It has long been accepted as a necessary paradox of cultural history that the greater or more enduring a work of art, the less we can usually expect to know about its origins, or the intentions of its creator in putting it before the world. From the realm of music such masterpieces as Bach’s B minor Mass, Beethoven’s late string quartets and Schubert’s ‘Great’ C major Symphony provide ready proof of this assertion. However much we may identify with or respond to the musical phenomenon, the fact remains that in each of these cases we possess remarkably little concrete knowledge about the genesis of the work.