J.S. Bach: Highlights of a Life

Beyond (1750- )

“He is among those geniuses who shine over all nations and all times.”

— PABLO CASALS, Conversations with Casals, 1956

Bach in Space

Not only does Bach shine over all nations, but he is literally of the universe now. In 1977, two spacecraft, Voyager I and Voyager II, were launched on courses that would take them through our solar system and beyond. Each craft was stocked with a gold-coated phonograph record and equipment with directions. The first movement of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F opens the collection of music and spoken greetings chosen to represent life on Earth. Also included are the Prelude and Fugue in C from Book II of The Well-Tempered Clavier, and the Gavotte en Rondeaux from the Partita No. 3 for Unaccompanied Violin.

Renowned astronomer Carl Sagan said that when he asked biologist and writer Lewis Thomas what message he would send to other civilizations in the galaxy, Thomas answered, "I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach." Then he added, "But that would be boasting."

Steve McQuiddy is a writer based in Eugene.

Adapted and edited from primary sources: Basically Bach, by Herbert Kupferberg (McGraw-Hill, 1985); The Bach Reader, edited by Hans T David and Arthur Mendel (W W Norton, 1945); Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and Work, by J. N. Forkel (Constable, 1920).

Start: Youth

Youth | Weimar | Cöthen | Leipzig | Beyond