biographical info
Johann Sebastiann Bach was a German composer and multi-instrumentalist who rose to prominence during the Baroque era.
He was born in Eisenach in 1685, the son of a local musical director; his uncles were all professional musicians as well. He was orphaned at the age of 10, and moved in with his oldest brother, who was an organist who instructed him before he went to study at the prestigious St. Michael's School in Lüneburg and later became a court musician in the chapel of Duke Johann Ernst in Weimar.
Bach was renowned for his depth, technical command and sense of beauty, and left behind an astounding body of work that includes the Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the Partitas, the Mass in B Minor, the St. Matthew Passion, and dozens more.
He died on July 28, 1750 at the age of 65, reportedly from complications from surgery.
Bach was widely regarded as an organist during his time, but only later was seen as a great Baroque composer - and as one of the greatest composers of all time.