I am listening to Bach?

Question

Who likes Bach?
Why and why not?

I shall switch to Beethoven shortly!
Good answers!

Answer 1

Why did Bach have so many children? Because his organ had no stops .....

I enjoy Bach greatly along with Monteverdi and Palestrina. I even enjoy what another respondee has called "crappy" harpsichords, as they seem to be of another time. Dangerous Liasons as a film would not have been the same without them.

At the moment Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tellis (R Vaughn Williams) is playing in the background. It is wonderful, powerful and touches the emotions, as does the Allegri Miserere.

Most truly great music has a touch of melancholy to balance the joy.

Answer 2

thanks buddy, you just inspired me to put on the b-minor mass. :-) i have the teldec millenium edition of his complete works here, and even though it nearly broke us when we bought it it's an expense i've never regretted. so, in a nutshell - love the man! as far as i can see it he managed to provide the soundtrack for the whole of creation. his music is pure mathematics and derives a beauty from that which can only be achieved by perfect harmony with the waveforms that drive the universe as a whole. am i making sense? listening to the voices weaving into each other with absolute precision in the kyrie right now i'm feeling at peace the first time in about a week. and, btw, let's forget, without bach there would be no mozart, beethoven etc. actually there would be no music as we know it full stop, because johann sebastian bach (there were loads of other bachs, fathers, grandfathers, uncles, sons, nephews etc, some of whom are well worth listening to, too) discovered the tonal scale, i.e. the scale western music is still based on, with the very few exceptions of the atonal movement. before him, all the chord changes etc. that his music is known for simply weren't possible because pre-tonal scales didn't provide for them. that alone should be a good reason to admire the man over any other composer. and, btw, this is said by an avid listener to mozart, beethoven and pucchini, so no accusations of bias please.

osageavenger - no, but i think the dude from skid row might have been named after him.

Answer 3

I love Bach, both to play (I'm a pianist) and to listen to. His music stretches me in a way that little else does. It has a strong intellectual element, but there's the full range of human emotion there as well, and some flashy stuff for the sheer sake of it.

Bach's 48 Preludes and Fugues are often referred to as the "Old Testament" of keyboard music, with Beethoven's piano sonatas forming the "New Testament".

If I had to choose a favourite piece by Bach, it would probably be the St Matthew Passion, in particular the introduction, which I'm going to put on right now. Thanks for the good question!

Answer 4

i was at musical school from age of 5 till 11. When quieted decided NEVER to listen any classical music. And now after all that rock/pop/hip pop i am stuck with Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Bach, Chopin... I am sooo tired of all that drums in modern music! And by the way music of Bach survive for so long. I can't imagine that 200 years later people will remember any pop star. Rock stars will be printed in small print in encyclopedia i hope

Answer 5

Cool... keep listening. Sometimes I listen to classical (and jazz) and wonder how in the world did this person write this song!
I'm literally blown away. These composers are the beginning of music and many were inspired by God. I almost mastered Bach's Minuet in G on the piano. Another favorite is Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring. I'll probably use it in my wedding one day.

P.S. I think people who listen to and enjoy classical music are special. It takes a special person to be into a music that is not popular and is from hundreds of years ago.

Answer 6

I don't care much for Bach. I don't like fugues. I like Mozart and Beethoven. Their works were much more interesting. Of course, Bach suffered from having to write music on the crappy harpsichord, as the piano wasn't invented until later.

Answer 7

Bach is the Best!:) I've been playing his two-part inventions recently and they are are really nice! Also so you know his flute Sonatas? They are also really good! Some people think that Bach is to much the same and just based on chord changes but I think it's also highly musically complex as well, definitely very good music!!

Answer 8

i agree somewhat with the first answer, that beethoven is more interesting, but Bach was no amatuer, thats for sure. and while his compositions might be a little less complicated, a little less intricate, he was always able to evoke an emotional response with his work. i like Bach very much. (i like a lot of types of music, its a shame that classical isnt as well known as it should be amongst the average person.)

Answer 9

I like Bach. His music was very emotional and thought provoking. He's one of my favorite "Baroque" composers (Along with Handel). I also enjoy the works of Mozart, Schobert, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Paganini.

Answer 10

I like Bach. His music makes me think.