Eisenach and Ohrdruf (1685-1700)
1685
21 March Birth of Johann Sebastian to Johann Ambrosius Bach and Maria Elisabeth Bach
23 March Baptized at St. George Church in Eisenach
1690-93
Attends German school in Eisenach
1693-95
Attends Latin school in Eisenach
1694
3 May Burial of mother
1695
20 and 24 February Death and burial of father
Spring-summer Orphaned Johann Sebastian and brother Johann Jacob join the household of their oldest brother, Johann Christoph Bach, in Ohrdruf
1695-1700
Attends the Lyceum in Ohrdruf
Lüneburg and Weimar (1700-1703)
1700
15 March Leaves Ohrdruf for Lüneburg
1700-1702
Choral scholar at Partikularschule at St. Michael; contact with Georg Böhm in Lüneburg and frequent visits to Johann Adam Reinken in Hamburg
April Graduation from St. Michael School and return to Thuringia (probably Ohrdruf)
9 July → Successful candidate for town organist at St. Jacob Church in Sangerhausen, but appointment is given to another
1703
January through June Musician at the court of Duke Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar
← 13 July Examines the new organ at the New (St. Boniface) Church in Arnstadt
Arnstadt (1703-1707)
14 August Acceptance of appointment as organist at New Church in Arnstadt
1705
November → Three to four month visit with Dieterich Buxtehude in Lübeck
1706
21 February → Disciplinary difficulties discussed with Arnstadt Consistory
29 November Organ examination in Langewiesen
1707
24 April Audition for organist position at St. Blasius Church in Mühlhausen
14-22 June Negotiations with the Mühlhausen Town Council and acceptance of appointment
29 June Returns organ keys to Arnstadt authorities
Mühlhausen (1707-1708)
1 July Begins as organist at St. Blasius Church in Mühlhausen
17 October Marriage with Maria Barbara in Dornheim, near Arnstadt
1708
4 February Performance of BWV 71 at Mühlhausen Town Council election
February Submits plans for St. Blasius Church organ renovation
≈ 25 February BWV 71 published
June Appointed organist and chamber musician to co-reigning Dukes Wilhelm Ernst and Ernst August of Saxe-Weimar
20 June Requests and receives dismissal from Mühlhausen
Weimar (1708-1717)
← 14 July Moves to Weimar
1709
4 February Guest performance of a lost work at Mühlhausen Town Council election
March Visit of violinist Johann Georg Piesndel in Weimar
1710
4 February Guest performance of a lost work at Mühlhausen Town Council election
26 October Organ examination and dedication in Traubach, near Weimar
1711
3 June Salary increase
1713
21-22 February Performance of BWV 208 in Weissenfels in conjunction with the birthday of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels.
8 July Duke Johann Ernst brings new musical repertoires upon return from study trip
6 November Dedication of the new St. James Church in Weimar
28 November through 15 December Audition and election for post as organist at Our Lady (Market) Church in Halle
1714
← 14 January Receives appointment for post in Halle
← 19 February Withdraws candidacy for Halle post
2 March Appointed concertmaster at Weimar court and receives salary increase
25 March Palm Sunday (Annunciation) performance of BWV 182
1715
1 August through 3 November Official mourning period after the death of Duke Wilhelm Ernst
1716
29 April through 2 May Organ examination and dedication at Our Lady (Market) Church in Halle
31 July Organ examination at St. Augustine Church in Erfurt
1717
26 March Good Friday guest performance of a lost Passion at the Palace Church in Gotha
5 August Signs contract for Kapellmeister position in Cöthen
October or November Keyboard contest with Louis Marchand in Dresden
6 November through 2 December Detention in conjunction with dismissal from Weimar court service
16-18 December Organ examination at St. Paul (University) Church in Leipzig
Cöthen (1717-1723)
29 December Arrival in Cöthen
1718
≈ 9 May through 15 July Trip to Carlsbad with Prince Leopold
10 December Performance of BWV 66a, Anh. 5 on Prince Leopold’s birthday
1719
1 March → Purchase of a harpsichord during trip to Berlin
≈ June Failed attempt to meet Handel while in Halle
1720
22 January Title page for Clavier-Büchlein for son Wilhelm Friedemann
Late May through 7 July → Trip to Carlsbad with Prince Leopold
7 July Burial of wife Maria Barbara
Middle of November through 23 November Recital at St. Catherine Church in Hamburg, performance of BWV 21, and candidacy for organ post at St. James Church
← 19 December Withdraws candidacy for St. James Church
1721
24 March Dedication of concertos “avec plusieurs instruments” to Margrave Christian of Brandenburg
← 7 August Guest performance in Schleiz
3 December Marriage to Anna Magdalena Wilcke
1722
9 August Guest performance in Zerbst
← 21 December Application for cantor position at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig
1723
7 February Audition for cantor position at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig
13 April Request for dismissal from Cöthen is accepted while remaining nonresident Kapellmeister
Leipzig (1723-1730)
19 April Signs provisional contract with Leipzig Town Council
5 May Signs final contract with the Leipzig Town Council
8 May Theological examination by professors Schmid and Deyling
15 May First Leipzig salary payment
16 May First performance of BWV 59 at St. Paul Church (University Church) on Pentecost
22 May Bach family relocates to St. Thomas School in Leipzig from Cöthen
30 May Beginning of first annual cantata cycle with performance of BWV 75 on First Sunday after Trinity
1 June Formal installation at the St. Thomas School
2 November Performance of BWV 194 with organ examination and dedication in Störmthal, near Leipzig
1724
7 April Performance of first version of St. John Passion (BWV 245) on Good Friday
11 June Beginning of second cantata cycle with performance of BWV 20 on First Sunday after Trinity
25 June Organ examination and dedication at Salvator Church in Gera
← 18 July Guest performance in Cöthen with Anna Magdalena
