#BachaDay October 2011

J.S. Bach
the father

The theme for this month is Bach. And not just Johann Sebastian Bach, but any composer in the Bach family tree. So you can listen to any of the over 1200 works by Johann Sebastian Bach.

But it also means you can listen (if you prefer) to any work by any of his sons, several of whom also were prominent composers.

W.F. Bach
the black sheep

The eldest surviving son (and the one who most resembled his father in composition style) was Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to achieve his father's greatness -- or stability of employment. Nevertheless, there are still over 300 surviving works for you to listen to (albeit not all of them have been recorded).

CPE Bach
the good son

Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach was the responsible son. His music provides a transition from the baroque to the classical period. At one time he was employed by Frederick the Great, and is directly responsible for his father composing The Musical Offering BWV1079. There are about 900 works in CPE Bach's catalog.

JC Bach
the hitmaker

Another good choice is Johann Christian Bach. JC Bach wrote more in the early classical -- as opposed to late baroque -- style, and was greatly admired by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. JC Bach was active in France and England, and is sometimes referred to as "the London Bach" (which is where the very young Mozart visited him). There are several hundred works by JC Bach for you to choose from.

PDQ Bach
 the worst

Some other sons of JS Bach were also composers, and some of their works have been recorded. And of course, you're welcome -- if you dare -- to listen to the works of Bach's last, and least, son, PDQ Bach. There are far too many of PDQ Bach's works around, and more seem to be discovered all the time. But if you want to waste your time on his music, that's your lookout.

Remember, just use the hash tag #BachaDay when you post your tweet, and include a catalog number if you think there might be some confusion as to which work you're listening to. There's a lot of music out there attached to a Bach name. Let's see how much we can sample in a month!