Johann Christoph Bach (1671–1721)

Johann Christoph Bach ( born June 16, 1671 at Erfurt, † February 22, 1721 in Ohrdruf ) was an older brother of Johann Sebastian Bach and organist in Ohrdruf.

Life

Johann Christoph Bach was born the son of Johann Ambrosius Bach and his wife Elisabeth. He received musical training from his father, who was a court musician in Eisenach and Stadtpfeifer from 1671. 1686 was Johann Christoph lessons with Johann Pachelbel in Erfurt, which was an important and experienced organist already at that time. This experience he later gave to his children and younger brothers on. Johann Christoph was since 1690 organist at Ohrdruf St. Michaelis Church, and stood as a musician and personality in high esteem. He is characterized as a balanced person, who brought up his children strictly, but friendly. All five sons were skilled musicians - his descendants had over 100 years held or taught as cantors at the Latin School, the organist post at the St. Michael's Church. A few months before his father's death ( 1695) he married in Ohrdruf, and settled there in the long streets district. There, the children came

  • Christiana Sophia ( * August 21, 1697 )
  • Johann Bernhard (1700-1743; organist at St. Michael's in Ohrdruf )
  • Johann Christoph (1702-1756; teacher and cantor in Ohrdruf )
  • Johanna Maria ( * 1705),
  • Johann Heinrich (1707-1782; cantor in Öhringen )
  • Magdalena Elisabeth ( * 1710),
  • Johann Andreas (1713-1779; teacher and organist in Ohrdruf ) and
  • Johann Sebastian (* / † 1713) to the world.

After the death of her parents in 1694 and in 1695 he took his younger brothers Johann Sebastian and Johann Jacob to live with him. In 1696, however, Johann Jacob finished his school career and went back to Eisenach to begin an apprenticeship musicians. Johann Sebastian left in 1700 Ohrdruf " whether defect. hospitios ", so for lack of living space, such as a, but unclean written, entry recorded in the school register to continue his education in Lüneburg.

The importance of Johann Christoph Bach is not only the fact that he his brother Johann Sebastian mediated a solid musical education, but also by the fact that Johann Christoph is a central figure of the baroque central German tradition of keyboard music. From Johann Christoph Bach two manuscripts are preserved, which were recorded at the beginning of the 18th century: the so-called Andreas Bach Book and the Möllersche handwriting. The very carefully written manuscripts that also contain autographs of Johann Sebastian Bach, are the only tradition dar. source for several important works, for example by Buxtehude, Bruhns or Pachelbel

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