Music in the Castle of Heaven: A Portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach
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- Author：John Eliot Gardiner
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Summary
Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most unfathomable composers in the history of music。 How can such sublime work have been produced by a man who seems so ordinary， so opaque - and occasionally so intemperate？
In this remarkable book， John Eliot Gardiner distils the fruits of a lifetime's immersion as one of Bach's greatest living interpreters。 Explaining in wonderful detail how Bach worked and how his music achieves its effects， he also takes us as deeply into Bach's works and mind as perhaps words can。 The result is a unique book about one of the greatest of all creative artists。
In this remarkable book， John Eliot Gardiner distils the fruits of a lifetime's immersion as one of Bach's greatest living interpreters。 Explaining in wonderful detail how Bach worked and how his music achieves its effects， he also takes us as deeply into Bach's works and mind as perhaps words can。 The result is a unique book about one of the greatest of all creative artists。
Reviews
Matthew
，
I did not want to spend more time on the book， though there is nothing wrong with it if you are interested in both Bach and his music。 I was mostly interested in the music and I was looking forward to some real music analysis， given who the author is。 Maybe it comes in later in the book， but I just could not pay the upfront toll of slogging through all of the biographical material which I was really not all that interested in。
Barbara
，
DNF。 This book wasn’t at all what I expected and though I got probably near 3/4 done I couldn’t go on。 Too technical/detailed on the music and mostly the church cantatas at that。 I enjoyed the bits of history proper but I’m not a musician。 I have a certain degree of musical literacy and I listen to a lot of classical music but this book is for actual musicians themselves。 I kept saying I’d finish it but tired of reading words that held no meaning to me I threw in the towel。 Now I don’t have to s DNF。 This book wasn’t at all what I expected and though I got probably near 3/4 done I couldn’t go on。 Too technical/detailed on the music and mostly the church cantatas at that。 I enjoyed the bits of history proper but I’m not a musician。 I have a certain degree of musical literacy and I listen to a lot of classical music but this book is for actual musicians themselves。 I kept saying I’d finish it but tired of reading words that held no meaning to me I threw in the towel。 Now I don’t have to see it taunting me in my currently reading list anymore。 。。。more
Trish
，
For me this was my first foray into the life and background times and places of his life。 More for me to read yet to piece this part of European history together for artists writers wars kings etc。 This has been a gripping read particularly into the relationship between Bach’s works with the cycles of church and religious life。 Also the politics behind changing the acceptability of New and different ways of expression through music and church hierarchies。 I now have more armoury to add to my lis For me this was my first foray into the life and background times and places of his life。 More for me to read yet to piece this part of European history together for artists writers wars kings etc。 This has been a gripping read particularly into the relationship between Bach’s works with the cycles of church and religious life。 Also the politics behind changing the acceptability of New and different ways of expression through music and church hierarchies。 I now have more armoury to add to my listening experience。 The book is very dense with the research Gardiner has done aligning it with the works he describes。 So much information and surely a lifetime to match the analysis with my own listening experience。 One thing I would have liked to read about more is the family life he had now coming from a woman’s perspective。 Eg How often was he home to help with the daily running of a huge family。 Lessons to learn meals to make food to buy clothes to wash tending sick children getting doctors along with the day to dealing of many of their deathsHats off to the wives who were probably supportive of his endeavours and pack up and move house kids and all。Where is the Mrs Bachs （Plural）biography 。。。more
Laird Bennion
，
Requires a lot of baseline knowledge of Bach but otherwise a terrific critical look。
Dakota
，
