Further, the claim has been made that it is objectively superior to popular music ( Young, 2016). Jorgensen (2003) suggests that it is precisely this fact that makes it worthy of study-that Western Art Music represents a monumental human achievement, and that no further justification ought to be needed for its prevalence within music education. Several centuries of tradition and custom, alongside the ideas and innovation of some key individuals at certain points in history, have created an expansive musical landscape that is the subject of much research and international acclaim ( Mehl, 2013). Western Art Music is a remarkably broad and varied genre. Bach in music education, in spite of the welcome drive towards the diversification of the curriculum. These findings could lend support to the continued hagiolatry of J. Results indicate a statistically significant relationship between the music of specific composers and some emotion categories. Additional ratings for valence, arousal, familiarity and overall enjoyment were also gathered from each participant. A reflexive thematic analysis was used to present an apologia for the continued propagation of Bach’s music in mainstream education, and listeners’ emotional responses were measured using a standardised scale. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, incorporating semi-structured interviews with music educators alongside a listening experiment in which participants rated their emotional responses to a selection of pieces by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. This study sought to investigate the potential reasons for this from the perspective of pedagogic value and listener response. Bach’s music is still performed regularly around the world-arguably more so than any other composer-and continues to be regarded as essential repertoire by instrumental teachers across many disciplines. Many studies within the field of Music Psychology have investigated the various ways in which people respond to Western Art Music, and how those responses may differ in accordance with the listening context, but very few have examined the effect of music by specific composers. Music education in the United Kingdom has long been centred on the study of historic European classical music.

Department of Music, University of York, York, United Kingdom.

Johann sebastian bach most famous piece