Why some geniuses need to be leaned on

We’re all fascinated by geniuses, those beings gifted with special creative or intellectual abilities, unique individuals way above the average. It’s often said that companies that want to innovate need mavericks, the latter day equivalent. 

The current meaning of the word genius dates back to an essay by Joseph Addison, On Genius, published in 1711 in The Spectator, which distinguishes between two types: the natural, i.e. those born with it, and the learned, those who have acquired it through education and experience. Addison lists Shakespeare, Homer and Pindar among the natural geniuses, while Aristotle, Virgil and Milton among the learned. The basis for Addison’s categories were biographical portraits, and thus open to question. 

One of the greatest composers, and included in every list of musical geniuses, is Johann Sebastian Bach, who died in 1750 at the age of 65. Is he to be found among the natural or the learned geniuses? He probably would have said the latter, having written about his prodigious capacity for composition: “I was obliged to be industrious.” As Kantor at the church of Saint Thomas in Leipzig, his contract required him to compose a cantata each week, which was performed each Sunday at mass. This impressive output created a repertory of cantatas for every Sunday of the year, which could be performed over successive years. 

Bach’s case is just one of many where works of genius were created through obligation, a contract to produce something within a short timeframe and there are many such examples in the history of music, the arts and even science. Contrary to the Romantic myth of the genius’s need for freedom and the absence of any pressure to produce, experience shows that being subject to a deadline and even limited resources, can sharpen our invention and creativity. A musical life may have a vocational element to it, but in the case of Bach, who had 20 children, it was also the means by which he earned his living.

 One way to try to understand genius is to look at the family. In Bach’s time, children learned their trade or profession at home, which explains dynasties such as the Couperin family in France, the Scarlatti in Naples and the Bachs in Thuringia. Johann Sebastian Bach grew up surrounded by musicians and learned to read and play music at an early age from one of his uncles and his elder brother after he was orphaned. In turn, three of his children became recognized musicians. 

It’s clear that the family provided the ideal environment for children and young people to learn their trade or profession, and it may be that further study of the musical clans  of the 17th and 18thcentury could provide us with important lessons regarding the management of family-run businesses today. For example, the way family members teach each other, mutual support and assistance, regardless of merit – which today might be seen as nepotism – or selecting and promoting people from the group, as well as the sense of belonging to a time-honored tradition: Bach’s son Carl Philip Emmanuel researched the family’s history, tracing its origins back four generations. 

It would seem reasonable to conclude that while Johann Sebastian was certainly possessed of singular intellectual and creative abilities, there were two factors that contributed decisively to his work. In the first place, his apprenticeship, both within the family and with other musicians. What’s more, he learned by transcribing scores written by other musicians, such as Vivaldi and Corelli, whose ideas he would have assimilated. 

Bach’s creativity was decisively influenced by the pressure of work and the need to meet very demanding deadlines. In short, Bach’s genius was forced, driven by circumstances rather than some inner motivation.  

How did Bach go about creating his music? Once again, there are many interesting lessons relating to innovation that are applicable to other areas. 

As Robert J. Marshall, an expert on the composer, has written, Bach had no time for contemplation: “Bach and his contemporaries, subject to the hectic pace of production, had to invent or discover their ideas quickly and could not rely on the unpredictable arrival of “inspiration.”  Other researchers have argued that this lack of time prevented Bach from experimenting with new musical forms. In any event, he left us a priceless musical legacy of 1,238 pieces, an unparalleled musical output. 

Composition in Bach’s time was a three-stage process: inventio,ellaboratioand executio. The first involved the conception of the basic idea; the second saw embellishment and development, experimenting with alternatives; and the third was about interpreting and correcting and generally improving the final result. In general, innovation was associated with inventio. Nevertheless, the three phases are complementary and iterative, related and being interposed in such a way that creativity is present throughout the three.

Given his musical knowledge and experience, Bach was able to cover these three phases with exceptional skill. He was not only able to develop new musical pieces with a multifocal vision that allowed him to store ideas for later works, he was also a consummate soloist, an organ, clavichord and cello virtuoso, and also understood the limitations and technical potential of performing his works. What’s more, he had been a choirboy in his youth, which gave him tremendous insight into choral possibilities. 

This ability to combine creating music with its performance is something I always highlight when discussing education. Theory and practice are not separate worlds, and history provides us with examples of geniuses who combined both with ease, as is the case with Bach. 

Another matter altogether is the sociability and respect for authority. Geniuses are frequently portrayed as conflictive, anti-social and rebellious, resistant to hierarchy, custom and the status quo. 

Bach’s is an interesting case in this regard. On the one hand he was a deeply religious man, a faithful follower of the Lutheran tradition inherited from his family. At the same time, he had problems with most of his employers of the course of his career: in just five years he changed jobs three times and frequently complained that he was not paid enough. He showed respect for authority, but had no problem in standing up for himself if he felt he was being exploited.

Few would characterize Bach as lazy or lacking in diligence. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, original and with an unparalleled ability to compose. That said, one court adviser noted that Bach was sometimes prone to disappear without warning: “He has little inclination to work” after the composer left his post to visit a celebrated organist from whom he wanted to learn. “He was not even prepared to explain what happened,” added the courtier. Other contemporaries have also commented on Bach’s refusal to give explanations when he felt he was in the right. On one occasion, he was sentenced to house arrest for forty days as a result of a dispute with an employer. 

Below, a few takeaways, although I would say the best way to understand and appreciate Bach is by listening to his music. 

-      Innovation doesn’t occur in a vacuum: genius requires a complex blend of circumstances, among them the family, learning during childhood, and of course education. 

-      Discipline and necessity, whether external or internal, can drive us to new creative heights and greater and more innovative output. There are any number of geniuses whose talent came about through duty or obligation. 

-      Managing geniuses, as with all talent, involves special challenges. Given their often highly developed sense of equality and in many cases awareness of their ability, working with geniuses requires recognition, praise and reward. When it comes to creating new ways of developing talent and training, geniuses tend to have an insatiable appetite for knowledge. 

It has taken a genius from the modern age, Thomas Edison, a man who certainly worked to tight deadlines and external pressures, to famously sum up his condition and that of Bach: “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”. And sometimes, that sweat can only be worked up if somebody else is cracking the whip. 

Note

My major source for this piece was John Eliot Gardiner: "Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven" (First Vintage Book Edition: London, 2015).

Photo: https://www.wrti.org/post/js-bach-knew-these-works-could-stand-test-time