If you're a Bach scholar or passionate about his music， pick this up。 I'm neither， so I struggled to get into the extreme details that the author includes。 I wound up skimming this and reading the parts that felt more important。Overall， it provided a solid foundation for my understanding of Bach。 If you're a Bach scholar or passionate about his music， pick this up。 I'm neither， so I struggled to get into the extreme details that the author includes。 I wound up skimming this and reading the parts that felt more important。Overall， it provided a solid foundation for my understanding of Bach。 。。。more
Corey
，
I've been slowly reading this tome for over a year。 An incredible study of Bach's major choral works that requires a deep familiarity with the music in question。 Good stuff， but pace yourself！ I've been slowly reading this tome for over a year。 An incredible study of Bach's major choral works that requires a deep familiarity with the music in question。 Good stuff， but pace yourself！ 。。。more
David Ryan
，
We're extremely fortunate to have such an esteemed musician/composer write this supreme biographical study of the great creative artist who provided us with some of the most sublime music of the ages。 We're extremely fortunate to have such an esteemed musician/composer write this supreme biographical study of the great creative artist who provided us with some of the most sublime music of the ages。 。。。more
Eduard Hakobyan
，
no commet
Charlotte
，
Interessant und schön geschrieben， aber mir gibt es zu viele Vermutungen darin。
Artemis Ward
，
An absolutely brilliant book！ I haven't found another book that can expose The father of music in such a deep way as this amazing book！ An absolutely brilliant book！ I haven't found another book that can expose The father of music in such a deep way as this amazing book！ 。。。more
Svalbard
，
Joh。 Seb。 Bach， der gute Beamter。。。Di tutte le opere su Bach che abbia mai letto， questa è una delle più interessanti。 L’autore più che come musicologo è noto come musicista， direttore di cori e di ensemble barocchi; è stato allievo della grande Nadia Boulanger， e per una serie di fortuite coincidenze si è trovato a passare l’infanzia sotto lo sguardo del famoso ritratto di Bach con il cartiglio di un canone in mano riprodotto anche in copertina， acquisito dalla sua famiglia e poi donato a una F Joh。 Seb。 Bach， der gute Beamter。。。Di tutte le opere su Bach che abbia mai letto， questa è una delle più interessanti。 L’autore più che come musicologo è noto come musicista， direttore di cori e di ensemble barocchi; è stato allievo della grande Nadia Boulanger， e per una serie di fortuite coincidenze si è trovato a passare l’infanzia sotto lo sguardo del famoso ritratto di Bach con il cartiglio di un canone in mano riprodotto anche in copertina， acquisito dalla sua famiglia e poi donato a una Fondazione tedesca。 Uno sguardo che è stato evidentemente ispiratore per la successiva carriera musicale di Gardiner。Com’è noto， il problema di ricostruire la vicenda biografica di Bach e la sua estetica sta nel fatto che ha lasciato pochissimo， che non fosse musica; qualche corrispondenza poco significativa， qualche perizia di collaudo di organi， l’invettiva contro un proprietario di caffè a cui aveva prestato un clavicembalo che non gli era stato restituito… Nulla delle colorite lettere di Mozart， dei quaderni di conversazione di Beethoven， degli articoli sui giornali di Schumann o degli scritti torrenziali di Wagner… E allora Gardiner， intelligentemente， porta l’attenzione sul contesto per far emergere， per contrasto， la figura del musicista， e lo fa sotto due diverse prospettive: la prima， quella di esaminare Bach parallelamente ad altri grandi musicisti suoi coetanei， Scarlatti， Haendel， Telemann， tutti fioriti nel solco della tradizione musicale melodrammatica discendente da Monteverdi （e sì， anche Bach nelle sue opere religiose， cantate e Passioni， ha preso molto di questi stilemi “profani”）; la seconda， quella del milieu protestante luterano， in cui lui aveva studiato e， salvo un periodo giovanile， ha sempre agito。 E questo è stato utile anche per scoprire quanto l’immanenza del pensiero luterano fosse presente in lui; in effetti i dettagliati resoconti di Gardiner ci raccontano di un Lutero molto problematico， visionario， angosciato， ossessionato dalla morte， sulla cui figura erano molto più immanenti le ombre del Medio Evo che le luci del Rinascimento。 Ma comunque un uomo sotto la cui ispirazione erano stati creati sistemi didattici accurati e rigidissimi， i cui pilastri erano lo studio del latino e della musica， in cui Bach aveva vissuto， prima come allievo， poi come insegnante。 E， tra l’altro， è interessante l’anomalia “professionale” di Bach， del tutto unica， a mia conoscenza， se guardata in rapporto ad altri musicisti della sua stessa levatura。 