Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and Work is the first biography of Bach, written by Johann Nikolaus Forkel and published in 1802. Forkel drew on information from Bach’s sons, making the book an irreplaceable early source for the composer’s life and the testimony of those who knew him.
Forkel describes Bach’s career, his keyboard playing, his methods of composition and teaching, and the qualities of his genius, writing as an ardent admirer determined to secure his reputation. The book played a central role in the nineteenth-century revival of Bach’s music. As the foundation document of Bach biography, it remains essential reading for anyone studying the great master of the Baroque.