Why Bach?

We continue to play and sing solely the music of Johann Sebastian Bach because there is something in Bach’s music that you don’t find elsewhere. 

It harmonizes, it uplifts, it heals, it puts you in touch with the deepest and the purest. People reach for Bach to celebrate, to mourn, to find comfort. It gives us a sense of security. Bach never fails to help us feel secure.

Often his music is described as “perfect”. When we talk about something being “perfect” we compare it with something “imperfect”. But Bach is incomparable.  Bach is Bach.

His music is for me an imprint of the order of the Universe.

He is never overly sentimental or dramatically tragic. He expresses sorrow and joy in the loving way of someone who “knows”. People in distress turn to Bach.

Robert Schumann on several occasions noted the healing powers of Bach’s music and techniques. When he was suffering from a bad bout of mental illness, Schumann turned to an intense study of Bach’s counterpoint, which seemed to have a therapeutic effect. Mortally ill Brahms, unable to listen to any music, found comfort in reading Bach’s scores. Some in our audience, after three days of listening only to Bach, talk about their blissful feelings.

I believe in Bach.  I hope that what I find so important in his music has the power to radiate from our stage and inspires you.