The story of our music of today begins with Johann Sebastian Bach. This great composer lived more than 250 years ago. Most of his music was written for the organ. Since Bach's time there have been many great composers. Some have written for one instrument, some for another. Some have written for whole orchestras. Some have written songs and operas instead of instrumental music.
The work of a composer is difficult. It requires great skill and much practice. Anyone who wants to become a composer must thoroughly understand the techniques of music and how to use them to express happiness, sadness, excitement, contentment, and many other human feelings. He must try to get the listener to feel these moods through his music. He must know perfectly all the sounds that can be created by the different instruments of an orchestra. He must weld these different sounds together to form a work of art.
