(Roughly) Daily

When eminent biologist and author Lewis Thomas was asked what message he would choose to send from Earth into outer space in the Voyager spacecraft, he answered, “I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.” After a pause, he added, “But that would be boasting.” (Indeed.)

Evan Goldfine agreed– and decided to devote a year to listening to Bach… all of Bach…

… Take your favorite author and read all of it! The early exploratory stuff, the later material you’ll throw against the wall, the angry letters to publishers and daffy love letters, every word. (This strategy also works for visual artists and filmmakers, etc.)

I’d listened to only about a third of Bach’s work prior to Year of Bach. Why so little? I loved what I’d heard…

How much of Bach do you know? You’ve tasted only a morsel of the world’s biggest cake.

That said, of all the great artists, Bach has the lowest variance in style and quality of output from youth to old age…

…

My Year of Bach ended in December, but I’m still listening to plenty of JSB. I’m happy whenever my algo serves it up. The music is fundamental and infinite…

… My gamble last January was that I’d enjoy listening to all 200 hours of Bach’s compositions. My goodness, did Bach live up to his part of the deal. The music was never less than excellent…

See also here

A year of majesty and beauty: “37 takeaways from 200 hours with Bach.”

(Image at top: source)

* Johannes Brahms

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As we celebrate completists, we might recall that it was on the date in 1749 that George Frideric Handel’s “Music For The Royal Fireworks” debuted in London’s Green Park. Bach and Handel were contemporaries; they (and Domenico Scarlatti) were born in 1685.