His father, who played the organ at a church, taught him to play the violin and the harpsichord. He also learned to play the organ from his uncle. Throughout his life he played the organ in many churches throughout Germany.
In Cothen he met Anna Magdelena who he married in 1721. With her they had twenty-one children, of which nine lived to adult hood. Two of Bach's children, Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach and Johann Christoph Bach also became well known composers.
He moved to Lepzig in 1723, where for the rest of his life he worked as the (Cantor) Director of Choir and Music. He previously can here in 1717 to test the organ in University Church. Then it was reported in the newspaper that the Cantor's apartment was renovated although the building dated to the 1550s. As the cantor his duties were to organize music and train choirs for churches.
Around 1749 Bach's health went into decline. As he was becoming blind a well known ophthalmologist did eye surgery to try to save his sight. On July 28, 1750 he died at the age of 65. Newspapers reported that he died from ""from the unhappy consequences of the very unsuccessful eye operation", though modern historians believe he died from a stroke.
