# Top 5 or So Bach Movements



## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

JS Bach is argued by many to be the greatest composer, but I don't appear to have a list of his greatest movements or short singles.

Feel free to list 5 or more JS Bach movements or short singles you consider his best or your favorite. If you want to try, you can post a larger list. Thanks.


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Too many options. Even "Bach favorite work" polls cheat by grouping together the violin concertos, cello suites, French suites, Brandenburgs, etc. into one option each.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Perhaps is the question- What do you don't like about Bach easier to answer


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## Marc (Jun 15, 2007)

How about shortening the word 'movement' into 'moment'? 

Then I would probably go for the _Matthäus-Passion_, with Pilate's "Was hat er denn Übels getan?" going into the Recitativo accompagnato for soprano "Er hat uns allen wohlgetan", up to the last reverbs of the breathtaking soprano aria "Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben" going into the relentless recitativo secco "Sie schrieen aber noch mehr und sprachen...", followed by the 2nd chorus of "Lass ihn kreuzigen!"

Maybe the entire section that follows after/begins with the chorale "Befiehl du deine Wege" until the recitativo accompagnato "Erbarm' es, Gott!" is a great example of being a heartbreaking moment/section where Bach seems to be able to stop the time.

The same goes, for me, for the section beginning with "Was mein Gott will, das g'scheht all'Zeit" until the end of part 1 of that same Matthäus-Passion, with, of course, in the heart of that section the amazing Duetto (with chorus) "So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen!"

After writing this, I ask myself (and not for the first time): why do I always insist in claiming that I slightly prefer the _Johannes-Passion_ to the _Matthäus-Passion_? 

Well... the SJP of course has got "Da nahm Pilatus Jesum und geisselte ihn!", followed by the amazing Arioso "Betrachte, meine Seel'". And it got its impressive opening choir, and my favourite aria "Zerfließe, mein Herze, in Fluten der Zähren...". 
So, there you go.

Hey, look at that: I more or less mentioned 5 mo(ve)ments!


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## SoloYH (8 mo ago)

5 best bach moments:

1. French Overture, the Fugue in the Overture ending,
2. T&F in D minor, beginning of the fugue.
3. P&F in A minor, the Fugue
4. P&F in G minor, the Fugue, (Both grand and small fugues)
5. Chrmoatic Fanttasy and Fugue in D minor OBVIOUSLY THE FUGUE. lol.


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

Ethereality said:


> JS Bach is argued by many to be the greatest composer, but I don't appear to have a list of his greatest movements or short singles.
> 
> Feel free to list 5 or more JS Bach movements or short singles you consider his best or your favorite. If you want to try, you can post a larger list. Thanks.


Favorie Bach excerpts:
1. _Make My Heart Clean From Sin_ from _St. Matthew Passion_





2. _Aria Duet_ from _Jesu, der du meine Seele' Cantata for the 14th Sunday after Trinity. BWV 78_





3. _Sheep May Safely Graze_ from _Hunting Cantata _





4. _I'll Follow Thee Also_ from _St. John Passion_





5. _Chaconne_ from _Violin Partita #2_





Enjoy!


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## Nate Miller (Oct 24, 2016)

the thing about J.S. Bach that always impressed me is the wrote all of his instrumental music in just 6 years working for Prince Leopold. Since that is the music of his that I play, my favorite "moments" or "movements" are all from his instrumental works. In no particular order my 5 favorite ones are:

1. Prelude of G major Cello Suite BWV 1007
2. Prelude from E major Lute suite BWV 1006a
3. Allemande from Eb Cello suite BWV 1010
4. Bouree E minor Lute Suite BWV 996
5. Fugue in A minor BWV 1000


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

Marc said:


> After writing this, I ask myself (and not for the first time): why do I always insist in claiming that I slightly prefer the _Johannes-Passion_ to the _Matthäus-Passion_?


John Eliot Gardiner theorized that the genius of Bach is that he manages to at once have one foot in heaven and the other foot on earth. Maybe this means that Bach's religious music is not all stain-glass windows and light shining through the clouds; but rather that his music also digs deep into the human condition and expresses all the pain and the hurt that leads us to search for something divine. For me, the _St. Matthew_ strikes the balance in the most beautiful ways, but the _St. John_ is also great and like you I sometimes a leaning towards the _St. John, _maybe because it seems to have a more raw and urgent quality


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## Marc (Jun 15, 2007)

Coach G said:


> John Eliot Gardiner theorized that the genius of Bach is that he manages to at once have one foot in heaven and the other foot on earth. Maybe this means that Bach's religious music is not all stain-glass windows and light shining through the clouds; but rather that his music also digs deep into the human condition and expresses all the pain and the hurt that leads us to search for something divine. For me, the _St. Matthew_ strikes the balance in the most beautiful ways, but the _St. John_ is also great and like you I sometimes a leaning towards the _St. John, _maybe because it seems to have a more raw and urgent quality


I think that letting go of the "stain-glass window and light shining through the clouds" idea, is also part of the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment: trying to make 'divine' art more understandable for the 'common' people.
And, let's not forget, religious music is not only meant as an expression of all the pain and the hurt, but also of all the joy that comes along with a firm belief in God.
Imho, this was one of the most meaningful additions of the HIP movement to much of the religious music from the baroque era: yes, it's for a religious purpose, but it's also/still a mixture of (secular) dances, sometimes slow and sometimes fast. Because, in that era, all music was considered to be tribute to God and His creation(s). Even a post-baroque composer like Haydn thought that way.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Nate Miller said:


> the thing about J.S. Bach that always impressed me is the wrote all of his instrumental music in just 6 years working for Prince Leopold.


