The Bach Effect: What the GREATS Hear That You Don’t

In today's episode I explore the profound influence of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) on music legends, revealing the timeless impact of Bach's genius across genres.
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[@thediamonddog95]

When i saw a thumbnail, i thought Rick is going to interview Bach.

[@bwpm1467]

Well, if anyone could make that happen, it's Rick...

[@Book-bz8ns]

Greatest interview never made😢

[@dad45a]

Mozart

[@WinItReigns]

Bach to the Future

[@punns643]

​@@dad45ahe's overrated

[@thewavingbear]

Mozart tells you what it’s like to be human Beethoven tells you what it’s like to be Beethoven Bach tells you what it’s like to be the universe -Douglas Adams.

[@RedDogMamaHD]

What a perfect quote!

[@paulkelcher824]

We're all hitchhiking to Bach ;)

[@jesusislukeskywalker4294]

@@paulkelcher824bach to the future 🚬😎

[@CP-ku4yx]

Or,... in the end we all end up with playing bach.

[@denominator208]

What a terrible, cliché quote.

[@zggks5066]

1:20 “Compared to Bach , man we all suck” Path Metheny Hahaha 🤣 That’s perfect! I love it ❤️😂

[@leif1075]

How can that be true? I want to be as great as Bach and could never admit I'm not and don't see why I can't be.

[@deliannehal3233]

@@leif1075 Then make your art great

[@curiousgeorge1508]

Dear Rick, I usually don't comment but I wanted to thank you for your video. I actually am a violin student from Leipzig and just yesterday in the evening I have played the St Matthew Passion by Bach in the St Thomas Church. It was great and during the concert I thought to myself how amazing it is to play music by a composer who lived many centuries ago and that the music still sounds beautiful today. I have played all of Bach's Motets and a few Cantatas in that church and also I play pieces from his Partita for solo violin when I'm not playing in an orchestra. Everytime I just wonder how he managed to compose such beautiful works of art and especially in that quantity. Your video made me appreciate the music more and summed up my thoughts about his music. Thank you, Rick :)

[@fredgarv79]

Just saw St Johns passion in Seattle last week, it had more than a few people having to dab their eyes during parts of it. I envy you so much. Hope you have a long and great career playing this great music and not just Bach. I think "how did he manage it?" He himself said it came from higher above and I believe that

[@pamelaschutz1248]

@@fredgarv79 , true, but he also valued plodding. Just plain hard work. No temper tantrums and "look at me" moments. Just service. And work. In humility. That's what makes greatness. Curious George, here's to you! I am personally grateful for every single musician who continues working incredibly hard so that these gems are not lost to us forever.

[@paulwooton4390]

​@@fredgarv79 plus he was a great family man.

[@paulwooton4390]

What a treasure for you, and for those who are lucky to hear you in that setting. I am happy that BLM has not yet torn down the Bach statue.

[@pamelaschutz1248]

@@paulwooton4390 , God forbid! Grief that gave me a turn to think about. They have torn down our statue of Rhodes in South Africa and much else, and however nasty Rhodes might actually have been, history is history, and desecration is desecration. They have also burned Irma Stern Art museum and much else.

[@IsaacMcgill]

Rick has got to interview Bach🔥🔥🔥

[@ytc3182]

He might not be available at this particular time

[@benjaminperez7328]

Rick needs to break out the Ouija board…….

[@mannibimmel09]

reading out bwv live?

[@IsaacMcgill]

@@benjaminperez7328 that would be sick

[@0xbad]

I hope Rick will not meet Bach anytime soon.

[@lisa-mariegray5510]

The cellist Pablo Casals, once said: "Every morning I go to my piano and I play two preludes and fugues of JS Bach. It is like a blessing, a benediction, on my house. Bach is like life: it is a miracle!".

[@jondhuse1549]

My trombone teach once said: Begin every day with Bach.

[@lisa-mariegray5510]

@@jondhuse1549 Very wise! 😊

[@Dwightpower88]

​@@jondhuse1549my trombone teacher, Rusty, always said "ASSUME THE POSITION"

[@annwaddell7321]

I went to Marlboro College in Vermont, where Casals summered, and though he had already passed by the time I went there, he was very much alive in Vermont. Some days, I have heard (from very reliable sources) Casals played the entire Well Tempered Clavier!

[@Dwightpower88]

@@annwaddell7321 cringe

[@francescopileri3845]

I was watching this video without headphones and at 6:30 my father walked by and stopped. He looked at me and remained silent, smiling. Then he asked me: is that Bach? I nodded. He said: beautiful.

[@8og7crtxrftghjujhre4dztu8ljg]

Which work is it?

[@fsinjin60]

@@8og7crtxrftghjujhre4dztu8ljghard to say. He used that tune in three or four settings. O sacred head, sore wounded, I think Also used by Paul Simon for American Tune

[@8og7crtxrftghjujhre4dztu8ljg]

@@fsinjin60 I now found it. It is "Jesu, meine Freude (BWV 227)".

[@fsinjin60]

@@8og7crtxrftghjujhre4dztu8ljg I think you are right. My guess, aka O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden, is similar but not the same. Both are used in Weihnachtsoratorium: #40 for Jesu, miene freund and #5 & #57 for o sacred head

[@Henrix1998]

Things that definitely happened

[@galahadthreepwood9394]

I grew up in a very dysfunctional family, however I was given the gift of hearing and playing Bach from an early age. His music has given me great comfort and succour for over 60 years now. I’m not sure I would have made it without this gift.

[@Coolbardie]

Bach's music has given me a lot of comfort over the years, too. I'm glad you were given the gift that's helped you make it to where you are now. ❤

[@alastertan5779]

I am so happy to learn that… to me Bach’s music - is divine. When you study scripture & practice daily; it heals you. Do I make sense?

[@mrtruefifth]

- When biologist Lewis Thomas was asked what message he would choose to send into outer space in the Voyager spacecraft, he said: “I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach … but that would be boasting.”

[@danacoleman4007]

That's a terrific quote!😂

[@mrtruefifth]

Long Version: “Many people remember that when in 1977 the Voyager spacecraft was launched, opinions were canvassed as to what artefacts would be most appropriate to leave in outer space as a signal of man's cultural achievements on earth. The American astronomer Carl Sagan proposed that 'if we are to convey something of what humans are about then music has to be a part of it.' To Sagan's request for suggestions, the eminent biologist Lewis Thomas answered, 'I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.' After a pause, he added, 'But that would be boasting.” ― John Eliot Gardiner, Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven

[@charlesbranch4120]

I have tried to read every book that Lewis Thomas, M.D. wrote, from The Lives of a Cell and The Medusa and the Snail to his last two, an autobiography and The Fragile Species. In World War II, the Navy was concerned with the lack of knowledge about conditions in the South Pacific that people might encounter that they enlisted and commissioned from medical schools, teams to travel with the island hopping campaign. He was commissioned as an officer and wrote of his duty caring for laboratory animals to be used in potential testing. Maintaining several rabbits for months on end, only a single rabbit was used before the war ended. Rather than spoil the story, go to the public library and check out his book(s).

[@anthonyhapgood5856]

Send more Chuck Berry!

[@jesperth.petersen8386]

😂😂😂

[@fernandogarridovaz]

When I was studying music at college, we were lucky to have the local cathedral’s organist attending lessons with us. One day, as a class activity, we went with him to the cathedral and stood next to the organ’s keyboard while he played Toccata and Fugue in D minor. I was in tears all through it, literally sobbing. This was early in the morning, and I remember going back home unable to watch any more lessons and just sitting on my balcony for hours enjoying the memory of the music. It was such a powerful moment which I will never forget. Bach’s music is the pinnacle of human achievement.

[@johnswendell8711]

"the pinnacle of human achievement ", I totally agree!

