Johann Sebastian Bach | Timeline

Johann Sebastian Bach (21 March 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He enriched established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. Bach's compositions include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the Mass in B minor, two Passions, and over three hundred cantatas of which around two hundred survive. His music is revered for its technical command, artistic beauty, and intellectual depth.

Bach's abilities as an organist were highly respected during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognised as a great composer until a revival of interest in and performances of his music in the first half of the 19th century. He is now generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. (Wikipedia)

March 21, 1685 - Eisenach - Johann Sebastian Bach is born
March 24, 1685 - Eisenach - Johann Sebastian is baptized

January(?) 1(?), 1692 - Eisenach - Johann Sebastian enters the Lateinschule

May 3, 1694 - Eisenach - Death of Elisabeth Bach, Johann Sebastian's mother

February 20, 1695 - Eisenach - Death of Johann Ambrosius Bach, Johann Sebastian's father

April 15, 1695 - Ohrdruf - Johann Sebastian and Johann Jakob travel to Ohrdruf to live with their older brother

March 15, 1700 - Ohrdruf - Johann Sebastian receives his Diploma

March 30(?), 1700 - Lüneburg - Johann Sebastian obtains a scholarship to study at the prestigious Michaelisschule

April 15(?), 1702 - Lüneburg - Johann Sebastian finishes his studies at the Michaelisschule

January 1(?), 1703 - Weimar - Bach is appointed as Court Musician of the Chapel of Duke Johann Ernst III =(START)

July 13, 1703 - Arnstadt - Bach is invited to inspect an organ and impresses everyone attending his recital

August 14, 1703 - Arnstadt - Bach becomes Organist of St.Boniface's Church, after his inspection and successful recital

1704 - Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565

October 25(?), 1705 - Arnstadt - Bach asks for authorization to travel to Lübeck to listen to Buxtehude play at the Abendmusiken

November 1(?), 1705 - Lübeck - Arrival in Lübeck for the Abendmusiken

December 2, 1705 - Lübeck - Bach attends both Buxtehude's oratorios - Castrum Doloris and Templum Honoris, on December 2 and 3.

February 1(?), 1706 - Arnstadt - Bach returns to Arnstadt

February 21, 1706 - Arnstadt - Bach is reprimanded by the Church for his excessive ornamentation in compositions

November 1(?), 1706 - Arnstadt - Bach is reprimanded again

April 24, 1707 - Mühlhausen - Bach is summoned to Mühlhausen on Easter day for an Organ test

June 15, 1707 - Mühlhausen - Bach signs contract with the Burgomaster of Mühlhausen, after impressing him

October 17, 1707 - Dornheim - Bach marries Maria Barbara Bach, his second cousin

February 4, 1708 - Mühlhausen - Presentation of the Cantata "Gott ist mein könig BWV 71"

June 25, 1708 - Mühlhausen - After being invited to work for the Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar, Bach dismisses himself
December 12, 1708 - Weimar - Bach is appointed Court Organist at Weimar

December 29, 1708 - Weimar - Baptism of Catharina Dorothea Bach

November 22, 1710 - Weimar - Wilhelm Friedemann Bach is born

February 1(?), 1713 - Weissenfels - Visit to town

March 13, 1713 - Halle - Bach competes for the post of organist at Halle.

February 1(?), 1714 - Weimar - Bach declines the offer of the post at Halle

March 2, 1714 - Weimar - Bach is promoted to Konzertmeister

March 8, 1714 - Weimar - Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach is born

May 11, 1715 - Weimar - Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach is born
April 29, 1716 - Halle - Bach examines the new organs at the Liebfrauenkirch until May 2nd
July 1(?), 1716 - Erfurt - Bach examines the new organs at the Augustinerkirche

Bach at the organ

August 5, 1717 - Köthen - Bach is appointed Kapellmeister of Prince Leopold, in Köthen
September 1(?), 1717 - Dresden - Visit to Dresden, invited by Volumier - Famous episode with Marchand
November 6, 1717 - Weimar - Bach is arrested by the Duke for four weeks
December 2, 1717 - Weimar - Bach is exonerated, freed from prison and authorized to finally abandon Weimar
December 16, 1717 - Leipzig - Examines the organ at the Paulinerkirche, in Leipzig
December 25, 1717 - Köthen - Bach begins his new functions on Christmas day
May 1, 1718 - Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary, CZE) - Visit to town, until June
November 15, 1718 - Köthen - Leopold Augustus Bach is born
September 29, 1719 - Köthen - Leopold Augustus dies, 10 months old
January 22, 1720 - Köthen - The little book for Wilhelm Friedemann is completed
May 1(?), 1720 - Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary, CZE) - Visit to town, until July
July 7, 1720 - At Köthen, Maria Barbara dies, while Bach is in Karlsbad
November 1(?), 1720 - Köthen(?) - Bach is offered a post at the Jakobikirche in Hamburg, which he declines.
March 24, 1721 - Köthen - Presentation of the "Brandenburg Concertos"

1721 - Brandenburg Concerto Nº2 in F Major, BWV 1047

September 29, 1721 - Köthen - Bach is Godfather to the son of his colleague Christian Hahn, wine cellar master of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen
December 3, 1721 - Köthen - Bach marries Anna Magdalena Wilcke

