The Composer Who Signed Every Score to God

Johann Sebastian Bach began every composition the same way. At the top of the manuscript, he wrote two letters: J.J. — short for the Latin phrase Jesu Juva, meaning "Jesus, help." When the final note was inked, he signed the bottom: S.D.G. — Soli Deo Gloria, "To God alone be the glory."

Every single piece. Cantatas for Sunday services, concertos for royal courts, even practice exercises for his students. Bach made no distinction between sacred and secular work. He once wrote that "the aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul."

What strikes me is that Bach did this during seasons when obedience cost him something. In Arnstadt, the church council reprimanded him. In Weimar, the duke once had him arrested for trying to leave his post. In Leipzig, he spent twenty-seven years composing weekly cantatas for congregations that often underappreciated his genius. Yet every Monday morning, he sat down, wrote J.J. at the top of a blank page, and began again.

Obedience rarely looks like a single dramatic moment. More often, it looks like Monday morning faithfulness — showing up, doing the work the Almighty has placed before you, and trusting that He receives it even when no one else seems to notice.

Bach wrote over a thousand compositions. Every one began with a prayer and ended with praise. That is what a life of obedience sounds like.