ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the question of Bach’s knowledge of the works of other composers, their influence on his own compositions, and the works he collected in his own personal music library.
When dealing with the question of the influence exerted by composers on another, several layers of inquiry need to be explored. First and foremost are the specific works studied at some point during the life of the composer. Sources for this information will be found in letters, journal entries, autobiography, or other similar documents written by the composer. Where such direct statements cannot be found there is the possibility of discovering indirect information from contemporaries or family members. Then there are the composers with whom the composer in question studied at an early stage of his career, as a kind of apprenticeship, as well as the specific music these teachers commended to their pupil. A composer progressing through his career will encounter others who will influence his musical development, either personally or through their compositions. All of these avenues need to be explored. But perhaps the surest way to discover the influence of other composers upon another, in the absence of direct statements from the composer himself, is to investigate his library, the collection of musical scores, assembled either for performance or study, or, which is often the case, a mixture of both. However, few musical collections survive intact and only in a few rare cases are the performing and study scores of the former owner known and readily accessible.
