Famous Unknown - 1750
Johann Sebastian Bach, rich in musical ideas, was buried as a pauper.
Introduction
Johann Sebastian Bach is famed today for his church cantatas, passions, and other religious music. His worth was little recognized in his lifetime and he died in financial distress. He was laid to rest in the churchyard of St. John’s Church at Leipzig on this day, 30 July, 1750. Neither a stone nor a cross was erected to mark the spot. Here are the bare facts as recorded in the register of deaths in the town library.
Quote
“A man, aged sixty-seven, M. Johann Sebastian Bach, Musical Director and Singing Master of the St. Thomas School, was carried to his grave in the hearse…”
Source
Rowbotham, Francis Jameson. Story-Lives of Great Musicians. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company.