I musicisti che noi ancora oggi ricordiamo furono dapprima uomini di corte che vivevano soprattutto del mecenatismo di nobili e signori; qualche volta assunti da istituzioni religiose， e magari religiosi essi stessi; più tardi liberi professionisti che producevano la loro arte per venderla o su incarico di committenti impresariali （generalmente i teatri lirici）， per i quali， talvolta， la nomina a insegnante o direttore di conservatorio giungeva quale coronamento di una carriera sviluppatasi altrove。 Il Bach di Lipsia， invece， era un “Beamter”， un impiegato pubblico; le chiese luterane erano gestite dalla municipalità， e quindi era questa a stipendiarlo。 Si trattava sicuramente di un ruolo che doveva pesargli molto， in quanto comprendeva tutta una serie di incarichi non strettamente musicali; oltre tutto si trovò spesso in opposizione con il rettore della Thomasschule， un umanista più che un musicista， che pretendeva da lui maggiore impegno proprio nei campi non musicali。 Emerge comunque il fatto che， probabilmente proprio per i vincoli che gli venivano posti， Bach dovesse avere un carattere tutt’altro che facile， polemico con le istituzioni， molto esigente con i suoi allievi e i musicisti。 Emergono anche altri aspetti del contesto in cui si trovava ad operare: il fatto che da un lato la sua musica fosse ammirata e dall’altro criticata， di volta in volta perché troppo “melodrammatica” o troppo antiquata; la scoperta che i suoi allievi erano tutt’altro che pii ragazzi pieni di afflati religiosi， ma al contrario i cori in cui cantavano si comportavano come bande giovanili che si spartivano il territorio e che spesso si prendevano anche a mazzate tra loro come in West Side Story， il noto musical di Leonard Bernestein， che Gardiner cita come paragone。Le oltre settecento pagine del volume scorrono via senza inciampi e impedimenti; la scrittura di Gardiner si rifornisce anche di elementi e ispirazioni non proprio immediate （ad esempio cita Hofstädter， autore del noto volumone logico-cibernetico-mistico e chissà cos’altro “Gödel-Escher-Bach， un’eterna ghirlanda brillante”， oppure la visione genetica di Richard Dawkins per spiegare lo sviluppo del melodramma）。 Sicuramente il punto di forza - e anche quello di più difficile lettura， se non lo si prende come una guida all’ascolto - è l’analisi delle principali opere vocali di Bach， i mottetti， le catate e le passioni， che lui conosce bene per averle dirette molte volte; invece della musica strumentale e organistica si parla pochissimo， e in effetti chiede scusa per questo， preferendo concentrarsi sul resto。 Di solito， quando si ha a che fare con l’esegesi dell’opera bachiana viene sempre il sospetto che ci si trovi quello che si vuole trovare。 A meno che gli archivi non restituiscano improvvisamente scritti autografi in cui il musicista spieghi nel dettaglio la sua estetica， mancherà sempre un termine di paragone per verificare l’esattezza o l’attendibilità di queste esegesi。 Nonostante ciò， le analisi di Gardiner， informate da una parte dell’esperienza biografica di Bach， dall’altra di quella religiosa （un fatto è certo， ed è che la sua competenza nella teologia luterana era profonda e reale） sembrano molto attendibili， sia per quanto riguarda la lettura delle fonti evangeliche， sia la sua particolare sensibilità sul senso della vita e il significato della morte。 。。。more
Declan Hickey
，
'Perhaps there was a fundamental reluctance in [Bach] to pull back the curtain and reveal himself; unlike most of his contemporaries， he turned down the opportunity to submit a written account of his life and career when the opportunity arose。' If only the same were true of John Eliot Gardiner。 As charming and well-researched as this survey of the Bach’s choral music may be， I can't help but feel an underlying self-indulgence throughout—a sense that， behind the ostensible portrait of the Cantor 'Perhaps there was a fundamental reluctance in [Bach] to pull back the curtain and reveal himself; unlike most of his contemporaries， he turned down the opportunity to submit a written account of his life and career when the opportunity arose。' If only the same were true of John Eliot Gardiner。 As charming and well-researched as this survey of the Bach’s choral music may be， I can't help but feel an underlying self-indulgence throughout—a sense that， behind the ostensible portrait of the Cantor of Leipzig， lies a self-portrait of Gardiner himself， ever eager to share with his readers the magnitude of his musical undertakings and the calibre of his professional credentials。 The intended audience is also something of a mystery to me: is this a book for the literate musician， who is starved almost entirely of musical dots throughout， or for those， in Bach's own words， 'not presentable in music'， who will no doubt find the lengthy passages of musical description/analysis a tad off-putting。 That said， there are many redeeming features: the brilliant exploration of the John Passion as music-drama， the refreshing foray into the milieu of Leipzig's coffee houses， the biographical rigour worthy of any Bach scholar。 And， yes， the writing style， which is occasionally verbose but always full of life—a good recipe for that slightly curious genre of popular musicology。 。。。more
