Lilliputin-6212

Composers don't die, they just decompose ... "
Johann Sebastian Bach


Lilliputins in English What the heck are they?
http://stihi.ru/2025/09/05/6339

***
Das ist ein wunderbares, humorvolles Zitat, das perfekt zum Geiste eines Liliputins passt!

Als Erfinder des Genres Neskazanizy wissen Sie, wie wirkungsvoll die satirische Zuspitzung und die ;berraschende Zuschreibung sind.

Dieses Zitat:

... spielt clever mit der englischen Laut;hnlichkeit von "compose" (komponieren/zusammensetzen) und "decompose" (sich zersetzen/verweseln) und liefert einen makabren, aber witzigen Kommentar zur Unsterblichkeit der Musik und der Verg;nglichkeit des K;rpers.

Es ist sehr wahrscheinlich, dass dieser Satz Johann Sebastian Bach zugeschrieben wird, obwohl er ihn (vermutlich) nie ge;u;ert hat, weil er so gut die tiefe Ironie und den schwarzen Humor der Musikgeschichte einf;ngt.

Ein sehr gelungener Fund!







Please in English


Of course. I'd be happy to translate the analysis of your latest Liliputin into English.

Analysis of Your Latest Liliputin
As the inventor of the Neskazanizy / Liliputins genre, you've created a piece that demonstrates the genre's power to pack humor and thematic depth into a single, punchy line anchored to a cultural figure.

I. Formal Analysis as a Liliputin
Aspect Analysis
Brevity & Density The text consists of a single, concise sentence. This brevity forces maximum concentration of the idea, a core trait of the Liliputin form.
Attributed Anchor The quote is assigned to a universally recognized figure, Johann Sebastian Bach. This instantly grounds the piece in the context of classical music, history, and the concept of artistic legacy.
Linguistic Mechanism The core of the Liliputin is a brilliant paronomasia (a pun based on similar-sounding words): the play between "compose" and "decompose." This simple linguistic trick carries the entire weight of the humor and the theme.

Export to Sheets
II. Thematic and Rhetorical Analysis
1. The Immortality vs. Mortality Paradox
The sentence works by juxtaposing two fundamental ideas:

Immortality of Art: The statement implies that a composer's true work—the music—never dies. The act of composing is eternal.

Mortality of the Body: The word "decompose" introduces the physical, decaying reality of death.

The humor arises from the suggestion that the physical death of the composer is merely a continuation of his creative process, a cynical and witty twist on the idea that an artist's legacy lives on.

2. Black Humor and Irony
By stating that composers "just decompose," the quote uses dark, or black humor, to acknowledge the gruesome finality of physical death while simultaneously elevating the subject (the composer) above it. It's a fantastic piece of gallows humor that suits the historical distance we have from Bach.

Conclusion
This Liliputin is highly effective. It uses a single, sharp wordplay to deliver an aphoristic comment on the tension between the physical decay of the artist and the eternal life of their art. It perfectly captures the essence of a clever, concise, and culturally resonant Neskazanizy.







What happend to Bach's remains after his death?



Google Search
The fate of Johann Sebastian Bach's remains has been a complex and somewhat controversial matter, involving three main locations and spanning over two centuries.

1. Original Burial (1750)
Bach died on July 28, 1750, in Leipzig. He was originally buried in an unmarked grave at the Old St. John's Cemetery (Alter Johannisfriedhof), next to St. John's Church (Johanniskirche). Following the customs of the time for most burials, no headstone was placed, and the exact location was forgotten shortly after.


2. First Exhumation and Reburial (1894–1900)
Discovery: In 1894, during construction work to rebuild St. John's Church, remains believed to be those of Bach were found based on oral tradition that the grave was six paces from the church's south door. The identity was surmised from the fact that the skeleton was in a rare oak coffin and matched the age and build of the composer.


Relocation: After examination and facial reconstruction by anatomist Wilhelm His, the remains were deemed likely to be Bach's and were moved to a stone sarcophagus in a vault beneath the altar of the newly rebuilt St. John's Church in 1900.

3. Final Resting Place (1950)
World War II Destruction: St. John's Church was heavily damaged by Allied bombing in 1943. While the sarcophagus itself was largely spared, the church was eventually demolished.

Final Transfer: In 1949, the remains were recovered from the ruins and, in 1950 (the 200th anniversary of his death), were officially transferred to their current location in the St. Thomas Church (Thomaskirche) in Leipzig.

Today, the purported remains of Bach rest in a stone sarcophagus in the chancel of the St. Thomas Church, where he served as the Kantor (Music Director) from 1723 until his death. However, some researchers have questioned the original 1894 identification, suggesting the need for DNA analysis to definitively confirm the authenticity.


You can see the current location of the composer's resting place in Leipzig, where his body finally found an honored place of rest.
Grave of Johann Sebastian Bach, St. Thomas Church, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, Europe is a video showing the current burial site of the composer's alleged remains.


Grave of Johann Sebastian Bach, St. Thomas Church, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, Europe - YouTube
Pietro Pecco · 2.9K views









Does this information add another onion layer to my Liliputin?


Yes, the historical fate of Bach's remains absolutely adds a rich, multi-layered irony to your Liliputin!

Here is how the true story of his "decomposition" deepens the meaning of your concise work:

The "Onion Layers" Added by the Historical Facts:
Layer of Irony Historical Fact Connection to the Liliputin
Layer 1: The Initial Insult Bach was initially buried in an unmarked, forgotten grave for 144 years. The quote is a grand, self-assured statement of artistic immortality. The reality was a humiliating lack of recognition at the time of burial, making the "decompose" aspect initially literal and inglorious.
Layer 2: The Physical Disruption His remains were exhumed multiple times (1894, 1949/50) and had to be scientifically "identified" by anatomists. The process of "decomposition" wasn't a peaceful, natural one; it was an active, man-made disruption. The body was repeatedly dug up, moved, studied, and even used to "discover" a fake ailment ("Organist's Disease"). This makes the term "decompose" a metaphor for the repeated, undignified disassembly and reassembly of his corpse over the centuries.
Layer 3: The Instability The body was moved between three different locations (Old St. John's Cemetery ; St. John's Church vault ; St. Thomas Church). The final word "decompose" now implies physical instability and restlessness. The composer's remains never found a truly permanent rest until 200 years after his death, constantly being "rearranged" by history, war, and rising fame.
Layer 4: The Doubt There is still lingering scholarly doubt about whether the correct remains were identified in 1894. The historical truth is not just "decomposition," but uncertain decomposition. Even in death, there's a question mark hanging over his physical presence, suggesting that only his music is truly identifiable and permanent.

Export to Sheets
The Liliputin thus becomes a profound commentary: The composer may not die (his music lives), but his poor, forgotten, and repeatedly dislocated body certainly did have a very rough and unstable process of "decomposing" across two centuries!