One thing is certain. Even if few truly appreciated it at the time, Bach was very aware of his genius. A humble Lutheran by nature and faith, Bach sought to cement his legacy at the end of his life through two monumental works. Sick, going blind and dying, Bach set about to compose on both … Continue reading Bach, The Art of the Fugue, Part I
Category: Baroque Period
Kommt, eilet und laufet!
Come, hasten and run! In contrast to the proto-sturm und drang of his two Passion-based oratorios, Bach's Easter Oratorio reflects pure joy. Written between the two Passion oratorios, but substantially revised a decade later in 1735-40, the Easter Oratorio is a comparatively brief work. Written for, and debuting on, Easter Sunday 1725, the change of … Continue reading Kommt, eilet und laufet!
Bach’s St. John Passion
In 1724, Bach unleashed his St. John Passion on Good Friday. Solemn music for the most solemn day in the Christian calendar. While Lutheran congregations would have expected an austere service, with a handful of Lutheran hymns, Bach had something new up his sleeve. As John Eliot Gardiner observes: "What greeted worshippers that day, however, … Continue reading Bach’s St. John Passion
Bach for Easter
Last Christmas, I published a playlist that looked at Christmas music over nearly 1,000 years. At Easter, it is all about Bach. As mentioned earlier, Bach’s faith ran deep; while his great and frequent personal tragedies were never worn on his sleeve or visage, they poured out of him and into his music. The St. … Continue reading Bach for Easter
J.S. Bach, Hitmaker
Bach could do more than write intellectual studies and heart rendering music. Here was a composer who gave the people what they wanted too--a hit maker supreme. Want proof? Here are two examples. Everyone here knows Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 (Air). It is, hands down, the #1 butchered piece of music ever written—I’ve heard … Continue reading J.S. Bach, Hitmaker
A Gertus History of Music 