Tag: Bach

Souvenirs of coziness triggered by a Bach sonata

Absorbed. © Charles Thibo

Can you remember a moment when you were a child and felt really safe and cozy? Perhaps you sat on the sofa reading a good book on a cold, sunny winterday? Or cudded under your favourite blanket with your teddy bear? I had to think of such moments when I immersed myself into Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sonata No. 2 for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord in D major, BWV 1028. I listened to a recording by Mischa Maisky (cello) and Marta Argerich (piano).  I sense beauty, I sense elegance and its comforting effect upon me is considerable.

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Eternal beauty – Bach’s musical legacy

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To the glory of God. © Charles Thibo

“God manifests himself in devout music”, Johann Sebastian Bach noted in his personal bible. Bach was a devout man and the greatest musician of his time, perhaps the greatest musician ever. He was a Protestant, and what he noted down at the time shows how much music was valued by the adherents of the Protestant faith. On 31 October 1517, Martin Luther had made public his ideas about how to reform Christian faith. In 2017, Protestants all over the world will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. 2017 will be an interesting and challenging year for me. I will systematically study Luther’s ideas, the works of his sidekick Philipp Melanchthon, the differences and commonalities between the Protestant and the Catholic world and confront again the question of faith.

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Gold glittering leaves in a blue autumn sky

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Roadside miracle. © Charles Thibo

Yesterday was a beautiful day. After a week of rain and fog, the sun was out and bathing everything in a golden light. As I drove home, a birch at the roadside caught my eye. The leaves were glittering in the sun, forming a delicate contrast with the tree and the blue sky. A little aesthetic every day miracle – enough to make me feel comfortable and serene. I was listening to Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Goldberg Variations”, BWV 988. This added to my bliss. What a beautiful day. Sure, I was busy, but nevertheless I found peace in the sight of those golden leaves and this heavenly music.

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A latent emotional vibration under the rising sun

Early morning – a world at peace. © Charles Thibo

I woke up early. From my bed I saw that the sky was clear. The sun was about to rise above the horizon. I got up, tiptoed down the staircase and through the windows separating the living room from the veranda, I saw the colours of the sky veering from orange to grey to light blue. We still have those old-fashioned glass panes made opaque through entangled floral ornaments. I love that Art Déco glass, it matches my occasional melancholy. Yesterday morning it beautifully refracted the light from the rising sun. A magic moment.

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