The New York Times tuned up

Chief music critic Bernard Holland wrote today of The Well-Tempered Clavier:

"It is a lot of music, in almost every conceivable meaning of "a lot."
Bach, first of all, is offering promotional material for a system of tuning
favored by him and not far from the equal temperament we use today. Beyond
practicality, the preludes and fugues are wonders of counterpoint, though often so
contemptuous of generally accepted rules of agreement between notes that they
serve poorly as models for conservatory study.

"With equal iconoclasm, Bach's oddly spaced melodic intervals and adventures
in dissonant harmony seem to us almost post-Webernian, with a space-age
quality galaxies away from the sober 18th-century German-ness from which they
came. (See especially the D sharp minor Fugue from Book 2.) the 'Well-Tempered
Clavier' is, more ..."

Johnny :)

************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com

Johnny,

If you hadn't posted it I would have sent it to you...

Mark

--- Afmmjr@aol.com wrote:

> Chief music critic Bernard Holland wrote today of
> The Well-Tempered Clavier:
>
>
> "It is a lot of music, in almost every conceivable
> meaning of "a lot."
> Bach, first of all, is offering promotional material
> for a system of tuning
> favored by him and not far from the equal
> temperament we use today. Beyond
> practicality, the preludes and fugues are wonders of
> counterpoint, though often so
> contemptuous of generally accepted rules of
> agreement between notes that they
> serve poorly as models for conservatory study.
>
> "With equal iconoclasm, Bach's oddly spaced melodic
> intervals and adventures
> in dissonant harmony seem to us almost
> post-Webernian, with a space-age
> quality galaxies away from the sober 18th-century
> German-ness from which they
> came. (See especially the D sharp minor Fugue from
> Book 2.) the 'Well-Tempered
> Clavier' is, more ..."
>
> Johnny :)
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's
> new at http://www.aol.com
>

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