Back to Bach
From Mozart to Moog - A Listener's Guide
Published on 2. June 2026
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-917458-85-6 (ISBN)
Description
According to the French composer Olivier Messiaen, 'Bach's music reaches all times, all places'. In Back to Bach: From Mozart to Moog George Michell explores the story of Bach's impact on composers from Mozart and Beethoven to Stravinsky and Shostakovich, as well as on jazz pianists, rock guitarists and pop singers, all of whom set off on their own Back to Bach journeys.
Readers are invited to become listeners, to feast on Michell's musical banquet. Under his guidance, they will discover works, both familiar and unfamiliar, that reveal the persistent influence of Bach's art. As Michell shows, George Bernard Shaw was right when he predicted that 'Bach belongs not to the past, but to the future'.
An accessible, indispensable reference for all Bach lovers, the book will appeal to the musically curious, willing to explore the incarnations of Bach into acoustics that he could never have known, from the modern grand piano, electric keyboard, saxophone quartet and big band to the Moog synthesiser.
Readers are invited to become listeners, to feast on Michell's musical banquet. Under his guidance, they will discover works, both familiar and unfamiliar, that reveal the persistent influence of Bach's art. As Michell shows, George Bernard Shaw was right when he predicted that 'Bach belongs not to the past, but to the future'.
An accessible, indispensable reference for all Bach lovers, the book will appeal to the musically curious, willing to explore the incarnations of Bach into acoustics that he could never have known, from the modern grand piano, electric keyboard, saxophone quartet and big band to the Moog synthesiser.
Reviews / Votes
"George Michell's survey is itself a work of uncommon virtuosity - like the Goldbergs themselves - and by the end I was left breathless with excitement and gratitude. The more I read, the more I believe that all Bach lovers would be glad to be given the opportunity in joining in your tour." Chris de Souza, Composer, producer and BBC broadcaster"At last a book which accords Bach his rightful place in history, touching every aspect of musical life through the generations and beyond. " - John Suchet, author In Search of Beethoven
"Not only does George Michell engage with a wonderful sense of wit, but he does so while embracing any and all who in hearing Bach even for the first time know they're in for something special and life-changing." Mahan Esfahani
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
12 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 164 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
968 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-917458-85-6 (9781917458856)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Trained in Melbourne on the piano and cello, as well as in music theory and composition under the watchful eye of his Bach loving, German speaking mother, Michell was not sufficiently talented to contemplate a professional career. Instead, he backpacked around India and then returned to Melbourne to study architecture. But architecture did not satisfy, so he relocated to London to pursue his growing fascination with the archaeology and art of South Asia at the School of Oriental African Studies, receiving his PhD there in 1974. Since then, he spent time in India each year, accompanying visitors and carrying out research projects, notably at the ruined imperial city of Hampi Vijayanagara. In 2020 Michell returned to his original passion by assuming the role of musical sleuth, tracking the pervasive influence of Johann Sebastian Bach.