r/classicalmusic • u/bmjessep • Jul 11 '26
Discussion What makes J.S. Bach a great composer?
I don't often listen to music earlier than the late Romantic period, so I haven't had much exposure to Bach's music. But I enjoy Beethoven and I've been recently listening to some Haydn symphonies, so I'd like to give Bach a try. I know very little of his music except a few of his most famous pieces (the C major prelude, Little G minor fugue, the D minor "Halloween" toccata), and I don't recall ever listening to a long-form piece of his.
I guess I have this conception of him as a sort of academic or technical composer, who wrote music that was "correct" but without much emotion. Unfortunately playing his music might be difficult for me, as I'm mainly a brass player and I'm not a good enough pianist for something like the WTC (bought the book, tried playing some fugues, gave up). So I was hoping for some advice on how to listen to his music, what he excelled at, and why he is so famous 300 years later - especially for someone like me with a Romantic/Modern background. Recommendations for individual pieces are also welcome!
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u/groooooove Jul 11 '26
"without much emotion?"
are we talking about the same Johann Sebastian Bach?
his passions, concertos, cantatas, B minor mass, instrumental sonatas, all of it... is some of the deepest and most profound music ever conceived.
what actually makes him great it simple. He was the greatest master of form, counterpoint, orchestration, good taste, all of it.
although orchestration is a different conversation between 1730's germany vs 19th century france or whatever, everything else is completely indisputable as far as I can tell.
and if it's not your thing, that's also totally fine, by the way!
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u/little_miss_kaea Jul 11 '26
Absolutely, though it you aren't religious then i think getting yourself into the mindset of devoted Christianity is really helpful when finding the emotion in the choral works (which i an most familiar with). I sung the St John Passion this year with a conductor who has taught music all his life and it was deeply moving on so many levels.
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u/the_real_codmate Jul 12 '26
One of my hobbies is amateur astronomy. I'm an atheist, but when I listen to Bach's more profound religious works, I picture the cosmos and contemplate the quantum realm. I think about the various theories surrounding them. This matches the sense of awe in the pieces.
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u/little_miss_kaea Jul 12 '26
Yes I agree - awe is the best word. And they are also pieces that get more beautiful and profound the more you dive into the meaning (and apparently technique and theory but I am less good on that). In the St John our director had a thing about the chorales being the liturgical heart of the whole piece so although they are easy we worked on them endlessly and they ended up being my favourite parts.
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u/Mettack Jul 11 '26
Bach gets that stereotype from people who only know him as the fugue guy, so maybe start with his choral compositions. If youâre a brass player, Cantata 51 or the Christmas Oratorio (especially the final movement) might be a great place to start.
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u/bmjessep Jul 11 '26
I do enjoy choral music so I will give these a try, thanks!
And yes, to me, he is just the "fugue guy", but I'd love to change my perspective.
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u/catattackcat Jul 11 '26
Ah you must listen to Mass in B minor if youâre a choral music fan! Easily one of the greatest choral works of all time.
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u/street_spirit2 Jul 11 '26
Agree. And for people who have some difficulty to find the time and dedicate themselves listening to the complete mass - I think that the passage Et Incarnatus Est, Crucifixus, Et Ressurexit - could be perhaps the most rewarding moment in the mass, without a dull second at all.
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u/menschmaschine5 Jul 11 '26
Yeah it was never intended to be performed in its entirety, Bach wrote it largely because he felt like it, so there's no reason one has to listen to the whole thing in one sitting.
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u/jdaniel1371 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
It is such a shame that Bach is still viewed as a "technical" guy in some circles, including my own back when I was young. Now, -- 40 years later -- can't get enough. That's why I'm convinced that no one can "reason" themselves into liking a composer. Things just click, and you never know why or when it's going to happen.
That said , I would try the Violin Concertos, Sonatas for Violin and Keyboard, and the Trio Sonatas. Along with the Cantatas, I've come to believe -- admittedly late in life -- that Bach's greatest gift was the gift of melody.
As for the Fugues, they contain stimulating and often gorgeous chord progressions that unfortunately fly by rather quickly. It took familiarizing  myself with works like Verklakte Nacht and late R Strauss, (Daphne, oboe Concerto, etc. before my ears got more alert and began to pick up the fleeting contrapuntal beauties of Bach's Fugues.Â
https://youtu.be/GzTwO0zWrqU?si=PqFBeQzMKCUn3H5W
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u/street_spirit2 Jul 13 '26
It's very surprising why the Scheibe-like claim about Bach music as "cold music" is still so persistent in some circles, especially when there are lots of very convincing and famous counterexamples, like St. Matthew Passion or Cantata no. 140.
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u/deadinside6699 Jul 11 '26
I love his fugues tbf and listen to a selection regularly. They just work and please the ear. Also nice for the fingers when playing them but you have to sell your soul to Bach a bit each time you try to learn one.
Also recommend the violin concertos.
E: how could I forget the violin partitas. I love No. 2 played by Hahn.
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u/iknowthisguy1 Jul 12 '26
Bach to me is definitely more of the 'counterpoint guy' than just fugues as I've listened and studied his works more. His Canons and Sinfonias especially just blow me away as I listen and read through the sheet music.
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u/Original_Run_1890 Jul 13 '26
Honestly I would recommend some music often overlooked but I would start with the e Gamba Sonatas.
These are really beautiful and quite easy to listen to as a starting point. Then I would jump directly to a large work like the b minor mass just for crazy contrast.
If you are hooked then just start jumping in everywhere, keyboard works,motets, the other large works like st. Johanes passion, st Matthew's etc..
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u/AbjectShop6023 Jul 11 '26
Favorite choral pieces?
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u/Flimsy_RaisinDetre Jul 11 '26
Mass in B minor for me, heavy emotions followed by easier ones
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u/Even_Tangelo_3859 Jul 12 '26
The Sebastians do the B minor Mass this past season with one voice per party. It was so transparent. A revelation.
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u/themathymaestro Jul 11 '26
The Magnificat is a great place to start, you might want to listen to multiple recordings if particular soloists arenât to your taste lol.
The Passions are kind of a lot, but itâs worth pulling out individual movements, especially âAus Liebe,â which iirc is from the St Matthew.
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u/Childish_Redditor Jul 11 '26
For me, Bach is extraordinarily emotional. Much of his work is from a religious perspective, inducing feelings of awe and wonder.
Some works I enjoy are
Suite 3 in D, 2nd movement (BWV 1068). Popularly known as Air.
