The eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, Wilhelm received extensive musical training from his father. Educated at the University of Leipzig, where he studied philosophy and mathematics, he accepted a position as organist at Dresden's Sophienkirche in 1733. In 1746, he moved to Halle where he became the organist of Liebfrauenkirche. Hailed as one of the greatest organists of all time, Bach rarely wrote his music down, performing much of it as improvisation. After eighteen years at Halle, he resigned his position after a dispute concerning salary and his standing. For the next ten years Bach was unemployed and subsisted by writing music for wealthy clients, but he and his family barely survived. In 1774, he moved to Berlin where he continued to eke out a meagre existence until his death in 1784. Bach was a heavy drinker and of an idle nature. Nevertheless, he completed ten symphonies and numerous cantatas, fugues, polonaises, fantasias and concertos. |
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