Yekaterina Murafa Stephen Voories Introduction to Music 11-15- 2012

I have decided to write about J.S. Bach because I believe that not only he was the greatest composer that ever lived, composers.

he in my opinion paved the way for a lot of different music styles and

Bach was born on March 21, 1 !", in #isenach, $ermany. %e was born into a family of musicians& instrumentalists, composers, and instrument ma'ers. %is father was his first music

teacher, he taught him how to play violin and harpsichord. (fter both of Bach)s parents passed away he went to live with his brother, Johann *hristopher, who was an organist. +uring that time Bach received very broad eduction that included music, singing, and religion. %is brother also gave him 'eyboard lessons as well as teaching him organ repairs. Bach)s first employment was at the court of +u'e Johann #rnst. %owever, it wasn)t a very long employment as Bach got invited to e,amine and play the new organ at the -ew'irche,in (rnstadt. .hat resulted in a position as an organ player and at that time Bach started to compose organ music. Bach continued with similar /obs as an organ player at Mulhausen and 0einmar. +uring that time Bach got married to Maria Barbara Bach, a distant cousin. Si, of Bach children were born at that time. In (ugust, 1111, Bach was appointed 2apellmeister at the *othen court of 3rince 4eopold.

Maria Barbara died in 1125 and in 1121 Bach got remarried to (nna Magdalena 0ic'le, who actually was pretty competent musician. *omposer)s last move was to 4eip6ig. %e stayed and wor'ed there from the year of 1127 till the end of his days.

Music of Bach forever timeless will be traveling through space on the 8oyager $olden record. Sounds and images selected on it are intended for any intelligent e,traterrestrial life form, or for the future humans, who may find them.

(ir (ir is a part of Bach)s orchestral suite. It is probably one of the most famous musical pieces of all time. (s I have mentioned before it is one of my favorite compositions as well. 0ord

9+ivine: comes to mind when I want to describe 9(ir:. #ven though it)s part of ;rench overture which is collection of dances, (ir is not dance. Most people probably 'now this piece by the name 9(ir on the $ String:. .he reason for it is that in 1<th century violinist (ugust 0ilhelm/ rearranged (ir for violin and piano. %e also transposed the 'ey of the piece able and therefore was to play it on one string of his violin, the $ string. a

3artita for solo violin =7, # Ma/or. 3relude..his particular piece is very special to me. 0hen I moved to >nited States I had to play 3relude for an acceptance recital at the Manhattan School of Music. I love it and every time I listen to it I thin' of my first year in (merica. 3artitas were a

you tell that violin. every even finds a way to

collection of dances as well. 0hen play or listen to any of them you can Bach was very familiar with the #very note is under your fingers, phrase connects smoothly, and he ma'e one player sound li'e a couple or even

more. It too' Bach a while to compose the whole set. %e started around 1157 and did not finish them till 1125. 3relude ? ;ugue -@. 2 in * minor. Since the beginning of my musical education I always remember how much I did not li'e playing scales and e,ercises, mainly because of a repetitive nature of them.J.S. Bach composed 0ell &.empered *lavier specifically for the purpose of e,ercising your instrumental s'ills, and I can)t thin' of a more fun way to ma'e yourself better piano player.Surprisingly enough, when I discovered that 0ell&.empered *lavier could serve such a great purpose, not only my I noticed improvement in my piano s'ills, my violin techniAues got much better as well.;irst boo' was written in 1122, and was called 3reludes and ;ugues. Bach used all 2B 'eys for each prelude and fugue. 4ater in his life, around 11B2 Bach composed 8olume II of 0ell& .empered *lavier. #ven though during Bach)s life his own wor' was not very popular, later on many great composers used it in their studies. Some of the fugues and preludes have been rearranged and remi,ed in our time. I have heard /a66, techno, and alternative versions of the most popular ones.