Patrick
，
My grandfather was an organist。 As a boy growing up in Slovenia， he practiced in every spare moment and in his teenage years was already directing music at his church。 When communist forces showed up in his village to purge the ranks of able-bodied men my grandfather stood in line and watched men and boys loaded into the back of a military transport which would eventually deposit them in mass graves hidden in the woods and far from scrutiny。 When he was finally at the front of the line he was br My grandfather was an organist。 As a boy growing up in Slovenia， he practiced in every spare moment and in his teenage years was already directing music at his church。 When communist forces showed up in his village to purge the ranks of able-bodied men my grandfather stood in line and watched men and boys loaded into the back of a military transport which would eventually deposit them in mass graves hidden in the woods and far from scrutiny。 When he was finally at the front of the line he was briefly interrogated at gunpoint。 “And you， boy， what is your occupation？” He answered confidently and honestly， “I am a musician。 An organist。 I play the music of God。” His inquisitor lowered his rifle and gestured him away。 “Go， then。 Go and play God’s music as if it were for your life and salvation。” This is precisely what my grandfather would do。 He was hidden among the nuns at a local parish until he was able to escape Slovenia through miles-long crude tunnels in the mountains。 Through displaced persons camps and further arduous travels， he continued to pursue his music however possible knowing that it not only granted a brief reprieve to those around him， but that his very life had been spared so that he might honor his God with his talents。 He would spend years hidden away as a refugee in Gratz， Austria where he had access to a beautiful pipe organ and could play rapturous music in times fraught with violence。 Eventually he would immigrate to United States and continue to play music as though it were the very basis of his salvation。 I grew up lurking in the choir loft of his old San Francisco church where he would direct music for over 50 years。 I was fascinated to watch his hands move like lightning switching from one manual of his organ to the next， pulling out stops， simultaneously directing the chorus of voices to his left with jerking flat-handed darts of his wrist between chords。 His feet kicked out booming bass notes that rattled my chest。 It was a beautiful harmony of dexterity， practice， and brilliantly written music （much of it composed by my grandfather himself）。 I loved the complexity， depth， warmth， and variety that he could conjure from a single instrument。 In college， I took an introductory music history course and was thrilled when the teacher played Bach’s Fugue in G-Minor （BMV 578）。 In the few short minutes that the song played I was transported back to those days in the choir loft and to my grandfather sitting straight backed at his piano practicing Bach’s music again and again until it was perfect。 But this short piece of music was so complex with overlapping melodies played in overlapping rounds with hands and feet。 I was enraptured and eager to explore Bach’s music further。 What started as a love of his organ works expanded as I came to appreciate his versatility。 In Bach’s St。 Matthew and St。 John Passions I felt his brilliance on full display and suspected that he too may have found his salvation on a bench seat with his fingers poised over the keys of his organ which contained limitless possibilities。 Turning to the book at hand， I was fascinated to learn more about the man himself。 The book is impeccably and carefully researched--with somewhat scant biographical information， the author is careful to indicate what might be speculation and what is solid detail--for example extensive correspondence regarding remuneration， which was critically important for Bach （understandable for a man who fathered somewhere in the range of 20 children）。 Bach’s life was a struggle and his temper often taciturn， but his music transported him to another realm。 His extraordinary talents as a performer actually scared a rival musician out of the city when a keyboardists’ duel was proposed。