[@hakanaxlund4316]

Great story!

[@lowandodor1150]

I can relate completely.

[@JackKnight762]

whoop de doo

[@mechanicalman1068]

How wonderful! I totally agree.

[@kellyatkins9064]

I laughed when Rick talked about getting the Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 album from the library when he was a 6th grader. That's exactly how I discovered Bach. I was a 12-year-old kid in the summer of '72 searching the album section of the local library, looking for rock albums, when I came across a recording of the Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 and decided to see what this Bach guy was all about. It's still my favorite classical work ever.

[@EvelynBaron]

Well in Toronto the current Korean embassy around the corner from where my family lived was the Music Library ... everything was there, Alan Bates reading Dante's Inferno, James Joyce reading from Dubliners so far away in time ... I discovered Pericles Prince of Tyre there and the music OMG amazing. Now you can still go down to the music library at the UofT but that's it.

[@Beer_Dad1975]

I always despised and derided heavy metal, until I worked with a guy who was a very talented heavy metal guitarist and he, knowing I was a classical fan, pointed out how much heavy metal is influenced by baroque & classical - & specifically Bach. I still don't like heavy metal - but at least I respect it a bit more.

[@sk8terkyd326]

@@Beer_Dad1975 i get not liking metal its an acquired taste

[@Beer_Dad1975]

@@sk8terkyd326 Agreed, I'm not one to say anyone's music is crap - if it doesn't touch me, it doesn't mean it's not good for someone - it just doesn't work for me. Always pisses me off when someone says "That's crap!" - I mean, I don't get Taylor Swift, I turn her off or skip her if I can - but it's not up to me to claim she's crap - she just doesn't work for me. That heavy metal guy (Andrew) taught me that, because he knew a lot more about music than I ever will.

[@davidmennomoyer]

@@Beer_Dad1975 I've heard more than a couple very knowledgeable musicologists opine that the Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor is nothing but first-rank heavy metal guitar shredding played on a pipe organ. I think they make a really good case.

[@1229tedwilson]

I suppose another comment won't add much to the thousands already here. But I'll add my anyway. :-) Some music hits you in heart - its wonderful. Some music hits you in the brain - its enlightening. Bach unites the two, that rare space where the heart and head find common ground. And its done that for countless people for generations. We all owe so much to Felix Mendelssohn for bringing Bach's music back from near oblivion.

[@JAP42]

It beggars belief that his work was so little appreciated & valued until Mendelssohn started championing it.

[@ampac]

Mendelssohn's role in Bach's music "revival" is greatly (and wrongly) overestimated. Bach's music was valued and studied by many musicians before and after Mendelssohn, from Mozart and Beethoven to Schubert and Chopin. Until the end of the 18th century, his music was rarely played in public because the style had shifted away from the polyphonic style that Bach mastered, and music patrons were supporting other types of music. This trend started slowly shifting in the end of the 1700s. Bach's popularity significantly increased after Forkel published his (first) biography in 1802 - note that Mendelssohn was born in 1809. At this time, Bach's music (especially for solo keyboard and solo strings) started being played in public more frequently and his works started to be edited and re-published. Mendelssohn, like his father and teachers, was a yet another major admirer of Bach. Mendelssohn was responsible for the very successful public performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in 1829 and, later, the first performance of the Mass in B minor in 1844. At the time, these events were rather unusual because "early" choral and orchestral music was not played in public. It is because of this that Mendelssohn (wrongly) gets the credit for "reviving" Bach. Mendelssohn's feat was "reviving" the tradition of performing large choral and orchestral works from older composers, instead of having these large production focusing only on contemporary music. However, Bach's music was already being "revived" before and during Mendelssohn's time. Schubert, Chopin, Liszt and many others were transcribing, arranging, composing, teaching and playing Bach's music or music inspired by Bach. So, saying that Mendelssohn is singlehandedly responsible for reviving Bach's music is an overstretch that ignores the major role that so many other musicians and scholars had.

[@notthemusicalstaff7543]

@@ampac, Yes. Mozart and Beethoven (and many others all across Europe from London to Paris to St. Petersburg) were exposed to the music of Bach. Why? Because the many students he taught at Leipzig fanned out over Europe picking up musician jobs where they were available. In London, Mozart, as an 8 year old, being dragged all across Europe by his father, touring the same circuits that dog-and-pony acts traveled, seeking royal and aristocratic recognition (and money), encountered one of Bach's sons who lived there, and was called "The London Bach." Mozart's first symphony is actually an orchestration of that Bach son's piano sonata. So yeah, JS Bach was, through his *keyboard* music known far and wide. His orchestral and choral, music fell into near-oblivion *outside* the town of Leipzig where it was performed regularly, especially the sacred music at the Thomaskirk. Mendelssohn premiered the B Minor Mass. It had not been performed in Bach's lifetime and I know of no performance before that. That concert was so well-received that Mendelssohn launched a series of "historical" concerts including works by Mozart, Haydn, Handel, and Bach. Mendelssohn was the first person to have a career as what we would now call "a conductor." His Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra still is exists! Not only did he revive the orchestral music of Bach, he also launched the still-active interest in "old" music.

[@johannh6684]

Your comment about Bach's music stimulating the "heart and brain" resonates well with my experience. But now that you've said it, so all I can do is to expand :) Intricate complexity and this deep, moving musicality, woven together into a beautiful whole. Many of his works are like that, maybe even most. I've found myself enjoying complexity in music for the sake of the "intellectual challenge" it presents. Which is fine, but it does tend to get boring when some "heart" is missing. Bach seems to be unique in my experience in that he routinely created music that stirs emotions, out of that complexity. The depth is always enough to explore in any direction. His music really does grow on you and doesn't seem to age.

[@user-rv5di3gt2x]

What a touching tribute to JS Bach. RIP 1685-2024.

[@MrDanielqueijo]

Better: JS Bach Born: 1685 (age 339 year old)

[@SamTheEnglishTeacher]

@@MrDanielqueijo if you leave your mark on history, part of you lives forever

[@johnnygoodman2003]

Bach died in 2024?

[@vinceblanket1327]

@@johnnygoodman2003 nope, still alive 😁

[@johnnygoodman2003]

@@vinceblanket1327 👍

[@stooms01]

Greetings from the Bach-City Leipzig in germany. 👋

[@hectordelarocha10]

Please pay my respect to His magnificient for me since I live in Mexico.

[@richatlarge462]

I visited your city in 2022 and saw the Bach sights among other sights.

[@figgiesmalls1760]

Sup bro

[@edeinsiedler3020]

Grüße from Karl-Marx-City just down the road 😊

[@arr64lima63]

I am so envious of you living there. Greetings from Arkansas, USA.

[@vijabhinav]

How can a man be so extraordinarily superior. Just magnificent. 'Don't cry for me when I'm gone, for i go where music is born' Bach's last words.

[@ludwigbutton]

Did he really say that?? 😢 I can totally believe it.

[@leif1075]

Why don you say he was superior? Surely.we can be as great as he?

[@Gernot66]

@@ludwigbutton I don't think so i guess he said "Kacke!", since he was a human. He loved to live and had many children i don't think he would have said something swollen, usually you say nothing when you die, simply because you can't.

[@JK-px9ep]

Bach is the Big Bang of modern music.

[@Divig]

I first read this in a k-pop context and was really confused. 😅

[@JK-px9ep]

They probably don’t know yet but they were influenced by bach as well 😂

[@leoninocat5070]

Modern european

[@klausschumacher8673]

Spontaneously, I would agree. One moment later, I hesitate: what about Monteverdi, Palestrina, Schütz, to name but a few. Surely, the all built upon the existing music. Still, Bach is so special, of course.

[@stevereade4858]

Well said! (Theoretical Physics major ...)

