Johann Sebastian Bach

German composer (1685–1750)
Person human Q1339
Johann Sebastian Bach
Elias Gottlob Haussmann · Public Domain · Wikimedia
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Summary

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach[1]. He died in Leipzig[2]. He worked as a composer[3], organist[4], harpsichordist[5], violinist[6], and violist[7]. He ranks in the top 0.34% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (84,162 views/month, #3,352 of 1,000,298).[8]

Key Facts

  • Place of burial: St. Thomas Church[9]
  • Father: Johann Ambrosius Bach[10]
  • Mother: Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt[11]
  • Spouse: Anna Magdalena Bach[12], Maria Barbara Bach[13]
  • Child: Wilhelm Friedemann Bach[14], Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach[15], Johann Christian Bach[16], Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach[17], Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach[18], Gottfried Heinrich Bach[19], Catharina Dorothea Bach[20], Elisabeth Juliana Friderica Bach[21], Maria Sophia Bach[22], Johann Christoph Bach[23], Leopold Augustus Bach[24], Christiana Sophia Enrietta Bach[25], Regina Susanna Bach[26], Johanna Carolina Bach[27]
  • Country of citizenship: Saxe-Eisenach[28], Holy Roman Empire[29], Germany[30]
  • Native language: German[31]
  • Ethnic group: Germans[32]
  • Occupation: conductor[33], choir director[34], concertmaster[35], musicologist[36], music educator[37], virtuoso[38], school teacher[39]
  • Position held: chapelmaster[40], Thomaskantor[41]
  • Employer: Johann Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Weimar[42], Bachkirche Arnstadt[43], Saint Blaise[44], Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen[45], Thomasschule zu Leipzig[46], Collegium Musicum[47]
  • Educated at: St. Michael's School[48]
  • Religion or worldview: Lutheranism[49]
  • Sex or gender: male[50]
  • Family: Bach family[51]
  • Movement: Baroque music[52]
  • Genre: Baroque music[53], classical music[54]
  • Discography: Johann Sebastian Bach discography[55]
  • Commons category: Johann Sebastian Bach[56]
  • Archives at: Bach-Archiv Leipzig[57]
  • Cause of death: stroke[58]

Body

Works and Contributions

Things named for Johann Sebastian Bach include Gödel, Escher, Bach[59], BACH motif[60], Samuel Sebastian Wesley[61], Bach House[62], Bach Collegium Japan[63], Netherlands Bach Society[64], Bachkirche Arnstadt[65], and International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition[66].

Why It Matters

Johann Sebastian Bach has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[67] He is known by 74 alternative names across languages and contexts.[68]

He has been cited as an influence by The Beatles[69], a musical group[70], founded in 1960[71]; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart[72], a composer[73], 1756–1791[74], of Archduchy of Austria[75], awarded the Order of the Golden Spur[76], specialised in opera[77]; Ludwig van Beethoven[78], a composer[79], 1770–1827[80], of Electorate of Cologne[81], awarded the Bröckemännche Award[82], specialised in classical music[83]; Frédéric Chopin[84], a composer[85], 1810–1849[86], of France[87], specialised in art music[88]; Nikos Kazantzakis[89], a writer[90], 1883–1957[91], of Greece[92], awarded the Greek State Literary Awards[93], specialised in poetry[94]; and Magma[95], a musical group[96], founded in 1969[97].

Works attributed to him include The Well-Tempered Clavier[98] and Cello Suites[99]. Entities named for him include Gödel, Escher, Bach[59], BACH motif[60], Samuel Sebastian Wesley[61], Bach House[62], Bach Collegium Japan[63], and Netherlands Bach Society[64].

FAQs

Where was Johann Sebastian Bach born?

Johann Sebastian Bach's place of birth was Eisenach[1].

Where did Johann Sebastian Bach die?

Johann Sebastian Bach passed away in Leipzig[2].

Who were Johann Sebastian Bach's parents?

Johann Sebastian Bach's father was Johann Ambrosius Bach[10]. Johann Sebastian Bach's mother was Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt[11].

Who was Johann Sebastian Bach married to?

Johann Sebastian Bach's spouses include Anna Magdalena Bach[12] and Maria Barbara Bach[13].

What did Johann Sebastian Bach do for work?

Johann Sebastian Bach worked as a composer[3], organist[4], harpsichordist[5], violinist[6], and violist[7].

Where did Johann Sebastian Bach go to school?

Johann Sebastian Bach was educated at St. Michael's School[48].

Who did Johann Sebastian Bach influence?