This book tends toward the technical at times and can get bogged down in financial details， but the author does well to keep the story moving along and it is fascinating to listen to the music Bach was composing while tracing the twists and turns of his personal life and career。 Much like Bach’s music， this book has merit for its technical achievement alone。 It is complex， composed with care， and has moments of pure beauty。 Regarding Bach’s life， I am left with the impression of a man with an artists’ temperament who was driven to excel and gifted with mathematical and musical genius。 The similarities to my grandfather are uncanny and reading this book helped me to connect not only with the life of this great composer， but also to my own story。BOh， Bach also wrote a fun little song about coffee:Ah！ How sweet coffee tastesMore delicious than a thousand kissesMilder than muscatel wine。Coffee， I have to have coffee，And， if someone wants to pamper me，Ah， then bring me coffee as a gift！ 。。。more
Lachlan Harris
，
John Eliot Gardner is a JS Bach enthusiast and conductor。 He's spent much time with choirs and orchestras performing the Bach cantata cycles [from 1720s and 1730s] and the Bach Masses。 This book will resonate with music enthusiasts。 Three large chapters on the cantata cycles and Bach's writing of the two Passions is extraordinarily detailed: "A pair of flutes enters high above the dark sonority of voices an strings， a soothing and occasionally disturbing presence，" Gardner states [pg。 495]。 This John Eliot Gardner is a JS Bach enthusiast and conductor。 He's spent much time with choirs and orchestras performing the Bach cantata cycles [from 1720s and 1730s] and the Bach Masses。 This book will resonate with music enthusiasts。 Three large chapters on the cantata cycles and Bach's writing of the two Passions is extraordinarily detailed: "A pair of flutes enters high above the dark sonority of voices an strings， a soothing and occasionally disturbing presence，" Gardner states [pg。 495]。 This book is a wonderful， insightful and thoroughly researched story of Bach's life， the influences， his family and especially life in and around the Saxony / Thuringia area of Germany during 1680s until Bach's death in 1750。 If you enjoy music and especially the vivaciousness and deeply resonant music of JS Bach， you should have this book handy。 It's all worthwhile。 。。。more
Melinda
，
An excellent biography by an amazingly talented and world class conductor himself！
K。
，
I had hoped that this book would have more of a breakdown of which Cantatas went with which celebrations of the Lutheran Year。 It does contain some of that but the best bits of the book are the breakdowns of the St。 John & St。 Matthew Passions。 It would have been a much easier read if rather than talking about Bach’s music， there had been some score excerpts。 Never-the-less， I now have a tremendously long playlist of some fabulous pieces that I didn’t know before and I am looking forward to expl I had hoped that this book would have more of a breakdown of which Cantatas went with which celebrations of the Lutheran Year。 It does contain some of that but the best bits of the book are the breakdowns of the St。 John & St。 Matthew Passions。 It would have been a much easier read if rather than talking about Bach’s music， there had been some score excerpts。 Never-the-less， I now have a tremendously long playlist of some fabulous pieces that I didn’t know before and I am looking forward to exploring those in more depth。 。。。more
Jackie
，
This book was not exactly what I was expecting。 It is less a bio of Bach than it is a detailed analysis of his choral music。 To truly appreciate this book you would need some extensive musical knowledge。 I have some knowledge but not to the extent required by this book。
Kevin M
，
Images in text in the wrong placeIssue with the ebookBook itself is great but there’s something off and the wrong images show up。 In particular the symbol for a flat note is always a time signature。。。。
Ollie
，
Occasionally tiresome prose but v。 interesting， especially the early chapters on context before the musical analysis of individual pieces （which were impenetrable for the layman）。
Caroline Mann
，
I feel that I learned so much and I feel I spent weeks in the presence of a great book but these feelings are limited by my own lack of musical understanding。 Gardner’s work （biography interwoven with analysis） is full of musical terminology that I have no experience with myself。 That’s my fault- not Gardner’s- but for the other non-musicians out there， consider yourself warned。 The best of this book， for me， was the moments of pure history， psychology， and theology。 I feel， gratefully， to have I feel that I learned so much and I feel I spent weeks in the presence of a great book but these feelings are limited by my own lack of musical understanding。 Gardner’s work （biography interwoven with analysis） is full of musical terminology that I have no experience with myself。 That’s my fault- not Gardner’s- but for the other non-musicians out there， consider yourself warned。 The best of this book， for me， was the moments of pure history， psychology， and theology。 I feel， gratefully， to have a stronger appreciation for one of humankind’s best musicians and I have a list of philosophers， painters， and authors （all used by Gardner to better explain Bach） to look up and explore。 。。。more