[@lupash]

Right when you think Rick's videos and interviews couldn't get any better, there he comes with a JS Bach vid.

[@Sonny_McMacsson]

Maybe Rick should interview him.

[@paulmcdonald1258]

Exactly.

[@BalakeHart-nh4xh]

Love it... Bach is out of this world.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

As beings with good heart, we must be vegan. Dominion (2018)

[@user-qu7qh7qj2t]

Yeah but he’s interviewing boneheads to talk about Bach. He should be talking to people like Alma Deutscher or Jacob Collier

[@RobertDouglasLW]

Rick Beato is the internet’s music teacher.

[@InvestingForTomorrow24]

Astute observation. Why bother to watch the news when it's most depressing?

[@shieldsjon]

so true

[@lancepeek]

Absolutely love this guy. What a find!

[@johnloving9401]

A national treasure.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

Rattle that lock, free yourselves from the system! The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖

[@bigfoot99]

I have never studied music, nor do I play any instrument. But Bach's music sends me into another dimension of time and space. A titan of titans.

[@ludwigbutton]

Then I think you are a titan for recognizing a titan. 😊

[@alastertan5779]

I can’t play any instruments- period. But Bach’s music brings me peace, happiness, joy and is balm to my soul. It brings me inner harmony and healing.

[@user-wz2qe2pv6r]

Lifetime electric bassist (Ive played it all) but recently began studying Cello... and with that comes Bach....My goodness what an education. Even his bass note placement is extraordianry..truth is Cello and Bach has completely changed my life.... I barely pick up the bass anymore.

[@stephenrivera4382]

Hey, Rick. I’m a member of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem (PA) and we have the wonderful honor of singing Bach’s music all year long, every year! We’ll be traveling to Germany this summer and performing at St. Thomas Church, which will be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me! I’ve been a subscriber for years and love your videos! Bach’s music is simply without equal!

[@Ragnovlod]

You lucky man, you.

[@MichaelMattison]

Great. Beautiful music 🎶 may it transcend time

[@user-uf4wn6hb8x]

Was honored to be able to sing there with the Ohlone Chamber Choir many years ago.

[@ralfklonowski3740]

Welcome to Germany. I hope all your expectations will be fulfilled.

[@johnkelly3470]

Stephen, I am a third-generation devotee of the Bethlehem, PA Bach Festival -- my grandparents attended about ten times starting in the 1950s, and then my parents (with me, as a kid, on several occasions) in the 80s' and 90s -- and I got to go again last May with my mother. Sublime! The B Minor Mass is always amazing, of course (I thought last year's soloists were especially strong)...but it's the "little" concerts (chamber works, etc.) at various venues in the city across the weekend (including by very young artists) that delightfully show the range of Bach's music. Thank you!

[@RichardLittlewood1]

The thing about Bach is that you never exhaust the music. Once discovered it's a life long gift.

[@thehydrostore380]

It’s so true! When I was younger I thought Mozart was #1. That was until I discovered Bach 😊

[@martincox9691]

My guitar instructor used to say to me “there isn’t really anything new in music since Bach”, and we were working on blue and rock.

[@oneirdaathnaram1376]

How true that is! Today we know a bit more than 1000 pieces composed by him and however much I listen to that music, it never becomes boring.

[@bcgrittner]

A long time ago, in elementary school, our music teacher did her best to educate us about the classical composers. I always thought,”Oh, no. Not those dead German guys again”. It took a while, but as I sang more classical music in high school, my appreciation of the classical works grew and continues to grow to this day. I am, officially, an old man now. I have too many stories to tell here, but I was fortunate to have traveled in Europe when I was seventeen. That was 1969. I participated in an international choir fest while in Freiburg, Germany. Our primary focus was on J. S. Bach. What a wonderful experience that was. I sing his works to this day.

[@jeff-onedayatatime.2870]

When I was a Second Lieutenant at Fort Sill Oklahoma back in the 80s I had a cassette tape of the Brandenburg Concertos, all 6 of them, and listened to it maybe a million times. :)

[@maybient]

I’m thrilled that Bach gets so much recognition on this channel. Music is the closest thing to real magic on Earth, and Bach is the greatest wizard. Saying something like that probably sounds pretentious to some. And, it’s really difficult to define or explain why Bach is so great. If there is such thing as ‘musical truth’ then Bach has it.

[@nahtesalinas1917]

Right now I'm high and this video is extra good.

[@thehydrostore380]

Well said! Music really is the closest thing to magic humans have created. And Bach puts those inclined under a wonderful spell.

[@thehydrostore380]

@@nahtesalinas1917Now put on headphones and listen to Glen Gould doing The Goldberg Variations

[@gligorpecev5199]

i have often thought the same thing

[@ivarronnback]

Rick Beato is a teacher on same level as David Attenborough. They are teachers on the highest level for a whole world. They are a gift to us all.

[@ThvonS]

Indeed

[@poolhall9632]

"splendid" - DA

[@andymelendez9757]

Bravo,

[@wikusclass77]

Absolutely.

[@vettezl1]

Rick is not a communist.

[@adamlanderson4154]

Bach’s music has everything. It truly seems to be the musical nexus of beauty, intelligence, and power. I’ve been blessed to have played Bach for nearly 40 years. It is the gift that keeps on giving

[@brzk_]

im really lucky to be in a cathedral choir. every year we perfom bach's matthew and st. john passions alternating, alongside a historical orchestra. every year this is truly my highlight of the year. i love bachs music, it moves me like nothing else when performing. rennaissance and romantic are really fullfilling aswell, but nothing quite beats the genius of bach imo

[@RosieHarp]

I'm a choral singer in the UK. Bach's sacred music is the absolute *BEST* music to sing. Singing those wonderful compositions and haunting harmonies with an orchestra makes me very emotional at times. His fugues are monumental. Pure genius.

[@nextlifeonearth]

If only he considered the singers a bit more. I sometimes need oxygen.

[@RosieHarp]

@@nextlifeonearth The 'runs' definitely aren't easy to sustain 😆 but the joy of singing his wonderful harmonies more than makes up for that.

[@annwaddell7321]

I have been in choirs that always chose a Bach coral (yummy) and once we did the St Matthew Passion! It is all so beautiful. It feels so lovely to sing.

[@DanielByers-qf9qi]

I'm a choral singer in the US, and I agree: pure genius. My music theory teacher required us to buy Bach's "371 Chorales" (for the Lutheran Church) as a textbook; sadly and significantly, it was long out of print, so we had to buy well-used copies online. I place Bach before all, including Mozart and Beethoven, and Haydn after Bach: We would not have Common Practice without Bach, and we would not have the Symphony without Haydn; the true pioneers often get less respect than those who follow in their wake. The local "classical" (writ large) radio station - which gets play in the UK, by the bye - has an annual vote for their listeners' choices for the best pieces. The top twenty is invariably dominated by Beethoven; even Mozart only appears a few times. Bach typically does not appear once in the top thirty or so.

[@RosieHarp]

@@annwaddell7321 I agree St Matthew and St John Passions are both wonderful to sing. The opening chorus to St John is exquisite.

[@kimgutschmidt8970]

I live about 90 minutes away from Leipzig and whenever people visit I take them to Leipzig to the St Thomas church to hear the Thomanerchor sing the motet on Saturday afternoon. They never fail to be moved by it.

[@frenchimp]

I've been to Leipzig twice, and the second time it was to attend the Bachfest, they had a "Kantatenring", they played 30 cantatas in three days' time. What a wonderful experience. Leipzig is a beautiful, vibrant city, I wish I could visit more often!

[@Jean-SebastienHamel]

I am named after this great composer, my mother listened to him during all of her pregnancy and i have always been in perfect tune with this celestial music! Love it!!

