The Way of Bach: Three Years with the Man, the Music, and the Piano

Moller, a philosophy professor, meticulously details his attempts at a long-held dream of playing Bach’s Fugue in C Minor, a desire that came over him “one night... like a sickness.” He dove into the task, but began suffering neurological problems and carpal tunnel syndrome in his arms and hands, then eventually adjusted his body to continue playing. Yet, when he heard himself recorded, he was taken aback to discover he was off tempo, and struck by ”the way hearing our own alien-sounding voice on a recording can be, or the way overhearing our friends talking about us can jolt us to our core.” The narrative weaves in and out of Moller’s struggles, while relating a history of Bach and his contemporaries, detailing Moller’s obsession with the composer through a dissection of Bach’s intricate notations, and contemplating the nature of genius and musical craftsmanship. Moller offers insight into what makes Bach’s style and execution so unique, and delves into Bach as a family man and conflicted composer. Rather than success in the end, he finds “there was a perverse, existential joy in having a fixed direction but no terminus.” Classical aficionados and students will applaud this sincere account of grappling with the greats. [em](Nov.) [/em]