• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Bach Virtuosi Festival Logo

Bach Virtuosi Festival

  • About
    • News
    • Media
    • Videos
    • Archive
      • 2022 Program
      • 2021 Program
      • 2019 Program
    • Contact
  • Schedule
    • Tuesday June 20, 2023 at 7:30pm
    • Wednesday June 21, 2023 at 7:30pm
    • Thursday June 22, 2023 7:30pm
    • Friday June 23, 2023 Portland Museum of Art 4:00pm
    • World Renowned Pianist Richard Goode performs works by Ludwig van Beethoven – Friday, June 23 at 7:30pm
    • Sunday June 25, 2023 at 7:30pm
    • Tuesday June 27, 2023 at 7:30pm
  • Tickets
  • Artists
  • Support BVF

Happy 333, JSB

by Bach Virtuosi Festival

Johann Sebastian Bach would have been 333 years old in 2018 (Wednesday, March 21st).

There is great significance to the number 333 for Bach. He was a strong believer in numerology and the number 333 would have been quite meaningful to him.

I don’t know how the numbers influenced his everyday life, but as a musician I can say they are very revealing in his compositions. The numbers tell not only the structure of his music, but an insight into the character of a given moment.

He used his name, which in the German alphabet is BflatACH, in many compositions including the St. Matthew Passion, as well as the numbers in the alphabet, B=2, A=1, C=3, H=8, totaling 14, in many works including his last work, “Before thy throne I now appear.”

In one of his greatest works, and one I have recorded and performed many times, the Chaconne for Solo Violin, there are 257 measures, 2+5+7=14, which also equals BACH. He was also a deeply religious man, which greatly affected his art.

The Bach Virtuosi Festival encompasses many of the world’s greatest Early Music specialists. Our focus on baroque is unique to the area of Portland, Maine. The energy and passion that our musicians demonstrate on stage is well worth the trip to Maine in and of itself. We hope you will be available to join us this June for some special baroque music. Tickets are on sale now and they are selling briskly.

More about God and numbers in June at the Bach Virtuosi Festival.

Happy 333, dear JSB.

Lewis Kaplan Director, Bach Virtuosi Festival

Filed Under: News

Footer

Contact Us


P.O. Box 2194 South Portland, ME 04116

info@bachvirtuosifestival.org

Support Us


We encourage you to support the Bach Virtuosi Festival and the tradition of masterful music by making a tax-deductible donation.

Donate

Connect with Us


  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Sign up for the Newsletter

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Bach Virtuosi Festival, P.O. Box 2194, South Portland, ME, 04116, http://bachvirtuosifestival.org. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

© 2023 Bach Virtuosi Festival