J. S. Bach – Phrases and Curiosities

"A heretic is converted when he listens to Bach."

   Beethoven

"Bach is so great that he should be called ocean."

    Beethoven – Referring to the meaning of "Bach" in German, which means “stream”.

"Music owes Bach as much as religion owes its founder."

   Schumann

“Bach's music is a folk background of all nations."

   Heitor Villa - Lobos

"In the morning, early on my day, I need Bach more than food and water. And this is Bach. I need perfection and joy."   Pablo Cassals – Cello Player   "Bach is the god of Music.”   Debussy – Musician   "It's impossible for me to write in words what I have learned and have been learning with Bach."   Mahler - Musician   "Not all musicians believe in God, but all believe in Bach."   Maurice Kagel   "Bach is the reason why I became a musician."   Glenn Gould   "How one can spend time and money on therapy when you can listen to Bach’s music?"   Michael Torke

"Poet-musician.”

   Albert Schweitzer

"The history of humanity in 12 minutes"

  Deborah Wanderley dos Santos – Reference to Chaconne BWV 1004
(which is performed by her; moreover, she is the sponsor of the website).

Curiosities             Always interested in learning more and more, Bach made every effort to improve his knowledge. It is said that once, before turning 13, he asked his older brother, Johann Christoph, to borrow a book. As he declined, the boy cleverly found a solution to solve the problem. So, every night, after going to bed, he would get the music book and study during the whole night. Since he could not light candles to avoid calling his brother’s attention, he studied for a long time having only the moonlight.             This habit of transcribing works in darkness, moreover, lasted throughout his life; an effort that certainly contributed to his total blindness. Source: GERINGER, Karl - Apogeu de Uma Era (Portuguese Version) WHEELER, Opal - DEUCHER, Sybil - Sebastian Bach O Menino da Turíngia (Portuguese Version) (Drawing beside– Mary Greenwalt )

   Although he never traveled outside Germany, the German composer committed crazy things in order to experience music from other artists. His fame was already great when, in Arnstadt, he decided to ask for a leave of absence of four weeks from work so that he could listen to the great organist Dietrich Buxtehude. He walked 200 miles (about 300 km) on foot to get to his destination, Lubeck. The problem is that he took four months to come back. This "eccentricity" cost him his job.

During one of these walks, after listening to an organ concert, Bach stopped at a house stairwell thinking about how to end his trip being so hungry. In the meantime, two heads of herring with two gold ducats in each fell at his feet. Bach looked around and did not find anyone. He picked up the coins and bought a nice dinner at an inn. Bach talked about it to their children, saying that the "miracle” and the kindness of somebody was a gift from God. Source: WHEELER, Opal - DEUCHER, Sybil - Sebastian Bach O Menino da Turíngia. (Tittle in Portuguese) (Drawings beside and below - Mary Greenwalt )

  On the travel of spacecraft Yoyager I to the space, it was recorded, on a gold-plated brass plate, two songs that were considered "absolute perfection" by NASA computers in terms of metric, harmony, complexity: Toccata and Fugue BWV 565 and Cantata's Arioso 156. Those songs were to be heard by supposed living beings out of the Earth. This spacecraft is already outside the Solar System.

  Alexa Moore, a woman aged 32, was born deaf and was wondering how Bach’s music was. Her aunt, who was a pianist, played the "Air on fourth string”, and Alexa, with her head resting against the top of the piano, “heard" the music and at the end she said she had never felt such "celestial and perfect" vibrations.

  If we take the orchestral score of St Matthew’s Passion, put it upwards every five sheets and move away 10 meters, we will clearly see the figure of Christ resurrecting from his grave. (Source: Bach Museum Leipzig. But according to scholars, it is just a legend. It is up to you to buy the sheet music and try to see it.)

 The melodic line of sheet music for Jesus Joy of Man (BWV 147) accurately reflects the Ascension of Christ into heaven. This has been scientifically proved. It has also been proved that many people who were suffering from illnesses and depression were cured with the music of the Kantor of Leipzig.

 It is estimated that Bach composed over 4,500 pieces and slightly more than half of that was lost as the time passed. Many of his scores served as wrapping paper in German bakeries and some of his children sold his scores for peanuts when they were in great financial difficulty. In 1997, a library in Leipzig caught fire and in one of the few books that were left, there were two complete and original cantatas by Bach hidden in one of the back covers of a Math book.

  Bach was one of the first musicians who put women in the choir. One of these women was one of his wives; many people at the church got upset with his attitude. This fact caused much bureaucratic trouble and, therefore, he lost his job.

  Teenage Bach would stay up all night to study the organ. Many monks in monasteries where Bach studied would find him studying by his organ at dawn. Bach composed the Toccata & Fugue BWV 565 when he was only 18 years old.

Bach’s solo cello suites were written as an "exercise" for Bach’s “gambist” friend (The viola da gamba). But the truth is that each one of the six suites accurately reflects all the emotions that a human being can feel. This has also been scientifically proved.   Some of Bach’s pieces are not allowed to be played in some churches at some point, because depending on the combination of records, some of his chords resonate with the columns of the church, causing landslide. Bach's music shakes the foundations of churches, literally. Some of these chords are called "The voice of God.” Tocatta Dorian is one of those. Drawing beside by Mike Venezia (Cortesy of Editora Moderna)

  
  Bach loved coffee and homemade bread with honey for dinner. According to some scholars, due to this combination, Bach hardly ever had a cold. And in honor of coffee and women in Leipzig, Bach composed his Cantata Coffee (Koffi Kantate BWV 211).

In 1708, Bach got a great job in the court of Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Wiemer. It was in this court that Bach wrote some of his most important works.  Unfortunately, after a few years, the Duke was becoming too authoritarian and Bach decided to find another job in a more friendly court. When the Duke heard of Bach’s decision, he got furious and put Bach in prison for a month. Drawing beside by Mike Venezia (Cortesy of Editora Moderna)

  Many rock musicians love Bach. For Ozzy Osbourne, Paul McCartney, Eddie Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Bach is God. For Christiane Torloni and for tennis player Maria Sharapova as well.

  In Bach's days, everyone would play the organ and the harpsichord with only three fingers. Bach thought it was better to play with all five fingers. This was a revolution at that time.

                   "I may be an idiot, but I'll be an idiot with own chords."

                                                      Johann Sebastian Bach

Note: All the curiosities were researched and taken from books, films, news and articles from national and international newspapers.

We are gradually adding all sources.

Doubts, questions and materials and/or phrases to be sent: bach@jsbach.org.br

Thanks.