ph. The Steingraeber edition of the clavier
works, edited by Dr Hans Bischoff, is incomparably the best, giving all the
variants in footnotes and clearly distinguishing the extremely intelligent
nuances and phrasing signs of the editor from the rare but significant
indications of Bach himself. Nor does this wealth of scholarship interfere
with the presentation of a straightforward, single text; though in addition
there is every necessary explanation of the ornaments and kindred matters.

We have seen no other editions that distinguish Bach's text from the
editor's taste--the disappointing publications of the _Neue
Bachgesellschaft_[4] by no means excepted. We may remark that the older
vocal scores of cantatas in the _Edition Peters_ are, though unfortunately
but a selection, far better than the complete series issued by Breitkopf
and Haertel in conformity with the _Bach Gesellschaft_, and therefore
accepted as authoritative (see INSTRUMENTATION). The English vocal scores
published by Novello are generally very good though covering but small
ground. The Novello score of the Christmas oratorio contains a fine
analytic preface by Sir George Macfarren.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.--J. N. Forkel, _Ueber Bach's Leben, Kunst und Kunstwerke_,
translated (London, 1820); C. H. Bitter, _John Sebastian Bach_ (Berlin,
1865); Ernest David, _La Vie et les oeuvres de Bach_ (Paris, 1882); P.
Spitta, _Johann Sebastian Bach_ (Leipzig, 1873 and 1880); E. Heinrich,
_Sebastian Bach's Leben_ (Berlin, 1885); A. Pirro, _L'Esthetique de Jean
Sebastian Bach_ (Paris, 1907); and _L'Orgue de Jean Sebastian Bach_ (Paris,
1907); A. Schweitzer, _J. S. Bach: Le Musicien poete_. Spitta's biography
superseded everything written before it and has not since been approached.
With corrections in the light of Rust's _B. G._ prefaces it contains
everything worth knowing about Bach, except the music itself.

(D. F. T.)

[1] Spitta points out that this cannot mean singing in the choir at a
service, but making music in church privately.

[2] The same surgeon operated unsuccessfully on both composers.

[3] See the wild conjectures of the editor of the Four Short Masses as to
the "displacing" of structure in the _kyrie_ of the G minor Mass (_B.-G.,
Jahr. viii._ preface, with Rust's answer in the preface to _Jahr. xxiii._).

[4] The object of the _Neue Bachgesellschaft_ is to render the completed
results of the first _Bachgesellschaft_ generally accessible by holding
frequen