Beth's Piano Studio

3790 Kersdale Place
Grove City, Ohio 43123

614-420-6367

bakloes@gmail.com

Johann Sebastian Bach grew up in a large family of musicians, who played the violin, oboe, and organ, so he grew up loving music.  He lived in the Baroque era, and is considered one of the greatest musicians of that time.

His oldest brother taught him to play the harpsichord and organ, and he decided his career would be in church music.  He was known as an outstanding church musician and organist.  One of his best-known organ works is the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

The “Anna Magdelena Notebook” (named after his second wife) is a well-known group of pieces that this composer wrote down.  They were favorites of his family, although not all were composed by Bach.  He also wrote music for his students, including 3 of his sons who grew up to be composers.  He had 20 children altogether, who all learned to play musical instruments.

The “Well-Tempered Clavier” (clavier means keyboard – harpsichord or clavichord in the Baroque Era) is another well-known collection written by Bach.  It consisted of two volumes, each with a prelude and fugue in each major and minor key and helped establish the scale system of 12 major keys and 12 minor keys that we now use.

All of Bach’s music was signed S.D.G. (Soli Deo Gloria) which means “to the glory of God”.