Ben Wilson

Bach was making a pun on the word canonica, his way of showing that his canons had been fashioned in the best possible way for the king's amusement. Did Frederick even bother to look at them?

Bach was making a pun on the word canonica, his way of showing that his canons had been fashioned in the best possible way for the king's amusement. Did Frederick even bother to look at them?

Did he realize that the initial capitals of Bach's dedication spelt riscare, meaning to search out in Italian, and that Bach had deliberately refrained from writing the canons out in full, leaving them for him to discover? So in other words, Bach leaves all these hints telling Frederick to search out the answers. And I've seen multiple interpretations of this subtle messaging.

Did he realize that the initial capitals of Bach's dedication spelt riscare, meaning to search out in Italian, and that Bach had deliberately refrained from writing the canons out in full, leaving them for him to discover? So in other words, Bach leaves all these hints telling Frederick to search out the answers. And I've seen multiple interpretations of this subtle messaging.

In some interpretations, Bach is simply flexing on King Frederick. Basically, like, I owned you when you tried to give me a puzzle. Now let's see what you can do. Here's a puzzle for you. Seek out the answer. So is he just saying, like, thanks. Now you give it a try. You seek it out. I bet you can't do what I can do.

In some interpretations, Bach is simply flexing on King Frederick. Basically, like, I owned you when you tried to give me a puzzle. Now let's see what you can do. Here's a puzzle for you. Seek out the answer. So is he just saying, like, thanks. Now you give it a try. You seek it out. I bet you can't do what I can do.

In other interpretations, and I find this maybe a little bit more convincing, Bach is encouraging the atheistic Frederick to seek out God. You know, and he's leaving these things unfinished. in order to point him in that direction and hoping that in the act of composition, he will find God, he will seek out God, rescare, the same way that Bach did and find him the same way that God did in music.

In other interpretations, and I find this maybe a little bit more convincing, Bach is encouraging the atheistic Frederick to seek out God. You know, and he's leaving these things unfinished. in order to point him in that direction and hoping that in the act of composition, he will find God, he will seek out God, rescare, the same way that Bach did and find him the same way that God did in music.

And, you know, I think it's unlikely. That Frederick ever took up the puzzle and tried to solve Bach's puzzle that he gave for him. And if he did, he was a very gifted musician for a king. But this is not someone who spent all day every day thinking about music. He wasn't educated enough to probably pull this off.

And, you know, I think it's unlikely. That Frederick ever took up the puzzle and tried to solve Bach's puzzle that he gave for him. And if he did, he was a very gifted musician for a king. But this is not someone who spent all day every day thinking about music. He wasn't educated enough to probably pull this off.

But I think Bach was sincere in his belief that if Frederick had done this, he would find God. I mentioned at the beginning Nietzsche and how he kind of heard the gospel in Bach even though he didn't believe. There's a great quote from one of the most widely known contemporary composers. His name is Georgi Kurtag who writes, Consciously, I am certainly an atheist.

But I think Bach was sincere in his belief that if Frederick had done this, he would find God. I mentioned at the beginning Nietzsche and how he kind of heard the gospel in Bach even though he didn't believe. There's a great quote from one of the most widely known contemporary composers. His name is Georgi Kurtag who writes, Consciously, I am certainly an atheist.

but I do not say it out loud because if I look at Bach, I cannot be an atheist. Then I have to accept the way he believed. His music never stops praying. And how can I get closer if I look at him from the outside? I do not believe in the gospels in a literal fashion, but a Bach fugue has the crucifixion in it as the nails are being driven in.

but I do not say it out loud because if I look at Bach, I cannot be an atheist. Then I have to accept the way he believed. His music never stops praying. And how can I get closer if I look at him from the outside? I do not believe in the gospels in a literal fashion, but a Bach fugue has the crucifixion in it as the nails are being driven in.

In music, I am always looking for the hammering of the nails. That is dual vision. My brain rejects it all, but my brain isn't worth much. Okay, well, I'll basically wrap it up there. Bach dies three years later from botched surgery on his eyes. He had been suffering from blindness and from a number of ailments, probably related to diabetes. Bach drank a lot of beer throughout his life.

In music, I am always looking for the hammering of the nails. That is dual vision. My brain rejects it all, but my brain isn't worth much. Okay, well, I'll basically wrap it up there. Bach dies three years later from botched surgery on his eyes. He had been suffering from blindness and from a number of ailments, probably related to diabetes. Bach drank a lot of beer throughout his life.

He was overweight and a lot of the symptoms that he had matched early diabetes. He passed away on July 28th, 1750 and was buried in a grave that went unmarked for nearly 150 years. The chorale that he asked to be released upon his death included these lyrics. Before your throne I now appear, O God, and bid you humbly turn not your gracious face from me, a poor sinner. Confer on me a blessed end.

He was overweight and a lot of the symptoms that he had matched early diabetes. He passed away on July 28th, 1750 and was buried in a grave that went unmarked for nearly 150 years. The chorale that he asked to be released upon his death included these lyrics. Before your throne I now appear, O God, and bid you humbly turn not your gracious face from me, a poor sinner. Confer on me a blessed end.

On the last day, awaken me, Lord, that I may see you eternally. Amen, amen. Hear me. Okay, well, that was a pretty high-level review of the life of Bach. So here at the end, I want to go through a few of my takeaways from Bach's life and how he worked, how he was actually able to do all of this, right? This is what the whole show is about.

On the last day, awaken me, Lord, that I may see you eternally. Amen, amen. Hear me. Okay, well, that was a pretty high-level review of the life of Bach. So here at the end, I want to go through a few of my takeaways from Bach's life and how he worked, how he was actually able to do all of this, right? This is what the whole show is about.