Give Spring's Birthday a Listen: Johann Sebastian Bach is 321 Years Old Today

Between Bach, Mozart and Voltaire, maybe a bit of Gandhi, the Daily Show and a few Carlsbergs thrown in there, we really have no excuse ever to be uncivilized or boorish or imperial, or to end up with the likes of George Bush and Dr. Phil for, respectively, president and therapist-in-chief. Yet we have. If the United States is regressing so rapidly, it’s because there’s too much brawn and not enough Bach. We can’t do anything about the brawn shirts: we’re stuck with them for almost three more years, and possibly many more than that if John McCain, who hasn’t really had his payback for his Hanoi Hilton days, ascends to Ceasarhood in 2008. We can do something about the Bach drought. Bach is 321 years old today, March 21. It’d be a shame to let his birthday go by without a musical cake. If I had the right server I’d have invited everyone to download his complete works in varying interpretations—all three hundred hours—of my hard drive, copyrights, for JS’s sake, be damned. I’m neither that lucky nor that rich, so here’s a selection of a dozen or so pieces for your listening pleasure. I’ve chosen a few of my favorites that aren’t necessarily played that much (when Bach is played at all) on what’s left of the classical music radio ghetto. So no Brandenburgs or the Tocata and Fugue in D minor, which you can get on your top-40 dial. These are the pieces I grew up to revere, adore, kiss in the night and weep to even at high noon on a summer day in Florida. All the files are in mp3 format, re-recorded at 128 kb, not the best quality but easier for downloads, which may still take a few moments. Trust me, on JS’s twenty-three children’s heads, they’re worth it. Click here for the complete birthday cake, to have and to hear as often as you like...