Scientist and author Lewis Thomas once suggested how we should communicate with the universe: “I would vote for Bach, all of Bach, streamed out into space, over and over again. We would be bragging of course, but it is surely excusable to put the best possible face on at the beginning of such an acquaintance. We can tell the harder truths later.”
Bach’s best? There’re so many to choose from! If you held a gun to my head, I think I’d have to say one of the “Brandenburg Concertos,” No. 3 in G Major, Allegro (III). Intricate, passionate, deeply rewarding. It never fails to cheer me up and make me think better of humanity.
I have always been fond of the ‘Little’ fugue in G minor.
I love fugues in general and I arranged that one for a sax quartet. It was really interesting to get inside that music that way.
Heh. FYI—as a matter of fact, the first musical selection on the Voyager record was the first movement from Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #2! (It’s a favorite of mine, too.)
After that, I’m fond of the prelude to his English Suite #2—mostly for when I’m in a bad mood.
I played the Brandenburg Concerto, No. 3, in my high school orchestra days, so I definitely have a soft spot for it. I like the first movement better than the third.
There’s one passage in the first movement of the Seventh Symphony that gives me chills.
In Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, after the first two notes establish a pattern, every note that follows is absolutely right and inevitable.
But if I have to pick a favorite, it’s the Toccata in D Minor. That piece should be played on the biggest pipe organ you can find and it should shake the earth. But I also remember it from a different setting. My first time ever in Europe was a business trip to Germany, and I managed to get one free day to myself and went to Stuttgart. I was walking back to the train station, and saw a couple of street musicians setting up. I didn’t know how long until they were going to start, and there was a train back to Munich in a few minutes, so I kept walking. Behind me I heard them play the first few notes of the Toccata, and I had to go back. They played it on two accordians, and kicked ass! I never would have thought it could work on that instrument, but these two guys just nailed it. Followed it with the Fugue, then Winter from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. One of my all-time favorite travel memories.
Zebra, that wouldn’t be the Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet by any chance, would it?
All you fans have just missed a treat. For the 10 days up to Christmas,* BBC Radio 3* broadcast Bach 24 hours a day. In that time they aired every surviving work of the great composer at least once. If you want to buy the complete works it is available on 150 CDs.
I’m very fond of the Violin Partita No. 3 in E major (BWV 1006), especially the gavotte. Still, I wouldn’t want to choose one Bach piece as the best - so much of his work was so great.
I’m a huge fan of the cantatas. As I’ve said before on this board, I think Actus Tragicus (Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit) is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written.
My vote goes to the Art of Fugue. I’ve got a recording for string quartet and two harpsichords, and a solo piano version. I do not believe that bogus story about a human writing this, or that humans performed it in a recording studio. What in fact happened is, Neil Armstrong discovered these discs buried under the lunar soil. In all the years since, we have no more clue how they came into existence. They’re proof of the existence either of God, or of transcendent alien-light beings.
What?
For sentimental reasons: Musette in D Major. One of the pieces I played when learning piano. It also provided me one of my favorite classical jokes: There’s a Yo-Yo Ma/Bobby McFerrin collaboration album where Ma starts on the opening to this, and McFerrin starts out doing the melody to “Purple Haze.” It’s done live, and no one in the audience gets it, probably because they don’t recognize Hendrix if they did recognize Musette. I wondered if I was the only person other than McFerrin and Ma to get the joke first thing without explanation.
Assuming I’m talking about the same piece as Beware of Doug, my vote is for Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, which was written for organ I believe, but I’ve only heard/played on piano (arr. Busoni). There’s something very… thoughtful, pensive, and smooth about the whole thing. No large expressive swells really, but just constant rightness.
I’ve been looking for one of my Bach CDs (Essential Bach), which I finally uncovered. I have to go with Sleepers Awake as well - that’s Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme. Firstly, Eonwe, you should hear it done on an organ - some of the most impressive and expressive parts of it are the footpedal work. Secondly, this piece always makes me think of my Mom, who was an accomplished organist - I know I’d heard her play it many, many times. After that, I’d say Sheep may Safely Graze, which also reminds me of my Mom. One of my brothers names the “Little Fugue” (I think). It’s so hard to choose among Bach’s work because it really is so beautiful, all of it.
Thank you for this thread - I’m going to listen to some Bach before I head home tonight.
