3 ms·

It seems so common for technical people to be into Bach, but I don't get it. To me, Bach is basically slow, boring religious stuff, or grating harpsichord stuff

It seems so common for technical people to be into Bach, but I don't get it. To me, Bach is basically slow, boring religious stuff, or grating harpsichord stuff. What am I missing? And I mean that as in, what can I listen to, that will help me see what others see?

nickserv 6y ago
A lot of Bach (and "classical" music in general) may feel slow, but is actually quite fast if you measure the amount of notes played per minute. But this is something I only realized when I started to learn guitar and tried playing some pieces. Anyway, what I really like about Bach is how much many of his compositions just swing. He was a big fan of the canon, where a melody is played simultaneously by several voices/instruments, but with an offset and counterpoints. He uses this to create what to me are beautiful textures and great rhythm.
- jabl 6y ago
  > A lot of Bach (and "classical" music in general) may feel slow, but is actually quite fast if you measure the amount of notes played per minute. But this is something I only realized when I started to learn guitar and tried playing some pieces. Not sure classical music generally is much slower or faster than "modern" music (there is of course a wide variety in both), but I would say, also generally, that a classical piece is harder to learn to play because it tends to have a more complex structure and is less repetitive than most contemporary pieces. (This is not a slight against modern music; personally, I enjoy listening to both classical and modern.)
  - nickserv 6y ago
    We are in agreement. I was mainly commenting on the feel of the music. I remember as a teenager listening to Mozart and thinking "this is slow and boring", while Metallica is "super fast and cool", when in actuality the Mozart piece has a faster tempo and many, many more notes produced per minute. Not a dig on Metallica, I still enjoy their music, just that my horizons have broadened.
antognini 6y ago
There are a couple of different kinds of music that Bach composed. Of course he is well known for his chorales, but based on your comment those probably don't speak to you. What might be a better place to start would be the cello suites. The first is so well known that it's hard to come to it with an open mind. But my favorite is the second in d minor. Here is a performance by Mischa Maisky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki9ySiWQNu8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki9ySiWQNu8 Much more lyrical and passionate than we often associate with Baroque music. Bach is, of course, very well known for his counterpoint, which probably is why a lot of technical people like his music so much. I personally like these pieces best on organ. The fugues in particular are always a great deal of fun as each line comes in and the piece gets richer and richer. Here is a performance of the Great Fugue in G major: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6clTa8_QYQE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6clTa8_QYQE I think there's really no substitute for listening to these pieces live, though. With a good organ you just get enveloped in the sound. The next best thing to do is wear good headphones and really crank up the volume, but headphones just can't match the bass of 64 foot pipes. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the Chaconne from his partita for violin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEbi-7tPaqo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEbi-7tPaqo
froh 6y ago
bach brought polyphony to a completely new level. Here is some slow, boring but not religious stuff, no hapsi and no singing: js bach, the art of the fugue https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5BC3686A00C91558 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5BC3686A00C91558 it was a demo of the gist of his composition, his music making: he introduces a melody, the motif, and then overlays it with itself and variants of itself and I admit the details completely escape me. yet the music captures me and allows me to think.
ipiz0618 6y ago
As mentioned by others, Bach is a master of counterpoints - that's what made me listen to his pieces over and over. I guess his slow chorales are played the most in churches and ads. but he composed so much more. Some of my favorites are The Well-Tempered Clavier, Goldberg Variations, and English/Italian Suites.
emptyfile 6y ago
I'm far from an expert in Baroque music, but I think if both of these pieces are boring to you you're definitely not into Bach! And they couldn't be more different. Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No.1 in D Minor BWV 1052 (Jean Rondeau)* I'm sure some people will hate on this unorthodox interpretation, but to me this is sublime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcsfDxojdV8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcsfDxojdV8 Johann Sebastian Bach - Chaconne, Partita No. 2 BWV 1004 | Hilary Hahn * The solo violin bible https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngjEVKxQCWs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngjEVKxQCWs
throw0101a 6y ago
> What am I missing? And I mean that as in, what can I listen to, that will help me see what others see? Cello suites. See No. 6: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbH3JYfRjOQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbH3JYfRjOQ Violin concertos; e.g., D minor: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFOhkGGr8A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFOhkGGr8A Brandenburgs: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbQORqkStpk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbQORqkStpk
alberto-m 6y ago
Bach's music greatly appeals to me as a mathematician because of the sense of universal harmony it irradiates. Many of JSB's compositions are based on precise constraints (symmetries, translations). I think many technical people can somehow perceive the schemes underlying the music, even if they are not musically trained enough to identify them consciously. This is at least how I explain my love for Baroque music. I found it surprising nobody yet mentioned the “Gödel, Escher, Bach” book by Douglas Hofstadter. Not sure how popular the work is today, but some years ago it was really famous.
- alanbernstein 6y ago
  Yeah, thanks for mentioning GEB, it was really the original inspiration for my previous question. I read the book years ago, and loved it. Learning about Gödel's incompleteness theorems had already my blown my mind; Escher already was, and still is, my favorite visual artist. I remember well, at a general level, the book's explanations of counterpoint, constraints, and logic in Bach's compositions. In stark contrast to the rest of the book's content, that was all somewhat academic since the book didn't play any music. Ever since reading the book, it has greatly saddened me to think about how much enjoyment I get from the work of Gödel and Escher, and that I'm missing out on the third component of Hofstadter's holy trinity of self-reference.
ivanmaeder 6y ago
And repetitive! https://www.chenalexander.com/Bach https://www.chenalexander.com/Bach It's not for everyone and that's fine. I have some suggestions to try though. BWV 999 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g4FrGcRAIs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g4FrGcRAIs Goldberg Variations #13 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5-7QENoXoA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5-7QENoXoA Erbarme dich, mein Gott https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zry9dpM1_n4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zry9dpM1_n4 Cello Suite #6 Sarabande https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzb8aEW_Rdc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzb8aEW_Rdc I'm going to go a little rogue with the Chaconne and suggest an arrangement ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljb5MvKv0Hw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljb5MvKv0Hw

