9781422287095

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Creating Music

TYPES OF MUSICIANS Just as there are different types of music, there are also different kinds of musicians—people who make music. Some people are very good at performing a specific kind of music; they may use their voices or their in- struments to produce music. They may do this alone—or in a group, such as a choir, a band, or an orchestra. Many musicians perform music for purely for their own pleasure (as well as the pleasure of their friends and family). Others, however, get paid for their skills. Professional musicians (musicians who are paid to produce music) might make music for their churches or synagogues; they might give concerts that people pay to at- tend; they might have jobs where they play instruments in an orchestra; and they might also perform for film production companies, with their music ending up as background for a movie. Composers and songwriters are special kinds of musicians. They cre- ate new pieces of music, rather than performing music that someone else wrote. They combine all the elements of music in a new way, and then write that down so that others can perform it. They may do this for their own pleasure, but they may also get paid for their creative work. Down through the centuries, many great musicians have created new musical works that people continue to enjoy. FAMOUS MUSICIANS Johann Sebastian Bach Bach is often regarded as the greatest composer of all time. Born in 1685 in Germany, he was the youngest of eight children who were born to musical parents. As a child, he sang and played the organ and the vi- olin. When he was ten, both his parents died, but his older brother took him in and continued his musical training. At the age of fifteen, Bach got his first job as a musician; he sang in a school choir. Throughout the rest