Johann Sebastian Bach was the leading German representative of the musical Baroque and one of the all-time greatest composers. He was an organist and a composer coming from a long family line of musicians, and was employed by various courts and churches before arriving in Leipzig in 1723, where he stayed for the rest of his very productive life. His compositions, which represent the epitome of German Baroque music, encompass all genres of the time, with the notable exception of opera, since he had no opportunity or occasion to compose such a work. His keyboard, orchestral, and vocal works are at once complex, brilliant, demanding, contemplative, and everything in between. They demonstrate his skill in the entire gamut of available styles, from simpler (but never easy) didactic works to…

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Citation: Amati, Alexandra. "Johann Sebastian Bach". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 February 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=206, accessed 19 March 2024.]

206 Johann Sebastian Bach 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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