Monday, March 21, 2005

Yo! Johann as in Sebastian Bach, Happy Birthday!

J.S. Bach was born on March 21, 1685 and died in 1750. He married once, fathered 20 children (with the same woman) of which 8 died in infancy and 1 as a young adult. He lived and worked his entire life in Germany. His musical contemporaries were Teleman, Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Handel and many more too numerous to list here. An interesting website detailing his life with modern pictures and great old drawings is here .In honor of his work, my quartet (sometimes quintet) played Bach all morning: Two Little Fugues, Sheep May Safely Graze from Cantata 208, Air and Gigue from Suite No. 3 in D Major. I marvel at music still being heard and played today written by a man born 320 years ago . I wonder what present day music will be performed and listened to in the next 300 years?