Many of us need something that enables us to keep ourselves out of Bellevue. These are things that not only make life seem worth living, but things that sooth us, and put life's little hand-wringing frustrations in perspective. Sviatoslav Richter, one of the greatest musicians of the last century, put it well when he said: "One should listen to Bach regularly, if only for mental hygiene."
Bach is for me one these sure fire mechanisms to keep it together. At his best his music is both
calming and invigorating. There is in it something both very like a life-force and impersonal --
like a running brook.
Listen to Glenn Gould (who although he played and listened to Bach every day, was still slightly insane) play the aria from the Goldberg variations, and see if you understand what I mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv94m_S3QDo
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