The Significance and Impact of Johann Sebastian Bach on the History of Music - by Uwe Lieflander

The works of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach are considered the pinnacle and perfection of Baroque music. Bach was not only a composer, cantor and music director, but also a virtuoso on the organ, harpsichord and violin. Bach's compositions inspired not only music makers of his time, but also subsequent generations of musicians and composers. It is not uncommon, therefore, for Johann Sebastian Bach to be called perhaps the most important composer in the history of music, not only in terms of cantatas and The Art of Fugue

It IS a big conundrum with my hero J.S. Bach: As a professional Church musician and Conductor, I can unequivocally say, he is the greatest composer that ever lived, yet, if I put him on a concert programme, ticket sales are very sluggish. Similarly, if I play Bach in church, there is often quite a coolness from the people in the pews. And if I perform a Handel or Vivaldi piece, I have usually a line-up of faithful at the bottom of the Balcony stairs, thanking me profusely for the beautiful music. Why is that?

The biggest difference between Bach and other composers is, that he did not write most of his music with sound in mind, meaning that he was mostly thinking about the interaction of notes and the beauty of the individual voice lines, and not so much what they sound like. One amazing result of this is, that his music is great music on any

instrument, from tin drums to nose flutes to Armpits (yes, somebody did that!) to piano or organ or orchestra; no matter what, it remains great music. It never is diminished by the SOUND of it.

Now this is not to say that his Magnificat does not have a brilliant and overwhelming sound with the orchestra, the jubilating trumpets, the strong and brilliant choir and soloists, but that is a bonus. Even here, the essence is the relationship of those thousands of notes, and yes, it still would be great music if only played on 100 Tubas.

Mozart was fascinated with this, at his time, never heard before music, when he came into contact with Bach’s compositions. In a letter from April 20, 1782, he wrote:” Baron van Swieten, to whom I go every Sunday, gave me all the works of Händel and Sebastian Bach to take home with me (after I had played them to him).” To discover the ‘secret’ of this most magical counterpoint, to see the mechanics behind it, he transcribed all the fugues of the “well-tempered Clavier”, all 48 of them, from harpsichord to string quartet, which allowed him to study them with more clarity. This set into motion a string of the most awkward and yet fascinating compositions of Mozart. In several organ and piano pieces, choir motets and other categories, he discovered his limits. The great Mozart, who is seen by many as the best and most ingenious composer, who could write for any instrument and any circumstance could not produce a fugue like Bach!

Which brings me back to the poor churchgoer or concert attendee: If Mozart had trouble, how are they to understand Bach? My tip for the musician is to have a very limited number of Bach pieces performed, BUT repeat those choices very often. Once the average person has heard the same Bach piece several times, often a glimmer of the Beauty can be vaguely seen, like through a veil. Add a few more times, and the veil slowly lifts. Otherwise, you will be hearing comments like I did too often: “Uugh, Bach! Empty scales, up and down.”