The excellence of his compositions was realized much later by composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. Johann Sebastian Bach died in Leipzig on July 28, 1750, in his lifetime and several years after his death he was mostly known as a gifted organist rather than revered as a composer. There are a further 23 works which were lost or unfinished. He also made several trips to Berlin where he was warmly welcomed by King Fredrick II of Prussia and for whom the ‘Musical Offering’ was composed. In his lifetime (65 years), Bach composed an incredible 1128 pieces of music. Becoming increasingly discontent with his job at the church, he continued the latter portion of his career taking up various positions such as directorship of the Collegium Musicum and Dresden court.
Matthew’ and O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort or ‘O eternity, you word of thunder’. Several of these were composed while he was in Leipzig, such as Die Elenden sollen essen or ‘The miserable shall eat’, ‘Passion According to St. Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue, for keyboard in D minor, BWV 903 (BC 元4) 1723. He is renowned for his vast collection of church music, pieces dedicated to the interpretation of the Bible or better known as his ‘Passions’, Lutheran chorales and cantatas. Bach not only inherited interest in music from his family but also their religion, which had a great impact on a majority of Bach’s works. As opposed to his time in Cothen, this period was dedicated on works that were more inclined towards religion. In 1723, Bach was accepted for the position of teacher and organist at St. Bachs works for solo instruments the six sonatas and partitas for violin (BWV10011006), the six cello suites (BWV 10071012) and the Partita for solo flute. His time in Cothen is also attributed for one of his most famed works, the Brandenburg Concertos a compilation of six concertos for a chamber orchestra, dedicated to Margrave, the Duke of Brandenburg. Due to the prevalent Calvinist beliefs in Cothen, his work in this period can be characterized as rather secular in nature his compositions for multiple and solo instruments, concertos and cantatas such as Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht or ‘Time, which day and year doth make’, were all intended for the court rather than the church. His time in Weimar was only the first of his experiences with royalty, after gaining permission to leave Weimar in 1717 he went to accompany Prince Leopold of Cothen. His first cantata Actus Tragicus was composed during his time there and the famous Toccata was composed around a year later in Duke Ernst’s court in Weimar. The uniqueness found in his work began to emerge early on in his career In 1707, he took the position of an organist at a church in Muhlhausen but soon left since his musical style and the brilliant complexity of his compositions was neither appreciated nor accepted. The early 18th century can be earmarked as the beginning of Bach’s career.
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