German composer and organist of the late baroque period. He wrote more than 200 cantatas, the Saint Matthew Passion, the Mass in B Minor, orchestral works such as the six Brandenburg Concertos, and numerous works for organ, harpsichord, other solo instruments, and chamber ensembles. Four of his children became noted composers: Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784); Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), an important figure in the development of the symphony; Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (1732-1795); and Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782).