His musical legacy — In musical composition Bach took a stride that carried him to the summit of glory, especially in sacred music, whose level he helped raise to the highest ranks. The curious thing about Bach is that it never once occurred to him that the work he was doing deserved esteem, for he felt in the depths of his soul that a higher will was guiding and inspiring him; and for the same reason he paid no attention to people's opinions of his music.

Bach drew his music from a heavenly light shining on the horizon of his life and filling it with joy, gladness, and love. It is now commonly said among people that Bach was a saint, but nothing of the kind was said in his lifetime. Such is the case of every genius: people do not know his worth while he is among them, but when he departs they feel the void he has left, and then they begin to search out his works.

For six generations the Bach family took music as its profession and its pastime. It is told of Johann's grandfather that he was a baker who played the cittern well... playing to the sound of the millstones in the mill when he went to sell his bread. Johann's father, too, was a professional musician, and it was he who taught him the rudiments of violin playing in his boyhood.

His early years — Johann Sebastian Bach was born in 1685 in Eisenach, Germany, and received his first musical instruction at his father's hands;

but the days did not grant him long: his father died before he reached the age of ten, and his care was entrusted to his brother Christopher, who encouraged him to learn music but who, for some reason, begrudged him the use of one of his music books containing pieces by famous composers. So Johann would seize the opportu-nity when his brother had gone to bed, go to where the book lay in his cabinet, and copy from it what he pleased by moonlight, for fear of being found out had he lit the candle.

When he reached fifteen he felt it was now his duty to see to his own livelihood and become independent of Christopher, so he joined the choir of a church, which opened the way for him to receive higher musical training and to practice the organ. Not three years had passed in his work with the choir before he had become skilled at playing the organ, and he was appointed the church's own organist. It is related that during this employment news reached him of a certain musician; he took a month's leave