J.S. Bach's Musical Offering: History, Interpretation and Analysis

Rating:
Summary: Great Analysis - a must for Hofstader fans
Review: David writes in an entertaining style. While he plunges into the deepest musical analysis in some chapters, most of the time he is not that technical. If you do decide to wade through the musical analysis, he really accentuates the genius of the Musical Offering. I don't know whether his thesis of the sequence (3-part Fugue, 5 Canons, Sonata, 5 more canons, 6-part Fugue) is correct or has stood the test of historical analysis. However, when the Musical Offering is heard in this order, it makes a lot more emotional sense than the almost random alternative.

Also, this book was the inspiration for "Goedel, Escher, Bach". So if you liked that one, you should read this.