Maria Barbara Bach (October 20, 1684 – July 7, 1720) was the first wife of composer
Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organist whose ecclesiastical and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
. She was also his second cousin, and the daughter of
Johann Michael BachJohann Michael Bach was a German composer of the Baroque period. He was the brother of Johann Christoph Bach, as well as father-in-law of Johann Sebastian Bach .Johann Michael was born at Arnstadt, the son of Heinrich Bach, who was the great uncle of Johann Sebastian Bach...
.
She and Bach married during his tenure as organist of St. Blasius Church in
MühlhausenMühlhausen is a city in the federal state Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Unstrut-Hainich district, and lies along the river Unstrut. Mühlhausen had c. 37,000 inhabitants in 2006.-History:...
, a position he assumed in midsummer 1707. That August, Bach received an inheritance of 50 gulden (more than half his annual salary) from his maternal uncle, Tobias Lämmerhirt.
Maria Barbara Bach (October 20, 1684 – July 7, 1720) was the first wife of composer
Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organist whose ecclesiastical and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
. She was also his second cousin, and the daughter of
Johann Michael BachJohann Michael Bach was a German composer of the Baroque period. He was the brother of Johann Christoph Bach, as well as father-in-law of Johann Sebastian Bach .Johann Michael was born at Arnstadt, the son of Heinrich Bach, who was the great uncle of Johann Sebastian Bach...
.
She and Bach married during his tenure as organist of St. Blasius Church in
MühlhausenMühlhausen is a city in the federal state Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Unstrut-Hainich district, and lies along the river Unstrut. Mühlhausen had c. 37,000 inhabitants in 2006.-History:...
, a position he assumed in midsummer 1707. That August, Bach received an inheritance of 50 gulden (more than half his annual salary) from his maternal uncle, Tobias Lämmerhirt. This facilitated his marriage to Maria Barbara, and the wedding occurred on October 17 at Dornheim, a village near
ArnstadtArnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....
, her home town and his previous post.
Even though not much is known about her life or their marriage, it is known that she and Johann Sebastian had a contented marriage.
According to her second surviving son,
Carl Philipp Emanuelright|250pxCarl Philipp Emanuel Bach was a German musician and composer, the second of five sons of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach...
, her death in 1720 came quickly and unexpectedly: J. S. Bach was accompanying his employer, the Duke of Köthen, as the duke went to take the waters at the
CarlsbadCarlsbad or Karlsbad is a German placename meaning "Charles's spa", after Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor Places in the United States named Carlsbad include:* Carlsbad, New Mexico...
spa (the Duke brought his musicians along to provide him with entertainment).When J. S. Bach left Maria Barbara was in normal health; when he returned he learned that she had died and been buried on July 7. The cause of her death is unknown, but speculations include infectious disease or complications from pregnancy.
Maria Barbara bore seven children, three of whom died at an early age:
- Catharina Dorothea (* 28 December 1708; † 14 January 1774).
- Wilhelm Friedemann
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach , the second child and eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach, was a German composer and performer. Despite acknowledged genius as an organist, improviser and composer, his income and employment finally became unstable and he died in...
(* 22 November 1710; † 1 July 1784).
- Johann Christoph (* 23 February 1713; † 23 February 1713).
- Maria Sophia (* 23 February 1713; † 15 March 1713), twin of Johann Christoph.
- Carl Philipp Emanuel
right|250pxCarl Philipp Emanuel Bach was a German musician and composer, the second of five sons of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach...
(* 8 March 1714; † 14 December 1788).
- Johann Gottfried Bernhard
Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach was the fourth child to reach childhood of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach. Born in Weimar, he attended the Thomasschule in Leipzig, his father providing for his musical formation...
(* 11 May 1715; † 27 May 1739).
- Leopold Augustus (* 15 November 1718 ; † 29 September 1719).
Anna Magdalena WilckeAnna Magdalena Bach was the second wife of Johann Sebastian Bach.-Biography:...
became Johann's second wife a year and a half after Maria's death, and she took care of Maria's children along with her own.