How Did Bach Contribute To Education

When J.S Bach came to the minds of his contempories, he was known as the “…genius of that wonderful family of Thuringian musicians.” Furthermore, Bach was acknowledged as a gifted organist and performer during his life. Consequently when he passed away, so did his compositions into ‘obscurity’. Today however, in gratitude to the Romantic revival of Bach’s brilliance, we view a prolific composer who “…in the multiplicity of his song… delighted, taught and moved young people, women, men, princes, kings and all true connoisseurs.” As we delve deeper into the remains of his devoted lifestyle, we come to know of a man who supported his students and made significant contributions to the evolution of keyboard technique and style. Was Bach aware of his significance? We can never truly know, however, we do know the degree of
We see however, through letters, accounts, didactic works and his students’ job testimonials that for a majority of his career, Bach taught in both public and private arrangements. These facets and creations show that Bach’s commitment to teaching was not just a response to the request of a contract, or means to earn money or continue his family tradition, but rather, perhaps a compulsion where he felt it was his humble duty to share this practice. After all, as an intellectual man and Lutheran, “theological and musical scholarship were two sides of the same coin” . Bach would have had and been “…aware of his intellectual disposition, of his fascination with musical scholarship and his love for teaching” In this essay I argue that Bach was significant as an educator. His teaching methods influenced and inspired his students and revolutionised keyboard technique for many generations of musicians and musical