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- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21, 1685, in Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany, into a large and distinguished family of professional musicians. His father, named Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a violinist and trumpeter, employed by the city of Eisenach. His uncles were church organists, court musicians and composers. His mother and father died before Bach was 10. As an orphan, he moved in with his eldest brother, J. C. Bach, an organist and composer, under whose tutelage Bach studied organ music as well as the construction and maintenance of the organ.
Education: At the age of 14, Bach received a scholarship and walked on foot 300 kilometers to the famous St. Michael's school in Luneburg, near Hamburg. There he lived and studied for 2 years from 1699-1701. It was there that he sang a Capella at the boys chorale. Bach's studies included organ, harpsichord, and singing. In addition he took the academic studies in theology, history and geography, and lessons of Latin, Italian, and French. Besides his studies of music by the local Nothern German composers, Bach had important exposure to the music of composers from other European nations; such as the French composers Jean-Baptiste Lully, Marais, and Marchand, the South German composers Johann Pachelbel and Froberger, and the Italians Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi.
Personality and character: Bach was 17 when he made a 4-month pilgrimage, walking on foot about 400 kilometers from Arnstadt to the Northern city of Lubeck. There he studied with 'Dietrich Buxtehude' and became so involved that he overstayed his leave by three months. Buxtehude being probably the best organist of his time became the living link between the founder of Baroque music Heinrich Schütz and the biggest Baroque genius, Bach. Back in Arnstadt, Bach wrote 'Toccata and Fugue in D Minor' (1702), his first masterpiece; which stemmed from his bold organ improvisations. At that time he was in love with his second cousin Maria Barbara; whom he was taking upstairs to the church organ, where her presence was inspirational for his creativity. Bach was punished for the violation of the restrictions on women's presence in the church and he was fired. However, he eventually married Maria Barbara.
Cross-cultural studies: Bach studied the orchestral music of Antonio Vivaldi and gained insight into his compositional language by arranging Vivaldi's concertos for organ. Six French suites were written for keyboard; each suite opens with 'Allemande' and consists of several pieces, including 'Courante', 'Sarabande', 'Menuet', 'Gavotte', 'Air', 'Anglaise', 'Polonaise', 'Bourree', and 'Gigue'. As suggested by their titles, the pieces were representing songs and dances from various cultures. From the music of the Italians Antonio Vivaldi, Arcangelo Corelli, and 'Giuseppe Torelli'; Bach adopted dramatic introductions and endings as well as vivacious rhythmical dynamism and elaborate harmonization. Bach also performed the music of English, French, and Italian composers; motets of the Venetian school, and incorporated their rhythmical patterns and textural structures in the development of his own style.
Teaching: Bach selected and instructed musicians for orchestras and choirs in Weimar and Leipzig. His work as a Cantor included teaching instrumental and vocal lessons to the church musicians and later to the musicians of the court orchestra. Bach was also a teacher of his own children and of his second wife. In 1730, Bach presented his second wife with a musical notebook for studies, known as the 'Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach'. Compositions in the notebook were written in a form of minuete, polonaise, gavotte, march, rondeau, chorale, sonata, prelude, song, and aria; written mainly by Bach, as well as by his sons 'Carl Philip Emanuel Bach', Johann Christoph Bach, and composers 'Francois Couperin', Georg Bohm, and others.
Family: Bach married his second cousin, named Maria Barbara, who was the inspirational force for his early compositions. They had seven children, 4 of whom survived to adulthood. W. F. Bach, J. C. Bach, and C. P. E. Bach became composers. Maria Barbara died in 1720. On December 3, 1721, Bach married Anna Magdalena (bee Wilcke), a talented soprano, who was 17 years his junior. They had thirteen children. Bach fathered a total of 20 children with his two wives. His sons 'Friedemann Bach', Johann Christoph Bach, and 'Carl Philip Emanuel Bach' became important composers in the Rococo style. The descendants of Bach are living in many countries across the world.
Social activity: Bach replaced his friend Georg Philipp Telemann as the director of the popular orchestra known as Collegium Musicum, which he led from 1729-1750. It was a private secular music society that gave concert performances twice a week at the Zimmerman's Coffeehouse near the Leipzig market square. Bach's exposure to such a secular public environment inspired him to compose numerous purely entertainment pieces for solo keyboard and several violin and harpsichord concertos.