1725
23 February Guest performance of BWV 249a in Weissenfels
30 March Performance of second version of St. John Passion (BWV 245) on Good Friday
14 September Petition concerning university service to Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony
19-20 September Organ recitals at St. Sophia Church in Dresden
3 November Second petition to Friedrich August I
30 November through 15 December Guest performances in Cöthen with Anna Magdalena
31 December Third petition to Friedrich August I
1726
19 April Performance of F. N. Brauns’s St. Mark Passion, with additions by Bach, on Good Friday
1 November Announcement of the Clavier-Übung series (BWV 825)
1727
March through April Renovation of St. Thomas School apartment completed
11 April Performance of first version of St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) on Good Friday
17 October Performance of BWV 198 at academic memorial service for Christiane Eberhardine, wife of Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, 1728
← 5 January Guest performance in Cöthen
1729
12 January Performance of BWV 210a during visit of Christian of Weissenfels to Leipzig
≈ 23 February Guest performances in Weissenfels and appointment as titular Kapellmeister of the Saxe-Weissenfels court
← 20 March Absence from Leipzig for three weeks
20 March → Assumes directorship of the Collegium Musicum
23-24 March Performance of BWV 244a at funeral service of Prince Leopold in Cöthen
15 April Performance of St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) on Good Friday
29 June Invitation to visit Leipzig extended to Handel
20 October Performance of BWV 229 at funeral of Johann Heinrich Ernesti, rector of St. Thomas Church
← 24 December Auditions organists for post at St. Nicholas Church
1730
7 April Performance of anonymous St. Luke Passion with Bach additions (BWV 246) on Good Friday
25-27 June Performances of BWV 190a, 120b and Anh. 4a during jubilee of the Augsburg Confession
23 August Memorandum for a “Well-Appointed Church Music”
Leipzig (1731-1740)
1731
23 March Performance of St. Mark Passion (BWV 247) on Good Friday
Spring Publication of Clavier-Übung I (BWV 825-30) ) as Opus 1
May → Relocation to temporary quarters during renovations of the St. Thomas School building
14 September Organ recital at St. Sophia Church in Dresden
12 November Organ examination in Stöntzsch
1732
4 February Reexamination of organ in Stöntzsch
← 24 April Bach family returns to renovated residence at St. Thomas School
5 June Performance of BWV Anh. 18 at rededication of the St. Thomas School
21 September → Trip to Kassel with Anna Magdalena for organ examination at St. Martin Church
28 September Organ dedication at St. Martin Church in Kassel
1733
27 July Dedication of the Missa (BWV 232) to the new Elector, Friedrich August II, in Dresden
17-19 January Performance of BWV 214a during Leipzig celebration of the coronation of Friedrich August II as King of Poland
← 13 March Franz Benda visits Leipzig
21 November Performance of BWV Anh. 19 during the installation of Johann August Ernesti as rector of St. Thomas School
25 Christmas Performance of the first part of the Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248)
1735
6 January Performance of the sixth part of the Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248)
Spring Publication of Clavier-Übung II
← 16 June Organ examination at St. Mary Church in Mühlhausen
1736
30 March Performance of revised version of the St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) on Good Friday
19 November Appointed Royal-Polish and Electoral-Saxon Court Composer
1 December Organ recital at St. Mary Church in Dresden
1737
4 March → Resignation as director of the Collegium Musicum
14 May → Learns of Johann Adolph’s Scheibe’s critique
28 September Performance of BWV 30a in Wiederau
12 December The Elector issues a decree concerning the dispute between Bach and Ernesti
16 December Organ examination in Weissensee
1738
8 January Publication of Johann Abraham Birnbaum’s defence against Scheibe’s attack upon Bach
← 22 May In Dresden
1739
27 March Cancellation of a Good Friday performance of a Passion
← 11 August Concerts with lutenists Silvius Leopold Weiss and Johann Kropffgans of Dresden
← 7 September Dedication of the organ at the Castle Church in Altenburg
Fall Publication of Clavier-Übung III
2 October Resumption of directorship of the Collegium Musicum
7-14 November Trip to Weissenfels with Anna Magdalena
1740
17 April Trip to Halle
Leipzig (1741-1750)
1741
← 5 August Trip to Berlin
Fall Publication of Clavier-Übung IV
← 17 November Extended trip to Dresden
1742
30 August Performance of BWV 212 in Kleinzschocher
1743
← 13 December Organ examination at St. John Church in Leipzig
1746
7 August Organ examination in Zschortau, near Leipzig
24-28 September Organ examination at St. Wenceslas Church in Naumburg
1747
7 May Visit with King Friedrich II of Prussia in Potsdam
8 May Organ recital in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Potsdam
June Contributes the Canonic Variations (BVW 769) for publication while accepting membership in the Society of Musical Science
7 July Dedication of the Musical Offering (BWV 1079)
28 July Start of major organ repairs at St. Thomas Church
September Publication of the Musical Offering (BWV 1079)
November Examination of renovated organ at St. Thomas Church
1748
← 21 December Audition of town musicians
1749
2 April Correspondence with Count Questenberg of Moravia
4 April Performance on St. John Passion (BWV 245) on Good Friday
April Conference with organ builder Heinrich Andreas Cuntzius
6 May Sale of a fortepiano to Count Branitzky of Poland
mid-May Sudden onset of critical illness
1750
28-31 March Eye surgery performed by Dr. John Taylor
5-8 April Additional surgery
22 July Suffers a stroke and receives communion
28 July Death
31 July Burial at St. John Cemetery
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