J.S.Bach, 1722

December 1(?), 1722 - Köthen - Bach applies to the post of Cantor at Leipzig
May 5, 1723 - Köthen - Bach signs contract as Thomaskantor at Leipzig
May 22, 1723 - Leipzig - Bach and family arrive in Leipzig
November 1(?), 1723 - Störmthal - Examines organ
December 25, 1723 - Leipzig - The Magnificat BWV243a is presented at the Thomaskirche
April 7, 1724 - Leipzig - St.Johanns Passion is presented at the Nikolaikirche
June 25, 1724 - Gera - Examines organ at the Johanniskirche
December 25, 1724 - Leipzig - Presentation of the "Sanctus" of the future Mass in B Minor
September 19, 1725 - Dresden - Recitals in Dresden
December 25, 1725 - Köthen - Visit to town
April 11, 1727 - Leipzig - St.Matthäus Passion presented at the Thomaskirche

1727 - St.Matthäus Passion, BWV 244

October 17, 1727 - Leipzig - Presentation of the Trauer Ode, BWV198 as memorial to Elector Christiane Eberhardine
February 1(?), 1729 - Weissenfels - Visit to town
February 23, 1729 - Köthen - Visit to Köthen to play funerary music for Prince Leopold, until March 4th
April 15, 1729 - Leipzig - St.Matthäus Passion presented at the Thomaskirche
June 1(?), 1729 - Leipzig - Bach falls ill and is unable to visit Händel in Halle
August 23, 1730 - Leipzig - Letter to Erdmann seeking possible post in Danzig
March 23, 1731 - Leipzig - Presentation of St.Mark's Passion at the Thomaskirche
September 14, 1731 - Dresden - Recitals in Dresden until September 21st
November 12, 1731 - Stöntzsch - Examines organ
August 22, 1732 - Kassel - Bach examines the organ of the Marinskirche, until September 8th
July 1(?), 1733 - Dresden - Bach visits his son Wilhelm Friedemann, now an organist at the Sophienkirche
December 25, 1734 - Leipzig - Presentation of the Christmas Oratorio, until December 27th - part 1
January 1, 1735 - Leipzig - Presentation of the Christmas Oratorio, until January 6th - part 2
June 1(?), 1735 - Mühlhausen - Bach examines the organ of the Marienkirche
December 1, 1736 - Dresden - Organ recital at the Frauenkirche
May 1(?), 1738 - Dresden - Visit to Dresden

1738 - Concerto for Harpsichord and Strings in D Minor, BWV 1052

August 11, 1739 - Leipzig - According with Johann Elias Bach, the famous lutenist Sylvius Leopold Weiss and his apprentice Johann Kropfgans arrived at Bach's house and played "extra special music" with their host.
November 7, 1739 - Weissenfels - Visit to Weissenfels with Anna Magdalena
April 1(?), 1740 - Halle - Visits the city
August 1(?), 1741 - Berlin - Bach visits Carl Philipp Emanuel in Berlin
September(?), 1741 - Dresden - Visits the city

1741 - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

March 23, 1742 - Leipzig - Presentation of St.Matthäus Passion at the Thomaskirche
December 1(?), 1743 - Leipzig - Examines organ at the Johanniskirche
March 27, 1744 - Leipzig - Presentation of St.Mark's Passion at the Thomaskirche
April 16, 1745 - Leipzig - Presentation of St.Luke's Passion BWV246 at the Nicholaskirche
September 27, 1746 - Naumburg - Bach examines the organ of the Wenselskirche
May 7, 1747 - Potsdam - Visit to Frederick the Great (in whose Court Bach's son Carl Philipp Emanuel was employed as Court Musician). Recitals on the same day and May 8th. 
(From Wikipedia) Frederick wanted to show the elder Bach a novelty, the fortepiano, which had been invented some years earlier. The King owned several of the experimental instruments being developed by Gottfried Silbermann. During his anticipated visit to Frederick's palace in Potsdam, Bach, who was well known for his skill at improvising, received from Frederick a long and complex musical theme on which to improvise a three-voice fugue. He did so, but Frederick then challenged him to improvise a six-voice fugue on the same theme. The public present thought this was just a malicious caprice by the King, intent upon humiliating philosophers and artists. Bach answered that he would need to work the score and send it to the King afterwards. He then returned to Leipzig to write out the Thema Regium ("theme of the king")
July 1(?), 1747 - Leipzig - Bach publishes a set of pieces based on the King's theme which we now know as The Musical Offering

1747 - Das Musikalische Opfer (Musical Offering), BWV 1079

March 20, 1748 - Leipzig - Letter to a Mr.Martius, demanding the devolution of an harpsichord
April 12, 1748 - Leipzig - Presentation of St.Mark's Passion at the Thomaskirche
November 2, 1748 - Leipzig - Letter from Bach to Johann Elias Bach, thanking him for sending a cask of wine
March 4, 1749 - Leipzig - Presentation of St.Johann's Passion at the Nicholaskirche
March 28, 1750 - Leipzig - Bach is operated to the eyes by the ophthalmologist-surgeon John Taylor - Failure
April 8, 1750 - Leipzig - Second surgery to Bach's eyes by John Taylor - another failure
July 18, 1750 - Leipzig - Bach fleetingly recovers his sight, but a few hours later suffers a stroke, followed by high fever
July 28, 1750 - Leipzig - Johann Sebastian Bach dies, aged 65 =(END)

Johann Sebastian Bach, 1750

1750 - Die Kunst der Fugue (the art of Fugue), BWV 1080 - unfinished