ed quite a few pieces on a whim. It is said that many of Bachs pieces were demanded, if not forced upon him to compose. The type of music he most often composed was refereed to as Gebrauchsmusik, or music on demand. Music was needed for entertainment, at parties, funerals, weddings, church services, and many other occasions. Bachs composing process was very impressive. If you look through his original copies you will see very little second guessing in judgment, unlike the frenzy, struggle, and strain that was apparent in Beethoven and Chopins works. Even Debussy made the observation: We shall seek in vain for one fault in taste in all that amount of work. (qtd. in Bettmann 40) Giving his impression that all of Bachs music is tasteful and not a single piece is without its own beauty. Bach was a great composer, although not in the same way as other composers of his time. Bach was a great composer, whose pieces where musically simple yet tended to comprehend Bach was a composer, whose pieces where musically simple, yettended to comprehend great emotional feeling to the audience, or listener. Bach may not have been a creative genius, but he was a great musical genius none the less. His pieces always had a focus or reason for being written. He did a lot of variations on other composers pieces. Bach did write a few great fugues and many great cantatas, and his musical abilities were unsurpassable in his time. Bachs compositions were written based on the time in his life and his station at that time. He wrote many secular pieces for the church and even a Fugue for someones death. Bach also tended to learn his different styles of music by copying works done by other composers such as Handel. He greatly admired the other composers of his time. Bach tended to write his pieces for a church service or special event rather than just because he felt like it. His pieces became progressively old fashioned. That was the only great criticism of his music...
