demusic1-2, Exercise 3: Bach in 1750 and 1850

Model answer (check the details):

In 1750: Bach was respected as an organist, a keyboard player and a learned church composer, but many younger musicians thought his style old-fashioned next to the newer lighter taste. Little of his music was printed, and his reputation was mostly regional.

In 1850: he was widely seen as one of the greatest composers, his works were being published in a complete edition, and his music was performed and studied.

Two things that changed his standing:
1. Mendelssohn's 1829 Berlin performance of the St Matthew Passion, which drew public attention to the music (check).
2. The Bach Society's edition from the 1850s, and the growing view of Bach as a national figure, which gave the revival scholarly weight (check).

The change tells us as much about the nineteenth century's needs as about Bach's music.