Comments

Thanks for sharing this story, Laurie...I loved it! It's so wonderful that you could provide the kids with that live exposure. I especially like the demonstration of ornamentation.

What were some of the answers to your Bach question?

Beautiful Story.
My music teacher had a cassette player, which is obviously not the same :( Butter? I never knew that, and when I read that part, I actually shuddered. It also makes me wonder how much of his stuff did end up on butter. This was a great entry. Thanks for sharing this! Would you consider posting a few measures of Bach on the Gag? What a great story, Laurie! Butter wrap, huh? I cringe when I think about what else may have ended up wasted. Thank goodness that wasn't -- I couldn't imagine not having the Ciaccona! The kids answered, to my question about why Bach had so much on one page, things like: He just had a lot of notes to write, he wanted to make it really long, it looked really neat that way, it was just his handwriting, etc., etc.

Yes, I had many of the same thoughts. What would the world be without the Chaconne? And, were there really 12 Sonatas and Partitas? The others all made into butter wrap! OH DEAR!

Bach manuscripts were in high demand for butter wrapping in the late 18th century. Bach usually used a thick slick finished paper which luckily had excellent butter wrapping qualities. His manuscripts fetched premium prices in the butter wrapping paper markets of the day and there seemed to be an endless supply. The kids and the teacher are beautiful. So are you and the underdstanding of music you bring to them. Your demo of ornamentation is a great way to teach the spirit of the music. If we don't bring understanding and love of classical music to kids, Bach's manuscripts may once again be used to wrap butter.

Last night I played in an outreach concert to a group of elementary school kids and their parents. It was not in a wealthy part of town. Other members of the audience included the principal and a janitor or two. Our conductor is also a gifted teacher and he did a great job of everything. I hope we have saved some souls this way.

Jim, you clown, thanks for making me laugh. Speaking as a former employee of the Food and Drug Administration, I can assure you that manuscripts could not be used legally to wrap butter today. Someone would have to prove that nothing toxic in the ink migrated into the butter and, from there, into the consumer's body.

Don't you think it would be good for you to eat a Bach manuscript? Are we only chemical formulas? Jim, I'd like to absorb Bach's music by listening to it, not by eating it.