Personally, I like to think that many classical composers would be prog rockers if they were alive today.

But don't forget the incredibly progressive-thinking musicians that preceeded Bach, such as Byrd, Monterverdi, Palestrina, Dowland, Gibbons, Tallis, Allegri,  Corelli, Buxtehude (the great organist who Bach practically worshipped!) - and Bach's amazing contemporaries such as Vivaldi, Handel, Purcell and Tartini.

Tartini's "Devil's Trill" sonata is the first recorded example of "shredding", and features a trill passage so demonic that even the very greatest players of the last century have had great difficulty in its execution. I have at least 5 recordings of it, and every one contains a few mistakes. It's more fiendish than anything the poseur Paganini wrote, centuries later.

Bach wrote by numbers - he wasn't that great

The little tongue stickey-outey smiley indicates that I am joking!!!

gentstan wrote:     Personally, I like to think that many classical composers would be prog rockers if they were alive today.

I think it would be more likely that they would be composing modern classical music, which is also very challenging...

Joren wrote: gentstan wrote: Personally, I like to think that many classical composers would be prog rockers if they were alive today. I think it would be more likely that they would be composing modern classical music, which is also very challenging...

Serious composers have always relied on commissions and therefore sponsors - he who pays the piper............ However, the miracle is that Mozart Monteverdi Tchaikovsky  progressed within that commercial need to earn a crust, and got the audiences specifically from the middle and upper classes. Serious music which is seriously played for the masses, was one of those changes the 20th century brought about. However, one of many downsides was/is the way the big records companies have come to influence what we heard and what they want us to purchase - and the evidence shows the record companies prefer the tried and tested, which has mass appeal, rather than taking risks. Hence it is a brave band that risks innovating against such a commercial philosophy.

And my half penny's worth: don't forget Walter/Wendy Carlos bringing J.S.B. to the masses. (And didn't Ekeption produce a whole album of Bach transmogrifications???)

Jim Garten wrote: God - imagine if Bach had access to a Hammond B3 connected to a couple of Leslie 145's!!!

 Yes!!! And Dick Heath wrote about Walter/Wendy Carlos: Remember the "Switched-On Bach" I & II covers.  

Joren wrote: gentstan wrote:     Personally, I like to think that many classical composers would be prog rockers if they were alive today.     I think it would be more likely that they would be composing modern classical music, which is also very challenging...

Who knows what the gifted composers of the past would create if they had a complete 'digital' orchestra and recording tools/techniques at their fingertips. It might not be rock, but I doubt they would limit themselves with using only classical instrumentation.

Don't forget Steve Hackett's rendition of Bach's Bouree in his 'Momentum' classically priented album. he even labels Bach as "such a great bass player".

Regards.

Marcelo wrote:    Yes!!! And Dick Heath wrote about Walter/Wendy Carlos: Remember the "Switched-On Bach" I & II covers.

Check this out:

http://www.wendycarlos.com/discs.html - http://www.wendycarlos.com/discs.html

I just listened to Bach's flute Concertos (with Flute and Harpsichord)

simply breathtaking

georgeous stuff

this is why I love Symphonic Prog, the melodic beauty.

Joren wrote: gentstan wrote: Personally, I like to think that many classical composers would be prog rockers if they were alive today. I think it would be more likely that they would be composing modern classical music, which is also very challenging...

I believe Classic, Baroque and even Romantic composers would be creating modern Classical music, Bach is an exception, I also believe he would be making prog, a genre where his magnifiscent organ would really shine.

But I'm almost sure that most if not all late Romantic/Early Modern Russian composers like Cui, Borodin, Rimsky Korsakov, Mussorgski, etc, would be making Progressive Rock.

Mostly because the last ones broke with all the European Clasical composers to make their own music, so my opinion is thatthey would be working with something more experimental like Prog. They were the real predecessors of Prog' because they mixed some classical influences with folkloric Russian music, one of the first examples of real experimentation.

Iván

philippe wrote: Bach written ones of the most boring pieces in Classical music...I've played almost all his preludes and fugues from the well tempered clavier...now I get tired of it!!

Maybe it is boring but it will surely better stand the test of time than most of the krautrock/electronic and other weird musics.

philippe wrote: Bach written ones of the most boring pieces in Classical music...I've played almost all his preludes and fugues from the well tempered clavier...now I get tired of it!!

school damages !     

anyway i don't like Buch that much... and baroque in general 

He was the master in hs style.

Even his kids realize that, spenting their musical lives searching in other directions. They were smart and thought that they could never beat the old guy.

Certif1ed wrote: Bach wrote by numbers - he wasn't that great The little tongue stickey-outey smiley indicates that I am joking!!!

Yep, but I think John Forbes Nash ("A Beautiful Mind") also "wrote by numbers" and he was quite great... Sometimes you can be really creative, even sublime, only with numbers!

Now, all of you proggers need a good scolding: plenty of answers to this thread and nobody has mentioned the mad flautist playing J.S. Bach's Bourée!!!

lucas wrote: philippe wrote: Bach written ones of the most boring pieces in Classical music...I've played almost all his preludes and fugues from the well tempered clavier...now I get tired of it!! Maybe it is boring but it will surely better stand the test of time than most of the krautrock/electronic and other weird musics.

It's too early to confirm that...but I let you the opportunity to think so! You should say Prog music in general won't pass the test of time...Symphonic and art rock is by far more dated than krautrock

I've listened to novackeck small study pieces...great!!! an excellent exemple of cool, emotional & technical violin solo (just as Paganini caprices)

philippe wrote: I've listened to novackeck small study pieces...great!!! an excellent exemple of cool, emotional & technical violin solo (just as Paganini caprices)

IMHO, Paganini's caprices = John Petrucci soloing...

Classical violinist Hilary Hahn once said: "Nobody ever says: 'God, I hate Bach!' He was the fundament for everything that followed." I have nothing to add to that, except that I play his preludes and fugues too, and I never get tired of them (only my left hand does because Bach surely gives you a lot to do there, more than any other composer)

Except, maybe, Chopin or Liszt?

Certif1ed wrote: Except, maybe, Chopin or Liszt?

Chopin and especially Liszt give you a lot to do, but still the left hand is mostly accompaniment (apart from double handed runs over the keyboard). But Bach treats both hands equally; that's what I meant to say in my post. With Bach you have to play different voices with the left hand too. Bach sounds easy to play compared to Liszt, but because of this characteristic Bach is difficult as hell. No wonder Glenn Gould loved Bach so much.

BaldJean wrote: Certif1ed wrote: Except, maybe, Chopin or Liszt? Chopin and especially Liszt give you a lot to do, but still the left hand is mostly accompaniment (apart from double handed runs over the keyboard). But Bach treats both hands equally; that's what I meant to say in my post. With Bach you have to play different voices with the left hand too. Bach sounds easy to play compared to Liszt, but because of this characteristic Bach is difficult as hell. No wonder Glenn Gould loved Bach so much.

What about Domenico Scarlatti? I have the feeling you'd better have three hands and seven fingers in each to play his music...