Arvid Steyaert
，
en nen halve。Omdat muziek een taal is die enige betekenis heeft， althans voor de overgrote meerderheid van de mensheid， al is maar een kleine minderheid in staat om er iets van betekenis in te leggen， en omdat muziek de enige taal is met de tegenstrijdige eigenschap dat ze zowel begrijpelijk als onvertaalbaar is， zijn mensen die muziek scheppen te vergelijken met goden en is muziek zelf het hoogste mysterie de de mens omgeeft， een mysterie waarop alle wetenschappen stuiten en dat de sleutel in z en nen halve。Omdat muziek een taal is die enige betekenis heeft， althans voor de overgrote meerderheid van de mensheid， al is maar een kleine minderheid in staat om er iets van betekenis in te leggen， en omdat muziek de enige taal is met de tegenstrijdige eigenschap dat ze zowel begrijpelijk als onvertaalbaar is， zijn mensen die muziek scheppen te vergelijken met goden en is muziek zelf het hoogste mysterie de de mens omgeeft， een mysterie waarop alle wetenschappen stuiten en dat de sleutel in zich bergt voor hun ontwikkeling。。。。Claude Levi-Strauss 。。。more
William
，
I thought I wanted to read this but I found it extremely tedious for some reason and dropped it about a quarter of the way through。 I'm interested in Bach's music， but I just don't care about all the historical details of his life （which don't seem to be all that well established anyway）。 As it became clear that this book focuses almost entirely on choral music （Gardener is a choral conductor）， I decided that it was not for me。 I thought I wanted to read this but I found it extremely tedious for some reason and dropped it about a quarter of the way through。 I'm interested in Bach's music， but I just don't care about all the historical details of his life （which don't seem to be all that well established anyway）。 As it became clear that this book focuses almost entirely on choral music （Gardener is a choral conductor）， I decided that it was not for me。 。。。more
Ray Patrin
，
Beautifully written but annoyingly ridden with lengthy digressional footnotes on most pages， this book is the author’s Bach passion: the ubiquitous religiosity， although intrinsically and inextricably linked to Bach’s music， was a major turn off for me。
Samuel
，
If you have the chance to see John Eliot Gardiner's 2013 documentary， "Bach: A Passionate Life，" then this book will either be a compliment， or an extended version of what would otherwise be an argument from the same thread。 The fact that both mediums are released in the same year have explicitly prove it to be。 What sets the book apart from the documentary， however， is Gardiner’s painstaking effort to draw a portrait of Bach's legacy through the lens of the weekly cantatas that he brought forth If you have the chance to see John Eliot Gardiner's 2013 documentary， "Bach: A Passionate Life，" then this book will either be a compliment， or an extended version of what would otherwise be an argument from the same thread。 The fact that both mediums are released in the same year have explicitly prove it to be。 What sets the book apart from the documentary， however， is Gardiner’s painstaking effort to draw a portrait of Bach's legacy through the lens of the weekly cantatas that he brought forth during his tenure as the Kapellmeister at the St。 Thomas Church in Leipzig。 If you immerse yourself in the world of classical music performance， there have been many attempts to fathom Bach through the eyes of his compositions for various musical instruments。 The same thing cannot be immediately assumed for his religious works。 Yet it is precisely for this reason that I immensely enjoyed this work。 As someone who have been engaging with Bach's cantatas， my astonishment never ceases as there is always something new to be admired。 Listening at first glance did not leave much impression。 As the years go by， and I begun to dig deeper into how Bach shapes each cantata differently， the music carved an impression greater than what I had hoped。 This epiphany then makes it difficult for me to go through this book without listening to the exact piece that Gardiner was describing。 But by doing so， I cultivate a much greater appreciation for Gardiner in his analysis of the works that Bach sees as his personal Endzweck （end goal） in his musical career。 