ABSTRACT
This chapter considers to cast any aspersions upon Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's Versuch, or to raise suspicion as to the concealed agenda. The difference between Bach's and Jean-Philippe Rameau's approaches to the thorough bass can be simply described. Based upon received traditions of contrapuntal pedagogy. One might go so far as to say that despite Bach's acknowledged stature as a composer, it was a pedagogical work that did more to secure his reputation in the 18th century than any of his compositions. With the possible exception of Rameau, there was no composer of the 18th century whose reputation seemed so staked to his pedagogical writings. Because the Versuch was highly praised in the 18th century, however, it does not necessarily follow that all parts of Bach's keyboard treatise were equally influential. Bach's system of fingering, embellishing, and general advice on playing keyboard instruments laid the foundation for the first generation of piano instruction manuals that were to follow.
