This volume contains contributions by nine scholars on two broad themes: the analysis of Johann Sebastian Bach’s orchestral works, especially his concertos, and the interpretation and performance of his music in general. The contributors are a diverse group, active in the fields of performance, organology, music theory, and music history. Several work in more than one of these areas, making them particularly well prepared to write on the interdisciplinary themes of the volume.
Part 1 includes Alfred Mann’s introduction to Bach’s orchestral music as well as essays by Gregory G. Butler and Jeanne Swack on the Brandenburg Concertos. Part 2 offers ground-breaking articles by John Koster and Mary Oleskiewicz on the harpsichords and flutes of Bach’s day as well as essays by David Schulenberg and William Renwick on keyboard performance practice and the study of fugue in Bach’s circle. Paul Walker explores the relationships between rhetoric and fugue, and John Butt reviews some recent trends in Bach performance.