33 Interesting Facts About Johann Sebastian Bach

One of the most gifted musicians in history, Johann Sebastian Bach, gained fame as a composer whose works remain immensely popular worldwide even today. He wasn’t always this famous; for a long time, his work was almost forgotten, but later generations revived his legacy. Bach dedicated his entire life to music, and it’s safe to say that he rightfully occupies a place among the greatest composers in human history.

Facts from Bach’s Biography:

1. Family Background: He was the youngest of eight children in his family.
2. Musical Heritage: Many of Bach’s ancestors were professional musicians for several centuries.
3. Early Loss: He was orphaned at the age of 10. His elder brother, who was also a musician, took care of young Johann and became his first music teacher.
4. Early Musical Training: As a child, Bach learned to play complex instruments like the organ and the clavier.
5. Choral Singing: In his youth, he also sang in a church choir.
6. Linguistic Skills: In addition to his native German, Bach was fluent in Italian and French.
7. Admiration for Buxtehude: He held Dieterich Buxtehude, a composer, in high regard and considered him his favorite.
8. Organ Music: Most of Bach’s compositions were written specifically for the organ, his favorite instrument.
9. Family Life: His first wife was his cousin. They had seven children, but only four survived. In his second marriage, Bach had 13 children, of whom eight survived.
10. Devout Faith: Bach was deeply religious throughout his life.
11. First Composition: He composed his first musical piece at the age of 15.
12. Long Journey: Once, already widely known and popular, Bach walked 50 kilometers on foot to attend a concert by Dieterich Buxtehude.
13. First Biography: Bach’s biography was first written in 1802 by German composer Johann Forkel.
14. Mendelssohn’s Admiration: The famous composer Mendelssohn, known for his wedding march, was a great admirer of Bach’s work.
15. Arrested by an Employer: Once, Bach was arrested by an employer who didn’t want to let him leave. He spent almost a month under arrest.
16. Perfect Pitch and Memory: Bach had perfect pitch and a phenomenal memory. After hearing a musical piece just once, he could later play it flawlessly.
17. Frequent Relocation: During his life, Bach moved homes eight times, relocating from one city to another.
18. Unusual Food Preference: One of the strange dishes he enjoyed was herring heads.
19. Master of All Genres: Bach composed music in every genre except opera.
20. Organ Mastery: He is still considered one of the most virtuoso organists in history.
21. Prolific Composer: Bach composed over 1,000 musical pieces during his lifetime.
22. Lost Grave: Bach was buried in a cemetery at a church in Leipzig, but his grave was lost for many decades until it was accidentally discovered in the late 19th century.
23. Beethoven’s Respect: Ludwig van Beethoven highly regarded Bach’s music.
24. Goethe’s Praise: The famous writer Goethe described the experience of listening to Bach’s music as “eternal harmony in conversation with itself.”
25. Breaking Choir Traditions: In Bach’s time, only men were allowed to participate in church choirs, but he helped pave the way for women to sing in choirs. His wife became the first female choir member in history.
26. Bach Society: In 1750, the Bach Society was founded in Leipzig with the goal of collecting, studying, and popularizing Bach’s works. The society completed its task within 50 years and then disbanded.
27. Voyager Golden Record: Bach’s music is included among humanity’s greatest achievements on the Golden Record aboard the Voyager spacecraft, launched into interstellar space.
28. “New York Times” Recognition: The American publication “New York Times” named Bach the greatest composer of all time.
29. Fiery Temperament: Bach was known to have a fiery and rather short temper. He often lashed out at his subordinates, threw objects, and tore up music sheets.
30. Monuments: There are 11 monuments dedicated to this great musician and composer in Germany.
31. Films About Bach: A total of 20 feature and documentary films have been made about Johann Sebastian Bach’s life.
32. Musical Legacy: Two of his children also became well-known composers.
33. Sleeping to Music: It is known that Bach preferred to fall asleep not in silence but with music playing.