That's a bit misleading; as the bulk of Bach's instrumental music is keyboard/organ and he wrote plenty of this before and after working for Prince Leopold. And even for the solo/multiple keyboard concerti (and maybe some others, such as the triple concerto a minor) the actual form we play today is from the mid-late 1730s Leipzig period.


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## Nate Miller (Oct 24, 2016)

Kreisler jr said:


> That's a bit misleading; as the bulk of Bach's instrumental music is keyboard/organ and he wrote plenty of this before and after working for Prince Leopold. And even for the solo/multiple keyboard concerti (and maybe some others, such as the triple concerto a minor) the actual form we play today is from the mid-late 1730s Leipzig period.


maybe I should have said "non-keyboard" or "secular" or something like that. But either way, its a lot of output in just 6 years.

I'm a guitarist, and all the music he wrote for strings comes from that time. The lute suites, cello suites and violin partitas are all part of the concert repertoire for guitar. So all the music J.S. Bach wrote that is accessible to my instrument is from that period


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Not necessarily the greatest but some of my favorites ...

Four part "And now the Lord..." from the end of St. Matthew Passion.

First movement of Brandenburg concerto No. 5, the keyboard obbliato/solo

Middle movement of keyboard concerto No. 3

Fugue from the keyboard Tocatta, Adagio and Fugue in C minor BWV 564

Opening movement and chorus of Easter Oratorio


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 - First Movement
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 - First Movement
Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D minor - First Movement
Concerto for Two Harpsichords in C minor - Third Movement
Concerto for Three Harpsichords in D minor - Third Movement


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

Cantata BWV 51, "Jauchzet Gott In Allen Landen" - 3
Partita No 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825 - 1. Praeludium
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV 869, Fugue No. 24 in B minor
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 - Var. 4
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047 - 1


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## Dirge (Apr 10, 2012)

*Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582* (1708–12?)
:: Biggs [CBS Masterworks ’66] modern pedal harpsichord

*Prélude *from *Suite No. 6 in D major for cello solo, BWV 1012* (c. 1720)
:: Bylsma [RCA Seon ’79] period violoncello piccolo 

*Chaconne *from *Partita in D minor for violin solo, BWV 1004* (c. 1720)
:: Grumiaux [Philips ’60/’61] modern violin 

*Adagio ma non tanto *from *Sonata No. 3 in E major for violin & harpsichord (or piano), BWV 1016* (early 1720s)
:: Zimmermann & Pace [Sony ’06] modern violin & piano

J. S. BACH: *Ricercar a 6 *from *Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079* (1747)
:: Rosen [CBS ’67] modern piano

_honorable mention …_

*Sonatina *from *“Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit” (aka Actus tragicus), BWV 106* (1708?)
:: M. & G. Kurtág [ECM ’96] arr. Kurtág for piano four hands


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## ChrJou (9 mo ago)

I couldn't bring myself to put only five

. Mass in B minor BWV 232 : 14. "Agnus Dei" (Andreas Scholl / Philippe Herreweghe)
. Fantasia in C minor, BWV 906 (Sviatoslav Richter)
. Cantata Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen BWV 51 : 3. Aria: "Höchster, mache deine Güte" (Emma Kirkby / John Gardiner)
. Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D Major, BWV 1050 : 1. Allegro (Diego Fasolis / I Barocchisti)
. Motet Komm, Jesu, Komm, BWV 229 (Masaaki Suzuki / Bach Collegium Japan)
. English Suite No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 807 : 1. Prélude (Ivo Pogorelich)
. Partita No. 2 In C Minor, BWV 826 : 1. Sinfonia (The Swingle Singers) 
. Cantata Freue dich, erlöste Schar BWV 30 ; 5. Aria: "Kommt, ihr angefocht'nen Sünder" (Magdalena Kozena / Marek Stryncl)
. Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828 : 2. Allemande (Sergio Fiorentino)
. Matthäus-Passion BWV 244: 68. Chorus: "Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder" (Nikolaus Harnoncourt) 
. Fugue in G minor BWV 578 (Helmut Walcha)


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## Doublestring (Sep 3, 2014)

Zion hört die Wächter singen (Cantata "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", BWV 140)
Prelude of Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor (BWV 1011)
Erbarme dich, mein Gott, um meiner Zähren Willen! (St Matthew Passion, BWV 244)
"Little" Fugue for organ in G minor (BWV 578)
First movement of Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 (BWV 1048)


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

What is a short single? The Goldberg variations?


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