nickserv 6y ago

A lot of Bach (and "classical" music in general) may feel slow, but is actually quite fast if you measure the amount of notes played per minute. But this is something I only realized when I started to learn guitar and tried playing some pieces. Anyway, what I really like about Bach is how much many of his compositions just swing. He was a big fan of the canon, where a melody is played simultaneously by several voices/instruments, but with an offset and counterpoints. He uses this to create what to me are beautiful textures and great rhythm.

jabl 6y ago
> A lot of Bach (and "classical" music in general) may feel slow, but is actually quite fast if you measure the amount of notes played per minute. But this is something I only realized when I started to learn guitar and tried playing some pieces. Not sure classical music generally is much slower or faster than "modern" music (there is of course a wide variety in both), but I would say, also generally, that a classical piece is harder to learn to play because it tends to have a more complex structure and is less repetitive than most contemporary pieces. (This is not a slight against modern music; personally, I enjoy listening to both classical and modern.)
- nickserv 6y ago
  We are in agreement. I was mainly commenting on the feel of the music. I remember as a teenager listening to Mozart and thinking "this is slow and boring", while Metallica is "super fast and cool", when in actuality the Mozart piece has a faster tempo and many, many more notes produced per minute. Not a dig on Metallica, I still enjoy their music, just that my horizons have broadened.

