in 1724
- Goldberg Variations composed in 1741
- The Art of Fugue composed in the 1740's
Significance:
- Arguably the greatest German composer
- Influenced the use of many different types of instruments
- Combined intellect and passion in his music
- Fathered 20 children, several of whom became well-known composers
Contemporaries:
- Peter the Great - Tsar of Russia
- Isaac Newton - Mathematician and Scientist
- Edmond Halley - Astronomer and Mathematician
- Georg Friedrich Handel - German Composer
