I heard a J C Bach quintet on the radio this morning.  It was announced
before and after as being conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.  I wondered
if it really was.

I know that quite small forces sometimes require a conductor for music
which is "difficult", if I can put it that way.  To take another example,
I recall some records made by the conductorless Prague Chamber Orchestra
of C18 symphonies.  My point is:  At what point does a conductor become
essential, whether because of the complexity of the music, the size of the
orchestra, or for whatever reason? And is it likely that Harnoncourt really
*did* conduct a J C Bach quintet?

Richard Pennycuick
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