# Happy JS Bach's Birthday!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-js-bachs-birthday/810970>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 21, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-js-bachs-birthday/810970 "2018-03-21T15:11:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-js-bachs-birthday/810970/1 "2018-03-21T15:11:22Z")

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The big 333rd today! 🆒

[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rTIOHpsjzo0/hqdefault.jpg "Bach 333 | official video | 333 people play Brandenburg Concerto no. 3") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTIOHpsjzo0)

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**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-js-bachs-birthday/810970/2 "2018-03-21T15:19:42Z")

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He’s pretty much The Man. Happy birthday Johann!

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-js-bachs-birthday/810970/3 "2018-03-21T18:51:12Z")

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Huzzah! I love Bach, but as I recall, we don’t know his actual birthdate for sure, only the date of his baptism, right?

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**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-js-bachs-birthday/810970/4 "2018-03-21T19:29:55Z")

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The St Matthew passion, St John Passion, and Mass in B Minor are some of the finest works ever composed.

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**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-js-bachs-birthday/810970/5 "2018-03-21T19:38:17Z")

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A quick search reveals he was evidently born 21 March 1685 on the Julian calendar, 31 March 1685 on the Gregorian. Today is still being marked as his birthday, however. WNED Buffalo, NY, is celebrating it by playing at least one of his works every hour.

Place of birth: Eisenach, Thuringia (Germany).

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**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-js-bachs-birthday/810970/6 "2018-03-21T20:04:14Z")

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I was building a cathedral in his name to celebrate but the Babylonians beat me to it so I built the Sistine Chapel instead.

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**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-js-bachs-birthday/810970/7 "2018-03-21T20:16:10Z")

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> [@terentii](#):
>
> The big 333rd today!

I think he’s earned a rest:

[https://youtu.be/I9BbWneSWQE?t=552](https://youtu.be/I9BbWneSWQE?t=552)

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**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-js-bachs-birthday/810970/8 "2018-03-22T04:21:15Z")

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I listened to about 7 hours of Bach today. One of those was the CD “Jazz Sebastien Bach” by the Swingle Singers, which I hadn’t listened to for a number of years according to my iTunes library.