As an introduction, I will share the story of why I like classical music, and why I like Bach: As a very small child my parents every night, while I was in bed going to sleep, would play music. All kinds of music, from Mongolian throat singing to Bobby McFerrin. Having the musical parents I did, they would often play classical music as well. They would play these recordings by Classical Kids which would reenact the lives of different composers. My favorite as a child was Bach. In the recording, there was a little girl who was forced to practice her piano by her mother when she really wanted to go outside with her friends. When her mom left, a mysterious man appeared next to her listening to her play. It was Bach! He talked about his life and musical journey through the recording. When Bach appears the girl doesn’t know who he is; he then plays her something he wrote. That piece was Bach’s French Suite No. 5 in G BWV: 816 No. 7. Gigue. I didn’t know the name at the time, but for whatever reason that piece was my absolute favorite. Now when I remember listening to that music in bed, it is still one of, if not the most secure, intimate, and joy-filled experience I have ever had. The feelings of going to sleep without worry, and so intimately focused on the music were indescribable. As I got old enough my parents eventually stopped playing music while I was going to sleep and I forgot about the piece; however, that gigue would be ingrained in my long term memory until I heard it next. Fast forward now to when I was a freshman in high school! Mostly I listened to rock and jazz then. I would often find classical music boring or dry, not really fascinated by it at all. Around that time my Dad was listening very frequently to the French Suites, and would constantly comment on them. He would show me them and talk about how meaningful the music was. I would listen, but really I just was not drawn by that music. In fact, while having dinner with my aunt, I complained about how much my Dad would talk about Bach and grew quite bitter towards Bach and classical music in general. Just days later though I was curious enough to download my Dads recording of the French Suites and just give it a listen to see if I actually liked anything. The recording he would listen to, and which I listen to now was played by Andras Schiff. Everything I would listen to I just found boring or dry. There was one piece I enjoyed a little but otherwise I had found my complaining to hold true to my taste in music. But, on the way back from school on the bus, the day was gorgeous and the sun was shining brightly, I started listening to it again. Growing tired of it I scrolled up and clicked a random piece, already planning to listen to something else. When I clicked the piece that I had randomly chosen I realized that it was that same Gigue that was on that CD! I immediately broke down into tears, overwhelmed by the music and it’s beauty and memory. It truly was one of the most meaningful and powerful moments of my life. I cried and cried over this random piece of music I had chosen. It was if I was being shown my whole life up to that point, and the music just dug straight into my heart. It was so beautiful. After the piece had finished and I gathered myself I started listening to other pieces from the French Suites; my ears had opened up. Everything sounded so beautiful and sublime, even the pieces I had listened to moments ago and thought were boring! From that moment on, the world of classical music and Bach in particular burst open for me. That one moment is one of the most important and special moments in my life and I owe so, so, so much to that experience.
Here is the Classical Kids: Bach with the Gigue: https://youtu.be/jnaYm9XWZms
Here is the Gigue played by Andras Schiff. This is the exact same recording I listened to on the bus: https://youtu.be/Q8P1Tmc0Qm8
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