Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) — German composer and the supreme master of counterpoint, whose works define the Baroque era.
In Depth
Bach spent most of his career as a church musician in Leipzig, composing weekly cantatas, organ works, and teaching. His music was considered old-fashioned during his lifetime, and he never achieved the international fame of his contemporary Handel. It was not until the 19th century that Mendelssohn's revival of the St. Matthew Passion brought Bach's genius to wide recognition.
Bach's output is staggering in both quantity and quality: the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Brandenburg Concertos, the Mass in B Minor, the Art of Fugue, and over 200 cantatas. His mastery of counterpoint — weaving multiple independent melodic lines into a unified whole — has never been equalled. Every musician who followed has been influenced by his work, whether they know it or not.
Bach fathered 20 children, several of whom became famous composers themselves. C.P.E. Bach and J.C. Bach were among the most celebrated musicians of the next generation.