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Johann Sebastian Bach

82K views 427 replies 153 participants last post by  gprengel 
#1 ·
You all knew it would happen eventually: the most superfluous thread ever made for this board. The greatest contrapuntal genius of all time. I've heard it said that, while among the public there are Mahler cults, Sibelius cults, and Brahms cults, there is among the composers a Bach cult. Not to say there isn't a Bach cult among the public, it's just that the great composers all worshiped the guy. It is genuinely worthless to try singling out some of his greatest pieces; if you pick out about any five of the more than one thousand published works, I will guarantee that at least three, if not all, will be masterpieces.

Although *cough, cough* the B minor Mass is considered to be the greatest and most perfect composition ever written in history, not to mention the Art of Fugue, Goldberg Variations, several hundred choral works, preludes, solo violin sonatas, solo cello suites, violin concerti, transcriptions of other peoples' work, harpsichord concerti, Well-Tempered Clavier....
 
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#215 ·
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Ik realy like the sound of the harpsichord and it is a pity that older recordings does not sound well.I have das
Wohltemperierte klavier played by Gustav Leonhardt. The first book is not bad but the second book has an older recording and the sound is thin and sharp.There is a sacd version on the marked and they say that it sounds much better.Does anyone here have experience with that.The sacd is from Japan.[video]http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/5696[/video] Font Rectangle Material property Poster Parallel
 
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#219 ·
Book 1 sounds good to me but book 2 is an older recording and you have to adjust for awhile.It is a marvelous piece of music and for me there is no better interpretation than with Gustav leonhardt.I have also the first ring with Solti and some people claim that the new japanese remastering is much better.I discovered this forum when I was looking for information . I was reading that topic and " bigshot" was an eyeopener for me in this matter.:tiphat:
 
#221 ·
While Anna is known to have transcribed for Bach in his later years, researchers found the handwriting did not have the "slowness or heaviness" usually attributed to someone who is merely copying, but was likely to have flowed from her own mind.

They also pointed to numerous corrections to scores written in her hand, signalling she is likely to have been composing it as she went along.
Good enough for me.
 
#224 ·
Apologies for being several days late in posting this, but every holiday season Columbia University radio station WKCR-FM hosts what it calls the Bach Festival. It features nothing but Bach's music, 24 hours a day. This year's festival started a couple of days before Christmas and will continue uninterrupted until midnight on New Year's Eve. If you're within 50-or-so miles of Columbia's Manhattan campus, you can listen at 89.9 FM. If not, you can listen for free online. Just go to this website and click on the flashing "Live Broadcast" link in the upper right.

http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/wkcr/

Happy Listening. They spent most of this morning playing the cello suites.
 
#227 ·
I'm living in Leipzig, the city where Bach produced a large bulk of his works, this year and I'm loving the opportunity to visit some of the places where he lived and worked. The Thomaskirche here in particular is worth visiting. At their services every Sunday the mass is opened and closed with pieces played on an organ built to JSs own specifications (unfortunately not the same organ as he played himself) and the experience is pretty breathtaking.
 
#231 ·
I have been in Leipzig and in the Thomaskirche once too, although I came there following in the footsteps of another master who was born in that city in the year of 1813 (and who admired Bach as well). I agree, it is definitely wort visiting, even though the city still bears the marks of having been under Soviet rule for over 40 years.
 
#229 ·
I know Bach's organ music and organ performances of pieces like Goldberg Variations and die Kunst der Fuge, I know his cantatas, St. Matthew's Passion and Johannes-Passion. Now I would like to get deeper into his instrumental music (apart from the organ). What should I start with?
 
#245 ·
I have always appreciate Bach's music. I have attended every one of his performances that are local and in my vicinity. I enjoy it all. The stuff just sounds great, obviously.

But never have I actually understood and been internally impressed by a piece -- for however you take the verbage -- until I heard his Violin Concerto in E. The sounds make me happy. They comfort me and make me feel like someone knew precisely what they penned onto staves. That is madness, truly! The ineffably ordered notes, counterpoint, melody, harm--

Whatever! I am stating the obvious. Moving on....
 
#250 ·
WKCR FM Bach Festival - begins December 22

For all of my fellow Bach lovers... Columbia University's radio station, WKCR FM, begins its annual Bach Festival on Tuesday, December 22. It runs until midnight on New Year's Eve. Nothing but the music of JS Bach, 24 hours a day.

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You can stream it for free from this link:

http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/wkcr/

Happy listening. It's always enjoyable.
 
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