The Eyes of Bach

In the spring of 1750, cellist Carl Barth, a music student at Leipzig's St. Thomas, is assigned to assist the school's aging cantor, Johann Sebastian Bach. Though initially uncertain of his new role, Barth's confidence and musicianship blossom under Bach's tutelage. With each musical revelation, among them his accidental discovery of the missing manuscript of Bach's cello suites, the young man becomes increasingly enamored of his master's genius. But the arrival of a haughty English surgeon will irrevocably alter the existence of both teacher and student. When Bach dies after a supposedly routine operation intended to remedy his failing eyesight, Barth's life trajectory is recast. Bereft of his musical mentor and haunted by events past, he sets out on a journey to confront the man he holds responsible for his master's untimely passing, all the while persevering to honor Bach's musical legacy.

In this gripping novel, cellist and author Marc Moskovitz transports the reader into the milieu of 18th-century Europe-its cobblestone streets, music-filled churches, and a vividly imagined Bach household-a world where the practice of medicine was often rudimentary, travel was arduous, and the works of J. S. Bach had yet to be universally discovered. Based on true events and rich in musical and historical detail, The Eyes of Bach is a sweeping tale of one man's unrelenting search for truth.