Text b early years of j. S. Bach

Johann Ambrosius Bach was a town musician in Eisenach, playing violin, organ and trumpet. Johann Sebastian Bach, the youngest of his eight children, entered the Eisenach Grammar School and sang in the church choir. He had a fine soprano voice. On the death of his father he was looked after by his eldest brother, Johann Christoph Bach, who was organist at the small town of Ohrdruf, near Arnstadt, and a former pupil of Pachelbel. Johann Sebastian did well at school, showing a strong inclination towards theology. He also gained a sound musical education from his brother, who in 1700 found him a salaried place in the choir of St. Michael's, Lüneburg. He was allowed to remain there after his voice broke, because he was also a useful player of various instruments. Here he came into contact with French music on a visit to the miniature Versailles created by the Duke of Celle, making copies of music by Grigny and Dieupart. He also admired the music of Böhm and is said to have walked 30 miles to Hamburg to hear the well-known organist Reincken.

By 1702, being now 17, Johann Sebastian Bach began to look for a more permanent position, and the next year was for a brief period a violinist in the orchestra of the brother of the Duke of Weimar. That July, after testing the organ of the new church of St. Boniface in Arnstadt, he was invited to become organist and choirmaster there at a good salary. In 1705 he obtained a month's leave to hear Buxtehude play, and direct the famous “Abendmusiken” (“Music Evenings”) at Lübeck.

The church council disapproved, while the congregation disliked his innovations in the services, so in 1707 he found a new post as organist at the church of St. Blasius at Muhlhausen, a free city. Soon after his move, a small legacy facilitated his marriage to a kinswoman, Maria Barbara Bach. At Mühlhausen he carried out his duties with energy, making suggestions for improving the organ and writing a festive cantata “Gott ist mein König” for the inauguration of the city council in 1708. But disputes between factions of orthodox Lutherans and more puritan Pietists threatened to restrict what music could be performed there, and so in June of 1708 he accepted the post of organist and court musician to Duke Wilhelm of Weimar.

Up to this time Bach was known as a composer of brilliant keyboard pieces. His organ music was especially influenced by Buxtehude.

Proper Names

Johann Ambrosius Bach [jou’hxn qmb’rouzjqs ’bRk]

Eisenach [‘QizqnAh]

Christoph [’kristqf]

Ohrdruf [’Ldruf]

Arnstadt [’ArnStAt]

Karl Pachelbel [’kRl ’pAkqlbql]

St. Michael’s [sqnt ’mIhAqls]

Lüneburg [’lunqbWg]

Versailles [vFq’sQI]

Celle [’tselq]

Grigny [gri’nji]

Dieupart [dju’pR]

Böhm [bWm]

Hamburg [’hxmbWg]

Reincken [’rQInkqn]

Weimar [’vQImq]

St. Boniface [sqnt ’bOnIfeIs]

Dietrich Buxtehude [’dJtrih ’bAkstq,hHdq]

Lübeck [’lubqk]

St. Blasius [sqnt ’blxzIqs]

Mühlhausen [’mulhQuzqn]

Maria Barbara Bach [mq’rQIq ’bRbqrq ’bRk]