Monday 31 December 2012

Buxtehude Organ Prelude in G minor - one of the greatest, darkest, most tragic pieces of music

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I do not expect many people to agree - but I find this piece heart-wrenchingly beautiful; with (somehow) all the stark dignity, and tragedy, of the Lutheran Reformation in concentrate.

The composer speaks directly to me across the centuries as few others; from the Marienkirche, Lubeck, with outside (I imagine) the bitter, crisp, snowy darkness of a North German winter.

What I most like about this are the chromatic fugue subjects and bass ostinato - I don't think Bach ever came-up with anything more noble.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qstp3WF1HmM

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just beautiful.

Thank you for this link, and a wonderful New Year to you.

strata florida said...

An excellent essay. But like you, I never finished the Seventh Son books; and although I've read other books by Card, I'll never read him again -- utter revulsion brought on by realizing I'd been eating poison. Yet he writes this essay. Very strange.

Bruce Charlton said...

@sf - I realize this comment was intended fro the next door posting. Interesting that we both had the same quality of response to Card's novels. Still, I'd urge you to explore his essays etc on the Hatrack River website.