Truth endure,,,,

[Cryptoad]

[CTyankee]

1. OK, so he stole "O Sacred Head Now Wounded" but it was in the service of his great song and

what it means to us now.

All is forgiven, Paul.

[Sophia4]

2. Bach borrowed some of his tunes from the Lutheran hymnal of his day. He composed others.

Between 1723 and the first performance of the St Matthew Passion on Good Friday 1727, Bach wrote over 150 cantatas, recycling existing pieces and inventing new music at the punishing rate of almost one a week. If he wrote under pressure from his bosses, as some scholars have suggested, he also did so for God’s greater glory and with devotion to his task.

http://www.classicfm.com/composers/bach/guides/bach-cantatas/

There are 12 tones in the Western chromatic scale. And therefore a plentiful but, yes, limited number of combinations that sound good to the ear.

A good musician often hears familiar tunes, phrases in "new" music. It's the way music works.

I'm not suggesting that all music is based on old tunes, but some of the best of it is. Different harmonies. Different rhythms. A lot of people don't even notice it.

[CTyankee]

3. Yes, I should have added that Bach stole that tune. I knew he did. And I knew it was not uncommon

at the time.

Thanks for clarifying. My husband was the music major, not me (I was more into visual art).

I actually admire Paul Simon for borrowing the (borrowed) Bach piece. A good tune is a good tune!

[Sophia4]

4. Shows good taste and a knowledge of the legacy of the masters of the art of music.

I love Paul Simon's music.