24 Hours BACH - BACH Talk
BACH Along with the God
"The aim and final reason of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul." — J. S. BACH
In November 2025, the catalog of BACH's works, Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV), officially added two new numbers, BWV 1178 and BWV 1179. Among all these 1,179 works, more than half were composed for church service. Despite this vast body of music, BACH's sacred works remain a less explored area among music lovers in Taiwan, mainly for the following reasons:
1. Vast volume: Whether sacred cantatas or organ works and chorale preludes, the overwhelming number of pieces can make it hard for listeners to know where to begin.
2. Religious distance: Music written for church service may feel distant to listeners who do not share the Christian faith.
3. Language barriers: Apart from organ music, most of BACH's church works are written in German or Latin, creating a natural barrier that makes the audiences hard to connect with.
In this lecture, I will try to organize and present these sacred works from perspectives such as compositional background, religious context, and musical characteristics, aiming to bring BACH's church music down from its seemingly lofty pedestal and make it more approachable.
Time
2026/3/15(Sun) 08:00-09:30
Duration is approximately 90 minutes.
Venue: Concert Hall
Speaker
HU Keng-ming
Master of Finance from St. Louis University in the United States. He used to serve as a trader of financial holding mutual funds, and the funds he managed were awarded the Morningstar / Smart Taiwan Fund Award and the Benchmark Fund Award, and are currently working in venture capital institutions.
In addition to his professional financial background, he has also been deeply involved in classical music promotion for many years. He co-founded the Taipei Civic Symphony Orchestra with friends, and served as the orchestra planner and oboist.
He is currently the chief writer of MUZIK Classical Music Journal (now the Muzik Air website) and is the author of books such as The Thirty Greatest Symphonies in the History of Music and Investing in Classical Music.
