Johann Christoph Bach (1645â€“93)

Johann Christoph Bach ( born February 22, 1645 Erfurt, † August 25 1693 in Arnstadt ) was the twin brother of Johann Ambrosius Bach, the father of Johann Sebastian Bach. His father was the town musician Christoph Bach the Elder.

Johann Christoph received in 1671 an appointment as court musician ( violinist ) to the Arnstädter yard. Since it came to disputes with the town musician graders and even after an arbitration award no peace came, was on January 7, 1681 all musicians terminated "because of their disagreement ... ". There was prohibited all public music because of the death shortly thereafter made of the sovereign, Johann Christoph came in great distress. However, he got the start in 1682 by the new sovereign reinstatement at court. The new employer Count Günther von Schwarzburg- Arnstadt seems to have been very satisfied with his court musicians.

Between Johann Ambrosius and Johann Christian Bach an extraordinary similarity must have existed. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach reported:

" These twins may be of this type, the only ones we know. They loved each other to the utmost. They looked so much alike that even their women they could not distinguish. You were a miracle for great men and for everyone who saw them. Language, attitude, everything was einerley. In music, they were indistinguishable, they played einerley, they thought her presentation einerley. Was one sick, so it was the other. In short, she died soon after the other. "