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Bach’s Cantata Calendar

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21–27 of 27 posts

Re: Bach’s Cantata Calendar

#21
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't think of anything more Earthly than enjoying the beauty of mathematics and music

Wow, for me things that can't be physically represented (at a human scale anyway) such as most of mathematics, physics, and frankly music are fascinating, definitely feel real, can be explored, but yes, are beyond concrete representation. Could one write a 16-part invention? I doubt it; certainly I think it would be hard to conceive of playing it, but I can "look into" a complex invention as I hear it and see how it…

I don't have synesthesia, and I don't really have a concept of the sublime. All of reality is "the same" to me

Re: Bach’s Cantata Calendar

#22
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are other paths to divinity than christian and perhaps the commenter prefers one of those. A good example would be Plato’s cave metaphor (predating christianity by centuries), arguing that there is an intangible divine world. Mathematics, clearly also beloved to Bach, is a nonreligious tool to appreciate that divine world. One can listen to the intricacies of the Passacaglia und Fuge c-Moll and glimpse an inscr…

I don’t know, I have no sense of the divine. I enjoy the music and hear that Bach was a Christian. I am a huge Bach fan but I don’t know what the divine is and doubt I’ll ever know. I am like a p zombie but for spiritual matters

There isn't a singular experience of the divine that you either have or do not have. The Bhagavad Gita, for example, in large part discusses the multitude of ways one can experience the divine. It strongly makes the case that doing ones duty is equally valid to both worship and seeking spiritual wisdom.

The story is based around a warrior prince named Arjuna having a conversation with the manifestation of God in the form of Krishna. Arjuna is confused because Krishna is explaining that giving up all earthly desire is the path to union with the divine. Yet Krishna is also imploring Arjuna to do his duty as a warrior prince and to fight in a battle to regain his kingdom. This is obviously a contradiction, since desiring to defeat his opponents and regain an earthly kingdom is in opposition to our traditional understanding of religious observance.

The idea these ancient authors were trying to communicate to us is that not everyone is going to be a monk. You need bricklayers, bakers, doctors and programmers. The trick is to realize that fully being a human, engaged in some activity, is equivalent to experiencing the divine. Nowadays we might feel more comfortable with the secular "flow" ideas, that mental state some experience when completely absorbed in their work.

So don't worry if you can't find the divine through ritual worship or through the exploration of spiritual wisdom. The divine is right there and possible for anyone to experience (if you believe the ancient authors of spiritual works like the Gita).

Re: Bach’s Cantata Calendar

#24

Very well done! You might also be interested in my Bach cantatas app ( https://www.cantatasapp.com ) for iOS and Android which has an infinite liturgical calendar and lots more of information about Bach’s wonderful cantatas (complete text, instrumentations, hymns, readings and even score references).

Great app, but unfortunately google play in Turkey says "this item is not available in your country.". Was this something you were aware of?

Re: Bach’s Cantata Calendar

#27

Very well done! You might also be interested in my Bach cantatas app ( https://www.cantatasapp.com ) for iOS and Android which has an infinite liturgical calendar and lots more of information about Bach’s wonderful cantatas (complete text, instrumentations, hymns, readings and even score references).

Great app, but unfortunately google play in Turkey says "this item is not available in your country.". Was this something you were aware of?

Thank you, just published an update, should be available in Turkey right now!
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