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The Unique Works of Johann Sebastian Bach

Ah, Bach. He was, hands down, the most influential Baroque composer who ever lived. His works and legacy are as extensive as any other composer, and far more extensive than most. He has left his stamp upon many other composers of import, including the great Mozart and Beethoven. And, even when compared with the less restrained and regulated compsitions of the subsequent Classical and Romantic periods, his works manage to be extremely original and fresh while still remaining within the confines of the Baroque period. In order to fully appreciate his multifaceted talent, let us examine a few of his most well-known works.

The blazing and majestic Toccata e Fugue in D minor is probably the most famous organ work ever composed by Bach. Bach was primarily an organist rather than a multi-instrumentalist, ans considered by many musicologists and musical historians to be the finest known organist to ever have lived. It starts off with an impressive D minor passages – with just an echo of a harmonic minor scale. It then spreads out into a full on harmonic D minor toccata, later segueing into a fugue with masterful clarity. Though Bach wrote a great many other works, he is regarded as the master of the fugue. He modeled his works on the earlier fugue masters like Pachelbel, but completely transcended any previous attempts at the form.

Then we have the Brandenburg Concertos, so named after the relatively obscure patron Christian Ludwig, margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt. They are a perfect example of Bach’s mastery over the Baroque constraints, being both original in compositional style and adhering to the strict, structured form of the Baroque era. One gets the impression that, if Bach had lived in the Classical period or the transitional period between the Romantic and the Classical, he could have eclipsed even Beethoven in terms of musical genius.