[@tmvideoproduktionen]

There are fates worse than yours!

[@marshallballantine-jones3819]

my son and I spent a day at Leipzig for the Bach museum and St Thomas's...very moving indeed

[@beatrixguitar]

As a classical guitarist I'm always happy to see the classical roots on your channel, I really appreciate how you connect modern music with the historical roots!

[@Ragnovlod]

I've been listening to my Bream collection a lot recently. I'm a bit hung up on the Spaniards - in a good way - but when I hear Bach's Lute Suite in E minor, I am left to wonder. Was he channeling the Spanish sound there? I think he was, I think he did.

[@all_bets_on_Ganesh]

I think you mean as an amazing classical guitarists.

[@nicholasrees1838]

Us classical guitarists have so much to thank Bach for - even though he never wrote a single note for the instrument - due to his lute suites as well as the violin and keyboard pieces which work so well in transcription. Fugues, Gavottes, Preludes, Gigues, Allemandes - what a rich repertoire we are heirs to!

[@RodrigoFernandez-td9uk]

Today my two-month-old son heard the Brandenburg Concertos for the first time. I hope he comes to love Bach's music as much as I do.

[@hippiechick73]

Which is your favorite? I like 1,2, and 4 the best. His recorder parts are completely delightful! I also love how in the first concerto, there is this unison oboe part in the low range. I’ve always wanted to play the concertos, but I only played them by myself.

[@garyhope2]

Excellent start for your son. Smart dad. Thank you..

[@vicentefischer1556]

Growing up, my mom would listen to mostly baroque and classical music. I remember finding her music boring, even though I did enjoy some of the Mozart and Vivaldi. But I remember I found Bach weird, and never really enjoyed it (the toccata and fugue was an exception). Only much later did I rediscover Bach, and for some reason, I could hear the beauty now, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Still my favorite composer by far. TLDR, I think Bach’s music is something that can’t be ‘indoctrinated’ but one has to discover it in his own path in life.

[@richacker9416]

when i was in my 20s i was doing some work in a church and learned the organist rehearsed on wenesday , so i spent every wed i could sitting in the pipe room, tears in my eyes. Bach had been discovered.

[@heathermcdougall8023]

I'm a 60 year old musician - mainly cello and piano. I still keep coming back to Bach on both instruments. the feeling you get when you play it, the sound, the endless possibility. Just the sheer wonder of Bach, as a player, is so deep, wide and wonderful, the 1 lifetimes is still not enough!

[@alastertan5779]

Agree. You’re recognise greatness. I’m totally awed by Bach.

[@felsig11]

I love that line from Steve Morse when he says, (I'll paraphrase) "almost anything Bach wrote you can speed it up and add double kick drums and you've got metal." That's just awesome 😀

[@grepora]

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 is one of his most metal pieces. After completing playing it, the harpsichord needs to be overhauled, because it's shredded.

[@bngrbngr4416]

It's entirely true.

[@delstanley1349]

Bach and roll!

[@robertpraetorius4007]

(Dregs fan since the 70s here) every time I hear Bach's Prelude in C Minor from WTC 1 for the last few years, I imagine what it sounds like on distorted guitar (it's my nomination for Bach's most metal piece). Morse is right - I need to add the double kick drums in my imagination (maybe with Sitti from VoB doing the kicking).

[@s.h306]

Yngwie went ahead and did it too 😅

[@jimmygownley9573]

Love how you first heard the concerto. Let’s hear it for libraries!

[@danacoleman4007]

Indeed!

[@mkatepaski9947]

Rochester is honoring rick at the Roc music hall of fame. Others include Steve gadd, Chuck mangione, Lou graham

[@RCAvhstape]

I borrowed the B. Concertos on cassette from a library on a military base long ago and that was an eye-opener.

[@louiebee6745]

That was my intro to Bach as well.

[@davidrobinson7684]

Public libraries are such incredibly valuable resources; it's political crime that any government should allow them to disappear.

[@HeavyProfessor]

I was in my mom's car when I was 11, super into death metal and hardcore already, and she put on a CD of Bach's double violin concertos. I immediately was in ecstasy. Never looked back.

[@SebastienPeriaux]

I took piano lessons as a child. When I played at the age of 9 Bach for the first time, a ,strange thing happened. My mind knew it before it had heard it ever. In a way you don't discover Bach's music, it s already within you. I think what makes Bach so special and so humanly essential.

[@steveb9151]

Yngwie recalls a Bach piece, starts to play, and then realizes..."Sorry - that's mine!" Love it!

[@filho4437]

He was talking about a cheesecake that was out of view from the camera.

[@kingkeefage]

Cheesecake, because he dun like donuts!

[@seanmorrissey3103]

Yeah, meanwhile JS Bach clears his throat... with respect to Yngwie, this bit was no doubt inspired by Bach.

[@e.d.1642]

then proceeds to butcher Bach

[@EddieReischl]

@@e.d.1642 Yes, that's what I heard too. Steve Morse did a much more faithful bit of Bach playing.

[@aussiebloke609]

As a pianist, I found Mozart to be the most enjoyable to play - just the movement of the hands, the fingering...it all just worked to feel physically pleasant. But J.S. Bach made me feel accomplished, gave the satisfaction of doing a job well. It was a rewarding feeling that's hard to beat.

[@EK-gr9gd]

Schubert, Liszt and Beethoven

[@randomtux392]

Well Amadeus was no slouch himself, on the piano he got to do more dynamics, which Bach didn't get to do until around 1720, really. Which W A Moz piano sonatas do you like the most, I've been listening to a few as of late but can't find the one I heard that I wanted to hear again. And NO it's not Rondo Al a Turkei. (My wife is from Turkey).

[@EK-gr9gd]

@@randomtux392 Well wenn his patron Swieten got Mozart some Bach sheets , Mozart had to concede that even he could learn from those pieces.

[@perfectbeat]

I love Bach as well. But I agree. What about Mozart?@@randomtux392

[@cobeyc.b5946]

With Mozart you feel the joy he felt when he was playing. Bach wrote his music in service of God so I feel it makes sense that it should feel more laborious. Of course, when you’re serving God, you’re serving the people so the joy is all ours when Bach is played.

[@cartographerband6071]

So good to see Bach getting so much love. My dad was a Bach fanatic, and BWV 546 is one of of the first pieces of music I ever heard, I was probably five when he first played it for me in his Honda Civic. BWV 846 and BWV 54 both played before my wife walked down the aisle. My mom and I danced to the second movement of BWV 1043. You can almost tell the story of my life with Bach. After dad died in 2020, I monkeyed together pieces of BWV 54 to make a song about how much I miss him and how I just can't stand that he can't see the man I am today. Because at the end of the day, Bach's music isn't just technically perfect, thought it's that in spades. It's beautiful. It's human. BWV 106 is what loss sounds like. The prelude to BWV 1006 is what joy sounds like. It expresses whatever you're feeling and then some and makes it all beautiful and true and powerful. I didn't get that when I was younger and my dad played Bach all the time. But I wish I had. I wish I could share this with him and say "See, you were right! I get it. I see what you see."

[@TomLeg]

Every time I hear Bach, I hear the voice of God ... which is weird for an atheist.

[@sylviaowega3839]

JS Bach’s music express the beauty universe in every way.

[@deraykrause4517]

Same here man. In Bach we trust.

[@Creativity-9x]

The ironic thing is that I think most of us, if not all of us, can say there is a divine quality to Bach's music. Which I think may be good enough proof that God is real, and that god's divinity has shown itself through Bach's music :)

[@hugoclarke3284]

It is not weird for an atheist to experience the divine through great art, though an atheist strongly opposed to the existence of religious views will assert that anything divine is a falsehood man is prone to reach out for under the spell of such feelings, the beauty of which can reside only in the music itself. You'll notice such a rationalisation doesn't explain anything and merely serves to bound the experience within the realm of objective experience and established fact. But man is not such a linear being. Imagination reaches us from unconscious roots, the depths of which contain universal experience, in contrast to the conscious attitude that is focused on the present moment and the concerns of the individual.

