Johann Christian Bach

Short biography Johann Christian Bach was born on 5 September 1735 in Leipzig, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach. Following his father's death (1750), he received further training from his elder brother Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in Berlin. Around 1756 he travelled to Italy, where he became a pupil of Padre Giovanni Battista Martini in Bologna and converted to Catholicism; from 1760 to 1762 he served as organist at Milan Cathedral. In 1762 he accepted a call to London, where he swiftly established himself as an opera composer and concert promoter, remaining there until his death on 1 January 1782. In London he co-founded with Carl Friedrich Abel the legendary Bach–Abel concert series, one of the most significant public concert series of the eighteenth century.

Historical placement Johann Christian Bach is regarded as one of the foremost exponents of the galant style and the pre-Classical period. His output is characterised by singing melodic lines, clear phrase structure, and a musical language that anticipates the later Viennese Classical style. As a pioneer of the Classical concerto and symphony, he exerted a decisive influence on the development of these genres. His years in London established him as a central figure in European musical life during the second half of the eighteenth century.

Personal connections Johann Sebastian Bach was his father and the formative musical influence of his early years. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was his elder brother, who took charge of his training in Berlin following their father's death. Padre Giovanni Battista Martini was his teacher in Bologna, who grounded him thoroughly in counterpoint. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart met Johann Christian Bach as a child in London in 1764, and the two are known to have shared a warm relationship; the stylistic influence of Johann Christian is clearly evident in Mozart's early piano concertos. Carl Friedrich Abel was his long-standing business partner and co-founder of the Bach–Abel concerts in London.

Important works
Amadis de Gaule – opera (1779)
La clemenza di Scipione – opera (1778)
Lucio Silla – opera (1775)
Carattaco – opera (1767)
Sinfonien op. 6 – symphonies (op. 6, c.1770)
Sinfonien op. 18 – symphonies (op. 18, c.1781)
Klavierkonzerte op. 7 – concertos (op. 7, c.1770)
Klavierkonzerte op. 13 – concertos (op. 13, c.1777)
Quintette op. 11 – chamber music (op. 11, c.1774)
Sei Sonate per cembalo op. 5 – keyboard sonatas (op. 5, c.1768)