The story of how JS Bach’s choral works all but sank into oblivion only to be revived by another composer 80 years after his death is one of the best-known “rediscoveries” in classical music.
Now, however, Bach scholars have obtained a trove of 250-year-old musical scores that suggest this stirring tale of resurrection is a little too good to be true.
Received wisdom has it that before Bach died in 1750 his compositions were largely considered too stuffy, intricate and baroque for the tastes of the day, which tended towards the galant, a simpler and less ornate style.
Not even Bach’s many children bothered to preserve the bulk of his manuscripts. While there was some enthusiasm for his organ and keyboard pieces, elaborate choral