A new and fascinating biography of the most outstanding composer in musical history, covering Bach's earliest efforst in Eisenach, his cultural inheritance, his series of posts as organist or musician, and his stormy career in Leipzig. It also traces the significant stages of development in his family and his music. Reproductions of engraving and portraits of the time help to recreate the era in which Bach flourished. The origins of all the composer's major works are discussed and put into the context of the contemporary world. Written both the general reader and the specialist.