| The deeply religious Bach was born in 1685 at Eisenach in present-day central Germany, next to last in a line of six generations of highly esteemed church musicians.
From the age of 8, Bach sang in the choir, and he quickly learned all keyboard, string, and wind instruments. In his 18th year, he became organist at the New Church in Arnstadt, and 20 years later, after a series of increasingly prestigious positions, he became cantor and music director of the magnificent St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, where he remained until his death in 1750. |
