turned to his native
country, where he lived at the village of Wechmar near Gotha, dying in
1619. Of his numerous musical descendants, Johann (1604-1673) became
organist at Schweinfurt, and afterward director of the town musicians at
Erfurt. Here, though the town suffered much from the effects of war, he
founded a family which quickly increased and soon filled all the town
musicians' places, so that for about a hundred and fifty years, and even
after no more of the family lived there, the town musicians were known as
"The Bachs."

[Illustration: Bach's Preludes. From painting by E. J. C. Hamman.]

Heinrich Bach (1615-1692) was organist of the Franciscan Church at
Arnstadt for fifty years, composed much, and had six children, three of
whom were, in their day, noted musicians. Of the twin brothers, Johann
Ambrosius and Johann Christoph, born in 1645, the first was town organist
of Eisenach, and the second court musician at Arnstadt. These brothers
were remarkably alike, not only in looks, but in character and
temperament. They both played the violin in exactly the same way, they
spoke alike, and it is said that their own wives could scarcely tell them
apart. They suffered from the same illnesses, and died within a few
months of one another. Johann Christoph once figured in an action for
breach of promise of marriage brought before the Consistory at Arnstadt
by Anna Cunigunda Wiener, with whom he had once "kept company." The
court decided that Bach must marry her, but, with the independence of his
family, he refused to do so, and he kept his word.

Another Johann Christoph, uncle of the great Sebastian, was organist at
Eisenach for sixty years, and is, together with his brother Michael,
distinguished as a composer. Maria Barbara, the youngest daughter of
Michael, became Sebastian Bach's first wife. One Johann Jacob Bach was
an oboe-player in the Swedish guard, and followed Charles XII. to his
defeat at Pultowa, later becoming court-musician at Stockholm.

A vigorous, ambitious, and altogether remarkable family was this of the
Bachs, and one of the most notable things about it is the uniformly high
moral character of its members. Only one, of all those who flourished
before Sebastian, is spoken of as being given to drink.

Wilhelm Friedemann, the oldest son of the greatest Bach, unfortunately
had the same failing, and died in Berlin in 1789, poor and miserable
through intemperance. His musical talent was ex