John Dalmas wrote about Rameau:

>His imagination and daring harmonies make his contemporary Bach look
>like a museum curator.

To the uninitiated, Bach can seem an enigma.  Yes, he composed using well
established forms.  However, how he used these forms displayed a level of
genius that still astounds us today.  If any baroque composer reminds me
of modernist works, it is Bach.  With Rameau, we have writings and musical
theories that bespeak a true innovator.  Yet, his music is baroque to the
core and will likely never attain the stature of Bach works, nor should it.

I like listening to Rameau from time to time, but he can get tiring.
Bach can easily be a daily fixture with no diminuation in enjoyment or
appreciation.

I like to tell people who have insufficient appreciation for Bach based on
his use of conventional forms that the form does not matter when we are
dealing with musical genius; Bach's musical genius transcends form.

Don Satz
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