Bach & the Best of Baroque

One of the single-most important events in music history is J.S. Bach’s 1723 appointment to director of music at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, following Johan Kuhnau’s death. This post, which he kept until a decline of his health and eventual death in 1750, is where some of his most famous works were composed and performed – BUT, he was actually the third choice for the job. The position was first offered to Georg Philipp Telemann, who only applied to use the job offer as leverage to get a raise from his employer at the time. It was then offered to Christoph Graupner, who applied to the position with a Magnificat in C, but his employer refused to release him from his contract. Only then was the position offered to Bach – a choice that has profoundly affected the course of western music.