antognini 6y ago

There are a couple of different kinds of music that Bach composed. Of course he is well known for his chorales, but based on your comment those probably don't speak to you. What might be a better place to start would be the cello suites. The first is so well known that it's hard to come to it with an open mind. But my favorite is the second in d minor. Here is a performance by Mischa Maisky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki9ySiWQNu8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki9ySiWQNu8 Much more lyrical and passionate than we often associate with Baroque music. Bach is, of course, very well known for his counterpoint, which probably is why a lot of technical people like his music so much. I personally like these pieces best on organ. The fugues in particular are always a great deal of fun as each line comes in and the piece gets richer and richer. Here is a performance of the Great Fugue in G major: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6clTa8_QYQE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6clTa8_QYQE I think there's really no substitute for listening to these pieces live, though. With a good organ you just get enveloped in the sound. The next best thing to do is wear good headphones and really crank up the volume, but headphones just can't match the bass of 64 foot pipes. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the Chaconne from his partita for violin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEbi-7tPaqo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEbi-7tPaqo

froh 6y ago

bach brought polyphony to a completely new level. Here is some slow, boring but not religious stuff, no hapsi and no singing: js bach, the art of the fugue https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5BC3686A00C91558 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5BC3686A00C91558 it was a demo of the gist of his composition, his music making: he introduces a melody, the motif, and then overlays it with itself and variants of itself and I admit the details completely escape me. yet the music captures me and allows me to think.

ipiz0618 6y ago

As mentioned by others, Bach is a master of counterpoints - that's what made me listen to his pieces over and over. I guess his slow chorales are played the most in churches and ads. but he composed so much more. Some of my favorites are The Well-Tempered Clavier, Goldberg Variations, and English/Italian Suites.

emptyfile 6y ago

I'm far from an expert in Baroque music, but I think if both of these pieces are boring to you you're definitely not into Bach! And they couldn't be more different. Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No.1 in D Minor BWV 1052 (Jean Rondeau)* I'm sure some people will hate on this unorthodox interpretation, but to me this is sublime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcsfDxojdV8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcsfDxojdV8 Johann Sebastian Bach - Chaconne, Partita No. 2 BWV 1004 | Hilary Hahn * The solo violin bible https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngjEVKxQCWs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngjEVKxQCWs

throw0101a 6y ago

> What am I missing? And I mean that as in, what can I listen to, that will help me see what others see? Cello suites. See No. 6: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbH3JYfRjOQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbH3JYfRjOQ Violin concertos; e.g., D minor: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFOhkGGr8A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFOhkGGr8A Brandenburgs: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbQORqkStpk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbQORqkStpk

alberto-m 6y ago

Bach's music greatly appeals to me as a mathematician because of the sense of universal harmony it irradiates. Many of JSB's compositions are based on precise constraints (symmetries, translations). I think many technical people can somehow perceive the schemes underlying the music, even if they are not musically trained enough to identify them consciously. This is at least how I explain my love for Baroque music. I found it surprising nobody yet mentioned the “Gödel, Escher, Bach” book by Douglas Hofstadter. Not sure how popular the work is today, but some years ago it was really famous.

alanbernstein 6y ago
Yeah, thanks for mentioning GEB, it was really the original inspiration for my previous question. I read the book years ago, and loved it. Learning about Gödel's incompleteness theorems had already my blown my mind; Escher already was, and still is, my favorite visual artist. I remember well, at a general level, the book's explanations of counterpoint, constraints, and logic in Bach's compositions. In stark contrast to the rest of the book's content, that was all somewhat academic since the book didn't play any music. Ever since reading the book, it has greatly saddened me to think about how much enjoyment I get from the work of Gödel and Escher, and that I'm missing out on the third component of Hofstadter's holy trinity of self-reference.

ivanmaeder 6y ago

And repetitive! https://www.chenalexander.com/Bach https://www.chenalexander.com/Bach It's not for everyone and that's fine. I have some suggestions to try though. BWV 999 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g4FrGcRAIs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g4FrGcRAIs Goldberg Variations #13 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5-7QENoXoA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5-7QENoXoA Erbarme dich, mein Gott https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zry9dpM1_n4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zry9dpM1_n4 Cello Suite #6 Sarabande https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzb8aEW_Rdc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzb8aEW_Rdc I'm going to go a little rogue with the Chaconne and suggest an arrangement ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljb5MvKv0Hw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljb5MvKv0Hw