Sebastian Bach

What it is

This book is a biography of Johann Sebastian Bach written by Reginald Lane Poole of Balliol College, Oxford, published in the 'Great Musicians' series edited by Francis Hueffer in the later nineteenth century.

Why it matters

Poole notes in his preface that his work benefited from the research of Philipp Spitta, a major Bach scholar. This shows how understanding of Bach's life grew over the nineteenth century as scholars gathered more documents and facts.

Why it matters

Look closer

• Why might the author mention another scholar's research in his preface?
• What does the phrase 'first biography of the master written in this country' suggest about how well-known Bach was in England before this?
• What kind of sources would a biographer need to write about a composer who lived over a century earlier?