The Imperishable Johann Sebastian: Sapiens

Abstract

In J. S. Bach’s artistic legacy an absolutely special position is held by what is connected with the conception of sapiens, defining therewith the sphere of meditativeness in its extremely broad range: from the unpretentious pages of light reflection to profound philosophical revelations. The article examines the most capacious spectrum of the boundaries of interpretations of this figurative system along the line of acceleration of intensification of the corresponding states of being and their saturation of the presence of problems. This includes the moods of pastoral contemplation, reflectivity carried out in the vein of tenebrous elegy, as well as mournful lamentations permeated with a feeling of the hopelessness of the path of life, which very often brought Bach’s meditative music close to the borderline of tragic utterances. Of the highest value are the composer’s philosophical verses, which convey the heights of the thinking spirit, the pinnacle of self-centricity, a maximal tension of the intellectual process, immersion into thought about what is most important in the life of the human being, i.e., everything which sums up in itself the concept of homo sapiens in its intimate meaning. It follows that in the historical perspective Johann Sebastian appeared in the musical art of his time as a genuine artist and thinker, while the level of what he achieved in this regards shall remain a touchstone forever.

Keywords: J. S. Bach’s artistic legacy, Bach as a thinker, meditativeness, philosophical verses