J.S. Bach

BaldFriede wrote: It is a little known fact that the classical composers used to be great improvisers, and in most concerts for instruments they played large parts were improvised when played, and actually this practice was kept up until the romantic era. The Romantics, however, followed a kind of "genius cult"; it is they who introduced the practice of playing exactly what is written down and nothing else, and this was kept up until today. Recently there have been some attempts to re-invoke the spirit of improvisation for classical music though. I bet Bach, Mozart or Beethoven would turn in their graves when they hear how (comparatively) lifeless their works are being played today. Don't get me wrong: I love classical music, but I am pretty sure much of it was never intended to be played the way it is now.

I'm actually working on my skills as a classical improv man. Despite being bloody difficult (you have phrasing, mood, direction and strategic dissonance to worry about as well as melody and harmony), it is so fun to do. Admittedly, I'm not to a standard where I can pull off even a 3 part fugue yet (I can just about do a really slow two part invention at best), but I think I could pull off a lame version of a pseudo-Lizst fantasia or rhapsody. But yeah, it's probably one of the most difficult things I've ever tried out on the keys.

hitting_singularity2 wrote: BaldFriede wrote: It is a little known fact that the classical composers used to be great improvisers, and in most concerts for instruments they played large parts were improvised when played, and actually this practice was kept up until the romantic era. The Romantics, however, followed a kind of "genius cult"; it is they who introduced the practice of playing exactly what is written down and nothing else, and this was kept up until today. Recently there have been some attempts to re-invoke the spirit of improvisation for classical music though. I bet Bach, Mozart or Beethoven would turn in their graves when they hear how (comparatively) lifeless their works are being played today. Don't get me wrong: I love classical music, but I am pretty sure much of it was never intended to be played the way it is now. that's really cool.  I've always wondered what the point of the conductor is if everyone is just playing off a sheet anyways!  but i guess they used to actually make the music! pretty cool

That's rather interesting, the romantics insisting on discipline, and before them the written music being much more flexible.  It makes sense, though, strictly sticking to what was written and not using your own creative license can be a bit tedious.

It is a little known fact that the classical composers used to be great improvisers, and in most concerts for instruments they played large parts were improvised when played, and actually this practice was kept up until the romantic era. The Romantics, however, followed a kind of "genius cult"; it is they who introduced the practice of playing exactly what is written down and nothing else, and this was kept up until today. Recently there have been some attempts to re-invoke the spirit of improvisation for classical music though.
I bet Bach, Mozart or Beethoven would turn in their graves when they hear how (comparatively) lifeless their works are being played today. Don't get me wrong: I love classical music, but I am pretty sure much of it was never intended to be played the way it is now.

meptune wrote: I adore Bach and I'm absolutely fascinated by canons and fugues. To think that he could actually improvise a multivoice fugue is mind boggling.

he did what now!

When i start making rock, i intend to write some pieces that are directly and primarily influenced by classical pieces

  Bach Live At Fillmore East - Virgil Fox

Edited by dwill123 - June 15 2009 at 09:15

Certif1ed wrote: It's weird to think that until the end of the nineteenth century or thereabouts, if you said "Bach", you generally meant JC Bach or even CPE Bach, and not their father, whose music was considered dated.   JC was influential on Mozart's concerto style and countless other composers of the time - more so than his more deserving old man, even though (or maybe because) he drew highly from the Italian composers.   JS Bach's most amazing opus has to be his Mass in B minor - no-one wrote choral music like JS.     As an aside, when I was a young(er) student, I used to call JS Bach the "dum digger" composer, because in almost all his works, there would be many lengthy passages that went "dum digger digger dum digger...". Imagine my delight when I discovered that one of his sons had the initials JC...     It wasn't just prog bands that were influenced by JS - the jazz pianist Jacques Loussier, the Swingle Singers, Procol Harum, and Clouds all used material gleaned from the great man.

Yes, it was Mendelssohn who dug him up again, supported by Schumann. He organized a rendition of the St. Matthew Passion, which was a great success and revived the interest in Bach.

It's weird to think that until the end of the nineteenth century or thereabouts, if you said "Bach", you generally meant JC Bach or even CPE Bach, and not their father, whose music was considered dated.

Edited by Certif1ed - June 13 2009 at 17:01

BaldFriede wrote: Egg use the famous "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" on their first album. During a solo in "Release" from the live album of Frumpy keyboarder Jean-Jaques Kravetz suddenly breaks into this well-known tune too, which is immediately picked up by the others, so all play a few bars of it. I am pretty sure Sky adapted a lot of tracks from him too, but am not too familiar with their work. I am sure there are more bands which were influenced by him, and there are probably dozens of adaptions of the "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" around.

Old Sky fan, just a technical point, Sky is more of a phenomenon of the '80's. 

Bach stuff was used, but was not predominant. 

Egg use the famous "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" on their first album.
During a solo in "Release" from the live album of Frumpy keyboarder Jean-Jaques Kravetz suddenly breaks into this well-known tune too, which is immediately picked up by the others, so all play a few bars of it.
I am pretty sure Sky adapted a lot of tracks from him too, but am not too familiar with their work.

I am sure there are more bands which were influenced by him, and there are probably dozens of adaptions of the "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" around.

St. Matthew's Passion literally had the hairs on my neck at attention throughout it's entirety. Without doubt, one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. Although I throw that term around quite a fair bit, this time I really mean it.