Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has named 18th-century German composer Johann Sebastian Bach as the greatest musician of all time, describing him as the musical equivalent of literary icon William Shakespeare.
Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, shared his opinion in a post on X, where he praised Bach’s enduring contribution to music.
“Johann Sebastian Bach is the Shakespeare of music. Best there ever was,” he wrote.
Bach, who lived from 1685 to 1750, was a composer, violinist, keyboardist and organist whose works helped shape Western classical music. He was known for his mastery of counterpoint, intricate harmonies and compositions across several musical forms.
His extensive catalogue includes orchestral pieces such as the Brandenburg Concertos, keyboard compositions like The Goldberg Variations and The Well-Tempered Clavier, and instrumental works including the Cello Suites and Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin.
His celebrated organ compositions include the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, while his major choral works include the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor.
Bach’s music has continued to command attention centuries after his death, influencing generations of musicians and maintaining a prominent place in the classical music repertoire.
Musk’s comparison with Shakespeare draws a parallel between the composer’s standing in music and the playwright’s lasting influence on literature. His post, however, did not provide further details about why he considers Bach the greatest musician of all time.
