Bach in the Subways

An international movement to sow the seeds for future generations of classical music lovers by generating public interest and excitement for the art form.

Thomas Ingui

If the pipe organ is the king of instruments, then J.S. Bach is the king of music. His massive body of works for the instrument takes about 19 hours to perform straight through and encompasses many styles. This performance will give a small taste of these various styles: one of the 6 trio sonatas written as learning pieces for his eldest son Wilhelm Friedemann, three samplings from the 18 great “Leipzig chorales”, the beloved chorale prelude “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” from the 6 Shubler chorales, and two examples of Bach’s most virtuosic free writing with the mysteriously powerful Passacaglia in C minor and the grand Prelude and Fugue in E minor nicknamed “The Wedge”. These last examples also showcase Bach’s supreme mastery of the Fugue, a notoriously strict form rich with counterpoint which spins out an unassuming musical subject into a massive piece; the ultimate testament to Bach’s ability to develop simple building blocks into expansive works.