Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician who lived from 1685 to 1750. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music, known for his mastery of multiple musical forms and styles, including fugues, cantatas, and chorales. Bach's music was often characterized by its complexity, technical precision, and emotional depth, and his works have had a profound influence on subsequent generations of composers. He spent much of his career working in churches, where he wrote music for religious services, but he also composed secular works and taught music to students.