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Dear Ann,

Who doesn’t love an ambitious group project? My boy recently clued me in to All of Bach, a project of the Netherlands Bach Society to celebrate their upcoming centenary in 2021.

It is, or will be, exactly what it says it is: All of Bach. (Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750.) Pristine recordings, on period instruments with the old tunings, in correct settings—chamber music in living rooms, cantatas in churches. They publish a new video recording every two weeks, and in the weeks between new recordings they highlight a previous release.

Each recording is supported by interviews and documentary videos about the decisions made, the musicians and the instruments. You do not have to be knowledgeable about classical music to enjoy it. At the project’s core is the same kind of enthusiasm we knitters feel about Elizabeth Zimmermann and heritage sheep breeds. It’s accessible to anyone with curiosity.

Each piece has its own page on the elegant All of Bach website, which you can search here. As of this writing, they are up to 266 works, which you can filter by instrument. You can listen to the videos on the website, or cue them up on YouTube and let them roll while you knit.

Up top is Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, performed by Lucia Swarts. This piece is so good that even bank commercials cannot ruin it. Swarts talks about playing and teaching the piece here, and about her complicated relationship with her Pieter Rombouts 1705 cello here.  She’s my new internet best friend! (If she doesn’t knit, I don’t want to know.) Also interesting: each of Bach’s 6 cello suites is performed by a different cellist. They even do the one that requires a chin-cello that has five strings.

JSB 4ever! This is what the internet is for.

Love,

Kay

P.S. If you’ve ever wondered what three harpsichords living their best lives sounds like, here you go. It is, and I quote, “a wall of sound.” I have been advised to listen with headphones so the orchestra can be heard.

 

 

 

 

 

24 Comments

  • How wonderful to find this in my inbox this morning…..two great passions in my current life …. Baroque music (mostly Bach) and knitting. How lovely at 5 am on a rainy, windy Saturday morning with coffee mug at my side.

    • Thanks for this, Kay. I am lifted up.

    • Amen!

  • What a gift!
    Thank you

  • What a fabulous link! I have always loved Bach, and the 3 harpsichords and orchestra is sensational particularly. Lucia Swarts is an incredible musician

  • Bach is the bomb. Thanks for this.

  • 4 words: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3

    • YES! Brandenburg No. 3 is the best!!

  • OH, MY, thank you for this! I have it playing now and just love it. What a blessing to know about this.

  • Another wonderful link! Going to hear some Baroque music tonight, this will prepare me, thanks.

  • Thank you for your brilliant and varied posts, especially the music and literature ones. I am so happy to have discovered your blog!

  • Well this is just wonder-full! Thanks so much for sharing!

  • Currently I can’t knit having had hand surgery and it will be awhile,alas. But I can listen and this lovely Bach treat has me happily in another sphere. Thank you so much

  • Thank you so much!! This is so amazing!!

  • What is better than my own private concert? Thank you for bringing this to me and allowing an experience not easily obtainable. Knitting aside, I enjoyed watching the performers as they combined their efforts and made such beautiful sounds, a tapestry of sorts but in the audible. Thank you so much.

  • Fabulous, what a great find, combining two passions at the same time.

  • I can’t thank you enough for sharing this treasure this morning. The music, the history, the instruments, the performers – 266 Master Classes! Isn’t the Internet an amazing thing? And I feel so very fortunate that its explosion has coincided with my retirement years. Between All Of Bach and Knit Stars, and all of the other things you bring, I won’t be getting much else done.

    • You have spoken beautifully for me as well, Sarah!

  • Thanks for this!

  • Beautiful! And that violoncello da spalla is fascinating! Thank you

  • What a beautiful project! Such a generous gift to Bach lovers around the world, especially to folks who can’t get to concerts or have none where they live. Thanks for sharing this. I’m knitting to Bach today!

  • Ok, so to report back, there is a reason why we know about Bach, and not some of the ‘lesser’ composers. OTOH, there were quite a few knitters in the audience. My husband suggested that there was probably a significant crossover demographic….

  • ohhhh lovely ! I was actually wondering and looking for new inspiration or things to listen to or Watch while knitting. Thanks a lot for that ! 🙂

  • Thank you so much for the Bach, I did not know about this project. I have sent this to everyone I know. Knitters and music lovers . Thank you.to your sons .

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