tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post3380297600471965745..comments2024-03-27T23:06:03.736-05:00Comments on The Music Salon: Bach Family ValuesBryan Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-5949074570735439142011-09-27T08:09:28.743-05:002011-09-27T08:09:28.743-05:00Music really does seem to run in some families. Yo...Music really does seem to run in some families. You have got me thinking about where musical talent comes from so I think I will make a new post...Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-82238885432706029912011-09-26T20:08:09.955-05:002011-09-26T20:08:09.955-05:00I assume then that you inherited your musical tale...I assume then that you inherited your musical talents from your mother. Whether you did or not, it's a beautiful thing this idea of carrying the legacy of one's parents in one's own talents and practices.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-84972667869836311042011-09-26T08:07:51.230-05:002011-09-26T08:07:51.230-05:00My mother could play several instruments, but she ...My mother could play several instruments, but she was a natural talent!<br />Yes, the virtuosos are more virtuoso than ever today. The professionalism in pop music seems mostly to do with things other than the musical content.<br /><br />That's a very sage observation about Bach's attitude to music being pre-romantic.Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-81060602504439067792011-09-25T23:58:00.202-05:002011-09-25T23:58:00.202-05:00Even a backwater place like 18c Leipzig had a plet...Even a backwater place like 18c Leipzig had a plethora of professional musicians -- people who, like Bach, could play keyboard, violin, and trumpet. How many of today's musicians can play 3 instruments fluently? Music mattered much more in those days, partly because that was the major source of entertainment and, unlike theater (the other form) it was needed for "serious" functions (funerals, weddings, ceremonies, etc). <br /><br />The irony is that today's classical performers are probably better trained and more virtuosic than in Bach's era, but if Bach woke up in America today I bet he would be shocked by how unprofessional our popular music is. He'd probably called radiohead's music "baby tunes" and would advise them to learn a thing or two about harmony. <br /><br />Music in Bach's days was indispensable. It served crucial functions in society. I used to be a big believer in the romantic view of art for its own sake, but I have revised my judgment. I have come to realize that Bach's music's purposefulness has a lot to do with its greatness. Bach not only didn't care about Art, but he mostly likely had no idea of the concept itself. I think he saw himself as the music equivalent of a Persian rug weaver or the builder of Gothic cathedrals, professionals endowed with unparalleled craftsmanship. It's a humble view of art, but a more lasting, genuine, universal one. The great non-Western music traditions are very much in the Bach mold of sublime, purposeful craftsmanship. The Romantic tradition is very much a Western aberration.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com