| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1685 | Johann Sebastian Bach is born in Eisenach, Germany on March 21 |
| 1694-1695 | Bach's mother dies in 1694, then his father in 1695 |
| 1695-1700 | Johann Sebastian moves in with his older brother in the town of Ohrdruf |
| 1700-1702 | The seventeen year-old Bach lands a job in Lüneburg |
| 1703 | A short Gig in Weimar |
| 1703-1707 | JS Bach's career starts to take off in the town of Arnstadt |
| 1707-1708 | Johann moves on to a nice job in Mühlhausen |
| 1708-1717 | Bach rises to local fame when he returns to Weimar |
| 1717-1723 | Sebastian happily becomes the Capellmeister for a young Prince in the town of Köthen, but later the his life is touched by death It is here that Bach writes his Works for unacccompanied violin |
| 1723-1750 | Johann Sebastian Bach settles down in the town of Leipzig for the remainder of his career and finally dies on July 28, 1750 |
| Present | Bach's final resting place is still in the town of Leipzig within the Saint Thomas Church; in front of the Altar |
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The Ciaccona gets its start from Latin America about 1670. Initially known as a folk dance performed by peasant workers during family celebrations and was originally (and is still interchangeably) spelled as Chaconne. It was brought to Europe through Spain where it was absorbed into the Spanish culture. Variations spread through France, Italy and Germany Bach's Sonatas and Partitas can also be explained respectivly as 'Songs' and 'Suites' - where suites are dances. In fact, the fourth movement of the D-minor partita is called the 'Gigue' -- better known as a Jig. Therefore, Bach's Ciaccona is the final dance (movement) in the set of 5 dances, each of the previous four harmonically contribute a little something to the finale' But what makes these works so monumental, is that the violin was thought of as the instrument most in need of accompaniment. Bach shows that through the technique of stops (to bow multiple strings simultaneously), he could make one violin sound like several. The price of course, is that the musician must be of virtuoso caliber to even attempt the pieces. Many professional musicians will consider the performance of these works to be the pinnacle of their careers. |