The Legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach

It has been said multiple times that Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most influential composers of all time. I have to strongly agree with this statement. The opinion of who was most influential differs from person to person because each individual has his or her own opinions and things that influence them. To me, Bach has been one of the composers that have seemed to have a large influence on my life and in the time that I was partaking in piano lessons. As a former piano student I have seen, heard, and played many of Bach’s pieces and compositions. Many of these were of course modified to an easier level of expertise and skill than Bach had intended upon composition. Even so, I found many of his pieces challenging and each one taught new skills. Whether the composition seemed to focus on rhythm, melody, scales, or any other techniques I was always challenged and seemed to become a better player after mastering each particular composition. Many of the piano lesson books I used during my lessons contained compositions and works of Bach’s because they are so beneficial to a student. There are also many books or series of books that are all compositions of Bach; this shows how important his works are for pianists wishing to improve their skills.

Throughout this semester I have come to further enjoy and appreciate listening to Bach’s different compositions. Each one was made with such skill, precision, and attention to detail that there is nothing and no other composer that seems to come even close to the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. His pieces are far above anything that I have heard thus far in my lifetime. I think the amount of composers after Bach’s time that were influenced and based their own compositions...

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... to master this style quite like he was. While he never wrote operas or other dramatic forms of music he perfected styles that none other have been able to. Countless composers have written wonderful operas, but the amount to write fugues is substantially less. If operas were as complex as fugues, more composers would have been able to write them. Handel wrote many pieces that were complex and many of his works can be compared to Bach. However, Handel was never able to compose a fugue and no other styles can compete with them. Bach’s abilities to compose fugues are almost supernatural and it is this ability of mastering one of the most complex forms of music of the Baroque period. There have been many great composers that have made some great pieces of music throughout the history of music, but none have been able to pass over that of Johann Sebastian Bach.