Bach's concert

I live in Madrid. Though chaotic and sometimes unpleasant, you can do many diverse things. For example, go to a Bach concert, and that was what I did yesterday. :)
It is always nice to watch performances with the original instruments they were designed for. In this case, a beautiful harpshichord (clavecín), and a viola de gamba. We were not seated in the best place, as we were right in front of the harpshichord cage and a bookrest was standing right in front of the viola. That made the former to be heard very loud in comparison with the soft sound of the latter... Something to take into account the next time.
Besides, I did not know what a viola de gamba was, so I was expecting an instrument just bigger than a violin and something like a violoncello showed up. I learned the difference today : what I already knew was a "viola da Braccio" (arm viola), working as a contralto, whilst the "viola da gamba" (leg viola) works as a bass.
Also, the waves between the two instruments has a name (yippi yippi eh) : contrapunto : several independent melodies, one for each instrument. The name comes from the "puncta" in Gregorian Chant (the notes were written as small dots or squares) by Middle Ages... It was developed in Renaissance and specially in Baroque. Bach is one of its masters.
Some points I also found interesting about Bach's life :
- (1685 -1750) : End of Baroque
- He came from a family of musicians (father, uncles etc).
- He had two wives and 20 sons and daughters.
- When working for duke Johann Ernst III he left and travelled 400 km in order to see Dietrich Buxtehude, which was the best organist player at that point in time.
- BWV means Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis : Bach Catalogued Works in German (KV meaning the Köchel Catalogue for Mozart works)
Unfortunately, the execution yesterday was not very good, though I guess it must be extremely difficult. That's what it seems!