Introduction:
Great art often contains hidden and subtle messages, available to the few that are willing and put in the effort to view it in different ways than most. Our culture has been fascinated by the books of Dan Brown, which suggested hidden messages in the paintings of DaVinci and the writings of Dante, among others. Helga Thoene, a German musicologist, has suggested that similar hidden meanings can be found in the music of Bach, and in particular in the Chaconne for solo violin. Ms. Thoene is able to use both outlines of other chorales by Bach, as well as numerology to uncover a work laced with the extremes of human emotion: she suggests that the 64 variations constitute a spiritual journey through grief, anxiety, peacefulness, ecstasy and resignation. Moreover, the name of Bach's first wife can be found within the opening bars, strongly suggesting a testimony to her recent and unexpected death, as well as a profound testimony to his Christian Faith. Through a juxtaposition of the solo violin and the chorales, a profound and eternal experience is created. We will never fully know what geniuses like DaVinci, Dante or Bach really had in mind when creating their immortal work. This project provides, at the very least, a good guess. - Gregory Maytan