bach in the subways.

Saturday, March 21st is the 330th birthday of the greatest composer in history, Johann Sebastian Bach--or God, as I like to call him. Bach is God. What he contributed to the violin repertoire alone is staggering. Add to that his works for keyboard, cello, chorus and all those other instruments (sorry, violinist arrogance there), and it's beyond comprehension. Just the fact that he wrote most of his compositions after dark by candlelight--there had to have been some divine forces at work there.

Bach in the Subways founder Dale Henderson

A new movement is celebrating the great master, and it's called Bach in the Subways. Who would have thought? Well, Joshua Bell, for one. The virtuoso violinist performed Bach's Chaconne, the Holy Grail of violin music, in a D.C. subway station during rush hour. A piece that received Bell numerous standing ovations in the world's grandest concert halls went largely ignored, as the hurried commuters passed without much more than a glance.

All the hype that was devoted to Bell's anonymous performance (including a Pulitzer for Washington Post reporter Gene Weingarten) initially rankled me. I might have been one of those 9-to-5ers ignoring the hottie street musician playing with a baseball cap pulled down over his gorgeous blue eyes. The Chaconne is a dense, complex piece of music, difficult to grasp for even seasoned players. I thought that if Bell was riffing on Paganini or something equally as flashy, most everyone would have taken notice.

Fortunately, I have a lifelong musician friend who made me see it all as more of a social and cultural experiment. He argues that it simply illustrated how drastically context affects our interpretation of art. What qualifies as the highest form in one sphere merits little attention in another. Or something like that. Anyway, it made me appreciate Bell's gig in a different way.

I think this idea of context also infuses the spirit of Bach in the Subways, the brainchild of NYC cellist Dale Henderson. With the saturation of pop culture in our world, classical music is being performed less and less. In 2010, Henderson decided to bring the music to the people, free of charge, with Bach as his "ambassador." He began performing the composer's cello suites in the subways, refusing any donations, but handing out cards detailing his mission. The following year, Henderson invited other musicians to participate on the anniversary of Bach's birth, the media took notice, and Bach on the Subways became a thing!

This year, BotS is a global movement, with all-day performances scheduled in 129 cities and 39 countries (did we mention they are all free?!) Here is a link to the L.A.-area concerts. And you can show your support by following Bach on the Subways on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram.

All photos via @bachinthesubways

And you can round out your Bach-themed weekend (and I know you want to) at the Museum of Jurassic Technology. L.A.'s "Cabinet of Curiosities" is hosting a Sunday afternoon concert in the Tula Tea Room featuring cellist Shirley Hunt performing Bach's Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. Although these pieces were composed circa 1720, they were not widely performed until the 20th Century.

After browsing --the eye-of-the-needle sculptures, paintings of Soviet space dogs, Ricky Jay's decaying dice, you can take in a little of God's music while you're left to wonder what is fact and what is fiction.