Forkel only knew of “eight to ten motets for double chorus,” and twenty-one church cantatas, two five-voice masses, a mass for two choirs, of which the first choir is accompanied by strings, the second by wind, a double-chorus Passion with text by Picander (this must be the “Matthew Passion”), a Sanctus, some motets, a single fugue for four voices, and a comic cantata.
The other two “year courses,” which included about ninety cantatas, and the two known Passions, went to C. P. Emmanuel Bach.
MSS. of Works
The MSS. of the larger number of the existing works of Bach are in the Royal Library and in that of the Joachimsthal at Berlin. Many of these are in autograph. The parts are of more value than the scores, since they are not only more carefully copied, but contain the corrections for performance.
Bach used to wrap up his scores and parts in covers on which the name of the work and title of the composer were fully given, while on the MSS. themselves nothing was given. If the cover were lost, therefore, the composer’s name was lost. Many works by other composers are found in Bach’s handwriting, both score and parts.
Difficulties in the way of publication
The Bach Gesellschaft has been at immense pains to search for all that exists of Bach’s compositions. In vol. vi. they give a long account of the difficulties they had to contend with in publishing the B minor Mass; the owner of the autograph score, placing every difficulty in their way, would neither sell it nor lend it to them, and finally tried to dispose of it secretly to some unknown person. They were obliged, therefore, to publish it from such copies as they could collect; but almost immediately after they had done so they obtained access to the precious MS. and were able to publish an appendix, giving whatever variations from their own edition were found there.
Of Bach’s instrumental compositions the most important are, as we have indicated, those for the organ and other keyed instruments. He has left many orchestral works, but these have not the significance of his organ and clavier music, for the symphony, in the modern sense, was not yet developed.
Bach’s playing