--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If all the music written since Bach's…" description: "\"If all the music written since Bach's time should be lost, it could be reconstructed on the foundation which Bach laid.\" — Charles Gounod" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/charles-gounod-46137_bach_if-all-the-music-written-since-bach-s-ti_740980.jpg" --- # If all the music written since Bach's time should be lost… ![“If all the music written since Bach's time should be lost, it could be reconstructed on the foundation which Bach laid.” quote by Charles Gounod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/charles-gounod-46137_bach_if-all-the-music-written-since-bach-s-ti_740980.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/charles-gounod-46137_bach_if-all-the-music-written-since-bach-s-ti_740980.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/charles-gounod-46137_bach_if-all-the-music-written-since-bach-s-ti_740980.jpg) > “If all the music written since Bach's time should be lost, it could be reconstructed on the foundation which Bach laid.” [Charles Gounod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-gounod/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bach's foundational techniques enable reconstruction of lost music, showing timeless influence of great composers. **In simple terms:** Bach's methods allow rebuilding lost works. Key Takeaway Study Bach to recreate music. Themes music history legacy Mood appreciative thoughtful Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - orchestral arrangements - educational curricula - digital reconstruction Key Concepts composition counterpoint musical theory Questions to Reflect On - How can Bach's techniques adapt to new genres? - What limits exist in reconstructing lost works? A Different Perspective Modern styles may not fit Bach's framework. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I play Beethoven and Bach. At the same time, Biggie is my dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-keys/i-play-beethoven-and-bach-at-the-same-time-biggie-is-my-dog/) [Alicia Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-keys/) > [“The exquisite world of imagination opened up by any powerful music is itself problematic, for it tempts listeners to put into words the feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-exquisite-world-of-imagination-opened-up-by-any-powerful-music-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Bach is a colossus of Rhodes, beneath whom all musicians pass and will continue to pass. Mozart is the most beautiful, Rossini the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-gounod/bach-is-a-colossus-of-rhodes-beneath-whom-all-musicians-pass-and-will/) [Charles Gounod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-gounod/) > [“To wake up one day and be Steinway and Glen in One... Glen Steinway, Steinway Glen, all for Bach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bernhard/to-wake-up-one-day-and-be-steinway-and-glen-in-one-glen-steinway/) [Thomas Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bernhard/) > [The music of Bach is without doubt the most sacred gift to the world of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heitor-villa-lobos/the-music-of-bach-is-without-doubt-the-most-sacred-gift-to-the-world/) Heitor Villa-Lobos > [I used to listen to a lot of Bach on the radio, and when the basses started to sing, it made everything complete -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-haden/i-used-to-listen-to-a-lot-of-bach-on-the-radio-and-when-the-basses/) [Charlie Haden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-haden/) > [In Bach there is still too much crude Christianity, crude Germanism, crude scholasticism; he stands on the threshold of European (modern) music, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-bach-there-is-still-too-much-crude-christianity-crude-germanism/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The author's conviction on this day of New Year is that music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-author-s-conviction-on-this-day-of-new-year-is-that-music-begins/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [“The way we define opera circa 1700 may help us to throw light not just on the choices facing Bach and his brilliant peer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eliot-gardiner/the-way-we-define-opera-circa-1700-may-help-us-to-throw-light-not/) [John Eliot Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eliot-gardiner/) > [Bernard Herrmann used to write all his scores by himself. So did Bach, Beethoven and Stravinsky. I dont understand why this happens in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ennio-morricone/bernard-herrmann-used-to-write-all-his-scores-by-himself-so-did-bach/) [Ennio Morricone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ennio-morricone/) > [Whenever you study composition you inevitably encounter Bach right off the bat. You can't get across the room without running into him and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-roberts/whenever-you-study-composition-you-inevitably-encounter-bach-right/) [Howard Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-roberts/) > [I began to realize that some of the things Ornette Coleman had said about things being played three or fours ways, independently of each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/i-began-to-realize-that-some-of-the-things-ornette-coleman-had-said/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [Yes, I mean like you know, having studied with Yehudi Menuhin that is like some direct route into Bach, because he was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/yes-i-mean-like-you-know-having-studied-with-yehudi-menuhin-that-is/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [I listen to Bach a great deal. In general I like to listen to hymns and liturgical music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-listen-to-bach-a-great-deal-in-general-i-like-to-listen-to-hymns/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Do you know what he told me after lying under a cliff for thirty six hours with two inches of his femur sticking out?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/do-you-know-what-he-told-me-after-lying-under-a-cliff-for-thirty-six/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) ## More by Charles Gounod > [This severe, ascetic music, calm and horizontal as the line of the ocean, monotonous by virtue of its serenity, anti-sensuous, and yet so intense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-gounod/this-severe-ascetic-music-calm-and-horizontal-as-the-line-of-the/) [Charles Gounod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-gounod/) > [Before Mozart, all ambition turns to despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-gounod/before-mozart-all-ambition-turns-to-despair/) [Charles Gounod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-gounod/) > [My opinion changes rapidly - one minute I can think it is very good and the next time I look at it, I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-gounod/my-opinion-changes-rapidly-one-minute-i-can-think-it-is-very-good-and/) [Charles Gounod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-gounod/) > [Mozart, prodigal heaven gave thee everything, grace and strength, abundance and moderation, perfect