ABSTRACT
OF all the sons of Johann Sebastian Bach, the youngest, Johann Christian (1735–82), was the most widely travelled and achieved the greatest international recognition in his lifetime. He began his studies in Leipzig, presumably under his father's supervision, and on his father's death in 1750 moved to Berlin, where he was taught the harpsichord by his half-brother Carl Philipp Emanuel. Around 1754 he went to Italy, becoming director of music at the home of his patron Count Agostino Litta in Milan and pursuing his studies under Padre Martini in Bologna. Although appointed second organist at Milan Cathedral in 1760, Bach, unlike his forebears, was not committed to the life of a church musician: his interests lay in the opera house rather than the organ loft and it was through the success of his three operas and his instrumental music composed in Italy that he attracted attention elsewhere. In 1762, in response to an invitation from the management of the King's Theatre, Haymarket, Bach travelled to London, initially for one year. He remained there, however, until his death 20 years later, and for most of that period was the dominant musical force in the city.
