Happy Birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach

Subject: Happy Birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach
From: Amos
Date: 21 Mar 08 - 10:17 AM

Although he was not a purely folk musician, it must be allowed that Bach left his stamp on every branch of Western music through the last 300 years. As one poster wrote, "The vernal equinox is upon us, dividing night and day into equal halves. It is also the birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach, born March 21, 1685. How fitting that this endlessly creative and perennial composer should have been born on the first day of spring; his music is deeply imbued with a sense of renewal, alternating with poignant and uplifting frequency between contrasts of dark and light, melancholy and cheer. ...I've chosen to concentrate on his violin concertos, works filled with enormous feeling and exuberance of spirit with movements emerging out of the darkest depths of winter into worlds bubbling over with optimism, freshness, youthful zeal"...

In a sense he was one of all of our paternal ancestors. Happy Birthday, Johann!


A

Subject: RE: Happy Birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 21 Mar 08 - 10:43 AM

Well said.

When life gets too much for me, I play his 'Jesu joy' on the recorder.

The Minuet in G from Anna Magdalena's Notebook also makes a fine piece for the fretted dulcimer.

Subject: RE: Happy Birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach
From: Pauline L
Date: 22 Mar 08 - 10:42 AM

Thanks for posting this, Amos. Bach was the greatest.

Subject: RE: Happy Birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach
From: *daylia*
Date: 22 Mar 08 - 11:58 AM

Yes, thank you Amos. I needed a pick-me-up today, and this is it. I love Bach .... and I love cello .... and in the hopes that someone here appreciates Julian Lloyd Webber's rendition of "Air on the G String" as much as I do...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ljII_bRQQk

Funny thing, leenia. The musical Powers That Be seem to have decided that J.S.Bach did not write that immortal little Minuet in G after all. It is now attributed to one of contemporaries, Christian Petzold. Info here (and click to listen)

http://www.sheetmusic2print.com/Default.aspx?id=280

Happy Birthday Johann!!!

Subject: RE: Happy Birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Mar 08 - 07:16 PM

Actually, I knew that. Never heard of Petzold, but knew the minuet was in the notebook but prob. not the work of J.S. Himself.

My goal was to get somebody here to think, 'If Leeneia can play it, maybe I can. Why don't I try it?'

Subject: RE: Happy Birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach
From: *daylia*
Date: 23 Mar 08 - 08:51 AM

Yup, Bach sounds heavenly on dulcimer. I have a version of his Choral Prelude "Sleepers Awake" ([i]Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme[/i])on dulcimer -- takes me right away!

Dunno about banjo, though. Whaddaya think? :-)

Bach on Banjo

Subject: RE: Happy Birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach
From: *daylia*
Date: 23 Mar 08 - 08:53 AM

Geez, I wish this site had a way to edit posts!   I'm forgetting how to do the HTML tags -- sorry bout that!

Subject: RE: Happy Birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach
From: Doc John
Date: 23 Mar 08 - 12:23 PM

Happy Birthday too: Juan Gris (1887), Joan Crawford (1906), Donald Campbell (1921), Sir Roger Bannister (1921), Sir Steve Redgrave (1962) Nothing to do with folkmusic at all
Doc John
Oh and Mike Hailwood was killed

Subject: RE: Happy Birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 23 Mar 08 - 11:30 PM

I agree, daylia, the banjo number seems to lack soul.

I can't help but envy someone who can play that and not make a mistake, though.

Subject: RE: Happy Birthday, Johann Sebastian Bach
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Mar 08 - 11:42 PM

leeneia, I used to play that minuet on the piano all of the time; my mom liked it, as did I. I never thought to try that particular piece on the fretted dulcimer. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll try it.

I didn't mind the banjo so much, if I closed my eyes and *thought* lute or something else instead. I actually like banjos, too, though.:-)

I prefer Mozart and Beethoven, but Bach's music has a soothing, sublime inevitability to it which is very comforting. I am grateful he had a birth day and shared so much with the world.


Thanks, Amos, for the thread.