B A C H Part 2

I love J. S. Bach.  His music tickles the brain cells.  Another person I greatly admire, cognitive scientist, computer scientist, writer, and all-around smart person, Douglas R. Hofstadter, also likes Bach.  Last time I started discussing The Art of Fugue.  In his deeply fascinating book, Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, Hofstadter reminds us that in the Art, Bach encoded his name.  But, wait! you say, musical notes don't include H!! You are correct, but in some countries, what we call B (natural) they refer to as H, and what we call Bb (flat), they refer to as B.  Get it? 

So, in the Art, we see Bach entering his name. B. A. C. H. --->  Bb. A. C. B-natural.  Introducing it into the melody of the final fugue of his final work, The Art of Fugue.  In fact, the work itself is unfinished, the final Contrapunctus stops before it reaches a conclusion. 

This is so much fun!  Tune in next time!  

:-)