More Bach Blogging

I've mentioned before what I call the Bach State of Mind, that particular yet inexplicable set of internal and external factors which somehow grants me brief periods of illumination in which I can play some of Bach's keyboard works at least well enough to enjoy them. Lately, I've been privileged to an extended run of this illumination, indulging myself with Bach's French Suites, Partitas in French Style and Goldberg Variations.

Well, such things unfortunately cannot last. Over the weekend, I began to sense that the Muse has been packing her bags on the sly and is sidling towards the door, leaving me to flounder on my own.

As I struggled through a series of horrid dischords Sunday afternoon, I found myself cursing like a bishop because I was so caught up in trying to just hit the right notes that I couldn't even begin to concentrate on making the music.

To paraphrase Douglas Adams, trying to play Bach without the proper level of technical mastery is rayther like trying to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius in your head while your house is burning down.