Johann Christoph Bach

Johann Christoph Bach (1642–1703) may have been the most important Bach before Johann Sebastian. In 1663, at the age of twenty-one, he was appointed organist of the Arnstadt castle chapel. Two years later, he was appointed organist at St. Georg in Eisenach, as well as harpsichordist in the court Kapelle of the Duke of Eisenach. He retained both positions until his death. J.S. Bach, in his genealogy of the family, called his cousin a “profound” composer. His music, within the style of the time, was thoughtful, singable, full-textured, complex, polyphonic. Surprisingly, for a keyboard player, he composed only a few pieces for keyboard. His vocal compositions, however, are many and varied. The concerti were particularly interesting, with elaborate and technically demanding instrumental parts. His twenty-two-part concerto for Michaelmas, Es erhub sich ein Streit, for example, is one of the greatest vocal works of the time.

Vocal Works Performed by the San Francisco Bach Choir

Der Gerechte, ob er gleich zu zeitlich stirbt
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