Bach to basics

Ah Bach. Yes, of course. Which pieces do it best for you?

For me it is probably The Well-Tempered Klavier or the Goldberg Variations (especially the Goldberg Variations).

for me, the Brandenburg concerti and many of the chorales (sheep may safely graze, in particular)

This time around it was the Two-Part Inventions (I can plink my way through #14, so it was DIY Bach.) I like the Goldberg Variations and especially the Cello Suites, too.

I think next I'm going to start working on #2 from the Well-Tempered Klavier.

Oh, and Holst as a chaser. Jupiter really is "the bringer of jollity." I especially like the buildup and fanfare at the end.

Music does it for me, as well, but I must admit that it is mostly rockin' out that brings me out of a funk. There. You all know what a philistine I am now. And I virtually never listen to rock and roll (yes, I'm an "oldie") any other time. Jimmy Buffet is my ace in the hole. If I can't feel better after singing along with "The Weather is Here, I Wish You Were Beautiful" it's time for the limoncello.

My classical music binges come during stress-times. And Vivaldi's Four Seasons almost always works.......I know, I know, too typical, but it's just true.

I have to be careful with Vivaldi. The stuff is like dope with me. If I am in a good mood and listen to too much Vivaldi, I will be bouncing off the walls (particularly his fantastic recorder music). The only thing that can bring back sobriety at that point are whole Monteverdi operas, or at least the extended madrigals (Il Combatimento di Tancredi e Clorinda - which is an amazingly Catholic piece, by the way), followed by big plates of pasta and red wine.

As far as playing Bach to lift the spirits, I highly recommend the three part sinfonias for harpsichord. They are more challenging than the two part inventions, are magnificent little compositions, and provide a lot of opportunity to experiment with ornamentation.

There was one particular late night in the early music room (in the forbidden hours when the music building was technically closed), with the window open (also forbidden, but humidity was low that evening, so I did not feel too guilty), where a full moon over Monterrey Bay and Bach's sinfonia in f minor hit just about the perfect harmony.

I'm the lowbrow, we got some kind of "classical gold" compilation so Davey's musical education would be broader, and when the Vivaldi thing came on -- was it the Four Seasons Spring one? -- I was like, "Oh, is that what that is, makes me think of spaghetti sauce commercials." Often when a well-known piece is finally linked to a well-known title I had heard both but not known they went together.

I used to like to sing along with some of the little snippets on the 50 Great Moments in Opera compilation commercial back when I was in high school, too :)

chocolate. lots and lots of chocolate.