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240
Hereditary Genius
citizen. He was very laborious; and became blind from over-study.
The Bachs were a musical family, comprising a vast number of individuals, and
extending through eight generations. It began in 1550, it culminated in Sebastian
(6 in the genealogical table) and its last known member was Regina Susanna,
who was alive in 1800, but in indigent circumstances. There are far more than
twenty eminent musicians among the Bachs; the biographical collections of
musicians give the lives of no less than fifty-seven of them (see Fetis'
“Dictionary of Musicians”). It was the custom of the family to meet in yearly
reunions, at which the entertainments were purely musical. In or about A.D.
1750 as many as 120 Bachs attended one of these meetings. A complete
genealogy of the family is to be found in Korabinsky's “Beschreibung der
Koniglichen Ungarischen Haupt Frey, und Kronungstadts Presburg,” t. i. p. 3;
also a genealogical tree in No. 12 of the Leipsic Musical Gazette, 1823. I give a
modified copy of this, for it is otherwise impossible to convey the lines of
descent in a sufficiently intelligible manner. Every person mentioned in the list
ranks as a sterling musician, except where the contrary is distinctly stated.
F. J. Ambrose, a distinguished organist.
U. J. Christopher, a twin child with Ambrose. These two were so exceedingly alike
in feature, address, and style, that they were the wonder of all who saw and
heard them. It is added that their wives could not distinguish them except by
their dresses.
G. Christopher (3).
2 GB. Henry (2) and John (4).
[GG.] Weit Bach (1), the founder of the family, was a baker at Presburg, who sung
to the guitar; was obliged to leave his town because he was a Protestant. He
settled in Saxe Gotha.
GN. J. Christopher (5), one of the greatest musicians of Germany; a laborious
student.
S. Guillaume Frederick (7), called “Bach of Halle;” a man of great power and very
learned; died indigent.
S. C. P. Emmanuel (8), called “Bach of Berlin;” the founder
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