Happy 325th Birthday Kantor Bach!
Our beloved fifth evangelist was born on this day in 1685. Since many male relatives in Bach time shared a common first name: fathers, grand-fathers, uncles, cousins it was common to use a man’s more unique middle name to address them personally, and so, if we were to sing “Happy Birthday” to Bach, we would probably sing it “dear Sebastian.”
What a precious treasure and gift J.S. Bach is to the world. His music is the most influential ever written. When scientists were discussing what should be beamed into outer space to reach potential alien cultures, biologist Lewis Thomas said, “I would vote for Bach, all of Bach, streamed out into space. We would be bragging, of course.” And so we did. When the Voyager space craft was launched, it carried with it recordings from earth, the first being the first movement of Bach’s Brandenberg Concerto No. 2 in F.
To celebrate let’s watch and listen as the incomparable Glenn Gould plays a piano version of Bach’s Cantata BWV 1058, followed by his interpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, 1-7, concluding with a movement from one of the Brandenburg Concertos. By the way, you might wonder what Gould is doing while he is playing. He was famous for singing in a low voice along while playing, often vocally harmonizing with the music.
March 21st, 2010 | 1:54 pm | #1
Seeing Gould in the back-to-back videos is curiously affecting. The hair grays, the eyes grow dim, the body hunches over, but the face remains full of wonder and joy.
“Bach,” as Gould said once, “is a volcano.”
March 21st, 2010 | 6:02 pm | #2
Thanks for this today! One of the best fruits of Christendom.
March 21st, 2010 | 6:06 pm | #3
Gould is one of our heroes here in Canada. He died all too young, but at least the CBC named one of their studios after him!
March 22nd, 2010 | 2:38 pm | #4
For those who want to support a Canadian Bach pianist, but who cannot stand Glenn Gould, there is someone who is less quirky, technically brilliant, and she doesn’t hum along: Angela Hewitt.
She has recorded the WTC twice. She had an international tour of the WTC I and II (she played at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall one or two years ago, and the performance was revelatory.) She is one of the finest musicians I have ever heard. Her DVD on Bach is a must-see – she speaks from the piano
My other favorite Bach pianist is Andras Schiff, but he’s from Hungary, not Canada. (Another Schiff perk -his lecture series on the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas – it’s on the Guardian UK website.)
March 22nd, 2010 | 11:53 pm | #5
Great post Rev. McCain! Bach was truly amazing. And if I can shill for a minute- I owe most of my respect for him to a talk/performance a friend of mine gave on the Goldberg Variations http://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/audio/2009/03/05/theology-at-the-keyboard-bach-and-the-goldberg-variations/
-End shill.
Again, great post :)
March 23rd, 2010 | 12:29 am | #6
Was it just the men who frequently shared the first name? My own mother’s female ancestors frequently shared first names through the 18th century, at least. I’ve never understood that . . .
March 23rd, 2010 | 5:28 am | #7
Glad to see the appreciation of Bach’s music and that his outstanding work is not forgotten. I suspect I’m not alone in feeling that some days it would be nice to enjoy the arts all day long rather than contending with all the not so pleasant parts of life.
March 23rd, 2010 | 7:27 am | #8
So true, Karyn!
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