Why was Johann Sebastian Bach’s music neglected for about 50 years after his death?

For approximately 50 years following his death, the music of Johann Sebastian Bach was neglected for several practical and cultural reasons:

• Changing Musical Tastes: During the era of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Bach was already viewed by many as an old-fashioned composer.1
• Limited Availability: His music was not readily accessible to the public, making it difficult for his works to maintain a presence in the musical repertoire.1
• Religious Shifts: Significant changes in religious thought rendered much of his output, particularly his church cantatas, less relevant to the contemporary needs of the time.1

Despite this period of neglect, it is important to note that Bach’s influence remained profound. He was not entirely forgotten by the musical elite; he was studied and admired by major composers of the late 18th century, including Haydn, Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and his own son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.1