155 Days With Bach and Me

From June, 2009, through June, 2010, I absorbed as much of the world’s most celebrated accomplishments as I could within that time frame:

70 Days With Hemingway And Me, in which I read every one of Hemingway’s novels, from first to last,

81 Days With Oscar And Me, in which I watched every Oscar-winning movie from Wings in 1927 through Slumdog Millionaire in 2009,

30 Days With Aristotle And Me, in which I studied Aristotle’s classic work for writers, Poetics, and

180 Days With Mozart And Me, in which I listened to everything Mozart composed.

I took a year off — because that truly was a grueling schedule — and am now ready to face another year of self-imposed learning. This is my curriculum for 2011-2012:

June 30 – July 26: 27 Days With Billy Wilder And Me, in which I watch every movie Billy Wilder directed,

July 28 – December 30: 155 Days With Bach And Me, in which I listen to every piece of music Bach composed. As it so happens, I’ll be in Germany, not far from where Bach was born and were he is interred, during this musical exploration,

January 1 – January 30: 30 Days With the Recorder And Me, in which I learn to play the recorder, an instrument I’ve always fancied but never took the time to learn, and

February 1 – June 28: 149 Days With Dickens And Me, in which I read every Dickens Nonesuch edition novel and short story — 9 exquisite volumes in all, God knows how many thousands of pages.