Bach Treasure Box Opened by a True Enthusiast

If you could sum up Bach and the High Baroque in three words, what would they be?

Apart from one or two Toccata and Fugues, I really could not "hear" Bach. Professor Robert Greenberg has enabled me hear Bach's music, and has turned me into a Bach enthusiast. Professor Greenberg is a gifted lecturer who imparts both knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject. He is also a charismatic lecturer. I am so glad the Great Courses have been added to Audible. They are not only educational, they make a refreshing change from current fiction of all genres, which for the most part has become predictable and mostly uninteresting.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Johann Sebastian Bach, because of his prodigious talent and productivity. Bach's life is a clear demonstration that genius can be applied to the demands of the workaday life.

Which character – as performed by Professor Robert Greenberg – was your favorite?

Professor Robert Greenberg himself as the lecturer. He combines depth of knowledge with enthusiasm and a polished presentation style. Always interesting.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but it is way to long, and the subject matter to meaty to be listened to in a single sitting. This is an audio product that I will listen to over and over again.

Any additional comments?

I plan to use my upcoming credits on more lectures by Dr. Greenberg. Fiction has become too boring.

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Changed my life--better than my college courses

Would you listen to Bach and the High Baroque again? Why?

Absolutely. Not only do I get to enjoy my favorite Bach pieces, but I get to learn about Bach, his background, the baroque era and musical styles and theories. And: with the help of modern technology, I get to listen to this superb course while gardening or performing household chores. I listened first to this course over stereo bluetooth headphones or speakers and that inspired me to order cables to run the sound through my Bose systems so I can listen wherever I am. I have already repeated many sections just because I enjoy the music and the professor's discussion so much that I hate to move on and want the course to last as long as possible.

What other book might you compare Bach and the High Baroque to and why?

The obvious comparison would be other books in the The Great Courses series, either the broader survey courses or the specific genre courses (symphony, concert, jazz, etc). There are not that many books that offer both music samples as well as discussions about the music, composer, and the background of both.

What does Professor Robert Greenberg bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His enthusiasm, sense of humor, examples, but most of all, his judicious selection of music samples and detailed discussed of the samples. He is very down to earth and has a very pleasant voice.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I thought I had died and gone to heaven within the first few minutes of listening. My favorite music, favorite composer, great sound, and a friendly, intelligent voice to discuss it all. This is the most worthwhile book credit I ever used.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait to proceed with the Great Courses series.

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Depth and Entertainment

I am only 25% in and I have to write a short review. If you have even a passing interest in Bach, this will magnify your enjoyment of the music! I can tell this is going to be one of my favorite non fiction listens in 5 years of Audible.

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The WordScore Study Guide is now available!

Any additional comments?

When Audible first listed The Teaching Company Great Courses, many reviewers lamented (or complained) that the Study Guides were not included. I was just grateful to at least have these wonderful college-level courses for audio download through Audible.

Now the Study Guides are included in PDF format, making a great deal even greater! Thanks Audible and The Teaching Company!

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Everything I was looking for, and more

What did you love best about Bach and the High Baroque?

Professor Greenberg's able, lucid explanations of the components of various Bach pieces and why they are so brilliant, actually allowing us to hear the brilliance for ourselves.Also, that I was able to hear so many wonderful pieces of the Baroque era (and some Renaissance pieces for contrast) with an expert to show me their beauty.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bach and the High Baroque?

1. Hearing Bach's famous Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (the most famous piece he wrote--often played in movies, in an unfortunate stereotype, by a villain at a giant pipe organ) and understanding EXACTLY why it is SO thrilling to hear and will last for time immemorial. 2. Listening through the St. Matthew Passion with an expert's guidance--especially the turba choruses ("Let him be crucified!"). I've never had a piece of music--sans video--move me so much.3. Understanding the genius of the Goldberg variations. WOW. So much to learn there. Unending implications and aspects....

Which scene was your favorite?

Gotta be the whole section on the Toccata in D Minor as mentioned above. This was the first time I EVER felt like I understood an indescribably beautiful piece of music as it was meant to be understood. Priceless!!!!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh, boy, I would have loved to! But it took me three weeks, I think.

Any additional comments?

Greenberg is a tremendous professor. That's an understatement. He repeats things just enough times so you don't forget, but not to a discomforting level. He's got a great sense of humor. He's got an easy voice to listen to. He uses words carefully but easily. Awesome guy for this course. He's got 10 or so others in The Great Courses that I look forward to hearing eventually as well.

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Love this series

While I enjoyed these Bach lectures, I didn't like them as much as the Stravinsky and Shostakovich lectures by Greenberg because of a surfeit of Music 101. There were times when I wish he would have said, "Anyone who ever took Music Theory and got a C+ or better can skip to the next lecture." But I guess when you're talking about Bach you can't assume everyone knows how a fugue works or what secondary dominants are or how many strings are on a violin. In spite of all that, Greenberg's presentation of the Goldberg Variations was fabulous, and I will listen to those four lectures again. Greenberg is a charming lecturer, and you want to invite him over for beers and small talk about Bartók.

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A brilliant course

Oh Bach! How have I been able to live without your music until now. Thanks to prof. Greenberg for his informative, passionate and moving explanations of Bach's work. Just like Bach's music itself, this course is a timeless performance.

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Very entertaining and informative

Not sure "performance" is a correct description. This was an excellent course. I've done Teaching Company courses in the past, and the audiobook format is a winner. Professor Greenberg is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and just plain fun. I highly recommend this course if you are interested in the subject.

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Understanding Bach

Is there anyone else out there who like me has always appreciated Bach's music? I consider Bach one of the absolutely best classical composers (alongside Beethoven), and his music has always inspired me and provided great satisfaction.

If you have that background, this is really something for you. The courses are insprining and the narrator is enthusiastic about his topic, and he knows it very well. I advise you to listen one course at the time, then listen to some Bach music in between and then go on to the next course. If you try to take in all at the same time, it will be too much.

One thing that bugs me, however, is that professor Greenberg does not know how to pronounce Bach's name, at least not to a listener who like me speaks German. His consistent incorrect (=American) pronounciation ("Bock") could lead to the wrong conclusion that the good professor does not know what he is talking about. But he does and he is good at it, even though his German is deplorable (his Italian and French are possibly worse). A little language exercise: try to figure out who the composers "Wiwolde" and "Cooperand" are? (That is the way these baroque composers names are pronounced in this book).

So a really good course is tainted by bad language. However, if you can live with that, don't hesitate to buy this.

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The Bach-Meister

I don’t play an instrument. I can’t read music. And, frankly, some of the technical discussion here went by me like the details of rigging and navigation in an Aubrey/Maturin novel.

Be that as it may, what I got out of these lectures far outweighs the stuff I missed. Professor Greenberg gives us a comprehensive understanding of the entire cultural sea change we call the Baroque, with special emphasis on the man whose music exemplifies that period. So, I understand what Baroque music evolved from, that Bach was the lucky inheritor of a newly established, rationalized, soon-to-be universal musical notation system, of new, highly perfected instruments, of a Lutheran theology that informed his music and gave that music a stage, both in and out of church. And much, much more. I even know how to pronounce Dietrich Buxtehude’s last name.

On top of that, Professor Greenberg is a joy to listen to. His intense love for his subject doesn’t preclude playfulness and humor – I got my title from one of his quips. Yeah, he’s a self-confessed secular humanist, but unlike many secular humanists, it doesn’t stand in the way of his appreciation of religious art. And his outline of the Reformation is about the best brief, even-handed explanation of that concatenation of theology, intellectual ferment, nascent nationalism, and power politics as I’ve ever come across.

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