Johann Sebastian Bach died in 1750, marking the end of the life of one of the Baroque era’s most influential composers.
Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685 and spent much of his career in German courts and churches. From 1723 until his death, he served as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, where he was responsible for music at several churches and for teaching at the St. Thomas School.
His final years were affected by declining eyesight. In 1750, Bach underwent eye surgery by the English oculist John Taylor, but his health worsened afterward. He died in Leipzig on 28 July 1750, aged 65.
Bach’s death is often used as a convenient marker for the end of the Baroque period, although musical styles did not change overnight. His music later became especially influential through the advocacy of Felix Mendelssohn, whose 1829 Berlin performance of the St Matthew Passion helped renew broad public interest in Bach’s work.