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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000070.txt from 2003/02

From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [DR-L] Re: QOD
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 14:26:56 -0500

PhilFrei@-----.com writes:

<<<Nonsense.>>>

This was in response to a "quote of the day" regarding Albert
Schweitzer's comment about Bach:

<<<"Bach is thus a terminal point. Nothing comes from him; everything
merely leads to him.">>>

I think there is at least a grain of truth in Schweitzer's statement. I
have sometimes had occasion to refer to this quality of Bach, and I also
relate it to the history of jazz. For me, it goes like this: Charlie
Parker occupies the same place in jazz that Bach does in art music.
Both of them synthesized all the styles that existed up to their time,
and created a new style. In so doing, both of them unwittingly pointed
to the inevitable end of the style that they themselves had created,
because no one else was ever able to perform (or compose) in that style
more successfully then they did.

Perhaps there is a little too much hyperbole in that statement, but I
think it does indicate a truth about those two musicians.

What do you think?

Ed Lacy
University of Evansville