What are interesting facts about J.S. Bach?

JS Bach in Secular Society

• Can you give me a few (~5 or as many as is reasonable) written analysis and opinions (preferably in the last 5 years) on Bach and his relevance (and lack of relevance) in today's modern society? I specifically want Bach's relevance to our *current* secular society (as opposed to what people thought of him during his life in a completely different era). I.e. why people still perform his music today, what feelings it raises, how musicians and the audience interpret Bach, or why Bach is *not* important/relevant, etc. Preferably this should be from reputable websites and opinions from people in the field and not simply from a blog and should explain their opinions using examples/facts/reasons explaining their feelings.

• Answer:

  gaj246-ga This was an unusually difficult question to research, in part because I can't say I really agree with a key premise of your question. Ours can hardly be called a secular age...certainly not with the huge role that religion plays in both social/global conflicts as well as in the large-scale humanitarian efforts that are so-needed around the globe. For the most part, Bach's relevance to modern listeners is largely presumed...the intended audience is largely those already familiar with, and appreciateve of, the music. But there certainly is an effort to tie Bach's works in to themes that are especially relevant in today's world. With that in mind, I've presented below a number of articles and other writings that look at Bach from a perspective of the role of his music in the modern world. I have included religious as well as non-religious perspectives in the list. It seems appropriate to do so. And besides, there simply weren't that many sources of information on this particular topic to begin with to warrant culling out those with a religious bent. I trust the information below fully answers your question. However, please don't rate this answer until you have everything you need. If you would like any additional information, just post a Request for Clarification to let me know how I can assist you further, and I'm at your service. All the best, pafalafa-ga ========== http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Death.htm Death in Bach Cantatas ...Bach's religious music was written to assist - to be - prayer, and of course it still fulfils this function for many people. The question is, how do religious people of today pray a prayer like this? And the question arises in many places, not only in Bach. In the Hebrew-Christian continuum of ancient prayers going back to the Psalms of David and earlier, there is anger, hatred, vengeance, etc., etc., along with all the emotions of the human spirit, directed to God, who is the ultimate recourse for every human instinct, in a praying person. ========== http://www.cello.org/Newsletter/Articles/angst.htm INTERPRETATIONAL ANGST AND THE BACH CELLO SUITES ...So now that we understand that Bach had a concept of music that is somewhat alien to our own, what do we do with this information? Do we ignore this somewhat troubling awareness, and continue to play from our 20th Century impulses? Or do we try to incorporate this knowledge into our playing? Ralph Kirshbaum thinks that to ignore this would be "inappropriate" and that it "is better to try to stay within the musical vocabulary of the time when a piece was written, as best we understand it." ========== http://www.mfiles.co.uk/composers/Johann-Sebastian-Bach.htm Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) Bach's legacy ...Though Bach's works were known to composers such as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, it was not until Mendelssohn played the St. Matthew Passion in 1829 that Bach's previously hidden talents as a composer began to get a more widespread recognition. ...Since then Bach's music has frequently inspired musicians such as Chopin, many composers arranging and adapting his works. In terms of classical composers, Gounod used the first prelude from book 1 of the 48 as the basis for his "Ave Maria", Busoni created a supremely elegant piano version of Bach's Chaconne from a violin work, and Liszt and Rachmaninov both transcribed Bach works for piano. Even in today's world of popular music, you can still hear singles based on say his Toccata and Fugue in Dm for organ, or his "Air on a G string" taken from a suite. ========== http://www.npj.com/homepage/teritowe/jsbpdm01.html Present Day Misconceptions About Bach Performance Practice in the Nineteenth Century ...Every one is steeped in his own time, and Zelter could not transcend the bounds of his generation. For him, who was the great representative of the Berlin liederschule, Bach had to be seen in this perspective; that is, he had to be modernized. Zelter revised Bach's church compositions for himself alone, in the belief of serving Bach's cause thereby. In doing so, he did not dispute the seriousness and profundity of Bach's perception. Only what was dated was to be removed ========== http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Articles/Bach-Notes%5BBurton%5D.htm The Need for Bach: A discussion of his life ...In an era mired with more and more class distinctions and socioeconomic inequity, a decade dominated by an increasingly unsophisticated popular-culture and a time in which our political leaders choose to wage war around the world without prejudice, the human race needs every possible opportunity to have a passion for a higher level of the human experience. In live performances, we experience first-hand the sublime melodies of Ich habe genung, and the sense of joyful urgency throughout Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen... ========== http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/jul1985/v42-2-criticscorner1.htm Bach and Today's Theologians ...AS we reflect on the celebration in 1985 of the three hundredth anniversary of the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach, we may well be impressed with signs of his continuing importance today. Although 1985 marks the anniversary of at least three other major composers (George Friedrich Handel, 1685, Domenico Scarlatti, 1685, and Heinrich Schütz, 1585), it is the anniversary of Bach that has prompted the most universal recognition and at the same time the most profound response among the most diverse audiences. ========== http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/jan-june99/bach_4-9.html POWER OF MUSIC -- Correspondent Paul Solman of WGBH, Boston reports on the power of Johannes Sebastian Bach's music. ...The 200 surviving cantatas of Johannes Sebastian Bach, of the 300 or so he wrote, have anchored Emmanuel for 28 years now. And the music may be why you're welcome here, wherever you are on your spiritual journey -- Protestants of all stripes and Catholics... ...But I would say 30 percent of the people have done away with any particular religious orientation, and some of those people are our more spiritually alive and spiritually hungry people. ... both religion and music are spiritual journeys undertaken in community with others... ...For me, hearing Bach for 20 years helps me a little bit understand a kind of universe that he created where God is. God exists in his music, and it's the sort of physical made spiritual. ========== http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521587808/103-7612773-2618245?v=glance&n=283155 The Cambridge Companion to Bach ...The Cambridge Companion is divided into three main sections: the first concentrates on the biographical and historical details of Bach's life; the second aims at a general discussion of the music; and the last evaluates Bach's continuing influence on modern music. [You may want to look at this book in print form] ========== http://www.forum2.org/tal/books/geb.html Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid ...Gödel, Escher, Bach (GEB) debates the question of consciousness and the possibility of artificial intelligence. It is a book that attempts to discover what "self" really means. Introducing the reader to cognitive science, Gödel, Escher, Bach draws heavily from art to illustrate fine points in mathematics. The works of M.C. Escher and J.S. Bach are discussed, in addition to other works of art and music. The topics presented range from mathematics and meta-mathematics to programming, recursion (in math as well as in computing), formal systems, multilevel systems, self reference, self representation, and others. [This is certainly has to be the most unusual take on Bach in the context of the modern world...if you're not familiar with this work, it is well worth a look] ========== http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/works/bachjs/cantatas.html A Listener's Guide to the Cantatas of J. S. Bach ...They are sacred works, mostly written with a specific function in a Lutheran church service and I believe that they should be listened to with that context in mind, whether you are a believer or not. Lutheran theology is not so alien to our modern minds as to remove all hope of understanding the affekt that Bach was trying to create with his music. I have included, where appropriate, the bible readings for the day on which the each cantata was performed and I do encourage the listener to read them as well as the text of the cantata. ========== Again, let me know if there's anything else I can do for you on this. Cheers, pafalafa-ga search strategy -- Google searches on: [ johann sebastian bach "modern world OR times OR day ] [ johann sebastian bach modern interpretation ] [ johann sebastian bach "today's" ]