The harpsichord solo from the fifth concerto could quite reasonably be considered the great-great-great-grandfather of metal.
#J s bach full#
In Bach's full family tree there were over fifty professional musicians, making it at least a family business if not an outright dynasty. Four of his sons- Carl Philipp Emanuel, Johann Christian, Wilhelm Friedemann, and Johann Christoph Friedrich- grew up to be notable composers in their own right. Sadly, only nine of them survived to adulthood. Between his first and second wives, Bach fathered twenty children note Seven with his first wife Maria Barbara after her death he remarried and had another thirteen with Anna Magdalena. It was often said of he, his wife, and his children that he could form an orchestra with them all. Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven are seen as the three main contenders for "Most Sublime Music in Western History," and not without reason.īach was the most prominent member of an extended family of musicians. For his troubles, Bach was said to have been paid a goblet full of gold Louis d’or.īeatrice Rana's new recording of the Goldberg Variations is out now on Warner.German composer and virtuoso organist (21 March 1685 28 July 1750) whose works represent the culmination of the Baroque Music era and whose death is generally considered to mark the point of transition into the Classical era. Luckily for Bach, and also for Goldberg, the new composition helped to ensure that Kaiserling was out for the count. It was a genre of music into which he had never before ventured, thinking variations almost a form of musical ‘sheep counting’ (in the most respectful sense) and thus perfect for an insomniac. When Bach heard of the plight of Goldberg’s boss, he penned the work. When Kaiserling was up all night, he would make Goldberg play in the adjacent antechamber.īach’s reputation as a fine composer reached the ears of Kaiserling, so Goldberg was sent to him to be well tutored. Second comes his much put-upon musician, the eponymous Johann Goldberg. First, a count: Count Kaiserling, who suffered from insomnia. The story behind this work is one of music’s best, with a cast of three. The story behind the Goldberg Variations…