I can't think of a better composer to start with than J.S. Bach. Born in the town of Eisenach Germany he was the single most important composer of the Baroque period of classical music. I like to think of him as having a huge part in laying the foundation for other composers that came later. He was a superbly talented organist, often neglecting his official duties to practice his playing skills. I would consider him to be the greatest organist in history, people today still marvel at his compositions and the skill required to play them.
I won't go into too much detail, there are plenty of sources for his life story, but like many of the early composers/musicians of his time, he moved around from patron to patron to try and make a better living for himself and his family. He passed away in Munich at the age of 65, and has left us some truly beautiful music that is still popular today, 100's of years later.
One of his most famous works, and my personal favorite the Brandenburg Concertos, #1 to #6.
The Adagio from Concerto #1
My Own Scans, I couldn't find any good ones in my travels.
Last edited by Lord Grendel; 11-14-2009 at 12:36 PM.
Nice piece OB, I think I heard that one played in the movie "Master & Commander", starring Russell Crowe.
Here are the other 3 Brandenburg Concertos, and these are my cover scans. If I was just discovering J.S. Bach for the first time the 6 Brandenburg Concertos are where I would start, very accessible and pleasant to listen to.
One man's boring is another man's interesting. What do you expect? Same thing could be said for more rock albums than I can count, besides it's just to help give the information about the work, seeing Classical is a more complex undertaking than most other genres.(And I am not positive, but am pretty sure both portraits used on these covers are done by Monet or another of the great painters.)
You are lucky I don't explain what an Allegro, Adagio and Prestissimo Vivace are just to chase you out of here.
Yep, Bach is one of my top classical composers ( #1 or #2).
My faves are the Brandenburg Concertos, "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring", Toccatta and Fugue in D Minor ( the scary organ music that they use in the movies), "Sheep May Safely Graze"...
Did someone mention the Toccata 565?... One of the most recognizable organ pieces in history.
As RF mentioned it's been used extensively in horror movies over the years.
Here's Karl Richter's version.
This is the CD I own, and I truly wish those of you who only have i-pods etc., could listen to this on a really good stereo/surround system, it is Epic!
One of the interesting things about Bach is that although he's undeniably one of the giants of the classical pantheon, his music almost died out in the 19th century. My memory may be faulty on this, but I think it was Liszt who spearheaded the Bach revival that continues to this day.
__________________ Hire an architect - an ego is a terrible thing to waste
You could be right Craig, and like Magic said people have heard all kinds of music from Bach and other heavyweights without realizing who it was, it has become part of the fabric of our culture.
Okay here's a composition to separate the men from the boys...the hardcores from the lightweights...well you get the picture.
I am talking about a CD I bought years ago because I was curious about what a "Fugue" and contrapuntal were all about. In this case the most glorious example I can think of is "The Art of Fugue" performed by Louis Bagger on the harpsichord. This is the kind of music the aristocrats would have heard in the background of their drawing rooms, although I doubt that many of them had J.S. Bach himself playing his magnificent piece.
I usually post a song, but in this case I don't want to scare anybody out of the thread permanently, I enjoy a solo harpsichord myself, but that doesn't mean I play it all the time either. (Check the name of the label this CD was released on, it made me smile when I read it after I scanned it tonight.)
Back to old moldering J.S. Bach, here is an absolute gem, and one of the most important compositions in music history.
The Well Tempered Clavier, I have two versions, one by Sviatoslav Richter, and Glenn Gould's interpretation as well. The piano was just recently invented during Bach's later years so he didn't compose as much music for it as he could have, but his trademark "sound" and virtuosity is there for anyone who takes the time to play this work. I am not sure but I also believe a relative was in the piano building or tuning business, and that had something to do with this piece. I am going on memory but I'll check and make sure, or if Craig is still with us he will most likely know the answer.
Johann Sebastian Bach 
Nice pick LG !
Why are those covers always so boring??? 
Linear Mode
