1. Period Influence on the Work of Johann Sebastian Bach

Abstract

Abstract The work of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750), significantly influences the work of the contemporary composers even almost 270 years after his death. It is undoubtedly caused also by the fact that by his work Bach impersonates contemporary musical tradition. There are the three most significant areas in his work – the influence of family tradition on his work, which we can observe throughout the Thuringia, where they have had a significant musical position for 200 years in all the areas of music – secular, urban, spiritual and ecclesiastical. The tradition of German music is not less important. It influenced Johann Sebastian Bach during his studies and was based directly on the essence of protestant educational principle. Filip Melanchton, the most significant collaborator and a friend of Martin Luther, was contributory in the reform of this principle. The most important is the influence of Luther’s Reformation on the spiritual world of J. S. Bach, which reached such dimensions that he unites theology and music. Under the influence of the aforementioned three areas, the work of Bach has acquired exceptional artistic and spiritual quality, a unique phenomenon in the history of music.