Johann Sebastian Bach

Classical Music: Composer's Datebook: March 21

"The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul." ~ Johann Sebastian Bach

Biography of Baroque German composer JS Bach - his life, works and influence on classical music. A master of counterpoint or contrapuntal technique, his Baroque music is one of the world's most famous.

Johann Sebastian Bach or simply JS Bach (March 21, 1685-July 28, 1750) was a Baroque German Protestant composer, organist, choirmaster, singer and violinist, the most popular of the musical Bach family. He was born on March 21, 1685, in Eisenach, North Germany. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a court musician.

He was a counterpoint master known for church music famous for St. John Passion that includes the famous "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring,"  and  St. Matthew Passion.





 

Note: This next video has been deleted as embedding is no longer available due to copyright issue.

J.S. Bach: St John Passion, BWV 245 - Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki (HD 1080p)  

Please watch directly at YouTube. Here's the link: YouTube.

Verdi Opera Macbeth

Macbeth, an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth plot summary, Macbeth character list, and other Verdi opera information.

The 4-act tragic opera Macbeth by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi premieres in Teatro della Pergola, Florence, Italy, on March 14, 1847. It is based on the libretto by Francesco Maria Piave on a play of the same name by William Shakespeare. Verdi composed it 1846-1847, and revised 1864-1865.  The revise version première was: April 21, 1865, in Paris.
Setting is in Scotland, around 11th century Macbeth’s castle.

Here's a performance of Macbeth conducted by Riccardo Muti, uploaded by operaliricachannel. Published 15 January 2013

Famous Orchestras and Related Websites

Classical Music / Orchestras  

 

An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments.

The term orchestra is derived from the Greek word "orchesis" which describes the area in front of an ancient Greek stage meant for the Greek chorus.

From its pioneering years in Renaissance and Baroque periods, the orchestra grew through the 18th and 19th centuries, but hardly changed in composition during the succeeding 20th century.