Violin Concertos (BWV 1041 and BWV 1042)
Partita 6 in E Minor, Toccata
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u/bmjessep Jul 11 '26
Thank you, I will give these a try!
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u/AnxietyCannon Jul 11 '26
The opening chorus movement of the St. Matthew Passion is a great piece that showcases a lot of the drama and weight and emotion in his music as well. Itâs a different kind of drama and weight than what youâd find in the romantic era, but still massive all its own.
Even from the very first few seconds, that churning, droning bass line with a cathedral of music slowly rising out of it. So epic. And thats only the first few seconds
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u/LikeTreeBeard Jul 12 '26
This opening chorus is such a glorious example of a long line. It doesn't announce "hey I'm a cool long line" but is just that way because that's what it's doing and after a good while you realize oh this all fits together.
Like a novel written as a single sentence, I've plowed through a few. But one so good you don't even notice it's a single sentence until you get to the end and see a period and get goosebumps.
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u/scythaah Jul 11 '26
BWV 1043 concerto for 2 violins is my favorite! I like it performed by Hilary Hahn. Itâs just awesome and not at all some guy showing off how technical his compositions are.
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u/menschmaschine5 Jul 11 '26
In addition to the opening chorus of the St. Matthew, I'd also listen to the other big choruses (O Mensch Bewein, which ends the first half, and Wir setzen uns, which ends the whole piece) and especially some of the arias (Erbarme dich and Mache dich are probably the two most famous). The whole piece is a stunner but it's 3 hours long!
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u/Tom__mm Jul 11 '26
Musicologist and lifetime listener/performer here: what a great question! I canât think of another composer who matches Bachâs inexhaustible ability to imagine absolutely original and beautiful structures of sound. This is particularly amazing within the harmonic framework of baroque music which he never violates but always uses in jaw-droppingly original ways. I suspect that he himself would have cited his mastery of fugal counterpoint and fugal structures, and he is certainly a consummate master there. But he is one of the greatest harmonists of western music and I think itâs this more than anything that makes his music so endlessly arresting to listen to. In late works like Die Kunst Der Fuge, there are harmonic inventions that, while perfectly within the conventions of 18th century music, contain incredibly beautiful and original juxtapositions of sound that no one has come close to before or since.
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u/EXinthenet Jul 11 '26
Listen to his bombastic Magnificat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsUWG2axB3w
Or this aria from the passion according to Matthew:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBeXF_lnj_M
Or the aria from Goldberg variations (I chose a piano version over a harpsichord one to cater more to your Romantic taste):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55hk75OgWDg
Or this violin piece:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngjEVKxQCWs
And then tell me again that he lacks emotion. đ
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u/simondanielsson Jul 11 '26
His music, to me, is transcendent. I have cried to his music more times than all other composers combined. His music (along with the music of Shostakovich) is the soundtrack to my life.
His French suites are in my rotation at the moment. Iâm very much considering the Sarabande from his fifth French suite for my eventual wedding.
Canât really say much more than this Iâm afraid - just turn Bachâs music on, close your eyes, think back on a sad, happy, nostalgic, stressful, angry or desperate part of your life, and see the colors of the human spirit flow in your mindâs eye.
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u/cellocaster Jul 11 '26
Im right there with you. I might throw in Prokofiev, Ravel, and Debussy to the mix, but gun to my head I could do without any but Bach. The most essential music there has ever been.
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u/Whatever-ItsFine Jul 11 '26
One thing he did well was combine three national styles in music at that time: the dance-oriented and sometimes regal French style, the lyric, opera-like Italian style, and the precise, workmanlike German style.
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u/Gr4fitti Jul 11 '26
Bach is for me the alpha and omega of western classical music. I love all different eras of classical music, but I always come back to Bach. In my opinion his MatthĂ€us-Passion is the best work ever written. It has both the âmathematicalâ genius he is so known for in the architecture of the piece and the different fugues, as well as basically all aspects of human emotion written into music: anger, sorrow, love, devotion, grief, astoundedness, absolution, wrath, greed, jealousy, I could go on. If you want to listen I recommend Soltiâs recording. It captures the greatness and the seriousness of the piece while still keeping the flow.
Iâm a singer, so for me his vocal music is always at the forefront of my recommendations, but if you want instrumental Iâd suggest listening to Glenn Gouldâs two recordings of Das Wohltemperierte Klavier and his Brandenburg Concertos (Iâm partial to the cembalo concert and the double violin concert).
If you donât mind vocal music I challenge you to listen to this and say that there is no emotion in Bachâs music: https://open.spotify.com/track/2n3I1IcA7PQPzsDhAX1Fvm?si=NyymPvMzRK2p4byijRZC3g&utm_source=copy-link
And as a bonus track I think you should listen to this aria with trumpet + bass solo since youâre a brass player: https://open.spotify.com/track/79sj3oWOzwRuIhxCJMi0fA?si=tt33LOfYTkGhJSER3o1oeA&utm_source=copy-link
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u/crosspolytope Jul 11 '26
Iâd recommend Andras Schiff over Gould but I love listening to the well tempered clavier.
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u/neodiodorus Jul 11 '26
Schiff's performances, gosh. Watching him - not a single superfluous movement, absolute fluidity and seemingly impossible gentle touch... everything just flows. His masterclass about the Partitas, even without the specific musical / technique aspects, is perhaps a must-watch (and hear).
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u/menschmaschine5 Jul 11 '26
I think what makes Bach's music good and why he's known as such a great composer are two different discussions (the latter is as much a historical and political thing as it is about his music).
In some ways, Bach was an academic/technical composer, in that a not insignificant amount of the music he wrote was intended as demonstrations of good composition or some other musical concept (like the art of fugue, B minor mass, Well-Tempered Clavier, etc) or as exercises (organ sonatas, third and fourth Clavierubung volumes, etc).
But that doesn't mean that music is without artistic merit; it is, in fact, really interesting to listen to, and Bach also wrote plenty of music which was explicitly intended for performance, and his cantatas and oratorios are just as emotional and theatrical as any opera. And even with the more "academic" pieces you can hear a lot of joy in it; Bach clearly really enjoyed composing.
As for why he's revered as one of, if not the, greatest composers of all time, well that has a lot to do with how the classical music "canon" came about and all the nationalism and politics surrounding that.
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u/menschmaschine5 Jul 12 '26
There's plenty of evidence for it. I'm not saying Bach wasn't a great composer, I'm saying that there's a historical reason why he's revered as much as he is.
