When Bach Whispered

Throughout my life, for many different reasons, I have visited many churches, mosques, and temples. But among all of them, something very special happened to me in one church, something that still feels mysterious and wonderful. It felt like a miracle. The story I want to tell now goes back about ten years ago, to a trip I took to western Germany, to a calm and beautiful city called Freiburg.

Let me go back a little in time. About 300 years ago, a great musician was born in the heart of Germany: Johann Sebastian Bach. He created 1,128 musical works, soft, deep, and almost heavenly pieces. Even though I love many of his works, I fell deeply in love with one of them. It was a real and strong love, maybe even a little crazy.

This piece has been with me since my teenage years. In the evenings, especially when I felt hopeless about life, I listened to it. I still listen to it today, maybe even more than before. It is not one of Bach’s most famous works, but for me, it is a complete world. A piece that lifted me from the earth and carried me toward the sky. Its name is Toccata, Adagio et Fugue for Organ in C Major, BWV 564 – Adagio.

Without a doubt, Bach has a very special place in German culture, especially among artists, thinkers, and those who understand the language of music. His name is always closely connected to Germany. Many of Bach’s works have a church-like feeling because his family was raised to create religious music. At that time, churches, local governments, and the noble class strongly supported professional music in German-speaking lands, especially in western Thuringia and Saxony. Amazingly, even after centuries, Bach’s music is still played in churches, perhaps more than ever.

Freiburg Cathedral is located in southwestern Germany. Its construction began in the year 1200 by the Zähringen dynasty and was completed in 1230. It is a Gothic-style church, and the most spiritual and beautiful church I have ever visited. Jacob Burckhardt, the famous Swiss historian (whose face appears on Swiss banknotes), once said that the 116-meter tower of this church would remain “the most beautiful church tower on Earth forever.”

Outside the church, I left my travel companions, Igor, Alex, and Teresa, and went inside alone to visit it. This church is often used for weddings, photography, and tourist visits, and it is the most important landmark in Freiburg. But the moment I stepped through the large, old door, a strange silence filled the space. This was unexpected for such a tourist place. This is the moment I am writing about, the moment I had been waiting for without knowing it. Miraculously, exactly when I entered, my favorite Bach piece began to play inside the church.

It was a huge church, and I felt very small. I was completely shocked. I am not exaggerating when I say tears filled my eyes. I could think of nothing else. I kept asking myself: what secret does this church hold, that at the exact moment I enter, out of hundreds of Bach’s works, the one I love most is played?

I listened carefully. No, I was not mistaken, it was exactly the same piece. My body felt weak, my spirit shaken, and I sat on the nearest bench. I had never experienced such a spiritual feeling before. It is hard to put into words. I forgot about my camera. I forgot where I was. When the music ended, I went outside, called Teresa, and said, “Come take a few photos of me. I will write about this place.”

That was the moment I felt invited, to read, to understand the church, Jesus, and the Bible. It felt like a calling. From those days on, I became familiar with the Bible, not to find God, and not from a religious point of view, but as a historical book. The events in it felt much simpler and more human than what I had heard from religious people before. It seemed that the Bible is often presented to people with many complications.

This book is a great teacher in history. Even if we do not call it the “Bible” and even if we imagine Jesus as a fictional character, living by its teachings would still be beautiful. Jesus calls people to peace, shows love, gives meaning to truth, and reveals many hidden things.

My life has gone through many storms. In the darkest moments of life, no matter what a person believes or how they think, they begin to search for God. The desire to find a creator is part of human nature. You may think these words are unexpected from me, but everyone searches for God in a different way. One person goes to a place of worship, another talks with religious thinkers, and another searches for meaning in different and sometimes dangerous ways. God also appears differently in each person.

In those days, I began long journeys to find myself, and eventually I started reading “heavenly” books. For example, the Bible teaches that “people must change before governments do” a lesson that fits surprisingly well with today’s world. Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Love covers sins. Faith can move mountains. All these teachings can still guide every part of life today.