DAILY DOSE Easter part 1! (April 11, 2020)

Part 1: Bach's Crucifixion and Resurrection

Beethoven longed to obtain a score of Bach's B Minor Mass, but never did in his lifetime. His attitude towards Bach was unambiguous. He called him the "Father of all Harmony." Bach means “stream” in German. Beethoven punned "nicht Bach, sondern Meer" (not a stream, but an ocean).

The transition from the Crucifixion to the Resurrection in Bach’s mass, is one of the most powerful moments in all of music. Yet, to hear that power, one has to reach back to performances from half a century ago, made by people who very very old back then.

Why? Is it the weakening of religious ideas? The idea is a philosophical one, about the very nature of humanity.