Johann Sebastian Bach: the learned musician

Prologue: Bach and the notion of "musical science"

Springs of musical talent and lifelong influences: Eisenach, 1685-1695

Laying the foundations: Ohrdruf, 1695-1700

Bypassing a musical apprenticeship: from Lüneburg to Weimar, 1700-1703

Building a reputation: organist in Arnstadt and Mühlhausen, 1703-1708

Exploring "every possible artistry": court organist and Cammer Musicus in Weimar, 1708-1714

Expanding musical horizons: concertmaster in Weimar, 1714-1717

Pursing "the musical contest for superiority": capellmeister in Cöthen, 1717-1723

Redefining a venerable office: cantor and music director in Leipzig: the 1720s

Musician and scholar: counterpoint of practice and theory

Traversing conventional boundaries: special engagements: the 1730s

A singing bird and carnations for the lady of the house: domestic and professional life

Contemplating past, present, and future: the final decade: the 1740s

Epilogue: Bach and the idea of "musical perfection."