6. Playing for No One | Bach, the pandemic, and three centuries of private musical craftsmanship

As a culture, we celebrate music made for public consumption, but rarely do we acknowledge music that is not only made, but in the making. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, we turn our attention to the practice of music as a craft developed in solitude for centuries. In doing so, we find Bach’s music a staple of the private practice studio, where amateurs and professionals alike have found in his counterpoint a universe of self-exploration.