Discover the Intriguing World of Bach: Top 10 Fun Facts You Never Knew!

1. The Bach Family Legacy

The Big Bach Theory: Johann Sebastian Bach fathered no less than 20 mini-maestros, but only four made it out of the "compostion crib" and into stardom. The surviving prodigious progeny were Wilhelm Friedemann, Carl Philipp Emanuel, Johann Christoph Friedrich, and Johann Christian Bach, who each went on to earn their own monikers and playing styles, from the "Dresden Bach" to the "London Bach," leaving behind a legacy of gallant music, sensitive styles, and Mozart-inspired melodies.
Source => vermontpublic.org

2. Bach's 280-mile Musical Journey

When Bach wasn't composing classic tunes, he was saying no to marrying Buxtehude's daughter and racking up miles on his 18th-century Fitbit: The 20-year-old Bach walked 280 miles to Lübeck in 1705 to study with renowned composer and organist Dieterich Buxtehude, spent four months learning from him, and then trekked back to Arnstadt without taking the position at St. Mary's Church due to the matrimonial prerequisite.
Source => mentalfloss.com

Did you know Haydn's tomb has two skulls? Find out the bizarre reason and the curious head-napping tale from the 19th century!

=> Fun Facts about Classical-Music

3. Bach's Coffee Cantata Craze

Bach-a-ccino, anyone? If Starbucks existed in the 18th century, Johann might have had a special on their menu: Behold the curious tale of Bach's brew-tiful Coffee Cantata. The serious reveal: The famous composer was an active participant in Leipzig's Collegium Musicum, and while embracing the coffee craze of his era, crafted a lighthearted secular cantata, Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, poking fun at the beverage's popularity in Leipzig – though there's no beans, I mean, basis, to claim he had a personal caffeine addiction.
Source => blogs.loc.gov

4. Bach's Debtors' Prison Masterpiece

When life gives you lemons, write a baroque masterpiece: Johann Sebastian Bach was briefly imprisoned in a cushy debtors' prison after unsuccessfully attempting to leave his job, and it's believed that he used this time to compose some of The Well-Tempered Clavier, later securing a coveted position as Kapellmeister at the court of Prince Leopold in Cöthen.
Source => classical-music.com

5. Bach's Coffeehouse Performances

Who spilled the beans? More like, who spilled the Bach! Our good friend Johann Sebastian Bach knew how to hit the high (coffee) notes every Friday night while entertaining java-thirsty folks: Bach and his musical gang often performed at a local coffeehouse, where they even sang odes to the beloved beverage, mixing their passion for music and caffeine, and infusing their tunes with a delightful, humorous flair.
Source => activeminds.com

6. Blind Bach's Final Piece

Before he went "Baroque" and blind, old Johann Sebastian Bach became a living example of "hearing is believing" instead of seeing: Bach dictated his final composition from the dark depths of blindness and an agonizing post-operative infection, following a botched eye surgery which left him completely sightless and led to his eventual demise.
Source => med.wisc.edu

7. The Bach-Mendelssohn Connection

Bach in a Flash: from Johann to Felix, with love – sometimes all it takes is a family affair to bring a long-lost musical genius back into the limelight. In an intriguing turn of events, it was composer Felix Mendelssohn's great aunt, Sarah Itzig Levy, and her study with one of Bach's sons that led to a revival of his works. Toss in Abraham Mendelssohn, Felix's dad, his manuscript collection, and a dash of familial appreciation for Bach's St. Matthew Passion, and we've got the ultimate musical reunion orchestrated by Carl Friedrich Zelter. Bravo!
Source => loc.gov

8. Bach: King of Improvisation

If Bach were the life of the party, he'd be making musical cocktails and spinning yarns that would have King Frederick and old man Reincken dropping their bewigged jaws in awe: Truly, Johann Sebastian Bach was a master improviser, whose compositions showcased his command of harmony, counterpoint, and some seriously impressive techniques, all while whipping up on-the-spot melodies that still managed to sound complex and beautiful.
Source => bachipedia.org

9. Bach's Early Funeral Tune

Before it was cool to be an angsty artist: Bach was composing soul-crushing tunes in his early twenties, starting with the "Actus tragicus" cantata, commissioned for a funeral by a congregation member, and shaping the foundation for his legendary career.
Source => oslmusic.org

10. Bach's Mysterious Lautenwerck Instrument

While Bach's harmonious melodies could draw water from stones and charm serpents, his instrument of choice remains a mystery for many, hiding in the shadows like a long-lost superhero sidekick: The lautenwerck was Bach's prized possession, for which he composed a plethora of works, including a renowned Brandenburg Concerto. This elusive yet captivating instrument boasts a mellow sound that complements solo and chamber music ventures alike.
Source => tomsonhighway.com