"Don, you had the misfortune to be at college during a bad period for Baroque historical scholarship. People only started sorting Bach's attributions and chronology out properly after you left. This is not "nitpicking" and it isn't conspiracy theory either, it's mainstream musicology."

And exactly when was this "Dark Ages" of Baroque historical scholarship that existed when I was at college (one college, one conservatory, some years apart)?

AT THE TIME it was noted in class that there were those who claimed that J. S. Bach was all written by Dietrich Buxtehude—or Pachelbel—or that the Toccata and Fugue in D minor was written by Felix Mendelssohn, trying to trade on Bach's reputation. Many such conspiracy theories were noted as being bruited about by people with, apparently, nothing better to do.

Jack, I'm certainly not going to accept what you are asserting on the basis of an article in Wikipedia claiming that Bach did not write Bach—NOR do I accept your accusation that my music professors were wrong and did not know what they were talking about—without some pretty authoritative and convincing information from several highly authoritative and reliable sources.
If you can cite some of these authoritative and reliable sources of this wondrous new scholarship so I may update my antediluvian musical education, I will read them with great interest.

To claim that a toccata is not a toccata or a fugue is not a fugue….   These are patent asininities that can be refuted simply by examining the music itself without having to know who wrote it. That's like looking at paintings and claiming that a portrait is not a portrait or a still-life is not a still-life.

I alluded to Marlowe and Shakespeare above. I have found a couple of different web sites—including an entry in Wikipedia—citing "evidence" that Shakespeare did not write Shakespeare. Marlowe seems to be the favorite among the conspiracy theorists, although there are a number of other candidates. In a Shakespeare class I had in the English Lit. Department, these conspiracy theories were duly note. The professor, after discussing some of the allegations, remarked that at least it kept the conspiracy theorists off the streets....

[Emotional principle of conspiracy theorist: "I know the hidden truth! YOU are a hopeless DUPE!" A crutch for a lame ego!]

BUT
Be it duly noted that NONE OF THE ABOVE, be it accurate history or pure blather, invalidates the point I'm making in my post at 09 Sep 14 - 08:27 PM. Scroll back up, read my post, and try to understand what I said.

Don Firth