Johann Sebastian Bach

my very first book from booksneeze, my very first book review :) *squeel*

I have got to say this book was difficult for me to get into. The content was very interesting, the writing however, made it extremely dry. I have always been interested in Bach's story as I have seen the Mozart, and Beethoven movies, but, alas, nothing on Bach. this book was my answer. Call me uncultured, call me ill-informed, but I had no idea that Bach's career focused to completely around the church. shows how much I know about the composer, as opposed to just recognizing the music. through this book I got a distinct feel for where Bach's passions really lay...his church. his beliefs. you can really feel that in his music, but, to know that it stemmed from such a full Christian life takes his music to a whole different plain.
as I said, the writing style was very dry for me, and it was a struggle to finish the book.
Bach comes from a line of musicians, his musical talent coming naturally. Bach, at a young age was taught by his father to play the violin and the harp, being initiated into the world of the organ by his famous uncle.
Mortality rates were extremely high during the time of Johann's childhood, due to poor roads, poor sewage and refuse disposal, and a world of germs and diseases that had yet to be scientifically conquered, Johann lost a sister, a brother, and at nine he lost his mother. Johann was orphaned nine months later when his father also died.
Johann continued to grow and excel through his musical endeavors...and at 18 he decided to strike out on his own to find employment as an organist in his native land.
During his time mastering the organ through various church he was constantly reprimanded for his “unique” sound…the sound that has remained true to Bach.

Overall, I enjoyed the content, but more on a scholastic level. I enjoyed learning about a man that I had no information regarding prior to this book. From a strictly entertainment standpoint, it is a tad stale.

Starting out...

Well, my first blog post. What to say...I have been thinking about starting a blog for a long time, but I frequently dismissed the idea because I never felt that I had enough substantial material. Recently, however, I have been introduced to booksneeze.com, which is a site that sends you free books in return for a book review. This. Is. Awesome. First of all, I love to read, especially when I'm reading for free :), secondly, I am opinionated :). So, with that I end my very first post and wait anxiously for my first free book sneeze book to arrive.