Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and Work

by Johann Nikolaus Forkel

"Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and Work" by Johann Nikolaus Forkel is a biography published in 1802. It was the first biography of Johann Sebastian Bach published as a separate book. Forkel drew from Bach's obituary and information from the composer's sons, adding his own interpretations. The work focuses heavily on Bach's keyboard music while largely neglecting his Leipzig church compositions. Despite containing inaccuracies, this pioneering biography proved instrumental in introducing Bach to a broad public and influenced generations of later biographers.