In Response to Steve Schwartz's email in which he says that no music of Bach was widely known in the eighteenth century, at least in the sense that Vivaldi's, Handel's, and Telemann's music was I would like to maintain my position that the well tempered clavier was very well known to key board players of the time. As for Mozart he was introduced to the WTC by Baron Von Sweiten when he was twenty six but did not come into contact with Bach's motets until 1789 when he as 33 years old. His friend Rochlitz was sitting next to him in the church at leipsic when the choir began to sing "Singet dem Herrn". Rochlitz says that "Scarcely had the choir sung a couple of measures when Mozart started. After a couple more measures he cried out`What is that? At last something from which we can learn.` He was able to obtain the scores to all six motets and treasured them for precious jewels for the rest of his short life. As for Beethoven, he knew Bach's keyboard music thoroughly although I admit he never sounded like Bach and his counterpoint is perhaps more Handelian, however I maintain that he gained valuable experience in counterpoint from Bach. I was remiss in not mentioning Schumann's canonic studies for two pianos and I can't forgive myself for failing to mention Brahms who I agree was the greatest contrapuntal master since Bach. "Jeff Langlois " <[log in to unmask]>