Furthermore， I commend Gardiner's effort to humanize Bach through his cantatas， and not despite them。 In an increasingly secular world， it is understandable for both the general public and the classical music performers to solely stand on a vantage point where religious tendencies are brushed aside to accommodate a wider array of audience and bring further appreciation to the genre。 In Bach’s case， however， to ignore the Christian convictions which underpin the music that he creates would lead us to obtain a very shallow understanding of what makes his music an inspiration for many other composers that came after him。 Through the multitudes of counterpoints， fugues， ritornellos and melismas in his cantatas， Bach have been speaking to us about the human life， both in a transcendent and immanent way that have stood the passages of time。 On a technical level， it is understandable for one to admonish Gardiner’s convoluted method in deconstructing Bach in this book。 We might be better off listening into any contemporary inspirational music that would hit straight into our core feelings， with no hidden clues or puzzles to bewilder us。 However， as Gardiner aptly quoted an essay in this book: “Abstract music provides us with emotions purified of prescribed narratives and untethered from any pressing reality。 We get the sadness of loss without loss itself， the sensation of terror without any object of terror to which we have to respond， the luminescence of joy that melts away as we perceive it。”And， perhaps， in today’s society that is both polarized and balkanized at the same time to the breaking point， a mutual regard for a firm spiritual motivation that has led a person to create such works that have consistently provided us with moments of jubilation and solace， might just be what we need。 。。。more
Jacob
，
Gardiner really give an extremely thorough view into the life and music of J。 S。 Bach！ I really enjoyed his dissection of some of Bach’s major works， that might be lost on someone who doesn’t speak the music language！ It took a long time for me to read but I enjoyed reading it。
PDW
，
Het leven van Bach is op een paar bladzijden verteld。 John Eliot Gardiner doet er bijna 700 over。 Hij schetst de context van Thüringen aan de vooravond van de Verlichting， en hoe de Verlichting grotendeels voorbij ging aan de bekrompen protestante wereld waarin Bach leefde en werkte。 Het boeiendst zijn de passages waarin Gardiner in het hoofd van de beroemde cantor kruipt en de omstandigheden tot leven wekt waarin hij moest werken。 Voor de melomanen die， net als ik， muzikaal ongeschoold zijn en Het leven van Bach is op een paar bladzijden verteld。 John Eliot Gardiner doet er bijna 700 over。 Hij schetst de context van Thüringen aan de vooravond van de Verlichting， en hoe de Verlichting grotendeels voorbij ging aan de bekrompen protestante wereld waarin Bach leefde en werkte。 Het boeiendst zijn de passages waarin Gardiner in het hoofd van de beroemde cantor kruipt en de omstandigheden tot leven wekt waarin hij moest werken。 Voor de melomanen die， net als ik， muzikaal ongeschoold zijn en voor wie muziek een fascinerende geheimtaal blijft， is het vaak doorbijten: de hoofdstukken waarin Gardiner de grote vocale werken analyseert zijn taaie brokken。 Maar aan het eind is het ontzag voor de vijfde evangelist alleen maar toegenomen， en is hij een mens van vlees en bloed geworden。 Geen gemakkelijke mens trouwens， de oude Bach！ 。。。more
Alan Braswell
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Music theory is concerned with primary how composers make music。 Music in The Castle of Heaven is such a book。 The music director， John Elliot Gardner， who has conducted nearly the entirety of Johann Sebastian Bach catalog， has set out in these pages of how Bach made his music。 From the portrait of Bach which stared at him when he was a small boy to as a conductor of a orchestra in which one learning is on going。 In the very first chapter of the book one sees how Bach's mind is formed as a young Music theory is concerned with primary how composers make music。 Music in The Castle of Heaven is such a book。 The music director， John Elliot Gardner， who has conducted nearly the entirety of Johann Sebastian Bach catalog， has set out in these pages of how Bach made his music。 From the portrait of Bach which stared at him when he was a small boy to as a conductor of a orchestra in which one learning is on going。 In the very first chapter of the book one sees how Bach's mind is formed as a young boy because of the influence， either by force or by acceptance， the overwhelming influence of the Lutheran Church。 It is that religious body which keep Bach going back to all the rest of his life as he delightly studied the Scriptures。 One reviewer mentions that John Elliot Gardner either skipped over or lightly touched on other portions of Bach's cannon of works。 The focus being mainly on the two Passions。 The two Passions， Matthew and John， are where we get a true and complete portrait of Bach。 As there is contained within all the liturgy that Bach learned way back when he was a small boy reciting the Lutheran Confessions。 。。。more
