In this penetrating study, Russell Stinson considers how four of the greatest composers of the nineteeth-century - Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, and Johannes Brahms - responded to the model of Bach's organ music. His book represents a major step forward in the literature on the so-called Bach revival.

Bach's music has made an indelible mark on all those who compose for the organ, and in the nineteenth century, Bach's music was revived, revered, and brought to life for a musical public. In this fascinating study, Bach scholar and organist Russell Stinson examines how four major composers of the nineteenth century--Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, and Johannes Brahms--responded to the model of Bach's organ music. Whether for keyboard, voice, orchestra, or chamber ensemble, these composers not only borrowed from Bach's organ works in creating their own masterpieces, but also reacted significantly to the music as performers, editors, theorists, and teachers. The book reveals how these four titans influenced one another as "receptors" of this repertory and how their mutual acquaintances--especially Clara Schumann--contributed as well.

I am sure that Russell Stinson's attractive monograph will encourage still more Bachians to venture into the field of reception.