Politics: Being the undisputed musical genius, Bach still suffered from ugly political machinations. Although the Leipzig Council had enough money, they never honored the promised salary of 1000 talers a year; promised to Bach by the Mayor of Leipzig, Gottlieb Lange, at the hiring interview. Bach worked diligently, in spite of being underpaid for 27 years until his death. On top of that local political factions in the Leipzig Council manipulated Bach's educational work as well as his compositions and public performances. They were pressuring him as the Cantor and Composer and interfering his creative efforts by imposing restrictions on his performances because of their ugly political games. Bach prevailed as he composed and played his "Mass in B Minor" to the monarch of Saxony and was appointed the Royal Court Composer of Saxony.
King Frederick the Great invited Bach to Potsdam in 1747. There the king played his own theme for Bach and challenged the composer to improvise on it. Bach used the 'royal theme' and improvised a three-part fugue on the king's piano. Later Bach upgraded the king's theme to a more sophisticated melody, and composed an array of pieces based on the improved 'royal theme', which he titled "Musical Offering" and later presented this composition to the king.
Legacy: Bach wrote over eleven hundred music compositions in all genres. In Leipzig alone he wrote a cantata for every Sunday and feast day of the year, of which 224 cantatas survive. Some of his compositions were written on the same theme at different times in his life, like choral cantatas and organ works on similar themes with significantly reworked arrangements. The complete list of Bach's works, BWV, has 1127 compositions for voice, organ, harpsichord, violin, cello, flute, chamber music for small ensembles, orchestral music, concertos for violin and orchestra, and for keyboard and orchestra. His music became the essential part of the education for every musician. Bach influenced such great composers as Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Prokofiev and many other prominent musicians.
Bach is by far the most performed and recorded composer in history. His 'Das Wohltemperierte Clavier' (The well-tempered keyboard, or The well-tuned piano, in modern terminology) is the definitive work for all students as well as concert musicians. Bach's 'Orgebuchlein' (The little organ book) is a staple in the repertoire of organists and pianists, and some pieces from it were arranged for ensembles. Bach's many chorales, especially the "Mass in B Minor" are considered the best works in the genre. His last work 'The Art of Fugue' is best known for it's acclaimed performance by Glenn Gould. Bach's music was used in hundreds of films, thousands of stage productions, and continues being played all over the world.
The definitive biography of J. S. Bach was written by the Nobel Prize Laureate Albert Schweitzer.- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 1809 - 4 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonies, concertos, piano music, organ music and chamber music. His best-known works include the overture and incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Italian Symphony, the Scottish Symphony, the oratorio St. Paul, the oratorio Elijah, the overture The Hebrides, the mature Violin Concerto and the String Octet. The melody for the Christmas carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is also his. Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words are his most famous solo piano compositions.- Marylu Poolman was born on 3 October 1936 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. She was an actress, known for Albert Einstein (1990), Einer muß die Leiche sein (1978) and Krupp und Krause (1969). She died on 22 May 2004 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
- Fred Delmare was born on 24 April 1922 in Hüttensteinach, Thuringia, Germany. He was an actor, known for Orpheus in der Unterwelt (1974), Die Leute von Züderow (1985) and Naked Among Wolves (1963). He was married to Renate Schuck, Silvia Kallenbach, Dagmar Marquardt, Mona Winzer and Iris Brockmeier. He died on 1 May 2009 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
- Johannes Gabriel was born on 27 November 1969 in Leipzig, German Democratic Republic. He was an actor, known for The Red Cockatoo (2006), In aller Freundschaft (1998) and Police Call 110 (1971). He died on 7 June 2022 in Leipzig, Germany.
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Max Reger was born on 19 March 1873 in Brand [now Brand im Fichtelgebirge], Bavaria, Germany. He is known for Fury (2014), Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1988) and Christmas in Vienna (1992). He was married to Elsa von Bercken. He died on 11 May 1916 in Leipzig, Germany.- Franz Adam Beyerlein was born on 22 March 1871 in Meißen, Germany. He was a writer, known for Der große Zapfenstreich (1952), Il silenzio (1921) and Zapfenstreich (1925). He was married to Helene Rentsch. He died on 27 February 1949 in Leipzig, Germany.