equilibrium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-gounod/mozart-prodigal-heaven-gave-thee-everything-grace-and-strength/) [Charles Gounod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-gounod/) > [Bach is a colossus of Rhodes, beneath whom all musicians pass and will continue to pass. Mozart is the most beautiful, Rossini the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-gounod/bach-is-a-colossus-of-rhodes-beneath-whom-all-musicians-pass-and-will/) [Charles Gounod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-gounod/) > [Who has reached the extreme limits of scale with the same infallible precision, equally guarded against the false refinement of artificial elegance and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-gounod/who-has-reached-the-extreme-limits-of-scale-with-the-same-infallible/) [Charles Gounod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-gounod/) > [Musical ideas sprang to my mind like a flight of butterflies, and all I had to do was to stretch out my hand to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-gounod/musical-ideas-sprang-to-my-mind-like-a-flight-of-butterflies-and-all/) [Charles Gounod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-gounod/) [Explore all 8 Charles Gounod quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-gounod/) ## More Bach quotes > [“Do you know what he told me after lying under a cliff for thirty six hours with two inches of his femur sticking out?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/do-you-know-what-he-told-me-after-lying-under-a-cliff-for-thirty-six/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [I listen to Bach a great deal. In general I like to listen to hymns and liturgical music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-listen-to-bach-a-great-deal-in-general-i-like-to-listen-to-hymns/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Yes, I mean like you know, having studied with Yehudi Menuhin that is like some direct route into Bach, because he was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kennedy/yes-i-mean-like-you-know-having-studied-with-yehudi-menuhin-that-is/) [Nigel Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kennedy/) > [I began to realize that some of the things Ornette Coleman had said about things being played three or fours ways, independently of each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/i-began-to-realize-that-some-of-the-things-ornette-coleman-had-said/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [Whenever you study composition you inevitably encounter Bach right off the bat. You can't get across the room without running into him and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-roberts/whenever-you-study-composition-you-inevitably-encounter-bach-right/) [Howard Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-roberts/) > [Bernard Herrmann used to write all his scores by himself. So did Bach, Beethoven and Stravinsky. I dont understand why this happens in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ennio-morricone/bernard-herrmann-used-to-write-all-his-scores-by-himself-so-did-bach/) [Ennio Morricone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ennio-morricone/) > [“The way we define opera circa 1700 may help us to throw light not just on the choices facing Bach and his brilliant peer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eliot-gardiner/the-way-we-define-opera-circa-1700-may-help-us-to-throw-light-not/) [John Eliot Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eliot-gardiner/) > [The author's conviction on this day of New Year is that music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-author-s-conviction-on-this-day-of-new-year-is-that-music-begins/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [In Bach there is still too much crude Christianity, crude Germanism, crude scholasticism; he stands on the threshold of European (modern) music, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-bach-there-is-still-too-much-crude-christianity-crude-germanism/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I used to listen to a lot of Bach on the radio, and when the basses started to sing, it made everything complete -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-haden/i-used-to-listen-to-a-lot-of-bach-on-the-radio-and-when-the-basses/) [Charlie Haden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-haden/) > [The music of Bach is without doubt the most sacred gift to the world of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heitor-villa-lobos/the-music-of-bach-is-without-doubt-the-most-sacred-gift-to-the-world/) Heitor Villa-Lobos > [“To wake up one day and be Steinway and Glen in One... Glen Steinway, Steinway Glen, all for Bach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bernhard/to-wake-up-one-day-and-be-steinway-and-glen-in-one-glen-steinway/) [Thomas Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bernhard/) > [I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach into outer space on the Voyager spacecraft. But that would be boasting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/i-would-send-the-complete-works-of-johann-sebastian-bach-into-outer/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [“You're the kind of child who might develop a passion for Bach." I told him I hadn't at school. The one Bach piece I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/you-re-the-kind-of-child-who-might-develop-a-passion-for-bach-i-told/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“You'll have a good, secure life when being alive means more to you than security, love more than money, your freedom more than public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/you-ll-have-a-good-secure-life-when-being-alive-means-more-to-you/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) Browse all 199 Bach quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If all the music written since Bach's time should be lost, it could be reconstructed on the foundation which Bach laid.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Gounod" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-gounod/if-all-the-music-written-since-bach-s-time-should-be-lost-it-could-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bach" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-gounod/if-all-the-music-written-since-bach-s-time-should-be-lost-it-could-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/charles-gounod-46137_bach_if-all-the-music-written-since-bach-s-ti_740980.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/charles-gounod-46137_bach_if-all-the-music-written-since-bach-s-ti_740980.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/charles-gounod-46137_bach_if-all-the-music-written-since-bach-s-ti_740980.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If all the music written since Bach's time should be lost, it could be reconstructed on the foundation which…” — Charles Gounod", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charles Gounod", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-gounod/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If all the music written since...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-gounod/if-all-the-music-written-since-bach-s-time-should-be-lost-it-could-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-gounod/if-all-the-music-written-since-bach-s-time-should-be-lost-it-could-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```