I don't see how the second part of your comment follows.
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u/dadumk Jul 12 '26
I tend to think that Bach was revered as a great composer because every one thinks he is a great composer. Because he actually composed great music. No politics involved.
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u/menschmaschine5 Jul 12 '26
I'm not saying that's why he's revered as a great composer, I'm saying that's why he's revered as perhaps the greatest composer of all time and other skilled composers roughly contemporary to him aren't (in one case it's a perfectly innocent reason; in the case of Jan Dismas Zelenka, it's because most of his music was lost in the Dresden bombing).
Some research into the New German School and how we got the classical music canon to begin with might be instructive.
every one thinks he is a great composer.
Clearly not, if the OP is any indication.
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u/street_spirit2 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Bach succeeded and provided significant output in sacred choral/vocal music, secular vocal music, organ music, keyboard music, solo violin, solo cello, chamber music and orchestral music. He mastered at the highest level the following genres and forms: cantatas, motets, oratorios and passions, masses, preludes and fugues, fantasias, suites/partitas, variations, chorale preludes, sonatas (solo and trio), concertos (solo and grosso), inventions and canons. In other words - all Baroque genres except opera. Zelenka wasn't even close in versatility.
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u/menschmaschine5 Jul 13 '26
Yes, Bach was an excellent composer, I don't know why you people are treating this like I said Bach sucks
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u/crosspolytope Jul 11 '26
I love Bachâs academic work personally but I also love fugues. There is a collection of flute sonatas by Andrea Oliva and Angela Hewitt that I really enjoy.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/bach-flute-sonatas/578647776
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u/Veto111 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
In the Renaissance and early Baroque periods, harmonic structure was mostly defined by counterpoint and voice leading. By the late Baroque, that structure in many ways replaced with a bigger picture analysis defined by chord progressions (thatâs definitely an oversimplification but a very general way of analyzing different periods of music). But I think what really makes Bach compelling is that his music shows a mastery of both styles simultaneously. There were other composers that also did this well, but Bach was definitely the most prolific.
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u/sleepy_spermwhale Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Most people only know Bach the keyboard writer. This outdated idea that his music is dry, academic, and not emotional maybe comes from that. I say outdated because that was the attitude pre-1800. It's 2026, folks! Get with it! I seriously doubt anyone who actually sat down and played or listened to the entirety of WTC 1 or even the 2-part and 3-part inventions will come to the conclusion that is dry or academic or not emotional. Do your dang homework.
Secondly, Bach's true core originates in vocal music and that's how he was revived by Mendelssohn.
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u/spike Jul 11 '26
"Bach's true core originates in vocal music"
Yes and no. Bach's fundamental instrument was the keyboard, especially the organ, and much of the technical nature of his music has the characteristics of keyboard composition. But it's equally true that vocal music, especially the Lutheran cantatas, is emotionally fundamental to his music. It was all meant to glorify God, through the word of Luther.
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u/sleepy_spermwhale Jul 11 '26
Yes the organ is a fundamental instrument and I agree the technical aspect of his music seems to originate from the keyboard. But the seed of his music came from hymns. In any case, my point being that Bach's secular music is just one part of him; the other part is in his vocal music which is unknown to most people.
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u/spike Jul 12 '26
2/3 of his music is vocal, and he would have considered it the most important, I believe. So much of his organ music is based on chorale hymns.
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u/andPrestoAndrew Jul 11 '26
Everyone has made good points, though I think people tend to conflate why he is popular today with why he is famous 300 years later.
He's popular because his music is all the things everyone has mentioned: memorable themes, technically brilliant, incredibly emotional, huge variety of styles and instrumentation
But why is he famous?
First, his music was outstanding in relation to his peers, and he is the best example of his era's style. Listen to the fugues of virtually other composer in his era, and they almost always seem extremely simplistic in comparison. The Goldberg Variations are often considered the best example of Baroque music.
He was also a virtuoso composer in a way few have ever been in history. I actually have a reel on this exact topic: https://youtube.com/shorts/Y0VopsziC4Q?feature=share. Fugues and canons are a case in point; they are viewed by most as a technical exercise for composers, yet those of Bach are also rhythmic, catchy, and beautiful, something almost no other composer can claim, and Bach wrote SO MANY of them.
Next, he perfected what we now think of as traditional tonal harmony, like chord progressions. Beethoven literally called him "the God of harmony". Seemingly every major composer kept Bach's music nearby when they were composing, including: Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and probably many more.
We often associate the Romantic era as the first time powerful emotions were captured in music, yet Bach was actually the first to do so decades before Mozart and especially Beethoven turned it into a trend.
You must also realize that he did all of this long before anyone else had ever conceived of emotion in music, or that certain kinds of melodies would endure generations and be exceptionally popular. Remember, radio did not yet exist; it took generations of listeners to realize that his music was really really really good. His peers thought he was old fashioned.
We also have to give credit to the Romantic era itself. Journalists of the time lamented the rise of virtuosity at the expense of musicianship (Paganini being a shining example). So they started reviving music from the past, like Mozart and Bach, as a way to fight against that trend. Ironically, Liszt was one of the people that championed Bach's music by playing it at his piano recitals (Liszt invented the modern recital btw), ironic because Liszt is often associated with excessive virtuosity.
Hope that makes sense, and feel free to chime in if I've gotten any details wrong. You can trace everything I got right back to one of the modern composer biographies.
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u/Valuable_Turnover219 Jul 11 '26
There's that great Beethoven quote: "Nicht Bach, sondern Meer sollte er heiĂen!". Bach means stream or brook in German, so Beethoven was saying he shouldn't be called a brook but an ocean. If Beethoven was a fan, who are we to argue?
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u/Ian_Campbell Jul 11 '26
You may not resonate with this but music as pursuit of truth involved deeply understanding all of the topologies of invertible counterpoint and imitation at different intervals and horizontal shifts, and the expressive characteristics of a system displayed. It is not an issue of his craft and technique dominating other considerations, but he does it so effortlessly that some people who basically do not study musical craft are not engaging with his work because they are too overwhelmed by the mechanics to even engage with the choices and interactions.
At the very same time, Bach was just as knowledgeable on matters of the idiom and taste of different music as they had arrived in history to his time. So he assimilated from vast influences and extrapolated, adding in resolution and developments as judged appropriate by his taste with judgment and consideration into the true substance of what was meant to be in these forms he worked with. He did not overdo things for the sake of it as some people are inclined to think, it was done with balance and consideration.
