Satoshi Akima writes:

>Most telling yet perhaps is the example of the music of J. S. Bach, so
>full as it is of its black pearls, its inegalities, and an unrelentingly
>austere anguished darkness, whose assaultive dissonance on the
>contemporary ear we really only begin to appreciate when we listen to
>contemporaries such as Telemann and Rameau.

I don't believe that the above represents a reasonable snapshot of
Bach's music.  Yes, there are the "black pearls", and austerity, and
some dissonance, but they are more than offset by the abundance of joy,
serenity, happiness, and all the other positive and upbeat emotional themes
in Bach's music.  In my opinion, it is the contrast in Bach's music and how
he integrates contrasting themes which represents the true musical genius
of the man.  Also, I think that if a person added up every single movement
of a Bach work which is austere and black, the percentage not having
uplifting passages would be quite low.  The black pearl variation from
the Goldberg Variations is the exception, not the rule.

For me, the basic difference between Bach and fine baroque composers like
Telemann and Rameau, is not a matter of austerity or darkness, but one of
musical, technical, and emotional quality.

Don Satz
[log in to unmask]