corollary

Entry #37

Listening to:

Bach, Prelude and Fugue in G major from Book I of the Well-tempered Clavier. This music has a reputation for being rather intellectual; something that Bach dashed off as an exercise for aspiring pianists (I'm actually listening to it played on a harpsichord, but that is another debate in its own right). Certainly, I think it would be a mistake to look for great emotional extremes in it. Nonetheless, it is not sterile.

I find beauty in it, and it's not just the sort of celestial beauty of the spheres that some Bach enthusiasts rabbit on about. Having moved onto the G minor prelude in the course of writing this, I can remark on the contrast that this has with its predecessor in the major. This is wistful, measured and slightly melancholic. Now the fugue: this is not wistful. If anything it's slightly defiant in a deliberate way.

Great listening, but I don't have time to write a real-time reaction to it; tempting though that is.

Earlier, I cycled to a couple of nearby shops to buy some bits and pieces for dinner tonight. On the way, I passed a procession walking down the footpath. I overtook them, and could see before I reached them that they were a big enough group to qualify for a couple of police-men as escorts.

Wondering idly if they were off to the Co-op (where I myself was headed) to protest about something heinous the supermarket had done, I passed them to find that their placards had "Jesus is King" type messages on them. Little kids just had little flags with "J"s on them. Brrr! Organised religion.

The deli had all that I needed: olives, olive oil, bread and some rich ice-cream. Free samples as well. It's a great place, and the guy behind the counter is always very friendly.