- Actor
- Director
Dieter Bellmann was born on 24 July 1940 in Dohna, Saxony, Germany. He was an actor and director, known for In aller Freundschaft (1998), In aller Freundschaft - Die jungen Ärzte (2015) and Gavroche (1987). He was married to Astrid Höschel. He died on 20 November 2017 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.- Borys Marynowski was born on 10 June 1946 in Wodzislaw Slaski, Slaskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for The War of the Worlds: Next Century (1981), A Short Film About Killing (1988) and Pilkarski poker (1989). He died on 26 April 2005 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
- Gert Gütschow was born on 2 March 1928 in Rostock, Germany. He was an actor, known for Front ohne Gnade (1984), Leichensache Zernik (1972) and Addio, piccola mia (1979). He died on 10 March 2023 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
- Günther Grabbert was born on 15 January 1931 in Schwerin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Ernst Thälmann (1986), Hotel Elfie (2000) and Das unsichtbare Visier (1973). He was married to ???. He died on 15 December 2010 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
- Manfred Zetzsche was born on 10 February 1930 in Altenburg, Germany. He was an actor, known for Abenteuer mit Blasius (1975), Johannes Kepler (1974) and Schwarzer Samt (1964). He died on 22 August 2023 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
- Yelena Obraztsova was born on 7 July 1939 in Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia]. She was an actress, known for Cavalleria rusticana (1982), The Queen of Spades: Bolshoi Opera (1983) and Frenchman (1988). She was married to Algis Martselovich Zhiuraitis and Vyacheslav Petrovich Makarov. She died on 12 January 2015 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
- Dieter Jasslauck was born on 4 March 1934 in Dresden, Germany. He was an actor, known for Weg! (2002), Tatort (1970) and Verwandte und Bekannte (1971). He was married to Christa Meier. He died on 9 October 2019 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
- Christa Gottschalk was born on 2 December 1927 in Dessau, Germany. She was an actress, known for Beethoven - Tage aus einem Leben (1976), Bernarda Albas Haus (1994) and Reifender Sommer (1959). She died on 9 April 2018 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
- Ralph Niese died on 23 November 2020 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
- Reinhold Balqué was born on 25 January 1885 in Dresden, Germany. He was an actor, known for Spaßvögel (1939). He was married to Elisabeth Günther. He died on 5 January 1946 in Leipzig, Germany.
- Karl Michael Balzer was born on 16 January 1944 in Germany. He was an actor, known for The Bridge (1959), Hundert Jahre Brecht (1998) and Faust (1994). He died on 6 March 2014 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Peter Gläser was born on 7 January 1949 in Leipzig, Germany. He was a composer, known for Woran wir uns erinnern... (1984), Sachsenspiegel (1992) and Riverboat - Die MDR-Talkshow aus Leipzig (1992). He died on 23 October 2008 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.- Composer
- Actor
Conny Odd was born on 21 December 1916 in Leipzig, Germany. He was a composer and actor, known for Das Rabaukenkabarett (1961), The Small White Mouse (1964) and Wie Pumphut zu seinem Namen kam (1964). He died on 22 December 1986 in Leipzig, East Germany.- Günther Rössler was born on 6 January 1926 in Germany. He was married to ??? and Kirsten Schlegel. He died on 31 December 2012 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.
- Ivan Malré was born on 9 November 1922 in Kikinda, Serbia, Yugoslavia. He was an actor, known for Das grüne Ungeheuer (1962), Der Traum des Hauptmann Loy (1961) and Tempel des Satans (1962). He died on 22 March 1974 in Leipzig, East Germany.
- Max Bernhardt was born on 8 September 1906 in Wittenberge, Germany. He was an actor, known for Sankt Urban (1969), Der Mord, der nie verjährt (1968) and Feind im Blut (1931). He died on 11 November 1979 in Leipzig, East Germany.
- Walter Bechstein was born on 28 April 1918 in Mittelsaida, Germany. He was an actor, known for Das Licht auf dem Galgen (1976), Es ist eine alte Geschichte (1972) and Bankett für Achilles (1975). He died on 21 January 1983 in Leipzig, East Germany.
- Frithjof Ruede was born on 19 July 1905 in Penig, Germany. He was an actor, known for Der Fuchs von Glenarvon (1940), Mein Leben für Irland (1941) and Erich Kubak (1959). He died on 28 February 1970 in Leipzig, East Germany.