<\/p>
Johann Sebastian Bach’s strong awareness of his own genius wouldn\u2019t have made the German composer an easy employee to satisfy. And, indeed, he seemed constantly dissatisfied with his lot throughout his career. This had a particularly dramatic result in the autumn of 1717, when a bid to move jobs actually landed him in jail.<\/strong><\/p> The Weimar court secretary\u2019s minutes concerning Bach<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s time in jail state that \u2018On 6 November 1717 Bach, till now Konzertmeister and Hoforganist, was put under arrest in [the] justice room for obstinately demanding his instant dismissal. He was released on 2 December with a grudging permission to retire from the Duke\u2019s [Duke Wilhelm Ernst\u2019s] service.\u2019 Harsh treatment indeed, but what sensible employer would want to lose Bach as their personal composer and organist?<\/p> Bach was in jail for just under four weeks, and very little is known about what Bach\u2019s prison actually looked like. In reality, the \u2018justice room\u2019 in which he was held probably looked more like a comfortable debtors\u2019 prison than a full-on cell. He certainly won\u2019t have been without means of communication and he may perhaps have used the time to compose some of The Well-Tempered Clavier<\/i><\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>
When did Bach go to jail?<\/h2>
How long was Bach in jail for?<\/h2>