Johann Sebastian Bach has been cited as an influence by The Beatles[69], Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart[72], Ludwig van Beethoven[78], and Frédéric Chopin[84].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [1] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [2] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [50] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [10] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  5. [11] ↑ . jsbach.de. Retrieved . jsbach.de. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  6. [12] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  7. [13] ↑ . Johann Sebastian Bach: His Work and Influence on the Music of Germany. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  8. [28] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [29] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [30] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [40] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  12. [41] ↑ . koethen-anhalt.de. Retrieved . koethen-anhalt.de. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  13. [14] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  14. [15] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [16] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  16. [17] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  17. [18] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  18. [19] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [20] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  20. [21] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  21. [22] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  22. [23] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  23. [24] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  24. [25] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  25. [26] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  26. [27] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  27. [51] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  28. [48] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  29. [31] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  30. [3] ↑ . Bach, Johann Sebastian (ADB). Retrieved . cs.isabart.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  31. [4] ↑ . Archivio Storico Ricordi. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  32. [5] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  33. [6] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  34. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  35. [33] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  36. [34] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  37. [35] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  38. [36] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  39. [37] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  40. [38] ↑ . Bach, Johann Sebastian (ADB). wikidata.org.
  41. [39] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  42. [42] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  43. [43] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  44. [44] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  45. [45] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  46. [46] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  47. [47] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  48. [9] ↑ . bachueberbach.de. Retrieved . bachueberbach.de. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  49. [52] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  50. [53] ↑ . JSTOR. szadvar.hu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  51. [54] ↑ . AllMusic. cdbaby.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  52. [49] ↑ . The New Yorker. newyorker.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  53. [32] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  54. [55] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  55. [56] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  56. [57] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  57. [58] ↑ . bach-leipzig.de. Retrieved . bach-leipzig.de. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [69] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [72] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [78] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [84] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [89] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [95] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [98] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [99] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [59] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [60] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [61] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [62] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [63] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [64] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [65] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [66] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [70] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [71] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [73] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [74] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [75] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [76] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [77] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [79] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [80] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [81] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [82] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [83] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [85] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [86] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [87] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [88] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [90] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [91] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [92] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [93] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [94] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [96] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [97] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [8] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [67] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [68] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Johann Sebastian Bach. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/johann-sebastian-bach
MLA “Johann Sebastian Bach.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 20 Oct. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/johann-sebastian-bach.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_johann-sebastian-bach_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Johann Sebastian Bach}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/johann-sebastian-bach}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-20}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Johann Sebastian Bach — https://4ort.xyz/entity/johann-sebastian-bach (retrieved 2026-10-20)

