Gerardo Constantini wrote:

>A question for Bach admirers(like me): Why Bach took so much material from
>Vivaldi to make  a wonderful transcriptions?.

Simple answer, really:  Bach LOVED Vivaldi's music.  Now let me make a
point here that I always want to say to those Vivaldi lovers who claim that
Bach was nothing without Vivaldi.  Bach was his own composer.  Sure, he
had is influences (name someone who truly didn't) but he had a very unique
voice.  I once heard Gil Shaham say that Vivaldi was the greatest composer
who ever lived.  That's fine for him to hold that opinion but he blows it
when trying to support his opinion by following up with something along the
lines of, "Bach loved Vivaldi and thought he was the greatest composer,
that tells you something." It doesn't tell me anything other than Bach
liked Vivaldi.  Bach liking Vivaldi does not instantly qualify Vivaldi as
a great composer.  Bach may have been the supreme master in my view but his
taste in other music differs from mine in a lot of respects.  I like to use
the analogy:  I love the Beatles, they are my favorite of all musical
groups.  They LOVED Elvis Presley more than most any other rock musicians.
I think Elvis was mostly garbage.  He was NOTHING compared to the Beatles.
This how I feel about Bach and Vivaldi.  Although I really like some of
Vivaldi's music, it is nothing compared to the music of Bach.  Sure,
Vivaldi was to Bach what Elvis was to the Beatles.  Either way, the
predecessor was greatly outdone by the one they influenced.  I hope I am
not creating a wrong impression here.  I love some of Vivaldi's music but
much of it quickly becomes homogenous.

Wes Crone