How did 20th-century scholars help restore Georg Philipp Telemann’s reputation?

In the 19th century, Georg Philipp Telemann’s reputation suffered, as he was often dismissed as a prolific but superficial composer following the rise of new musical styles and the reappraisal of contemporaries like Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.

In the 20th century, scholars helped restore his reputation by forming a more historically and aesthetically accurate assessment of his work. This shift was largely driven by the studies of Max Schneider and Romain Rolland. Their research, combined with the publication of new editions of his music—particularly since the 1930s—rekindled interest among conductors, performers, and publishers, ultimately securing his standing as a master of the late Baroque period.1