In epoca a fost cunoscut doar ca organist si clavecinist virtuoz, pedagog si autor al unor lucrari didactic-teoretice, considerate aride, iar fiii sai erau mult mai celebri. La numirea sa in postul de cantor la Thomaskirche din Leipzig, un consilier municipal, dezamagit ca Telemann refuzase postul, a spus ca, daca nu-i poate avea pe „cei mai buni, e nevoit sa se multumeasca si cu cei mediocri“. Abia o suta de ani mai tarziu, cand Mendelssohn-Bartholdy redescopera Patimile dupa Matei, Bach incepe cu adevarat sa fie cunoscut. De atunci, explorarea cosmosului-Bach pare o aventura fara sfarsit. Cartea lui Davitt Moroney, la randul lui clavecinist si organist, e o fermecatoare biografie, plina de detalii surprinzatoare care transforma statuia unui urias compozitor intr-un om.
I learned to see Bach as a man from this book, which has given me further insight into his music. I am sure this will help me with interpretation and expression when playing. The book is fascinating, but is quite difficult to follow at times, as the story is not told in a linear fashion. A family tree (there are a lot of Bachs), a timeline for his career progression and a list of his friends, colleagues and fellow musicians would all help to make Bach's life history clearer. It's the absence of these details that has reduced my rating from five stars to four. I had expected the book to be a difficult read for me, since I'm not inclined towards either history or religious music, but I found it engaging and hard to put down. I recommend it to anyone interested in either the history of the period or music.