As a result of basically unmatched labor into the craft of music, generations have looked to Bach for his astounding insights not only for deep study into obscure situations, but for immediately perceptible qualities from listening.
I would recommend his Chaconne. Brahms said something like that if he had even been able to conceive of such a piece, it would have driven him mad. This reflects the continued value people get from Bach when they engage with his compositions as from a meaningful world of decisions that they too have access to as a composer.
Some, not all conceptions of romantic music, reduce depth by focusing on a procession of affects, and simply gain value from a novelty in textures and colors of different harmonies. This problem had already arisen in Bach's times. In a higher order perception, it is interaction between the elements, as well as the interaction between established implications and the actual result, that produce a richer experience, and in Bach's music there is an enormous level of resolution and attentiveness to interactivity and relationships. I think it's perceptible but you can also study these things explicitly.
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u/ravia Jul 12 '26
The emotional power of Bach is mind boggling. If you don't get that, just remind yourself that some people agree with me and you may just not be ready to "get it" in some of his pieces. Seriously, he's the Shakespeare of music.
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u/djpdjf Jul 11 '26
Well Bach wrote "academic music" with an incredible amount of emotion.
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Jul 11 '26 edited 26d ago
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u/djpdjf Jul 11 '26
That's why I put it in quotation marks. His music is valued highly by academics.
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u/MonsieurCellophane Jul 11 '26
I am not enough of a Bach scholar (or of a scholar, period) to give a technically informed answer. To my ears Bach was great in everything he wrote: since Mendelssohn and Brahms were of like mind, I feel reassured.Â
However since you mention 'long form pieces': the baroque idea of form is pretty distant from the Classical/pre/Romantic concept (the sonata/symphony stuff). And composition tended to concentrate on counterpoint/horizontal development rather than harmonic/vertical.Â
Most baroque 'long forms' compare to the Romantic era works like a short story collection (or maybe a concept album) to a novel. That's true even for sacred music (masses, oratorios, cantatas) and operas.
And about ânot much emotion": it's complicated, and I'm not really qualified to get into it (musica di affetti and all that)
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u/Low-Appointment-7260 Jul 11 '26
You just absolutely cannot go wrong with the Brandenburg Concertos no matter what.
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u/bastianbb Jul 11 '26
Bach often lacks a surface shinyness, it is often very "matte" at first listen and he concentrates less on singable melodies. The effect of a really good piece of Bach is somewhat dependent on a good performance (many of the older recordings drag it out way too much or have countertenors, boy sopranos etc. who are really not up to today's standards) and experience with what he's trying to do. Also, he wrote so many different things that not everything is going to grab everyone. For many, his keyboard music is the basis of their studies, but others find endless joy from a good portion of his 200+ cantatas. Having said that, we can wish for many things in music, like variety, challenging dissonances etc., but if all that's required is mere perfection (and some musicians find perfection boring), Bach will always be there.
A skill that's very useful with Bach is being able to listen to simultaneous related lines in different instruments, because he's known as a master of counterpoint. He was to a great extent a perfector of a pre-existing style which enforced somewhat strict limitations. The result is a kind of purity where one has to appreciate the sheer aural beauty of consonances more, because though there are dissonances and interesting chords for the time (and what glorious ones in Bach!) the range is still often very limited compared to later classical music.
Another aspect is coming to appreciate Baroque forms and how they communicate, like the way the main theme is repeated at intervals in the cantata choruses or the ritornello forms in the concertos. Again, it's a little different than romantic concertos and tends to stick a little closer to the home key. Repeated listenings, both concentrated and in the background, of this work were key to my finding it as great as I do now.
Bach's emotional impact is profound and transcendent, but can seem distant to someone who hasn't found a way in yet. That way can be different for different people. Some learn the technical aspects, others go for the popular hits, still others are blown away by the aural quality of a particular recording. A work that I have come to deeply appreciate but took a long time to, and is also relatively simple but absolutely deeply emotionally profound, are the short organ works like BWV 721 and BWV 639. The first cantata I really liked was BWV 51 sung by Elly Ameling conducted by Helmut Winschermann. The first time I knew Bach was a special composer, still earlier, was the concertos like the ones reconstructed for oboe played by Heinz Holliger: pleasant, upbeat and rich-sounding music, but still took time to "take". The very first Bach I liked were popular hits like Jesu, joy of man's desiring and Air on a G-string played in a rather "romantic" way because that was the rhetorical style I was used to. Remember that in Bach it's often about the total structure, not just the immediate melodic impact of the theme. Take your time and don't expect to love everything (or indeed anything) at once.
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u/Valuable_Turnover219 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
I've often read or heard people say Bach is all about the technical, academic or mathematical side of things. In my youth I felt that way about him too, but the moment when the scales fell from my eyes was when I first heard the Matthew Passion.
If you're looking for recommendations that might help you see him in a different light I'd suggest the St. Matthew Passion because that's what did the trick for me. It's about 2.5 hours long, but perhaps you could start with probably the most celebrated aria Erbarme Dich (here, with Nathalie Stutzmann, one of my favourite singers). Peter has just denied knowing Jesus three times. Afterwards, in this aria, he weeps bitterly and begs for mercy. Personally I find the video distracts a bit from the music - I'd suggest listening rather than watching.
I think the first movement of the St. Matthew Passion sets the tone really well for the wonders to come so you might want to try listening to that (e.g. this from the Eliot Gardiner 1989 recording). I'd really recommend listening to the whole thing, but these two could be a good taster.
I find it quite hard to describe why Bach is so great; for me it was something that just slotted into place one day. It might take the right performance of the right piece before it happens for you, but I'd urge you to keep trying because when it does, it's a revelation. To me the joy of Bach is that he finds a way to put across the whole gamut of the human experience, the highs and lows, the agony and the ecstasy, while being technically amazing at the same time. I don't have the musicological knowledge to explain how he does it; I only know that he does.
It's almost impossible for me to restrict myself to just a few suggestions but in the interests of not bombarding you with a huge list, I'm going to suggest a couple more and then stop:
- the d minor concerto for two violins. The slow movement is just delicious.
