7 George Frideric Handel 7

a special class in the history of late Baroque music by virtue
of their combination of grandeur and melodic bravura.
Handel also published harpsichord music, of which
two sets of suites, the Suites de pièces pour le clavecin of 1720
and the Suites de pièces of 1733, containing 17 sets in all, are
his finest contribution to that instrument’s repertoire.
Handel’s finest chamber music consists of trio sonatas,
notably those published as Six Sonatas for Two Violins, Oboes,
or German Flutes and Continuo, Opus 2 (1733). He also wrote
various sonatas for one or more solo instruments with basso
continuo accompaniment for harpsichord. In addition, he
composed more than 20 organ concertos.

Johann Sebastian Bach

(b. March 21, 1685, Eisenach, Thuringia, Ernestine Saxon Duchies
[Germany]—d. July 28, 1750, Leipzig)

A

prolific composer of the Baroque era, Johann
Sebastian Bach was the most celebrated member of a
large family of northern German musicians. Although he
was admired by his contemporaries primarily as an out-
standing harpsichordist, organist, and expert on organ
building, Bach is now generally regarded as one of the
greatest composers of all time and is celebrated as the cre-
ator of the Brandenburg Concertos, The Well-Tempered Clavier,
the Mass in B Minor, and numerous other masterpieces of
church and instrumental music.

Early Years

J.S. Bach was the youngest child of Johann Ambrosius
Bach and Elisabeth Lämmerhirt. Ambrosius was a string
player, employed by the town council and the ducal court
of Eisenach. Although Johann Sebastian started school in
1692 or 1693, nothing definite is known of his musical