Christ lag in Todesbanden

Johann Bernhard Bach (23 May 1676 – 11 June 1749) was a German composer, and second cousin of J. S. Bach.

After attending the Schola Mercatorum at Erfurt he entered Erfurt's major secondary school at that time, Ratsgymnasium.[As early as 1695, at the age of 18, he became the organist at the Kaufmannskirche. In 1699 he moved to Magdeburg where he was appointed organist for St. Catharine's Church. In 1703 John William III, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach called him to Eisenach to serve as harpsichordist at the ducal court. In Eisenach he also became the organist at St. George's Church, succeeding his uncle Johann Christoph Bach.

From 1708 to 1712 Johann Bernhard Bach worked together with Georg Philipp Telemann who held, first, the position of the leader of the violin section, and, from August 1709, that of a conductor (Kapellmeister) at Eisenach's ducal orchestra.

With his famous cousin Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Bernhard kept a life-long friendship. In 1715 he acted as godfather for Johann Sebastian's son Johann Gottfried Bernhard, whilst Johann Sebastian became godfather to Johann Bernhard's eldest son Johann Ernst in 1722. This latter was to succeed his father Johann Bernhard as organist at St. George's Church in Eisenach.