[@Juka161]

I am a atheist too but if there id a reason to believe in god Bach is the only reason

[@phonepunk7888]

Bach truly is the GOAT. Greatest composer of all time for real. If I was on a desert island and could only bring one catalog of music to listen to, it would be his.

[@ron88303]

Definitely my GOAT.

[@nmeau]

Yes - the Mass has a lifetime of listening

[@andrewashdown3541]

Oddly whilst I am compelled & engaged by Bach, I could actually live without him. Not without Mozart or Beethoven, though.

[@campbellmj9405]

For me I'd need some Dvorak as well.

[@ac1646]

That'll be a bigger book than the bible. 😁😁 (and so worth it)

[@Tiffany_Waiting]

Yes, he is. He's the base of the pyramid for all western music

[@joshuasummers7554]

Father of the music industry, Yes. Father of ALL MUSIC (aka, human expression through abstract sound).....🧐...😅😂🤣☠

[@joshuasummers7554]

But Beato is a music producer, not an anthropologist. Like... we're just gonna goosestep past the renaissance period before we find "True Music" *TM* lol [Edit: Beato is cool, and Bach was a G, but lets not act like this isn't a clickbait title lmao]

[@gofieldsandsay]

Well, no. And : really not. I love Bach indeed, but this is just proving how tiny can be the knowledge of what is called classical music ( and Hello Vivaldi by the way 👋, related to Bach )... Anyway ...

[@rientsdijkstra4266]

@@joshuasummers7554 The OC did not write: "ALL MUSiC". The OC wrote: "all western music". Please try to read before you react? And furthermore "father of music industry" ??? That is BS.

[@joshuasummers7554]

@@rientsdijkstra4266 Lol of course its BS, I was trying to be generous to a title and thumbnail that said "The Father of all Music". If Rick gets to talk in hyperbole cant I 😮‍💨

[@onedecibel2lo]

Thank you for this! Bach is my all-time favorite. Someone once said, "After Bach, everything else is... recapitulation!"

[@WRPUS471]

When I was in High School, I played double bass. We performed the 3rd BrandenBurg Concerto and I have been obsessed by Bach ever since

[@BlairBCollins]

The amount of work he was expected to do and not just with composition, but also having to teach latin and other non music related subjects in addition to all the composing is beyond insane. Genius is a word thrown around way too much. Bach was a genius.

[@semilog643]

Checks out.

[@dollyhorton2579]

I agree, there was simply no contemporary that could even begin to compare, and few since his time.

[@klaxoncow]

Saying that "genius" is a word that gets thrown around too much but he's a genius, is a cliche that gets thrown around too much but it's true.

[@CurtHowland]

Robert Greenberg, for his The Great Courses "Bach And The High Baroque" goes into just what his job as "Choralmeister" entailed. I can't imagine writing new music every week, plus teaching, plus plus plus, and THEN having 23 children, too! On top of this were the great Mass pieces, and things like the Brandenberg Concertos, Goldberg variations, and other freelance works. I get chills when I think of how much we LOST of Bach because nobody was collecting it as it was being written!

[@BlairBCollins]

@@CurtHowland Greenberg is brilliant. Love his courses. I majored in music in college, but his courses go beyond much of the history I was taught.

[@audioupgrades]

Bach has been the air that I breathe since I was about 5 years old. My parents had a decent collection of baroque music records. After hearing the Bach records, I started nagging my parents to take me to Bach concerts. They took me as often as they could but it was never enough.

[@Sirhan_Lohan]

Well put. I have a similar experience, though there's been a constant positioning between Bach and Vivaldi for me as 'most influential' throughout my life.

[@garyhope2]

There's no such thing as too much Bach.

[@audioupgrades]

@@Sirhan_Lohan Bach and Vivaldi are rated very differently today, but Bach rated Vivaldi as the best composer in his lifetime.

[@mags102755]

When I first learned the piano, I played Bach's two and three part inventions. I fell in love.

[@gillwaugh7212]

To hear Bach played on a banjo is something quite, quite beautiful. x

[@afonsodeportugal]

That's one of the marvelous things about his music: it sounds good even when played through a PC speaker!

[@johnbirman]

Yes, Curious - like a harpsichord, both are plucked.

[@carole8312]

Love Bach. When my mother was sick and dying, I was continuosly drawn to playing Bach on my guitar. It brought solace and peace.

[@majortom4543]

Solace is a word ive heard the Great Sting use to describe a feeling for music. And i get it with his music so i get it.

[@TomSavadel]

I’ve spent most of my life Teaching and playing Bach. The greatest lesson we learn from Bach is what it really means to be a human being.

[@liamsandal6360]

Oh, my goodness, Mr. Savadel. That is the single most beautiful compliment one could ever receive. You are amazing for sharing such an insight!

[@tonymagrogan]

What do you think Bach might say it means…in words?

[@TomSavadel]

@@tonymagrogan to be capable and able to see the beauty of Gods love for us.

[@frankblackwell3804]

@@TomSavadel Amen to that!

[@dandogzbutt1518]

ive heard that said about shakespeare as well

[@cbuhrow]

J.S.BACH, the master of harmony, the eternal teacher. Every piece is a lesson in harmony and melody. His melodies outlining harmonic structures are the birth of Bebop.

[@maikelkay9202]

7:50: I can relate to this so much :-) When I first listened to the third Brandenburg concerto - Harnoncourt recording! - I immediately thought it was the most uplifting piece of music I have ever heard and ever will hear, stimulating life in the listener, invigorating the spirit. It was like being reborn.

[@budfoon]

I have a friend who's about to turn 104 with whom i share a love of classical music. He particularly favors baroque music and also has a high-end stereo system in his house. I brought over a selection of Wendy Carlos Moog Bach transcriptions one day, and his experience was nothing short of ecstatic. The modern (and even traditional) arrangements of baroque can sound murky, but Carlos knew right where to dial up the frequencies to bring all Bach's harmonic content into better focus. It was like my friend was experiencing many of his favorite Bach pieces for the first time, hearing parts he'd never heard. No small wonder that Switched-On Bach was the best selling classical album of it's day, and is still the 2nd-best selling classical album of all time. It was all old dogs and new tricks that day, and a huge thrill for both of us.

[@carole8312]

Ohhh. Nice. I will have to check that recording out. 🙂

[@budfoon]

@@carole8312Make sure you also check out "The Well-Tempered Synthesizer" by Carlos. Not all Bach but all baroque.

[@adamdacevedo]

I like Carlos’ “Switched on Brandenburgs” (Concertos) the best…..👍

[@carole8312]

@@budfoon Thank you. I will.

[@user-be9cf5qv2q]

There are a couple of quite nice versions of the Goldberg Variations played on accordion. It actually works surprisingly well. Bach transcends instruments!

[@biffgordon8468]

You have the makings of a full fledged documentary here, Rick! Bach summarized his motivation for composing by signing his manuscripts with SDG - for Soli Deo Gloria. To the Glory of God Alone. He changed the world!

