Ben Wilson

You just disappear for three months and you come back and your boss says, hey, where have you been for three months? And your reply is, you know, I was learning important stuff. You know, I was learning this and that. This is clearly not someone who is worried about keeping his job. By the end, one counselor writes, he shows little inclination to work.

You just disappear for three months and you come back and your boss says, hey, where have you been for three months? And your reply is, you know, I was learning important stuff. You know, I was learning this and that. This is clearly not someone who is worried about keeping his job. By the end, one counselor writes, he shows little inclination to work.

He is not even willing to give an explanation of the fact. A change will be necessary. A break will have to come soon. Okay. And the real point of conflict is not just that Bach was being a diva, you know, just because he had a disagreeable personality. That is not true. Actually, most people liked Bach. He was being a diva because he viewed music as a way to come to know God.

He is not even willing to give an explanation of the fact. A change will be necessary. A break will have to come soon. Okay. And the real point of conflict is not just that Bach was being a diva, you know, just because he had a disagreeable personality. That is not true. Actually, most people liked Bach. He was being a diva because he viewed music as a way to come to know God.

He views it as a religious necessity. not in some abstract sense, you know, because he read it in the Bible, although there is that as well, but because he felt like he and others personally encountered God through church music. So how could you settle? You know, if that's the case, how could you settle for second rate music? How could you not want to push to create the best music possible?

He views it as a religious necessity. not in some abstract sense, you know, because he read it in the Bible, although there is that as well, but because he felt like he and others personally encountered God through church music. So how could you settle? You know, if that's the case, how could you settle for second rate music? How could you not want to push to create the best music possible?

Everything had to be the best. We are seeing and literally experiencing God here. Stop trying to tell me to just play the hits. He hated that. He was always pushing. He always wanted more musicians, better trained musicians, more commitment from the city council, more funds, more time to train, better instruments. I mean, he sounds like Napoleon at the Siege of Toulon.

Everything had to be the best. We are seeing and literally experiencing God here. Stop trying to tell me to just play the hits. He hated that. He was always pushing. He always wanted more musicians, better trained musicians, more commitment from the city council, more funds, more time to train, better instruments. I mean, he sounds like Napoleon at the Siege of Toulon.

And I think he felt that same urgency that Napoleon felt. More, more, more. Better, better, better. And the city council just wants him to chill. I think they didn't see it that way, right? Like, hey, can you just stop freaking out our musicians? Can you just stop giving them and the choir such difficult music? Can you just play the tunes that everyone knows?

And I think he felt that same urgency that Napoleon felt. More, more, more. Better, better, better. And the city council just wants him to chill. I think they didn't see it that way, right? Like, hey, can you just stop freaking out our musicians? Can you just stop giving them and the choir such difficult music? Can you just play the tunes that everyone knows?

You know, obviously they didn't see music the same way that he did. So anyway, Arnstadt and Bach eventually part ways after three years, and he takes a job in Molhausen, which is a slightly bigger town. They pay him a little bit more. This was a step up in every way. More organized music department, everything.

You know, obviously they didn't see music the same way that he did. So anyway, Arnstadt and Bach eventually part ways after three years, and he takes a job in Molhausen, which is a slightly bigger town. They pay him a little bit more. This was a step up in every way. More organized music department, everything.

Also significant pay increase, which is important to Bach because in just six months, he's about to marry a woman called Maria Barbara. Every biography, by the way, calls her just Maria Barbara, which I appreciate because her name is actually Maria Barbara Bach and she is his cousin. But I like that the authors don't rub our nose in it by calling her Maria Barbara Bach all the time.

Also significant pay increase, which is important to Bach because in just six months, he's about to marry a woman called Maria Barbara. Every biography, by the way, calls her just Maria Barbara, which I appreciate because her name is actually Maria Barbara Bach and she is his cousin. But I like that the authors don't rub our nose in it by calling her Maria Barbara Bach all the time.

They just leave it at Maria Barbara. Okay, we don't. We don't need to draw attention to just the whiff of incest that's going on. Anyways, I do think the main draw of Mulhausen was not the pay increase, even though that was important to him and his growing family, but it was the professional choir, the more professional music department.

They just leave it at Maria Barbara. Okay, we don't. We don't need to draw attention to just the whiff of incest that's going on. Anyways, I do think the main draw of Mulhausen was not the pay increase, even though that was important to him and his growing family, but it was the professional choir, the more professional music department.

And that's my second takeaway, I guess, is that Bach wanted to make great music. He was always pushing to make better music. And I think most people in most situations settle for good enough. And good enough was never good enough for Bach. There's a good quote about this phenomenon from Kobe Bryant. And I picked up this quote from David Senra over at Founders Podcast.

And that's my second takeaway, I guess, is that Bach wanted to make great music. He was always pushing to make better music. And I think most people in most situations settle for good enough. And good enough was never good enough for Bach. There's a good quote about this phenomenon from Kobe Bryant. And I picked up this quote from David Senra over at Founders Podcast.

And he quotes Kobe as saying, it was easy to size other players up in the NBA. I found that a lot of guys played for financial stability. Once they got that financial stability, the passion, the work ethic, and the obsessiveness was gone. Once I saw that, I thought this is going to be like taking candy from a baby. No wonder Michael Jordan wins all these championships. All right.

And he quotes Kobe as saying, it was easy to size other players up in the NBA. I found that a lot of guys played for financial stability. Once they got that financial stability, the passion, the work ethic, and the obsessiveness was gone. Once I saw that, I thought this is going to be like taking candy from a baby. No wonder Michael Jordan wins all these championships. All right.