# Bach in Popular Culture



## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

In light of my other Bach thread, I was just thinking about some comments on how Bach/Mozart/Beethoven wrote a great deal of music in many different genres that appeals to a lot of people. I think this is fair, as they were certainly very prolific.

However, I can think of a number of examples of Mozart tunes that the non-classical-listening public would recognise, and hell knows there's a number of Beethoven ones too, but what about Bach? All I can think of is the opening to a cello suite which is vaguely popular. I think the public would consider Pachelbel the greater composer.


----------



## jalex (Aug 21, 2011)

Sleepers Awake, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Brandenburg 3...


----------



## Eviticus (Dec 8, 2011)

air on a g string


----------



## Conor71 (Feb 19, 2009)

Air On The G-String - I remember this one from a Tobacco (?) Ad when I was young


----------



## Eviticus (Dec 8, 2011)

Conor71 said:


> Air On The G-String - I remember this one from a Tobacco (?) Ad when I was young


Happiness is a Cigar called 'Hamlet'


----------



## Eviticus (Dec 8, 2011)

I should add that although i knocked his cantatas (which upset the Bach commune on here), i do find Bach's cello suites wonderful. 

I love the cello.


----------



## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Man Poley, you are on a role with these threads

I'd say the first prelude of WTC 1 is pretty recognizable too.


----------



## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

violadude said:


> Man Poley, you are on a role with these threads
> 
> I'd say the first prelude of WTC 1 is pretty recognizable too.


It seems that I'm on a role with junk threads. I think I've been proven sufficiently wrong on this question now - my memory is just appalling.


----------



## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

It depends on the person, but here are some contenders:

Toccata and Fugue in D minor, C major Prelude from WTC, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Brandenburg Concerto #3, Air on G string, Little Fugue in G minor, Double Violin Concerto, Cello Suite #1, Bourree in E minor, Chaconne from Partita #2, "Sheep may safely graze", "Sleepers awake", Goldberg Variations, Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, parts of Mass in B minor, Magnificat, and St. Matthew Passion.


----------



## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Don't forget that European jazzmen have been doing their thing with old J.S. Bach's music for ages, basically since 1945. Jacques Loussier and Claude Bolling are two. I think that the American Keith Jarrett has also done a few Bach albums. Then - well this is like ancient history - Wendy Carlos with her moog synthesiser doing _Switched on Bach_ in the 1960's. Of course this went on ages ago. Gounod's song tune for_ Ave Maria_, based on a bit of Bach's _Well Tempered Clavier_, is still sung in churches today all over the world (incl. here). I'd say it's more popular than WTC in the public consciousness, but whether this is more Bach or more Gounod is up for debate, I guess.

Also, after 1945, with the arrival of TV, classical music, incl. Bach got some coverage on that medium. Glenn Gould playing Bach amongst other things would have been seen by a lot of people on the box. Maybe Bernstein conducting Bach's stuff as well, or even talking about him on the TV shows he made. & Leopold Stokowski's orchestral transcriptions were well known in the post war decades, as well as other conductor's like Eugene Ormandy's...


----------



## EarthBoundRules (Sep 25, 2011)

I'm sure a lot of people recognize the aria from the Goldberg Variations from the movie _The Silence of the Lambs_, and the Air on a G String from the movie _Se7en_. I've also heard the Toccata and Fugue in D minor playing inside some haunted houses.


----------



## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)

bach is probably more popular. air on the g, tocatta and fugue, Jesu, Joy of Man


----------



## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

You lost me at the "Popular Culture" part.


----------



## Rasa (Apr 23, 2009)

I thought Bach was popular culture?


----------



## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Bach 23,461,990
Mozart 22,901,530
Beethoven 19,250,205 
According to Last.fm


----------



## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Polednice said:


> All I can think of is the opening to a cello suite which is vaguely popular.
> 
> *So the prelude for bwv1007 is vaguely popular, eh...*
> 
> I think the public would consider Pachelbel the greater composer.







Sorry, bud...you know I love you...you just been trying Bach to much lately.


----------



## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

kv466 said:


> Sorry, bud...you know I love you...you just been trying Bach to much lately.


Hahahaha, I know, I know, I'm terribly sorry, I prostrate myself. Can I be forgiven?


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Bach's _Brandenburg #2_ on the golden disc to represent the peak of humanity's music on Voyager. What more needs to be said?  Why did they choose Bach? Why not Xenakis?


----------



## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Just a few among many:


----------



## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

And a few more for ya Poldy :tiphat:


----------



## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)




----------



## violadude (May 2, 2011)




----------



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Yep, I think the main one's that the public would recognize, have been stated.


----------



## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Case closed! The mystery is solvèd (as Clouseau would say...).


----------



## NightHawk (Nov 3, 2011)

Bach's melodies are difficult -most can sing a few bars then they lose it - 2 reasons: Bach is much more chromatic than the Classical composers (the harmonic rhythm changes almost every beat in Bach) and 2) his melodies are 'chain' melodies which are not laid out on the memorable antecedent/consequent phrase structure of Classical music. His melodies and those of other High Baroque composers just 'run on'. One of the aims of early Classic music was to abandon complex polyphonic textures in favor of a 'tuneful' melody over a broken chord accompanent (Alberti bass figures = i.e. 1535, 1535,) and the harmonic rhythm was very slow. Much easier to remember and therefore, sing.

ADDENDUM: It is a cruel thing but composers who live to a goodly age gradually see their work become 'unfashionable' = Bach, and Beethoven are two who saw their late, profound works overshadowed by such composers as CPE Bach and Rossini.


----------

