It seems appropriate to post a podcast about the masterpieces Bach dedicated on the same date (March 24) a little over three hundred years ago, 1721 to be exact. They were first published in 1850, one hundred years after Bach’s death. The original scores were passed down haphazardly, we don’t know where they went after the Margrave of Brandenburg died. The pieces were not listed among his belongings, or to whom he left them. Fortunately, many years later, a student of the composer came across them, and eventually gave them to Princess Ann Amalia. After that we have a clear lineage, but some drama occurred during the second World War as a librarian flees Berlin in an attempt to save the precious relics of Bach’s legacy. Today’s episode dives into the music in the hopes you will listen further. It’s also a week where Bach’s memory is celebrated worldwide with spontaneous concerts in subways and other venues. The trend began in 2010 when Dale Henderson played all six cello suites in the subways of New York City. He invited others to join and the next year he had 2 cellists join him. In 2012 he had 13 musicians playing in the subways. In 2013 there were 40 in New York and 3 in other cities. In 2014 there were 77 in NYC, Canada, Germany and Taiwan. The next year thousands of musicians in 150 cities joined the celebration. In 2016 the party was extended to multiple days. This year we’re playing from March 21-31. You can take part in the fun by attending a performance or playing Bach in honor of his birth 334 years ago. I hope you enjoy the episode. More in the show notes at https://accelerandocast.com/show_notes/