J S Bach taught at the Thomasschule in Leipzig, where music was not just a practical exercise but part of the Liberal Arts canon, consisting of the ‘trivium’ (grammar, logic, rhetoric) and the ‘quadrivium’ (astronomy, arithmetic, geometry, and music). The final talk explores how Bach’s musical rhetoric is shaped by this academic approach and influences his choice of texts, topics, and genres.

• Toccata in F-Sharp minor BWV 910
• Violin Sonata in G major BWV 1021
• Gamba Sonata in G minor BWV 1029
• Toccata in G major BWV 916