Welcome back to Close Reads as we continue our discussion of James Runcie’s The Great Passion. Topics of conversation include the way Runcie introduces the book’s tragedies, how Bach teaches both the protagonist and the reader, how to tell the difference between true wisdom and pithy sayings in the story, and much more. Happy listening!
I felt the preoccupation with death was a true part of the world of Bach and was a more honest one than in our world today. Eleven of Bach's children did not survive childhood, and that was not uncommon around the world even until the 20th century. But Bach and the German people now had the Scriptures in their own language and knew in whom to rest their faith just as all Christians do still. The words of this hymn, which Bach did not write but used and harmonized, reflect his piety. https://lyricstranslate.com/en/komm-susser-tod-come-sweet-death.html
Is anyone else feeling a kind of-- I'm not sure what the right word is... I guess resistance is the closest I can get--feeling a kind of resistance to listening to Bach while they read?
Listening to Sean and Heidi and David exhorting me to listen and seeing the links and chatter in the group, I still find myself still reluctant to just pop on some Bach. I'm not sure why.
I think maybe it's feeling a bit worried that I could get too caught up in trying to find the particular piece the book is talking about and looking up the words and trying to hear exactly what the book is describing... I could get very caught up in a very time consuming series of rabbit trails that I don't have time and attention for right now. Maybe if it was summer and the days were long and lazy I might be more tempted? But I don't want to trigger the part of my brain that gets obsessive.
And it's not like I don't know or like Bach. I remember listening to the Brandenburg Concertos nonstop in the hospital after my second child was born. And I'm a huge fan of Yo-Yo Ma's. And I've even listened to St Matthew Passion before. It's a great piece to listen to while baking hot cross buns for Good Friday.
But it feels more like something to do on my second read through of the novel when I already know the plot and can focus more on how the music adds another layer to the story.
I felt the preoccupation with death was a true part of the world of Bach and was a more honest one than in our world today. Eleven of Bach's children did not survive childhood, and that was not uncommon around the world even until the 20th century. But Bach and the German people now had the Scriptures in their own language and knew in whom to rest their faith just as all Christians do still. The words of this hymn, which Bach did not write but used and harmonized, reflect his piety. https://lyricstranslate.com/en/komm-susser-tod-come-sweet-death.html
Is anyone else feeling a kind of-- I'm not sure what the right word is... I guess resistance is the closest I can get--feeling a kind of resistance to listening to Bach while they read?
Listening to Sean and Heidi and David exhorting me to listen and seeing the links and chatter in the group, I still find myself still reluctant to just pop on some Bach. I'm not sure why.
I think maybe it's feeling a bit worried that I could get too caught up in trying to find the particular piece the book is talking about and looking up the words and trying to hear exactly what the book is describing... I could get very caught up in a very time consuming series of rabbit trails that I don't have time and attention for right now. Maybe if it was summer and the days were long and lazy I might be more tempted? But I don't want to trigger the part of my brain that gets obsessive.
And it's not like I don't know or like Bach. I remember listening to the Brandenburg Concertos nonstop in the hospital after my second child was born. And I'm a huge fan of Yo-Yo Ma's. And I've even listened to St Matthew Passion before. It's a great piece to listen to while baking hot cross buns for Good Friday.
But it feels more like something to do on my second read through of the novel when I already know the plot and can focus more on how the music adds another layer to the story.