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 3d ago · OKA bot bot · 2026-10-17 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbeditentity-statements-multiple-properties-update:0||2 */ source for place of death, source for date of death from Store norske leksikon ([[Wikidata:Requests for permissions/Bot/OKA bot 2|OKA bot "
  2. 3d ago · MatSuBot bot · 2026-10-17 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbsetreference-set:2| */ Religion or worldview: Lutheranism, fix redirect Alex Ross → Alex Ross ([[:toollabs:editgroups/b/CB/cc12447503f5|details]])"
  3. 9d ago · HedgeHog · 2026-10-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Bookbrainz author id → d58a226e-4a59-4950-b1ab-d1390aa07ecc
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Bookbrainz author id: d58a226e-4a59-4950-b1ab-d1390aa07ecc, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1791629849434"
  4. 13d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-10-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Nlb authority id (belarus) → SEK-ar6750077, NLB-ar94119
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Nlb authority id (belarus): NLB-ar94119, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/289738|batch #289738]]"
  5. 16d ago · Printstream · 2026-10-03 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Sitelink count → 259
    Wikipedia languages → ['ab', 'abstract', 'af', 'als', 'am', 'an', 'ang', 'ann', 'anp', 'ar', 'arz', 'a
    Nlb authority id (belarus) → SEK-ar6750077, NLB-ar94119
    P14928 → kDN
    + 1 other property edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/57561|batch #57561]]: Import Leipziger Biographie ID"
  6. 24d ago · StorchPDF · 2026-09-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Port person id → 17789
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Port person id: 17789, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/275236|batch #275236]]"
  7. 27d ago · Printstream · 2026-09-23 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Sächsische biografie (gnd) id → 288
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/55956|batch #55956]]: migrate GND to own IDs"
  8. 29d ago · StorchPDF · 2026-09-21 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Askart person id → 11332202
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Askart person id: 11332202, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/274654|batch #274654]]"
  9. 4w ago · Ontogon · 2026-09-16 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Iași central university library id → 001525489
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Iași central university library id: 001525489"
  10. 4w ago · Printstream · 2026-09-15 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Hessian biography person (gnd) id → 732
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/54302|batch #54302]]: migrate GND to own IDs"
  11. 5w ago · Printstream · 2026-09-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Sächsische biografie (gnd) id → 288
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Sächsische biografie (gnd) id: 11850553X, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1789158480789"
  12. 8w ago · Trivialist · 2026-08-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14750 → F710-A50F-BC8F-66EF-A000
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14750: F710-A50F-BC8F-66EF-A000, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/269215|batch #269215]]"
  13. 8w ago · Mahirtwofivesix · 2026-08-18 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Arabic ontology lexical concept id → 151058872
    "/* wbeditentity-statements-multiple-properties-update:0||3 */ added/modified IDs mapped to WordNet 3.1"
  14. 10w ago · MariuszRokin · 2026-08-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Find a grave memorial id → 4237, 63578860, 63579971
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Find a grave memorial id: 63579971, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/264109|batch #264109]]"
  15. 12w ago · Kirilloparma · 2026-07-25 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14470 → Characters/Johann_Sebastian_Bach
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ P14470: Characters/Johann_Sebastian_Bach, Adding missing [[P:P14470|P14470]] and [[P:P9675|P9675]] qualifier based on [[P:P5247|P5247]]"
  16. 12w ago · Pierrotrgr · 2026-07-24 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Biblissima authority id → Alexandru Ioan Morțun
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Biblissima authority id: Q348999, Import ID Biblissima V3 ([[:toollabs:editgroups/b/OR/a6710164cdc|details]])"
  17. 13w ago · Trivialist · 2026-07-21 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Vgmpf id → Johann_Sebastian_Bach
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Vgmpf id: Johann_Sebastian_Bach, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/297461537|Johann Sebastian Bach (#297461537)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/8"
  18. 14w ago · Gerwoman · 2026-07-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14636 → 500
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14636: 500, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/260571|batch #260571]]"
  19. 14w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14611 → 107652
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14611: 107652, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/260288|batch #260288]]"
  20. 14w ago · Nyuhn · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14541 → 1HpHhO
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/40849|batch #40849]]: ZGBK ID"
  21. 15w ago · Printstream · 2026-07-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14608 → 11850553X
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14608: 11850553X, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1783130387391"
  22. 15w ago · Printstream · 2026-07-01 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14585 → 35406
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14585: 35406, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782930557898"
  23. 16w ago · Printstream · 2026-06-25 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Patrinum id → 185167, 181848, 185168 +2
    P14536 → 355947
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14536: 355947, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782398664614"
  24. 17w ago · MariuszRokin · 2026-06-22 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Patrinum id → 185167, 181848, 185168 +2
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Patrinum id: 185168, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259798|batch #259798]]"
  25. 17w ago · Susmuffin · 2026-06-16 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Harper's tag → johann-sebastian-bach
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Harper's tag: johann-sebastian-bach, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/289939092|johann sebastian bach (#289939092)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/"
  26. 18w ago · MariuszRokin · 2026-06-13 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id → p0081071-Bach-Johann-Sebastian-16851750, 0301207-Bach-Johann-Sebastian-16851750, 0287598-Bach-Johann-Sebastian-16851750
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Svkkl authority id: 0287598-Bach-Johann-Sebastian-16851750, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259649|batch #259649]]"
  27. 18w ago · MariuszRokin · 2026-06-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id → p0081071-Bach-Johann-Sebastian-16851750, 0301207-Bach-Johann-Sebastian-16851750, 0287598-Bach-Johann-Sebastian-16851750
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Svkkl authority id: 0301207-Bach-Johann-Sebastian-16851750, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259599|batch #259599]]"
  28. 18w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id → p0081071-Bach-Johann-Sebastian-16851750, 0301207-Bach-Johann-Sebastian-16851750, 0287598-Bach-Johann-Sebastian-16851750
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Svkkl authority id: p0081071-Bach-Johann-Sebastian-16851750, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259492|batch #259492]]"
  29. 23w ago · SpookiePuppy · 2026-05-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb → —
    Student → Johann Friedrich Agricola, Johann Christoph Altnickol, Johann Friedrich Doles +6
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Student: Johann Nikolaus Tischer"
  30. 23w ago · Printstream · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb → —
    P14396 → register/person/arw-11850553X
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14396: register/person/arw-11850553X, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1778148440554"
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