Johann Christian Bach

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Johann Christian Bach Life

In 1750, when J.C. Bach was only fifteen, his father died, and he went to Berlin, brought by his half-brother Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, to live with another brother,
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

For four years, J.C. Bach was instructed in music by his older brother, and in Berlin became familiar with Italian operas, and he was greatly enthusiastic about this field.

In 1754, J.C. Bach went to Italia, and was appointed as chapel master to Conte Agostino Litta, who gave him enough funds to train under Padre Martini.
During this time, J.C. Bach became a Catholic, and became a great composer of church music.

His first major work was a Mass, which received an excellent performance and applause in 1757.
In 1760, J.C. Bach was appointed as organist at the cathedral in Milano.

J.C. Bach, by this time, had lost some of his total focus for church music, and turned to his first interest, the theatre.
He began to compose a great number of operas, masses, requiems, and motets.
In 1761, Artaserse was performed in Turin, and was followed in Napoli by Catone in Utica, and one year later, also in Napoli, Alesandro nell'Indie was put on.

These three operas were very successful, and J.C. Bach's reputation became incredibly wide-spread.

On February 19, 1763, J.C. Bach's first opera for England was performed - Orione - and was in fact done at the King's Theatre.
The King and Queen attended the first performance, and were so enthralled they returned to the second.

Orione was on the schedule for three months, and J.C. Bach achieved the position as music-master to Queen Charlotte.
He would retain this post until his death.

In 1764, J.C. Bach became friends with Karl Friedrich Abel, a pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach, and a virtuoso of the viola da gamba.
Abel was chamber-musician to the Queen, so came into frequent contact with J.C. Bach.

The two became fast friends, and not only decided to live together but held joint concerts in London.

- MIDI FILE - Fughetta in G (0’53’’)

For more than seventeen years, J.C. Bach and Abel held performances that achieved great fame for both.

The same year that he met Abel, J.C. Bach also met Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was still a child.
When introduced to each other, they had an immediate connection and great affection for the other.

J.C. Bach frequently had tests for Mozart's genius, each of increasing difficulty, and he was bewildered speechless at the ease with which the child passed them all. Mozart and J.C. Bach also gave several joint-sonata performances.

J.C. Bach composed orchestral, chamber, and piano music to a great extent.
Johann Christian Bach died in London, on the first day of 1782.

He had lived high the last fifteen years of his life, and in consequence left behind a debt of five thousand pounds. It was only due to the effort of his friends that his corpse was not seized by the creditors.

J.C. Bach was buried in the yard of St. Pancras Church in London, and it is not known precisely where his body lay.

In life, he was the most famous musician in England, but after he died, his name was misspelled in the burial register of the St. Pancras Church, where he was listed as John Cristian Back.

Johann Christian Bach Operas