Soli Deo Gloria
Johann Sebastian Bach wrote "Soli Deo Gloria" at the end of his compositions - "To God alone the glory." For Bach, music was not entertainment. It was worship.
Born into a family of musicians in 1685, Bach became one of the greatest composers in history. His works include the Mass in B Minor, the St. Matthew Passion, The Well-Tempered Clavier, and hundreds of cantatas for church services.
Bach saw no distinction between sacred and secular music. "The aim and final end of all music," he wrote, "should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul."
His Audience Was God
He served as a church musician most of his life, composing a new cantata nearly every week for Sunday services in Leipzig. This wasn't a burden - it was his calling. He signed his church music "J.J." - Jesu Juva, "Jesus, help me."
When critics called his music old-fashioned, Bach replied that his audience was God, not the public. When students complained about the demands of his teaching, he reminded them that music was a gift to be stewarded faithfully.
Before Thy Throne
Bach went blind in his final years but continued composing. His last work, dictated from memory, was a chorale prelude called "Before Thy Throne I Now Appear."
Three centuries later, Bach's music still leads people into worship. Musicians speak of experiencing transcendence playing his compositions. What he created for Sunday services in Leipzig became a gift to all humanity - exactly as he intended, all for God's glory.
