He was influenced by Martin Luther and was the unifying thread of the protestant Cantatas. He was raised in Thuringia and most of his career took place in northern Germany. He married his second cousin and had 8 children. Bach learned to play the keyboard from his brother john Christopher. He went off to Lyceum in Ohrdruf and their he learned Latin and sung their for a while before he left to Luneburg on march 15, 1700. Bach was hired as a servant violinist to Duke Johnann Ernst of Saxony-Weimar and played in the Duke’s private chapel. Bach got his first job at Arnstadt and was appointed organists of Neue Kirche.

At Muhlhausen Bach gave a test performance of his capabilities on the organ and shortly afterwards he obtained the position of an organist in June later that year. It was at Muhlhausen that he developed an interest in vocal Church music as well an interest in the improvement of organs.

In the town of Kothen he began his new job as capelmeister in December 1717 and began to make chamber music in Kothen.

Bach spent the last 20 years of his life in Leipzig and during that time he devoted his efforts to his own musical projects.