Cover of Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach

by Johann Nikolaus Forkel

Reading level
Plain English
Price
Free

About the book

"Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and Work" by Johann Nikolaus Forkel is a biography published in 1802. It was the first biography of Johann Sebastian Bach published as a separate book. Forkel drew from Bach's obituary and information from the composer's sons, adding his own interpretations. The work focuses heavily on Bach's keyboard music while largely neglecting his Leipzig church compositions. Despite containing inaccuracies, this pioneering biography proved instrumental in introducing Bach to a broad public and influenced generations of later biographers.

  • Composers
  • Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #35041. Johann Sebastian Bach on Wikipedia.