[@atomicwedgie8176]

His life was devoted to honor our Lord by trying to write the perfect High Mass.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

As beings with good heart, we must be vegan. Dominion (2018)

[@alpinoalpini3849]

Bach's strong Lutheran faith inspired, motivated and informed his music. This said, it does not follow that a divine hand was necessary. There are plenty and sufficient reasons for the greatness of Bach's works. He was born and lived at the end of the baroque period, the renaissance not too far behind him, the approaching classical period already showing its traits.He was a terrific music sponge and incredibly hard worker since childhood. He was born into a family of musicians. Virtually nothing he created was new in itself: he learned from older and contemporary Italian, French and German composers, assimilating styles and technique, modifying, expanding and re-assembling through the years. Amongst a long list of great composers, he possessed what can be easily considered the greatest musical intelligence of all. In short, Bach's music and all great art, can intimate the transcendent, but that does not point to any specific source, god or goddess. If anything, Bach's genius proves he was a man with a great musical mind. That's it. The rest is armchair speculations, non sequiturs and the tiresome unjustified appropriations of the religious who see miracles everywhere, while the simpler and obvious truth is in front of their noses.

[@alpinoalpini3849]

@@atomicwedgie8176 Bach's strong Lutheran faith inspired, motivated and informed his music. This said, it does not follow that a divine hand was necessary. There are plenty and sufficient reasons for the greatness of Bach's works. He was born and lived at the end of the baroque period, the renaissance not too far behind him, the approaching classical period already showing its traits.He was a terrific music sponge and incredibly hard worker since childhood. He was born into a family of musicians. Virtually nothing he created was new in itself: he learned from older and contemporary Italian, French and German composers, assimilating styles and technique, modifying, expanding and re-assembling through the years. Amongst a long list of great composers, he possessed what can be easily considered the greatest musical intelligence of all. In short, Bach's music and all great art, can intimate the transcendent, but that does not point to any specific source, god or goddess. If anything, Bach's genius proves he was a man with a great musical mind. That's it. The rest is armchair speculations, non sequiturs and the tiresome unjustified appropriations of the religious who see miracles everywhere, while the simpler and obvious truth is in front of their noses.

[@tmathews8181]

One of the most impactful memories of experiencing live music was attending a Bach Organ recityal in Chicago at a cathedral sometime in late "77 early "78. I was all of 18 and going through Electrician's School in the Navy. I can still feel that music over 45 years later. Truly transcendent.

[@notthemusicalstaff7543]

Yup. I never tire of listening to Bach. Both my parents played piano and Bach was on the piano or on the stereo every day of my childhood. Glenn Gould, first among the many albums. I spent 20 years as a freelance musician (viola and violin) before starting to conduct student groups as a school orchestra conductor/teacher. Still love Bach. My favorite is the Goldberg Variations. On Apple Music there are 600+ recordings. I'm listening. 😃

[@chrisandersonguitarist2400]

50 years ago, at the age of 20, I was introduced to Bach in a college music theory class. Per the usual curriculum of that time we analyzed his Chorales via “figured bass”. I was blown away by that encounter and immediately started hitting up our library for recordings of his music. And I was totally bummed out that you couldn’t play music like Bach’s on a guitar. //// On my 20th birthday, an acquaintance knocked on my door. “I heard it’s your BD. You should have this”. He handed me an album of Segovia (who I had never heard of) playing Bach. 30 seconds into listening to it, I made up the decision to sell my steel string guitars so that I could get a decent Classical Guitar. I spent the next 30 years learning a new playing technique and exploring Bach’s music. I remember the first time I saw a score of Bach’s Solo Violin Sonatas & Partitas. It was like a book from Mars had landed in front of me. Minus my family, Bach’s music has been the single most influential thing in my life.

[@cseivard]

My late Dad, who was a bass player, and a Lutheran Minister, always said: “Bach wrote Something what was new every Sunday .”

[@nicholasrees1838]

He wrote a whole Cantata - 20m of music every week for SIX YEARS! Blows your mind to imagine the sheer volume and quality in his music.

[@gluteusmaximus1657]

Plus he wrote a book about the pianoforte(Das wohltemperirte Clavier), changed the tuning of stringed instruments to what we are using since, co-developed the piano as we know it, wrote whole new music for every church event, was leading the Thomaner Choir, wrote countless songs for kids and raising twenty! of them!. Nine daughters and eleven sons in two marriages! All of this plus a lot more in just one life of 65 years! A giant. @@nicholasrees1838

[@troybukewitsch7305]

I went to the Thomas Kirche and sat there by Bach's tomb for a couple hours. All the emotions of human existence went through me. I was smiling and crying. I staggered out of the building completely emotionally devastated. At one point in my life I played alto sax for 3-5 hours per day for a couple years. I could improvise a pretty good solo over a progression. Then you put anything Back wrote on and you are just crushed as he weaves a tapestry of emotions into a couple bars which make you contemplate your entire life so far. How could one human brain have been so much better than any other for 350 years? It's the craziest mystery.

[@briantarthur5540]

I'm never happier than when playing Bach: Violin Cello and Lute suites give me more work than I will ever need.

[@dr.a.995]

Cannot imagine my life without J.S. Bach’s music.

[@growinginportland]

I’ve never listened to Bach. I’ll add to my to do list. I’m 54 and not getting any younger. Should finally make it happen.

[@finlarg]

Do a search for: BWV 543 played by 'D minor and more'. You won't believe your ears!

[@phila3884]

Never too late! But you have already listened to Bach. There will be so many familiar melodies you won't believe it- his music is still everywhere in our culture.

[@johncollier9280]

You've made a wise decision. May I recommend the Orchestral Suites as a startin' point...

[@DoctorInsomnia-qw7us]

Start your Bach exploration with Tocatta and Fugue in D minor played on a church pipe organ, the version played by E. Power Biggs is excellent. Then listen to a heavy metal version of the same composition 🎸🎸🎸 and you'll suddenly realize who invented Rock and Roll, classical, and Jazz !!!

[@guitarslim56]

You've listened to Bach before. If you listened to this video, you listened to Bach.

[@ollilahtinen4770]

In 2004 I was in Leipzig for the very first time. I had a little time before a meeting at the City Hall, and I happened to walk past the Thomaskirche. So I decided to take a peek inside, after all this was the church where the bulk of Bach's work was played for the first time, and I have been a fan of the man's music for decades. As I opened the heavy wooden side door to the church, the organist just began playing the first notes of Toccata and Fugue. The timing, the atmosphere - it hit like a sledgehammer. I had to go back later for the concert the organist was practising for. There could not be a better venue to hear Bach's work than Thomaskirche.

[@MMendelG]

The first albums that I bought for myself when I went to college were the Deutsche Gramofon recordings of the Six Brandenburg Concerti performed on original instruments, and I still have them (I gave them to my son). Bach's music is [divinely[ inspired and if humanity survives the current and future crises, it will be with us for millenia.

[@InnerTranquility]

Yea, Bach is my hero. It's hard to even think that one man can have that much music inside. Not just simple melodies, or rhythm, but THOUSANDS of amazing, detailed, beautiful pieces of music. Bach was....is a gift to humanity.

[@paulpaladino8324]

Not just the supernal quality of his music and then the quantity of it all is just staggering.

[@milesoldfield9109]

I started listening to Bach when I was in high school. My head-banging friends all thought I was nuts, of course. I've always counted myself an agnostic in search of something to believe in, and to me, Bach is proof that there IS something out there.

[@antesmolcic4354]

Your headbanging friends must have listened to Poison and Whitesnake.

[@JackKnight762]

try Poison

[@JackKnight762]

something to believe in

[@billbingham2430]

He is Jesus, God. Bach’s music was written to glorify Him.

[@tristantristan4733]

Plenty of metal fans love Bach. They understand where metal comes from.

[@erichodge567]

I've been listening to all the extant Bach cantatas, through all of the various ensembles (John Eliot Gardiner, Maasaki Suzuki, etc), and one thing that I don't hear said nearly enough is praise for Bach's songwriting. I know he didn't generally write the lyrics for his arias, but there is a quality to so many of his pieces that I can only characterize as the most profoundly deep humanity. It speaks across all ages, languages, and cultures. I don't know; I try to describe it, but my words fall so far short of the effect his music has on me...

