Here is an article from The Hudson Review on J.S. Bach. It's rather long, but I love the ideas:
"When we hear “Mozart” or “Beethoven,” we think of a person behind the music. When we hear “Bach,” we think of music only."
The composer has become so phantasmal, but his music speaks eternal truths.
I have to include this on the blog, because my Profile says that Shakira and J.S. Bach are my two favorite musicians. That's like saying that Jesus Christ and The Scientist Dad are my two favorite men. The distance between them is infinite.
Lest anyone think I am being flippant, here is an article on Shakira to prove my devotion and that "infinite distance." Or you could just listen to some Brandenberg concertos.
6 comments:
guess what guess what! i just heard that paul elie, author of "the life you save may be your own," is working on a book about bach...
Oh, rockin'! I'm not an Elie fan by any stretch of the imagination, but any attempt at a "Life of Bach" is admirable!
I don't get this... Shakira? Really? I guess I'd have to admit that I'm mostly ignorant of her and her music/career-- all I've seen of her is a music video where she is simulating sex without a partner, covered in mud, at least, I hope it's mud...and I think that if she want to rid the world of hate, that perhaps maybe she could start with not encouraging the perception of women as objects; which then leads some men to neglect the humanity/dignity of a woman while using her for his own sexual gratification, and far too often leaving her to raise child(ren) alone and consumed by poverty... and we all know what good comes of poverty and lack of the masculine figure in a child's life...
All seriousness aside, I'm mainly joking because, if you are being serious about Shakira, I'd assume it's something like my covert appreciation for Jennifer Lopez...
ah, shakira. well...also being a genuine fan of hers, all i can say is, don't judge her until you listen to her spanish music -- pies descalzos and donde estan los ladrones are both phenomenal albums. as a musician, she's light-years beyond jennifer lopez. she writes her own stuff, often produces her own albums, and her vocal quality and musicality are out of this world. she also happens to be extremely intelligent and well-spoken. (on that score, check out her interview with gabriel garcia marquez -- it's called "the poet and the princess" and should still be available online.) yes, she's done some risque music videos, but (a) that's unfortunately typical of latin pop videos, which tend to be even more suggestive than american ones are on average, and (b) if i were as beautiful as she is, i have to say i would probably at least be *tempted* to play with the kind of power i could have over men. that's not an excuse, just an observation. besides she has done some beautiful music videos that aren't overly sexual at all -- for example the one for "no"...
ok. enough gushing. i just had to get my two cents in on the "viva shakira" side of things. :-)
Re: the gyrations of Shakira. Amen, amen. There's no getting around it that the music industry is overly sexualized and filled with images that should be avoided by most of us. I've found that almost any music video totally turns me off to the music--so I just don't watch any. Therefore, I am not aware of Shakira's visual arts--though I am not ignorant of her reputation. That being said, to receive her music itself without the "aid" (or obstacle) of images--and to be attentive to the language and words--can be beautiful! It's worth a try.
She's also my little pop indulgence, yes. :)
Oh, and to re-emphasize. To say that Shakira and Bach are my two favorite musicians is like saying Todd and Jesus are my two favorite men. There's an infinite distance between them!
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