Bach’s rich musical legacy as we know it today is partly the result of a historical accident. When he applied for the position of Kantor at Leipzig’s Thomaskirche in 1722, Bach was only third choice for the post. Telemann turned the offer down after some deliberation, and Graupner was not released from his post of Kapellmeister in Hesse.

‘Since we cannot get the best, then we will have to settle for average’, the Council concluded, as it handed the title to Bach. Join us as we step back in time and explore the programme that Bach put together for this fateful application, a move that would shape the history of western music for centuries to come.