Greg Conn wrote: >Wasn't J.S. Bach largely self-taught and untrained though? I can think of >other examples also which show that, in some instances, such "training" is >in fact not necessary to some persons who are extremely musically "gifted" >with the ability to compose. Not at all. Bach had the advantage of intense study with his father, his brother and other formal teachers. For a complete account of Bach's education and his own teaching, please read Christoph Wolff's excellent new book, "Johann Sebastian Bach, the Learned Musician." I am afraid that to say that Bach was self taught and untrained is completly false. Kevin Sutton