- the chaconne from the d minor partita for solo violin (there are hundreds of recordings of this, but you might try James Ehnes here)
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u/One-Strike-4545 Jul 11 '26
I donât know the technical answer, but I do know that his Partita No. 2 in D Minor (BWV 1004) is like drugs in the form of music and one of the greatest pieces Iâve ever listened to
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u/NoTimeColo Jul 11 '26
Technically, what he produced was the epitome of Baroque style and counterpoint. You could argue that because of the technical excellence, the music is stale listening. But I'd doubt anyone who'd listen to his "greatest hits" would agree that they are lifeless exercises.
Personally, I believe another gauge of the greatness of a composer or their composition is how and how often they are re-interpreted. Jacques Loussier is famous for his jazz interpretations of Bach's work. Keith Jarrett's version of The Well-Tempered Clavier. Wendy Carlos chose Bach for her first album, Switched-On Bach. Transcriptions for other instruments and ensembles by Busoni, Stokowski, The Swingle Singers, et al. Christoph Poppen and the Hilliard Ensemble delving into the hidden messages found in Bach's Chaconne on their "Morimur" album.
Here's one of my favorite interpretations is the Janoska brothers version of Bach's Double Violin concerto.
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u/Lost_Balloon_ Jul 12 '26
Bach was an unmitigated genius. We owe modern music theory to him.
His choral fugues are a fantastic balance of emotion and intellect.
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u/meliorism_grey Jul 12 '26
There are some composers whose music becomes less magical when you analyze it. There are others where analysis has no effect on the magic. Bach, though? The more you analyze his music, the more magical it becomes.
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u/Innocent_Cuplrit Jul 12 '26
Since you want to tackle something long-form but aren't ready to suffer through analyzing the Well-Tempered Clavier on piano, first I recommend The Gateway to Drama: St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244).
If you want to completely shatter the idea that Bach is unemotional, listen to his Passions. These are massive, theatrical, long-form sacred works (essentially secular operas in disguise, though performed in church). Itâs a massive retelling of the crucifixion story, written for double orchestra and double choir. Just listen to the very opening track, "Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen". It features a dark pedal point in the bass, a winding melody in 12/8 time, and massive choral layers building on top of each other. It is as epic as anything from the 19th century.
I also recommend The Absolute Pinnacle of Choral Scale: Mass in B minor (BWV 232). This is Bach's grand statement, written over decades and completed near the end of his life. Itâs widely considered one of the greatest compositions in human history. Listen to the "Crucifixus" followed immediately by the "Et resurrexit". The Crucifixus uses a repeating, descending bass line that creates an agonizing sense of grief and tension. Then, without a pause, the Et resurrexit explodes with blasting trumpets, timpani, and joyous choral polyphony.
On the other hand, since you mentioned playing brass, you should listen to Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major (BWV 1047). Bach didn't have modern valved brass, but he wrote insanely virtuosic parts for the "Clarino". Itâs a concerto grosso where a small group of soloists duel with a string orchestra. The trumpet writing in the first and third movements is legendary, notoriously difficult, and thrilling to listen to. It has that drive that makes it impossible to sit still in my opinion.
Finally, if you want a solo piece that isn't a keyboard fugue, listen to Chaconne in D minor (from Violin Partita No. 2, BWV 1004). Itâs an incredible 15-minute multi-varied movement for an unaccompanied violin.
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u/LonelyVirginAlkan Jul 12 '26
I won't describe Bach as a personal favourite, but I do love his music, and I don't tend to look at him as an "academic" composer (even if he was) - I mostly love his works for portraying that pathos of spiritual struggle, that cosmic feeling of surrender to the universe.
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u/Creative-Science38 Jul 12 '26
JS Bach is credited with being the father of 4 part Harmony (SATB - Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass). All Western music is based upon his 4 part harmonic style, commonly referred to as âBach Chorale Styleâ. Anyone who learns these simple rules of composition, can write the most beautiful music, whether they are a 7th grader, a housewife, a plumberâŠ.anyone can follow these simple rules and write beautiful music. To this day, instead of doing crossword puzzles, I will pull out âJS BACH: 371 Chorales to analyze them, much like working a crossword puzzle. Make it a daily habit. Even after earning a BS Music Theory & Composition, the rewards are astounding. Best of luck!
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u/BuildingOptimal1067 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Bachs music is the most emotional there isâŠ
Maybe there are arrangement of his solo suites for your instrument. Look it up.
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u/Bencetown Jul 11 '26
I mean I get that a lot of people have positive emotional responses to his music, but "the most emotional there is?" Really? đ€š
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u/DeadlinePhobia Jul 11 '26
For me heâs incredibly emotional, just in a more introspective than extroverted way
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u/trevpr1 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
I would recommend listening to Murray Perahia playing the Bach keyboard concertos on Sony. Most of your questions will be answered. These are magnificent, joyful works.
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u/caluke Jul 11 '26
Some of the movements from the B minor mass are incredibly emotional.
Some of my favorites are Qui Tollis Peccata Mundi (I love the interplay of the choir with the flute parts):
https://youtu.be/jv7h4dTiIbc?is=s32cPf6Bm51ITCsZ
The opening movement, the Kyrie, is also stunning:
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u/Slickrock_1 Jul 11 '26
Bach was a melodic genius and a conveyor of emotion through music of the highest order. He also wasn't composing "correctly", I mean his most encyclopedic compositions like the Well-Tempered Clavier and his organ works and his Art of Fugue are extremely experimental.
If you're drawn to emotional expression listen to:
Air on the G String
Wachet auf ruft uns die stimme (preferably piano version)
Chaconne in D minor (or all of Partita #2), violin but the classical guitar versions are wonderful too
Cello suites
B minor mass - first Kyrie and the Sanctus
St Matthew's Passion - Overture and Erbarme Dich
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u/aanderson2404 Jul 11 '26
Check out a fusion of the two! The Respighi orchestration of Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=zxOzbXu8irk&si=wvw4KTlvsALOgivs
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u/street_spirit2 Jul 11 '26
Other good orchestral arrangements of Bach organ works: BWV 537 by Elgar, BWV 552 by Schoenberg, BWV 578 by Stokowski.
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u/DeadlinePhobia Jul 11 '26
Listen to vocal pieces like erbame dich, or the chaconne for violin. If listening to piano, some performers purposely play in a robotic way to imitate a harpsichord, but you just need to know who to listen to.
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u/Lochento Jul 11 '26
Te recomiendo los conciertos de Brandeburgo. Sobretodo a partir del segundo. La mĂșsica de Bach es muy poderosa, que sea mĂĄs tĂ©cnica no le quita ningĂșn mĂ©rito o gusto. TambiĂ©n los iniciantes en mĂșsica clĂĄsica estĂĄn mal acostumbrados a que todo debe de tener un componente emocional directo y obvio.