Daniel Mitterdorfer
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Abandoned - too dry and flowery。
Fergus
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Let's hear it for seriously joyful music！You know， there is always SO much to love in this vastly entertaining， musically nerdy and very thick book。 I think I could lose myself in its beauties indefinitely。 So much good stuff here， and I now have:Such a wealth of appreciation for the music: music that’s pretty basic in form， but outrageously complex in feeling！ Such a breadth of admiration for this man Bach’s incredible achievements in - to take but one example - single-handedly developing Weste Let's hear it for seriously joyful music！You know， there is always SO much to love in this vastly entertaining， musically nerdy and very thick book。 I think I could lose myself in its beauties indefinitely。 So much good stuff here， and I now have:Such a wealth of appreciation for the music: music that’s pretty basic in form， but outrageously complex in feeling！ Such a breadth of admiration for this man Bach’s incredible achievements in - to take but one example - single-handedly developing Western music， without any help at all， to a limit necessitating a total discard of other ancient musical modes - still prevalent before his oeuvre became dominant！Such an amazement at this single composer， who repeated so many subtle tricks with the diatonic scale - becoming an old Isaac Newton to modern music’s iconoclastic Einsteins - that he developed a plug-‘n-play point which today’s young pop composers are still picking up for their own present-day creations。。。 right where he left off！Such a humble bending of this knee to this one single， ingenious musical polymath whose capacious mind seemed always ready to transmute any random incident into a thundering monolith of pure stentorian sound！（Say， who was this old guy anyway， who without making much biographical noise in his life， totally KNOCKS THE SOCKS OFF any one of his lucky listeners - luckier still， if we are blessed with enough of the rudiments of tonality and performance to GIVE VOICE to any one of this Olympian’s works？）Just a quiet， pious， bargain-basement dull-type dude who minded his own business and ONLY DID MUSIC。Johann Sebastian Bach is sorta like the dull guy in a corner who puzzles for hours over a grossly abstruse mathematical conundrum。。。Or the kind of family guy who would rather play the same basic form of frisbee， with fancier and fancier loop-de-loops multiplying as the lazy Sunday afternoon turned to dusk， just himself - with his dogs and his laughing kids and in-laws around a warming barbecue。。。Or like a puny choir boy who’s not afraid to sing “thanks be to God” at the top of his voice when his turn finally comes。 And really mean it！This guy was like - really， I mean REALLY， SQUARE。And how many modern composers are gonna start off in one key - and digressing through endless meanderings， variations and permutations without number - return to the same old ordinary key in the end？ And always respect the laws of tonality？ Not many， but if you’re dumb old Bach - practically ALWAYS。Bach is predictable。 But awe-inspiring。Chromatic。 But conservative with regard to never straying far from home （like a well-trained husband）？Hideously complicated。 But delightfully simple-hearted。World， meet Bach。A quiet， trustworthy chap who practises what he preaches。 A guy you’d trust your grandkids with。An unassuming nondescript man whose colossal compositions could rock the Pillars of Hercules off their foundations。A nice， ordinary guy who wrote PHENOMENALLY superhuman music。You know， John Dryden once said that music will eventually untune the skies。When that final day ultimately comes， I hope the angels play from a universal soundtrack。。。And I think they will choose Bach’s great Art of Fugue after the trumpet of Judgement peals out over humanity。’s lost， errant ways -For， as the Scrolls containing our individual judgements are unsealed， and we cower in shame in the audience， those 21 sententious notes of Bach’s masterpiece will be ominously repeated -Until the Blue Cerulean sky cracks wide open， leaving only Percy Byshe Shelley’s “White Radiance of Eternity！”Forever and Ever。 。。。more
Scott D Sunell
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