Ladies and gentlemen and whomever may stumble across this little video, today I am presenting what I consider to be one of the most tragic pieces of music in all of the classical canon.

Contrary to popular belief, Minuet in G Major was not composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. The real composer is Christian Petzold (1677—1733). J.S. Bach included the minuet in his Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, which was a compilation of music by J.S. Bach as well as other composers. It was originally conceived that all of the music presented within the book was composed by J.S. Bach; however, this was never the case. For centuries bygone, this little tune has been misattributed to J.S. Bach. Even in the modern era of technology and awareness in which the history of all humankind is available at your fingertips, Christian Petzold’s minuet has still been misattributed to J.S. Bach. It is likely that for centuries to come, this tune will continue to be falsely attributed to J.S. Bach, forsaking the composition and poisoning its roots.

Now that you are aware of the history of the piece, I will explain my purpose for creating this video. As I was scrolling through the internet one day, I happened upon a video on the tune published by “Rousseau,” a YouTube channel in which a pianist uses a visualizer to allow nonpianists to grasp a better understanding of the music they listen to. At this point in time, I was already aware of the history of the piece in extended detail, as I had studied the piece of music years prior. The video title presented the piece as a selection by Bach. Not only that, but Petzold’s name, which had lost to time, was simply sitting in parentheses next to Bach. I could not bear the sight. My reason for making this video is to spread awareness about the tragic origins of this famous little ditty. If you would be so kind as to share this piece of information, I would be very appreciative.

Sheet Music: https://musescore.com/user/39890801/s...