* * *

Latest updates:

July 2026

The same observant reader pointed out to me that the plural of ‘crotchets’ had been written as ‘crotches’ on several occasions.
This has now been corrected in chapters 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 12, 16, 17, 20 and 33.

May 2026

It was impossible tot download Chapter XXVII (Special String Instruments). This problem has been solved now.
Thanks to an attentive reader!

November 2025

Chapter XXII (The violone) has been revised.
In the original sections 2 and 3,  a sharp distinction was made between Bach’s contemporaries (section 2) and Bach himself (section 3).
This detracted from the overall logic. By consistently including Bach’s music in each subtopic, the narrative has become clearer.

In Chapter V (The number of Instruments), insufficient attention was paid to Rifkin’s theory that each part, including instrumental parts, was always read by one person. In the revised version of the text under the heading ‘Information from the Parts’, I refute this theory.

September 2025, again improved October 2025
The article “1736. St. Thomae with Both Organs”, revised in 2024, was again updated,
in response to the recent article about the history of the Matthäus-Passion by Derek Stauff.
See tab Matthäus-Passion.

June 2025

Section 4 (The violoncello piccolo) in Chapter XXVII (Special string instruments) has been updated and revised again.
The amended texts have been temporarily coloured blue..