Theology, Music, and Modern Myths
Who was Johann Sebastian Bach really?
When we talk about Bach, it’s so easy to slip into big claims — greatest composer ever, universal genius, before and after Bach. And while there’s truth in all of that, this conversation reminded me how much richer the music becomes when we stop trying to make Bach look like us, and instead let him be who he actually was.
In 2023, I had the chance to sit down and chat with Michael Marissen, one of the most thoughtful and probing Bach scholars working today, at the Baldwin Wallace Bach Festival—an annual festival devoted to the music of Bach that takes place at Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio. Michael’s work asks difficult and deeply illuminating questions about Bach’s theology, historical context, and the modern stories we’ve built around his music.
In our conversation, we talk about Bach as a profoundly pre-modern thinker, about why joy and sorrow so often coexist in his music, and about the temptation to turn Bach into a kind of personal hero who conveniently reflects our own values. What I found most refreshing is how generous this perspective is — it doesn’t take anything away from the music. If anything, it helps the music feel deeper, stranger, and more alive.
CREDITS:
Bach Collegium San Diego | Ruben Valenzuela, director
Oboes: Kathryn Montoya, Stephen Bard
Bassoon: Anna Marsh
Violins: Elizabeth Blumenstock, Janet Straiss
Viola: Aaron Westman
Cello: Alex Greenbaum
Bass: Malachai Bandy
Theorbo: Kevin Payne
Organ: Ruben Valenzuela
VIDEO (aria, interviews, BW B-roll): Clubsoda Productions
SOUND (aria only): Daniel Rumley
Episode 13 is produced in partnership with Les Délices and Bach Collegium San Diego.
BACH 52 is made possible in part by grants from the American Bach Society, the Center for Cultural Innovation, the Bettina Baruch Foundation, and Intermusic SF.
BACH 52 is a production of Nicholas Phan Recording Projects, which is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.
Charitable contributions in support of Nicholas Phan Recording Projects and the BACH 52 project must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law..