[@unclemeat8422]

Dude! Heard my uncle play the first 16 bars or so of Toccata & Fugue in D Minor on his Les Paul. It changed my life. He was inspired by the movie Rollerball (1975) at the time. Friggin John Houseman man!

[@stevenm.6886]

As a complete non musician I am amazed how Bach still manages to grab my attention. At 62 his music always has. It just seems perfect to me

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

As beings with good heart, we must be vegan. Dominion (2018)

[@pendafen7405]

Honestly, have always felt like an idiot or a poor student of music for not liking and understanding J.S. Bach, technically or emotionally. Back when I was learning flute in school, I was forced to practise his studies, and never ended up connecting with anything he composed. What am I missing? Or is it just a mismatch of taste? I love most opera (especially French), old lays & carols, some chamber music, jazz, and more modern atonal pieces.

[@WormAteWords]

@@pendafen7405 Have you tried listening to more of his works? Well-Tempered Clavier, Goldberg Variations, Art of Fugue, B Minor Mass, Cello Suites? Go through all of it and see if you can find one piece or single movement that you enjoy. Listen to it over and over until you know it very well, then listen to various recordings of that same piece until you have a taste for which recording you like best. Then ask why you enjoy that one most. This is the fastest way to cultivate an appreciation for a piece of music, in my opinion. Then ask why you like that particular piece better than other works by Bach.

[@frenchimp]

@@pendafen7405 What works do you know? Have you listened to, say, cantata BWV 78? That's a wonderful piece, and in my opinion rather easy to appreciate, so if you hate that, then probably your case is hopeless...

[@kildegrathsprach6031]

​@@pendafen7405 - listen to the first movement of the Brandenburg Concerto #5 or the last movements of Brandenburg #3 and #6 - if none of those get you, nothing of Bach's will and I would just have to conclude that you are somehow wired differently than most humans - not better or worse, just differently, which is great - as it takes all types to make a world, as they say...

[@RustyMadd]

My third grade teacher used to play Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Mozart among other greats almost everyday for us in class. I was so lucky because that changed my ears forever, and that at 8yrs old. I am forever indebted to her for bringing heaven to us children in early 60s Sunnyvale, California. I was playing guitar and song flute immediately and of course joined the school orchestra as soon as I was old enough. I still play, listen to and appreciate Bach. He was insane in a great way. I wouldn't want to live in a world without Bach.

[@michaelmoraga2926]

Ditto... My orchestra teacher in 4th grade in Santa Cruz, CA in the '70s would often play for the class to inspire us (She had previously been a first chair violinist with a prestigious orchestra back east). She changed my life by introducing me to Bach, which clicked on a light inside me... Children need to be exposed to music at a young age. 💜

[@pbohearn]

The arts generally, performing arts especially, music certainly.

[@cranez006]

Our public school played a classical piece over the PA system every Friday before school let out, must have been 3rd grade. I can still remember a great deal of them, and it definitely piqued my interest in classical music.

[@PeterLaman]

In Dutch we tend to say: "Geen dag zonder Bach!" (not a day without Bach). When I was 15 years old, I started studying classical guitar after hearing the Bourrée of Bach's 1st Suite for Lute, played on guitar. This music is just perfect and I wanted to be able to play it. Because my parent wouldn't let me take guitar lessons at the time, I got the score from the public library to learn to play classical guitar by myself. That's how my classical guitar journey started. Since then I've played so much of this wonderful music. I can play a Bach piece many times and every time it sounds like brand new. There is so much depth to this music, emotionally, lyrically, technically. It's just perfect. isn't it awesome this is so widely acknowledge, whether you ask rockers, jazz guys, classical guys or whatever style musicians: Bach is the greatest!

[@ThePetergate]

The story is that the first time Mozart heard Bach it brought him to tears. It's far from the first time I've heard Bach, but yet again it's brought me to tears.

[@bruzewill7081]

Handel and Bach was introduced to me by singing their choral music in church services and concerts. I took heart when I heard that Johann Sebastian Bach said: "[Handel] is the only person I would wish to see before I die, and the only person I would wish to be, were I not Bach." This music was the most enjoyable to sing and, especially with Bach, once you mastered your part you would have to remind yourself that your part is not the solo voice just because it was so melodic.

[@frenchimp]

What's the source for this quotation (which sounds very suspicious to me) ?

[@wirrbel]

Bach is the maestro number one of course. It should not been forgotten that there are tons of almost forgotten composers who are just astonishing. Buxtehude, Telemann, Mattheson, Monteverdi

[@davidjadunath1262]

@@frenchimp The only valid assertion is that Handel preceded Bach.

[@russellsnodgrass9374]

​@wirrbel They haven't been forgotten. And I think history has justifiably placed everyone accordingly and accurately. Those others aren't in the same league as Bach. Bach stands alone.

[@montychiton]

@@wirrbel Composers as Telemann and Monteverdi I would certainly not qualify as forgotten, Mattheson perhaps...

[@jwmcneelyIII]

I have been obsessed with Bach since I first heard the Brandenburg Concertos in junior high. I remember hearing the 5th Brandenburg, 3rd movement. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Unbelievable. To this day, I have a love affair with Bach. I am always listening for the counterpoint. In fact I owned that Keith Jarrett Bremen Lausanne recording, and I just about wore the record out where he plays the fugue. I was shocked when you did a video on that section of the recording! I have always loved your videos but this one skyrockets you to new heights of respect!!!! I love you man!!!!

[@j.x.x.r3645]

I've played Bach on the organ, piano, and violin; he's hands down the greatest composer

[@ianm8137]

Dear Rick, You have just done another fascinating and sensational video on Bach... In my opinion J.S. Bach is the Archangel of Music, Sandalphon, sent down to us mere mortals on earth to have just the tiniest insight into the Divine. I first realised the wonderfulness of Bach when I began learning to play Prelude No2 in C Minor (WTC Book 1)...incredible ... a concerto for piano in two or three pages, so many inner voices and ways to interpret it and wonderful harmonies...I suddenly realised the genius and the immensity of Bach's mind. Thank you for another amazing video on Bach.

[@JoshShuman]

This video made me realize Rick NEEDS to interview Chris Thile! His Bach work on mandolin is really amazing.

[@joshlovegood9392]

Yes I second this. Chris is incredible. The recent Nickel Creek album is a masterpiece too.

[@vervor]

@@joshlovegood9392 they have a new album?? where can I hear it?

[@JoshShuman]

@@vervor It’s called “Celebrants”. It should be available on KZbin and all streaming platforms.

[@henryvanweeren7233]

Or just interview Chris Thile.

[@rumpelstilzchen2796]

Dominic's Air on a g string, .. brought tears, music can always find a way to move me. J.S.Bach... truly immortal.

[@loreman7267]

Me too, man 🥲🥲

[@InXLsisDeo]

The entire suite is beautiful.

[@kariturunen474]

I am, I guess, a pretty highbrow classical musician. I love the respect for and the joy in the music of Bach you all show in this video. I grew up with his music and it has resonated with me trough my life. I would not be a musician if it were not for JSB.

[@danwittmayer6539]

In my early life, I resolved that someday, I'd "get into" J.S.Bach & the Baroque geniuses of music. At the age of 50 (2003) or so, I finally discovered an appreciation for this music! My brain had matured; my attention span had expanded by that age. When I became a dad & my only son began studying music in middle school, I began to "get" Bach. I thank my progeny for opening my ears to the beauty of counterpoint, etc., as Bach teaches us. Thank you again, Rick, for continuing to instruct us so well!

[@nedisings]

I had long Covid with nerve damage for 14 months, and the only thing that would make me feel OK. I was listening to Bach. It put my nervous system back together.

