Johann Sebastian Bach: the learned musician

Contents: Springs of musical talent and lifelong influences - Eisenach, 1685 - 1695; laying the foundation - Ohrdruff, 1695-1700; bypassing a musical apprenticeship - from Luneberg to Weimar, 1700-1703; building a reputation - organist in Arnstadt and Muhlhausen, 1703-1708; exploring "every possible artistry" - court organist and Cammer Musicus in Weimar, 1708-1714; expanding musical horizons - concertmaster in Weimar, 1714-1717; pursuing the Musical contest for superiority - Capellmeister in Cothen, 1717-1723; redefining a venerable office - Cantor and Music Director in Leipzig - the 1720s; musician and scholar - counterpoint of practice and theory; traversing conventional boundaries - special engagements highlight the 1730s; a singing bird and carnations for the lady of the house - domestic and professional life; contemplating past, present, and future - the final decade - the 1740s; epilogue - Bach and the idea of "musical perfection". Appendices: chronology; money and living costs in Bach´s time; movable and fixed feasts in the Lutheran Church calendar.