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Johann Sebastian Bach

by Karmen Gonzales - High School - from Liberty, Missouri in United States

A Musical Hero

Johann Sebastian Bach was a composer during the late 1600s and the early- to mid-1700s, also known as the Baroque period. Bach was an organist and a harpsichordist, having played for many Lutheran churches in his time. He was a major influence during this period and even today. To me, and many others, Bach was a hero for his influence on others, his work ethic, and his passion for music.

136648Johann Sebastian Bachhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a major influence during his time, and even now. He is a famous composer, mostly for the number of compositions he made, and the style in which he composed. Bach made over 1000 known compositions, and there are even more that we don’t know about. Even today in my world, I have played a number of Bach’s arrangements, either solos or as full orchestral arrangements. These pieces include Sleeper’s Wake, Minuet, Boureé, and many more. “One of Bach's most famous works from this time is the cantata "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit," also known as ‘Actus Tragicus’” (Biography.com Editors). A cantata is a vocal composition with instrumental accompaniment. Bach was so influential that when he died, the Baroque period ended. 

Another reason I consider Bach to be my hero is his work ethic. During his lifetime, he made over 1000 compositions, and nearly 120 cantatas during his first two years of composing. Another way he showed his great work ethic is that he handled his job and “managed to lead a growing family of twenty children and maintain two happy marriages” (Bible), his first wife dying from unknown causes. His work ethic is inspirational, in a way that he was efficient in his work and was determined to get things done. This led him to be as successful as he was, since he was able to complete so many compositions in his time.

My final reason that Bach was a hero is his passion and love for music. Bach had one main reason behind making music and composing, and his reasoning was God. He felt that God was calling him to create a culture through the realm of music. Bach once said, “The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul” (Bach). He didn’t write his music for himself, or to get fame, but to glorify God.  

Johann Sebastian Bach is a hero for me and many others. The reasoning behind him being a hero is his influence on others, his work ethic, and his passion for music. Those three reasons and many more are why I consider Bach to be my hero, influencing my life, encouraging me to continue to play the violin and to live up to some of his life aspects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page created on 11/22/2019 4:33:30 AM

Last edited 11/22/2019 10:36:57 PM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.