Aaron Rabushka <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>I've also heard that some of Bach's visual problems came from
>his hand-copying The FitzWilliam (cap?) Virginal Book by moonlight.

Where on earth did this come from? It has appeared a couple of times in the
last few days--incredibly--unchallenged.

The first mention of the existence of the virginal book in question (I'm
quoting from memory of the Dover Edition Preface) was in 1740, when it
was in the library of a certain Dr Pepusch--a mere ten years before old
Bach's demise.  There is no evidence that it existed in any form outside
the private library of Dr Pepusch.  Occasionally a list of contents was
published, but the music itself was not published until something over
100 years ago, which is the edition on which the modern Dover is based.

There is very little probability that Bach ever saw the book, much less put
his eyes out copying it "by moonlight".  I don't recall any such reference
in Dr Schweitzer's biography, either.  Undoubtedly, Bach wrote and copied
a great deal of music in his lifetime--including those concerti of Vivaldi
and others we were on about not long ago--but the FitzWilliam Virginal
Book? I think not.

Placid in Little Rock

Irvin West