[@BigJacques69]

Hope you're doing better!

[@nedisings]

@@BigJacques69 Thank you, I am!

[@stephenlee1756]

You confirm my opinion that Bach's music restores your brain wiring to where it's supposed to be. It is a profoundly healing experience.

[@Rvictorbravo]

1975. I saw a B movie, “Rollerball.” The main theme was Bach’s Toccata in D minor. I was a trumpet player in high school at the time, but I decided to learn it-no prior keyboard experience. 2 years later I was an organ major in music. I gave up a geophysics scholarship to pursue music. I ended up being a lawyer, but I play Bach on my harpsichord regularly. As an aside, it lead me to guitar too.

[@SepticFuddy]

Great movie

[@charlienyc1]

That's the definition of inspiration right there! In some ways I thought I found his music boring. But then I realized it can and likely will be boring if not played well. When played well, it's transformative.

[@descantinginsalubrious]

You OWN a harpsichord?

[@josephmango4628]

The dystopian society portrayed in Rollerball was frightening, but honestly, it was a better solution than fighting actual wars. 😨

[@Rvictorbravo]

@@descantinginsalubrious yes. I’ve built two over the years

[@westerhof]

Thank you for taking the time to honor this musical legend. I too made the pilgrimage to Leipzig and I will never forget it. The pub is still there that Bach would frequent as well. Apparently he was known to be quite the scrapper too. Too funny.

[@davechesak8436]

My father purchased a 100 year old pipe organ when I was very young. He loved classical organ music. When I was in 8th grade, he had me take organ lessons from a classical organist. At the time I did not appreciate it, as my high school years were just around the corner, and starting with Bach, even Bach's most simple pieces, was quite an undertaking for me at the time. I'm glad I did it, but wish I had stayed much longer. Today I appreciate Back much more. Bach definitely has an impact on my piano playing today.

[@PaintGuy]

A little known fact about Bach is that he was pivotal in the development of the modern evolution of the piano. So he influenced arguably the most important musical instrument in existence. I’d agree with Rick that he’s the godfather of music.

[@InventorZahran]

And yet some self-proclaimed "experts" say playing Bach on a piano is historically inaccurate...

[@edward313ify]

No one can be the godfather of a gift to humanity.

[@ghosttownreview1531]

The story I heard from my music history professor in college was that Bach was unimpressed with how this new instrument called a piano forte sounded and that he might not appreciate the modern version we know because it is too even-tempered. Could just be a story from my professors, but that's what I was taught. @@InventorZahran

[@RCAvhstape]

@@InventorZahran And some "experts" say that studying Bach is racist, or something...

[@robin_holden]

@@RCAvhstape No, that's Wagner.

[@joachimschranzhofer5566]

On top of his mastery of melody and harmony, Bach was an extremely hard worker. When Bach came to Leipzig, it was part of his contract to deliver a Cantata every Sunday and he did so for many years.

[@darkiee69]

Writing Monday, Tuesday, start rehearsals on Wednesday, choir rehearsals Thursday, choir and orchestra rehearsals, Friday, general repetition Saturday, performing on Sunday. Rinse and repeat.

[@WillHammerhead]

To be fair, people don't mention he copy and pasted quite a bit of material to his Cantatas to get things done on time. Still, he put out a mind-boggling amount of work, and almost all of it is incredible.

[@montychiton]

@@WillHammerhead It is true that he used material from others, but managed to transform it into his music. But I think this was common practice at the time...

[@WillHammerhead]

@montychiton I meant, he copy and pasted his own music.

[@adrianyaguar7666]

My love to music (metal, death metal, classical) started with Bach! First piece i heard was toccata in d minor, but not that famous piece (bwv 565) but "Dorian" toccata, bwv 538. Listen to it's beauty...

[@Sagitarria]

I love Bobby McFerrin's bach awakening that fills so much of his music

[@boomerdell]

Very much inspired by Rick's story towards the end of this video about going to his local public library to hear Bach's music (the Brandenburg concertos and beyond) for the first time is a profound and moving reminder to us all to support our local public libraries, especially here in the U.S. where they are sadly getting starved of funds, in all ways. They are essential and vital sources of inspiration and knowledge for communities. Like arts and music programs in local schools, we have to make the effort to keep them alive and growing!

[@davidmennomoyer]

As a young kid, I played a few simple keyboard pieces by Bach, and liked him well enough - but it wasn't until 1969, when my 13-year-old self became enamoured with synthesizers, that I got "Switched-On Bach" as a gift and promptly lost my mind. The entire album was a revelation to me, but Carlos' version of the 3rd Brandenburg did to me what it sounds like it did to Rick. I couldn't believe that music could be this complex, this engaging, and this GORGEOUS, all at the same time. A few years ago I finally finished sequencing all 6 of the Brandenburgs, and I doubt that I'll ever do anything that rewarding ever again.

[@therealtommykeel]

I had "Switched-On Bach" too as a kid! Loved it!

[@davidmaclean9097]

my mother played switched on Bach all the time...

[@alastertan5779]

Rick didn’t feature any Switch on Bach by Carlos - that’s unforgivable!!!

[@macbird-lt8de]

back when transvestites were still cool lol

[@tedbendixson]

My spouse randomly introduced me to the third Brandenburg concerto just a few months ago, and I've had a similar experience. It totally blew my mind, couldn't stop listening to it, couldn't get enough Bach.

[@lmergenti]

Thank you Rick. I've been a Bach fanatic starting from the day first heard a neighbor play a Bach prelude from WTC book 1 on my parents' piano. I was eight years old. I knew right then and there two things: 1) I had never heard real music until that day and 2) I want to learn piano only to be able to play such glorious music. I became a musician spending the next 18 years studying piano, composition and performance. I gravitated toward jazz, but my heart is and has always been Bach. I'm in my mid 70's now and am ever so grateful for digital and internet technology which has allowed me and so many others to hear and learn about so much beautiful music. But at the end of the day, I always return to Bach.

[@volkerduring90]

It was in the eighties, when a good friend asked me to play Bachs "Jesu, joy of man´s desire" during his wedding ceremonie at the main catholic church in the the beautiful town of Lübeck, northern Germany. I took a modern version for classical guitar by David Qualey, a guitarrist from the US, who was also very famous in Germany at that time. After that, playing from the organ balcony, the organ player beneath me put one of his hands on my shoulder and with the other hand he was weeping off his tears.

[@SuperOldandSlow]

Interesting that you mention Lübeck, as that was a place that was critical in the formation of Bach’s organ-playing and composing skills.

[@crimadiloca]

I've been a JS Bach freak most of my life. Now in my later days I discovered the genius of his son CPE Bach; I love the individuality and freedom in his melodies which represent the "Empfindsamer Stil" and the spirit of the era of enlightenment. There's so much variety of rhythm in his themes...

[@shawnandrew_artist]

CPE had a major influence on the Classical styles of Haydn, Mozart and early Beethoven.

[@hemiolaguy]

There was a lot of genius in that Bach family!

[@jaaklucas1329]

I came from classical guitar before doing popular music and loved Bach. I noted at that time that playing Bach in my back yard w the local birds would get happy and sing along. Bachs music is the order of things portrayed beautifully through sound. As someone noted here, melody and harmony combined in his phrasing and movement. What we are all looking for in music.Great stuff Rick.

[@tumbleddry2887]

Love Bach...introduced to JS by way of Switched ON Bach when I was a kid. My ear just loved it...only way to describe it. So throw in a smattering of Beatle's, Yes, Allman Brothers and Pink Floyd, and you have a kid who ends up learning how to play a guitar (and some piano). I have never been an accomplish player, but my appreciation for music would never have had any depth without Bach.....big brothers have the greatest music collections