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I recently attended a live chamber music performance. Wait! Wait! Don’t hang up, faithful readers. Let me explain fully.

I tuned in midway through an interview on CBC. I didn’t have the full context, but the interviewee’s enthusiasm kept me listening to the end. Tom Allen waxed eloquently about writing original scores for chamber music. 

What a novel way to earn a living, I thought.

But he revisited chamber music to give it a twist. He took a little-known historical event and interspersed chamber music throughout the story. Or did he intersperse the story with chamber music?

As an aside, I listen to a wide range of music. I know that for a fact, as I read it on the internet. Spotify told me that in 2025, I was in the top 10% of listeners for the variety of genres I listened to.

I confess that chamber music isn’t among my top 25 genres. When I hear it on shuffle, I let it play through. There are a few genres I just don’t get, and I click skip.

But for this event, I thought the bare bones of the story intrigued me, and my wife was all in, so off we went.

What a fun evening. Oh, where have you been all my life, Tom?

Very briefly, the story focused on 4 months in the life of Johann Sebastian Bach (JSB). His early employment included playing the organ at the local church and teaching the town’s residents to play musical instruments.

His description of one of the band members’ attempts to get a sound out of his trumpet was, shall I say, not well received. JSB decided he should leave town.

Everyone took music seriously. After he performed his duties and fearing for his life, he grabbed his bag and walked 400 km, promising the council he would return in 4 weeks.

Four months later, he returned and was forgiven for his extended absence.

But what of the missing 4 months I skipped over, you ask?

I’ll give a very brief summary. He came from a musical family. His mother died when he was 10. Nine months later, his father died. He went to live with relatives. Eventually, the house became too crowded.

After his 17-day walk in October 1875, he was taken in by a musical genius in the new town. JSB was mentored not only in music but also in leadership, generosity, showmanship, and fundraising. The musical genius had a wide range of skills, including putting on a 5-week event featuring original music performed by the best musicians available and attended by the top elite to the lowly, whatever. All for free admission, made possible by generous donations.

After 4 months, in the spring of 1876, he returned home to seek forgiveness.

I was spellbound by the music my wife and I heard, and by the gesture-filled telling of the details of the missing 4 months.

Please give this a bit of a think. Can you recall a situation that barely held your interest? Perhaps you were dragged along by a girlfriend, wife or good friend?

Please comment by sending me an email with your bit of a think. I am curious about your thoughts.

Photo by Victor Serban on Unsplash

For more information about the creator of this experience, visit Tom Allen.

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glenn.walmsley@icloud.com