Book review: ‘Something of His Art’ by Horatio Clare

Something of His Art

I enjoyed this short book very much. A spin-off from a BBC Radio 3 series, it recounts author Horatio Clare’s journey in the footsteps of Johann Sebastian Bach, who, early in his musical career, in 1705, walked over 250 miles from Arnstadt to Lübeck in order to see what he could learn from the veteran organist Dieterich Buxtehude.

The precise route taken by Bach is not known, nor are many of the other details of the journey, so much of what Clare describes is conjecture. But he manages to piece together an interesting and entertaining tale, in the process telling us quite a bit about Bach, and what his works mean to him.

My kind of book.

Note: I will receive a small referral fee if you buy this book via one of the above links.

Richard Carter

Richard Carter is a writer and photo­grapher living in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. He is currently working on a book about looking at the world through Darwin’s eyes.Website · Newsletter · Mastodon · Facebook

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