Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/214

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194 BACH 4, 1869. In 1825 she married Count Camerata, a wealthy landed proprietor of Ancona. Sepa- rating from him in 1830, she resided on her Illy- rian domain, engaged in lawsuits for inheritance against her uncles. She devised ineffectual plans for the escape from Schonbrunn of her cousin the duke of Keichstadt, in whose fate she took a profound interest. She spent the latter part of her life in France, and bequeath- ed the bulk of her fortune to the prince im- perial, son of Napoleon III. Her only son, NAPOI.EONE CAMEEATA, killed himself March 3, 1853. Her nephew, Count FELICE BAOOIOOHI, born in the early part of this century, died in Paris, Sept. 23, 1866. He inherited the large fortune of his grandfather, prince of Lucca and Piombino. He was the devoted friend and first chamberlain of Napoleon III., super- intendent of the theatres of France, and short- ly before his death was made a senator. BACH, the name of a celebrated musical family in Germany. In no department of sci- ence, art, or literature has any single family ever achieved such distinction, either from the number of its members who have devoted themselves to the same pursuit, or the talents, genius, and learning which they have mani- fested in it, as that of Bach in music. Fifty individuals at least of this name, whose lives spread over a period of 2J centuries, would deservedly occupy an extended space in an exclusively musical cyclopaedia. I. Vlt, the founder of the German family of the name, was originally a baker by trade, a Protestant in religion, at Presburg in Hungary, whence about the year 1600 he was driven by persecu- tion, with his family, and sought a refuge in one of the small cities of Thuringia. He had received a musical education, and was noted for his skill upon the guitar. II. Hans (JO- HANNES), the eldest son of Veit Bach, and the ancestor of most of those of whom mention will be made, was a manufacturer of tapestry and town musician at Wechmar in Gotha. He died in 1626, leaving three sons: JOHANN, born in 1604, who was appointed organist and director of the city music at Erfurt, which offices he retained from 1635 till his death in 1673; CHBISTOPH, born in 1613, died in 1661 ; and III. lli'inrirh, born at Wechmar in 1615, died at Arnstadt in 1 690. He was instructed in music by his father until, needing a teacher of greater knowledge, he was sent to his broth- er Johann at Erfurt, where in a few years he became a very accomplished organist and mu- sician in the fashion of that epoch. He was employed in these capacities successively by the city authorities of Schweinfurt and Erfurt, until he was called in 1641 to Arnstadt as organist, a place which he filled with great honor till his death. The Bachs of the next (the fourth) generation were nine in number. IV. Johann JGgidius, the second and the most noted of the three sons of Johann, born in 1645, died in 1717. Upon the death of his father he succeeded him as organist and direc- ' tor of the city music at Erfurt. V. Georg Christoph, eldest son of Christoph, born in 1642, died in 1697, was cantor and composer at Schweinfurt. VI. Johann Ambrosias, brother of the preceding, born in 1645, died in 1695. He was a court and city musician at Eisenach, a sound theorist and of repute in practical music, and was the father of the great Johami Sebastian. VII. Johann Christoph, eldest of tin- two sons of Ileinrich, born in 1643, died in 1703. He stands in musical history as one of the very first of German organists, contra- puntists, and composers of his era. He studied music with his father so successfully as at the age of 22 to be called to Eisenach into the service of the court and city, as organist. At the time in which he lived but little music comparatively appeared from the press, and the works of one who lived the retired life of an organist in a small Saxon city could scarcely become known out of his own immediate sphere. His compositions, of which he left a vast number in manuscript, composed for the church and court where he officiated, prove, says Gerber, " that he was truly a great man, as rich in invention as he was strong in the pow- er of musical expression of emotion." A cen- tury after his death, at the time when Mozart, Haydn, and Gluck had become models in com- position, selections from his works were per- formed in Hamburg with great success, excit- ing no small degree of astonishment by their freshness, beauty, and freedom from the tram- mels of the dry contrapuntal school. So far as the musical taste of his age allowed, his works in general are found to be melodious and truly vocal, at the same time being remarkably full in harmony and very grand in effect. One 1 of his compositions, dated 1684, is a motet in free style, in which, among the (at that time) novelties of construction and harmony, is found the extreme sharp sixth. On the back of the sheet upon which it is written is another piece of sacred music in 22 parts, obbligato, the har- monic relations of which to the motet are per- fect. The list of his works contains also a motet for St. Michael's day in 22 real parts, a piece of wedding music in 12 parts, another motet for eight voices, instrumented for two choirs and orchestras, a solo for an alto voice with accompaniment for violin, three viols di gamba, and bass, &c. VIII. Johann Michael, brother of the preceding, 2d son of Heinrich, was born at Arnstadt about 1660, and became organist and city scribe in one of the Thurin- gian towns. He was an industrious and effec- tive composer for the church, harpsichord, and organ. One of his vocal works, performed in Berlin a few years ago, surprised every auditor by its beauty and modern coloring. His daugh- ter became the first wife of Johann Sebastian Bach. The family tree gives 17 Bachs of the next (the fifth) generation, of whom the most distinguished were the .following: IX. Johann Bernard, eldest son of J. yEgidius, born Nov. 23, 1676, died June 1, 1749. He was organist