Bach

For me Bach is everything. His music helped me to get through tough periods and cheers me up the moment I listen to it. 

I wake up with it. I study with it. I fall asleep with it. 

It seems that I am addicted in a good sense to Bach. Although I listen to many other composers from all periods, styles like Machaut to Stockhausen to African to Indonesian music. 

I have been wondering for many years why it is Bach that can only give me so much joy, pain, passion and all other emotions so much more than other composers. 

What do you think the reason is that I feel that Bach is my everything? I am curious to know. 

Hi Maarten, I hope everythin's fine...

I think Bach, seen after come centuries away, is the beginning of classical music. Before him, music was different (modal, darker, medieval). After him, many things happened.

The greatness of Bach is the way he reaches total inspiration in a "constrained" language as counterpoint is.

I also love his music, and Baroque in general.

2 hours ago, Luis Hernández said:

Hi Maarten, I hope everythin's fine...

I think Bach, seen after come centuries away, is the beginning of classical music. Before him, music was different (modal, darker, medieval). After him, many things happened.

The greatness of Bach is the way he reaches total inspiration in a "constrained" language as counterpoint is.

I also love his music, and Baroque in general.

 

Everything is going well!!

Nice to talk with you again!
Personally, I disagree with your statement that classical music began with Bach. It is difficult to say where the beginning of western classical music is. Does it begin with renaissance? Ars nova? Or even gregorian chant?

On 5/17/2019 at 3:06 AM, Maarten Bauer said:

What do you think the reason is that I feel that Bach is my everything? I am curious to know.

Because Bach is everything! 🤣Either he was lucky all the time or knew what he was doing, in any case the man crafted music that perfectly echoes the human soul. Some composers capture that experience in one or two compositions, some in many, but none did so in every composition like Bach did. Even his little preludes for keyboard resonate with the soul, or at least my soul.

I don't think enjoy Bach to the extent that you do, Maarten, but he's definitely my favorite: to play or to listen to.

On 5/17/2019 at 4:45 PM, Luis Hernández said:

Hi Maarten, I hope everythin's fine...

I think Bach, seen after come centuries away, is the beginning of classical music. Before him, music was different (modal, darker, medieval). After him, many things happened.

The greatness of Bach is the way he reaches total inspiration in a "constrained" language as counterpoint is.

I also love his music, and Baroque in general.

 

So that is said, i love Bach, but i really dont agree that bach is the beginning of classical music. I would rather say that bach is the culmination of 200 years of musical evolution. What Bach did could not have been done if it was not for hes idols, espeically the north german composers like Buxtehude, reincken and Böhm, or the french composers like Copuerin and lully, or the italian composers like Corelli, Torelli and Vivaldi and at lest the flemish like Sweelinck even some of hes comtemporarys. Bachs music uses the elemtns af all these styles (like the other late baroque composers within the north german tradition ... Zelenka!).

Bach as a historical composer is very interesting, you find all the influences inn he music both early and late works.  Bach is 33% italian, 33% french and 33% noth german  in musical langauge, but mostly german and french is style and technique. I dont think any composer can match hes technique, but he is not the best lyrical and creative composer in the baroque era.