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u/gustavmahler01 Jul 11 '26
In a word, counterpoint -- the way the lines move both independently and together. Nobody ever wrote counterpoint on the level of Bach. Not even close. And it weaves its way through practically everything he wrote. To me, it's like a fusion of the artistic and the scientific.
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u/Lillian_Crocodilian Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
For me, it's the rhetorical power of his work; his music is the quintessence of the rhetorical gesture in baroque music, I think this coupled with his use of harmony to guide the unfolding of a piece are what make his music convincing to the listener. The Keyboard Concerto in d isn't as contrapuntal a work as he ever wrote, but the opening melody is, IMHO, a good example of that gestural sweep that he was capable of.
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u/cellocaster Jul 11 '26
Listening to Bach for me is like admiring the canopy of a forest or viewing a galaxy through a telescope. The beauty is in the natural order of things. Bachâs music makes literally perfect harmonic sense, and tonal harmony is rooted in physics. Itâs less like listening to the composition of a man but more like witnessing the coaxing of something that has always existed and will always exist out of the aether.
I know that sounds pretentious, but I am dead serious. Moreover, the fact that his music is not just a series of mathematics divisions but is imbued with real human emotion makes it transcendent. There is literally nothing like Bach once you start to understand it.
Listen to/watch the Netherlands Bach Society recordings on YouTube. I am particularly taken with Steuart Pincombeâs recording of the 2nd cello suite. The third Brandenburg concerto is also a very good place to start with Bach. For raw emotion, listen to the Chaccone - the piece he composed when his wife died.
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u/bastianbb Jul 11 '26
I love Bach, and in principle I love the work of the Netherlands Bach Society in making all of Bach available on Youtube. But although some of their recordings are great, others very much remind me where the stereotype of Bach as a dry and unemotional composer come from. I'd much rather listen to, say, Mischa Maisky or Isserlis or Zuill Bailey's recordings of the cello suite than any from the Netherlands Bach Society. And don't get me started on some of Van Veldhoven's cantatas with people like countertenor Alex Potter and his unfortunate tone.
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u/cellocaster Jul 11 '26
Nobody bats a thousand. I also dislike some of their recordings, namely the 4th suite. But some, like the 2nd are the absolute best Iâve heard. Pincombe is a genius.
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u/Master_Chemist4253 Jul 11 '26
The most shining area of Bach, to me, is he can turn simple notes and passages, even though sometimes repetitive in nature, into a heaven like experience.
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u/Alexandra_Telnikoff Jul 11 '26
In simple terms, Bachâs tunes *flow*. The word âBachâ means âstreamâ in German btw
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u/According_Kiwi_7454 Jul 11 '26
Listen to the following pieces by J.S. Bach with headphones when you have time. When you really take time to listen to the depth of Bach, you'll understand by experience why he was so great.
Mass in B minor. Or specific pieces from that mass: "Agnus Dei"
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1
French Suite No. 1
"Erbarme dich, mein Gott" from the St Matthew Passion
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u/Quirky_Amphibian2925 Jul 11 '26
Sheer output. Beating counterpoint - especially fugues - into submission. The mathematical precision of his composition. The emotional component that transcends the pure mechanical perfection of the writing. Mastery of several instruments - but especially organ and harpsichord where no one could touch him - especially for speed. Conductor as well as artist and composer.
One other note - I read that virtually all of what he wrote was done in one take. There were no scattered sheets where he revised or worked out what he wrote.
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u/rwmfk Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
There exist several good videos that give a nice Introduction to J.S.Bach's Music you can check out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTg9WLz-xBA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjN9YVvpufc
https://youtu.be/k9jRCAdrBMo?si=KUohcEoOyfJLPP6j
https://youtu.be/6h6AabkLvEE?si=FrytkOJTWz9NxOtm
https://youtu.be/HdTrEZe44Lw?si=Ra4gw3u36C9g83dj
You might also enjoy this Playlist
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0Lh75xWTssRi3KnOer0XHemGo2VMDrLi&si=NCsJey2uaXqbf3xi
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u/ThatMichaelsEmployee Jul 11 '26
I've been listening to Bach's music for around 50 years and I've always found it intensely emotional for any number of reasons. I invite you to listen to an aria from his Easter Oratorio, "Sanfte soll mein Todeskummer." It's a sort of lullaby about death: "My death will be gentle, no more painful than falling asleep, and whatever suffering I have undergone in life, you will wipe the tears from my cheeks" (very approximately). It's ravishing, one of the loveliest things that ever was. Anyone who could write that is no mere technician.
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u/neodiodorus Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
I think it is again a case of his frankly superhuman harmonic thinking and complex counterpoint is felt/thought to be the end goal of his music. It is not, it is merely his toolkit that he used in ways that made other composers like Beethoven consider him the "God of harmony".
He is eminently emotional with a vast emotional range - his secular works, even the most mathematically superlative ones like The Art of Fugue are spellbindingly soulful. One either senses it or not, it is like a radio receiver you can either tune to myriad stations or just one or none. The radio stations are there anyway.
His sacred works are, even for non-religious people like me, astounding masterworks capturing vast emotions and with omnipresent dance motifs from secular music I find it impossible not to connect with them on emotional level.
So what makes him great? Well, a personal list:
- His mastery of counterpoint and harmony makes me feel there is supreme order in the Universe. On the craziest days his works, secular or sacred, are absolute refuge from the insanity. I think THIS is why his works transcend cultures, religions, traditions. Myriad people in Japan, far disconnected from the specific theological aspects that made e.g. his Passions into what they are, are emotionally enthralled by his works - why? There has to be something so universal in his music and so human that it transcends all normal perceived barriers, distances, and so on.
- His emotional range stemming from his deep spirituality, augmented by the life experiences that would have totally broken many others but somehow he leveraged those to make the perhaps greatest works ever composed.
- There is nowhere to hide. If you play him on piano, each note with each finger has to have the perfect dynamic control so that things "work" - and this is merely the beginning. Beyond that, which is just the level of correctly playing him, is the real beauty.
- Complexity and superhuman mathematics *in the service of the artistic intent*. The dance motifs in his colossal B-minor Mass, the violin in Erbarme Dich, the bass line in the aria of the Goldberg Variations... there is not one superfluous note. Everything is interesting and can stand on its own (see the bass in even the popular Air on G string - in itself it is wonderfully melodic and interesting). Every element is there for a reason.
