Dear Forum;
During his life time, J.S. Bach had very little reputation as an international music figure or even as a religious music composer. Basically, he was only known by his students and admirers. Very few of his sacred works were ever distributed in his life time, his Brandenberg concerti were sold for pennies. In Mozart's time, Bach still was an unknown figure. In 1789 (40 years after Bach's death), Mozart writes to Constanze describing how he marvelled over cantatas and motets by Bach that were unknown to him, spreading the parts all over the floor of the St. Thomas rectory to study them.
Bach's international reknown is due to another favorite son of Leipzig, Felix Mendelssohn, who single-handedly rescued Bach from obscurity, saving manuscript after manuscript from the Leipzig merchants who were using them to wrap fish.
Hofrat
During his life time, J.S. Bach had very little reputation as an international music figure or even as a religious music composer. Basically, he was only known by his students and admirers. Very few of his sacred works were ever distributed in his life time, his Brandenberg concerti were sold for pennies. In Mozart's time, Bach still was an unknown figure. In 1789 (40 years after Bach's death), Mozart writes to Constanze describing how he marvelled over cantatas and motets by Bach that were unknown to him, spreading the parts all over the floor of the St. Thomas rectory to study them.
Bach's international reknown is due to another favorite son of Leipzig, Felix Mendelssohn, who single-handedly rescued Bach from obscurity, saving manuscript after manuscript from the Leipzig merchants who were using them to wrap fish.
Hofrat
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