Table of Contents
What makes Johann Sebastian Bach so great?
An extremely important reason that Bach is so good is his intense study of music itself. He referenced so many composers, both older and contemporary. Listen to the use of melody and phrasing in his organ works to see how Bach developed his own take in due course.
Who is the most famous composers alive today?
Top 10 Contemporary Classical Music Composers
- Steve Reich. Arguably the most celebrated ‘Minimalist’ composer, Reich’s music is instantly accessible.
- John Adams.
- James Dillon.
- Arvo Part.
- Thomas Ades.
- Mark-Anthony Turnage.
- George Crumb.
- György Ligeti.
Why is Beethoven’s technique so different from Mozart?
Beethoven’s technique was not as facile as Mozart’s. He struggled to compose, and you can sometimes hear that struggle in the music. But however hard wrought, Beethoven’s works are so audacious and indestructible that they survive even poor performances.
Is Debussy’s piano concerto more modern than the piston?
The Debussy came across as more modern than the Piston. After intermission Peter Serkin joined Kirchner for a performance of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto that brought out the mysticism, poetic reverie and wildness of the music.
Is Beethoven’s music indestructible?
But however hard wrought, Beethoven’s works are so audacious and indestructible that they survive even poor performances. I had an epiphany about Beethoven during the early 1980s when I heard the composer Leon Kirchner conduct the Harvard Chamber Orchestra. He began with a Piston symphony, a fresh, inventive Neo-Classical piece from the 1950s.
Was Bach old-fashioned in his day?
Since writing about Bach in the first article of this series I have been thinking more about the perception that he was considered old-fashioned in his day. Haydn was 18 when Bach died, in 1750, and Classicism was stirring. Bach was surely aware of the new trends.