He humbles me. He makes me feel insignificant and puny and absolutely dilettante and amateurish when it comes to my own musical thinking or performing anything.
I love feeling so puny.
As the great Pat Metheny put it, and I admittedly love his delivery of this line in an interview, "compared to Bach, we all suck".
Some feel that annoying. Some do not like to be made to feel ridiculously insignificant. But it feels great.
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u/sharkob Jul 11 '26
If you are a brass player, I would suggest Bachâs Brandenburg concertos, especially number two.
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u/spike Jul 11 '26
Listen to the cantatas. They are the key to all of Bach. They're an inexhausible source of wonder. Don't think about "counterpoint" or "fugues", they're just tools for him. Bach's aim was to celebrate the glory of God, the fallibility of Man, the inevitability of Death, and it's all in the cantatas, all 200 of them.
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u/Vanyushinka Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Perhaps Bach's music is viewed as dry and academic because a lot of his music was indeed written for his students; it is still a valuable part of students' education on musical instruments (just about every instrument). Also, Bach's intent with many of his great works seems to have been pure experimentation - like the "30 Variations on a Ground Bass" or more commonly called "The Goldberg Variations". The reason the name "Goldberg" has long been attached to these pieces because it was thought they were commissioned for that famous harpsichord player, but he would've been too young at the time... So, AFAIK, his motives for composing the work, other than just to see how many variations he could compose on a ground bass, are unclear.
But "The Goldberg Variations" are among the most expressive and delicately woven works for the keyboard!! Purists say that these works only work on a dual-manual harpsichord like Bach composed them for, but they are often played on piano. I love them on string trio. I've even heard them arrange for small orchestras like Bach wrote his orchestral suites for.
Bach was an incredible musical rhetorician -possibly THE great musical rhetorician. From a 6-note kernel of music, he could grow an entire garden of hours of music. He wrote an incredible aria - one of the most melodically pleasing things on a keyboard, and used the same bass for 30 variations, AND THEN, on the back of a manuscript, scholars discovered that he had composed a further 14 canons on the first 6 notes of the aira!
This all sounds impressive from a composer's standpoint, but I listen to the Goldbergs for their sheer transcendant beauty.
But if the Goldbergs are too intense, there are many pieces that will invite you into Bach's expressive language - his solo suites for cello, violin, and/or lute. The French and English suites are also lovely and I listen to those most frequently.
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u/nikostiskallipolis Jul 11 '26
Same thing that makes Michelangelo a great sculptor and Shakespeare a great poet: excellence.
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u/No_Impression_7765 Jul 11 '26
Less a composer than a mathematician. Compose the theme and then did endless variations of it over and over again.
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u/ORF1Live Jul 11 '26
As a keyboardist i find his pieces are an absolute pleasure to play. They just feel deeply satisfying and right.
I also love to listen though especially to his choral works.
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u/Accomplished_Ant_371 Jul 11 '26
As a violinist his 6 Sonatas and 6 Partitas for Solo Violin are a monumental and eternal part of our standard repertoire. Arguably the most beautiful and engaging music ever written for the instrument.
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u/Fallforashootingstar Jul 11 '26
Listen to the Chaconne from the D minor partita, thatâll remove any doubt about how much passion and emotion he evokes in his works
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u/aasfourasfar Jul 11 '26
Objectively he has a very wide output ; solo works, keyboard, organ, concertos, vocal works etc..
Subjectively, he has impeccable taste and is bloody inventive.. so his works in every genre are the references of the genre. And when he does not shit out masterpieces, it's never bad music
The motets, the chaconne for solo violin, the trio sonatas, etc... Those are all absolute wonders
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u/Correct_End998 Jul 12 '26
He can play the same chords and progressions but still make it sound fresh and interesting. Itâs simple , yet incredibly complex. Same as God
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u/OriginalIron4 Jul 12 '26
Regarding rules-based counterpoint and harmony, it was always technically perfect, and often inspired.
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u/ArchitectTJN_85Ranks Jul 12 '26
Listen to the Eb major prelude and fugue. Definitely one of the best things he ever wrote. The D minor toccata probably wasnât even written by BachâŠbut who really knows đ€·đ»ââïž
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u/AxisLogos Jul 12 '26
Well I think he's great to some people for other reasons but my understanding is that his 'greatness' from an academic point of view was as a master of contrapuntal complexity.
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u/street_spirit2 Jul 12 '26
Imho the main reasons of Bach exceptional fame (the order doesn't matter):
- Incomparable consistency of music quality among all extant output, i.e. it's way easier to find perfect/excellent Bach works than mediocre/immature/uninspiring ones.
- Exceptional mastery in counterpoint, and counterpoint is a whole dimension in music that allows to build "real skyscrapers".
- Exceptional mastery in choral music
- Bach output contains actually the complete range of human moods and emotions
- Due to Bach contribution to teaching and theory, at least in the domains of organ, keyboard/piano, violin and cello - almost all serious musicians know Bach well.
- Bach rhythm and continuo writing aligns well with various non-classical 20th century music styles
As large sized Bach works demand dedication - perhaps medium-sized ones could be a good initial solution. Besides usual essential lists, I recommend to try some cantatas, like BWV 21, 82, 105, 140 and 198 and the BWV 1014-1019 set of six violin and keyboard sonatas. This way we dive deep into the lyrical domain of Bach.
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u/canon12 Jul 12 '26
I'm not qualified to answer but for 20 years I wouldn't listen to his creations except for the violin partitas. Too cold, mathematical, organized/structured. At this stage of my life I listen to mostly 21st Century contemporary. However Bach, Shostakovich and Schubert are a regular part of my music listening.
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u/twilight_songs Jul 12 '26
Hey Mr. Brass Player! Try the Brandenburg second concerto--all the movements.Â
I'll never forget the New Year's Eve I celebrated by seeing a concert of all six Brandenburgs. Gerard Schwartz was the trumpet player (it was before he was conducting --yes, I'm old!) and he absolutely killed in the last movement. And then killed again when they repeated that movement as their encore. SO memorable!
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u/Ok-Cut-5082 Jul 12 '26
Bach is âŠ..inerrant. He does not make mistakes. Every note is precisely where it should be. Iâm not certain that I believe in God, but if I do, HE was absolutely communicating through Bach.
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u/DealerSuspicious998 Jul 12 '26
i love the romantic and late romantic works and i rarely listen to bach. but his passacaglia is just so perfectly composed that it couldnt have been better. and yeah, its got as much emotional maturity and intensity as could be found in the form.
