The musical testament of the ancestors of J S Bach.

If Bach had not lovingly preserved the works of his forefathers, we would know almost nothing about them. His collection, known since the 18th century as the ‘Altbachiches Archiv’, was published for the first time in 1935. The original manuscripts, lost during the Second World War, were located in the Archives in Kiev and recorded in 2003 for HM.

"superb" - Anthony Holden, Classical CD of the Week, The Observer

"Cantus Cölln are incomparable consort singers" - Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times, 27 April 2003, Outstanding

"Performances by Cantus Cölln are exemplary." - Andrew Clements, The Guardian, 2 May 2003

"This is one of those rare discs that seems to have taken up permanent residence in my CD player. I do so love it when a recording of real historical importance also turns out to be of superlative musical quality. This one has it all – music with an intriguing history, a dramatic story of rediscovery, lovingly revived by exactly the right performers." - Simon Heighes, International Record Review, June 2003

"an issue of outstanding interest." - Nicholas Anderson, BBC Music Magazine, August 2003