155 Days With Bach and Me

The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, starts off with a more robust and complex Prelude & Fugue (in C major), which is understandable since Book II was published in 1742, some 20 years after Book I. Bach was now 57 and presumably had more command of his craft.

So the difference between Book I and Book II may be imperceptible. It may be my imagination. But, to my ears, there’s a difference. These compositions seem to have more depth.

Once again, the harpsichord is brilliantly played by Leon Berben.

However, as I listen, I am reminded of the verse from I Corinthians 13:1:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (ESV)

I don’t mean to say Bach had no love, or that Leon Berben has no love as he plays, or that the harpsichord is a loveless instrument. (Soul-less, maybe. But that’s arguable.)

I mean, all of these notes played on a harpsichord sound like a “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” Example: Prelude & Fugue No. 4, movement two (“Fuga”). It’s just noise to me. Just a succession of clatters and clangs. Even a more sprightly piece like the Praeludium to Prelude & Fugue No. 6 in D minor doesn’t captivate me. It just sounds like a bunch of random notes.

A couple of observations about how I approach music in general and this music in particular:

1. My state of mind plays a large role. For example, if my mind is busy, ruminating on some issues or problems, or if I’m thinking about a lot of different things at once, my ability to tolerate the sound of the harpsichord is greatly diminished, and

2. A busy state of mind is my normal state, which is why I tend to seek out and prefer music that soothes my mind. The music doesn’t have to be composed for solo instruments. I don’t need simplistic music. What I need is music that doesn’t compete with my own thoughts. A harpsichord — much like the trumpet (an instrument I loathe) — competes with my thoughts. It tries to shove them aside and stomp them into the ground. A French horn (especially played by the late Dennis Brain) is the most soothing instrument I know. A piano is mournful and emotive and pleasing, as is the Classical guitar/lute. I can listen to those instruments (as well as the violin, viola, oboe, bassoon, harp, and flute) and feel perfectly content, even if the music is “busy” or intricate. But add a trumpet or a harpsichord or a trombone (most brass instruments, really) and my mind can’t rest easy.

So there you have my confession. I’m a harpsichord hater with a too-busy mind!

These are the compositions on today’s CD:
BWV 871-893 (The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II)
Published in 1742 when Bach was 57 years old.