Book Description

The Great German Composers is a classical music biography collection by George T. Ferris. The canon of classical music has always been brimming with works of musicians and composers of German origin. From 16th century icons Bach and Handel through to Wagner, Germany has consistently produced the most gifted and influential musicians in the world. Bach invented modern music and this music brought to its artistic peaks by fellow Germans, Mozart and Beethoven. The lives and achievements of these composers are described here along with other musical luminaries such as Chopin, Gluck, Hayden and Weber. This fascinating volume is a must read for anyone for whom music is an essential part of life. Contents: Bach -- Handel -- Gluck -- Haydn -- Mozart -- Beethoven -- Schubert, Schumann, and Franz -- Chopin -- Weber -- Mendelssohn -- Richard Wagner. Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 - 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He is known for instrumental compositions such as the Brandenburg Concertos and the Goldberg Variations, and vocal music such as the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. Since the 19th-century Bach Revival he has been generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. The Bach family already counted several composers when Johann Sebastian was born as the last child of a city musician in Eisenach. After becoming an orphan at age 10, he lived for five years with his eldest brother, after which he continued his musical development in Lüneburg. From 1703 he was back in Thuringia, working as a musician for Protestant churches in Arnstadt and Mühlhausen and, for longer stretches of time, at courts in Weimar--where he expanded his repertoire for the organ--and Köthen--where he was mostly engaged with chamber music.