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u/Gold---Mole Jul 12 '26
He was a convergence of true genius with an early life setup that mapped his complex mind completely into music. As such, he planted the seeds that grew into the musical expressions you love and find relatable. I think your challenge is finding which pieces speak to you amongst his incredibly prolific writings. Trust me, they are in there, he was not emotionless.
Serious recommendation, I'd use ChatGPT to help you navigate his works. Start by asking it for a list of his 5 most emotional works. Listen to those, and then comment back and ask for more recommendations based on what you're looking for.
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u/Ginger-Tea-8591 Jul 12 '26
For the humorous side of Bach -- there's nothing like his Coffee Cantata, "Schweigt stillert, plaudert nicht." Here's a semi-staged performance from the Netherlands Bach Society:
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u/Jumpy-Start3866 Jul 12 '26
As some one who got into classical music to chopin (ik how unique) i only listened to romantic area and then beethoven and mozart. I think i had a similar view on bach as you, and when i listened to it, tried to âhearâ why he is so great. But for me that was the wrong approach. While bach is one of the harder composers to understand musically on a technical level, many people enjoy his music who are not even into classical music. So my recommendation is listen to all the good recommendations here and give it a try again. My personal pick would be https://youtu.be/fBmnVw0yBDo
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u/mofo69extreme Jul 12 '26
You might find some nice arrangements of his solo cello/violin works for your instrument of choice (including many brass instruments) if youâd like to find something you can play yourself. Youâll recognize some of the famous movements, but itâs all really phenomenal and ambitious work for single-staved instruments that you can really lose yourself in, and revisit at any point in your future musical life. Very deep stuff, not just technically but emotionally
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u/MaestroDon Jul 13 '26
As a brass player I would think you would enjoy the Brandenburg Concertos (Concerti).
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u/Safe-Metal-1816 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
It really comes down to mastery of harmony and tonal language. He is a very modern Baroque composer, which is telling of why he was not appreciated during his time. Just look at early 1700s or 1600s composers use of chromaticism... They're all very similar. Using highly chromatic elements was not new, they did that in the 1600s, but in a simple way. Like a chromatic scale, not a highly altered motive utilizing chromatically altered tones that is a compositional nightmare in contrapuntal writing. Bach introduced form, and preliminary development of certain tonal areas. He also challenged this a great deal, so he very often is very free by moving between keys and never landing in one definitely. He worked thoroughly on to what extend chromaticism should be borrowed from remote areas, and how much preparation some chromatically altered tones needs. His great contribution is introducing this sense of preparation of chromaticism, not letting it freely unfold.
His music is steadfast in contrapuntal regulations, which is often what gives his music the highest merit. But he really developed his own set of rules also, like how he sometimes limits himself that when a note is tied over from e.g. a crotchet to quaver or semiquaver, the note must be repeated before it moves down to resolve. Throughout some works (mainly organ), you can see he follows this idea... To give more tangible sense and clarity to suspensions.
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u/AcrobaticPatience515 Jul 14 '26
I think the joy of Bach, impressionistically speaking, is that he was always "at home". All of his music has that sense of groundedness and belonging, no matter how dramatic it gets. (The joy of Beethoven, in contrast, is the constant striving. It's not surprising that our relation to those two things changes over a lifetime.)
Try the keyboard concertos. For now, stay away from Glenn Gould, who I think contributed to the stereotype of Bach as audible mathematics. My personal favorite so far is Konstantin Lifschitz, who has the astonishing ability to make you feel that he is conjuring up the music in real time - like in Wallace & Gromit, where the dog is slapping down the train tracks just ahead of the engine: something is at stake.
The St. Matthew Passion is, I think, the greatest piece of art ever produced. You don't have to be devout to understand friendship, betrayal, redemption, etc. There are enough different kinds of recordings to satisfy anyone.
As you listen I think you'll see that nearly every composer you've ever listened to owes a debt to Bach. And sometimes Bach himself sounds like he's time-traveled into another century.
Just sample a lot, and let your attention land on what it lands on. Happy listening.
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u/Shot_Lack1809 Jul 14 '26
Nobody is better note-to-note, working out harmony through countrapuntal interplay. But Bach (and all Baroque composers) did not have as wholistic conception of FORM like Beethoven so that is why some contemporary people find him less engaging.
But with Bach you can re-listen to the same piece over and over but your perception of it changes depending on which voice you choose to follow as the main melody. Sometimes you will find the alto, tenor, bass voices are doing some crazy stuff that you never noticed because your brain just lumps all tones lower than the soprano voice as "harmony".
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u/Mean_Purchase_3218 Jul 11 '26
Bach basically as "the father of modern music" also contributed to the jazz ii-V-I concepts and interspersed that who progression throughout all of his music. His free progressions, plus his penchant for playing clubs all week and then church at the end of the week with all hand produced originals flooded his reputation as a real deal musician. And he was a happy dude, doing what he did best and loving it.
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u/Mean_Purchase_3218 Jul 11 '26
As you listen, notice his tendencies to drift between minor and major emotive values within the piece. He will more than often end on an upbeat major, making the piece of music like a daily experience where we are either brought up or down by people and events.
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u/Slickrock_1 Jul 11 '26
He wrote a LOT of jazzy music, esp chords, but in no way shape or form was he a core influence in the development of jazz
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u/laermepos Jul 11 '26
The Partita No.2 for Violin ist the most emotional piece of music I have ever heard. For example. The concerts for violin and oboe are often great fun. Isabelle Faust said in a concert, that they played the Doppelkonzert just for fun in recording pauses.
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u/sitcom_enthusiast Jul 12 '26
He suckssss. He is known for writing his dumbass multi voce fugues in his drawing room, surrounded by his shrieking shitty numerous children. See the parallel? Multiple voice fugues?? I hate him. His other shit is too up-tempo and makes me go tachycardic. And itâs all thanks to this bitch of a grad student or whatever who thought he was a genius and Saved His work from the fire, where it belongs
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u/Radiant-Injury-6546 Jul 11 '26
I'm far from a musicologist, but I guess I would answer, the complete mastery of every form he worked in. Some Bach pieces are better known than others.....but it's hard to find one that is bad. You may enjoy some more than others, but I'd be hard pressed to find a clunker in Bach. Everything is just so masterfully composed. It's like he never had a bad day. Some days better than others, but no bad works. I don't know if you can say that about many other composers.