Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

Bach worked as a church musician in small German towns for most of his life, relatively unknown beyond his immediate region. He died in 1750 with no sense that his work would be remembered, let alone revered.

Nearly eighty years passed before Mendelssohn revived the St Matthew Passion in 1829, revealing music of such complexity and depth that it seemed timeless. Works like the Brandenburg Concertos, The Well-Tempered Clavier, and the Mass in B Minor now stand as monuments of Western music. Bach had twenty children, never traveled far, and changed music forever anyway.