Yanni,
First of all, here is the Wikipedia article on Johann Forkel -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Nikolaus_Forkel
You will note his musical association with the University of Gottingen for close to half a century. He saw it all. His publications are famous for their detail and for their learning. He gave public lectures. And he was increasingly despised by the managers and impresarios of the music industry.
It was Forkel who (as already said) introduced the accomplishments of Bach to a startled world. Who taught that the greatest music is that which can be used for the teaching of students. And if you will notice carefully his early articles on Bach are not (as you claim) refering to church music at all. Forkel knew perfectly well the prejudices and absurdities of his age. He knew the bigotry which had kept musicians ignorant of the subject. On Bach he focused on the marvellous instrumental music, the sonatas, the partitas, and other secular music such as his concertos. Plus the major works such as the 48 Preludes and Fugues, the 'Art of Fugue' etc. How much more fair could he be ?
The 'establishment' (to their shame) already knew of Bach's formidable musical legacy. In fact, down in Italy it's recorded that teachers such as Padre Martini kept a copy of Bach's 48 Preludes and Fugues on their desk. But you will search in vain for any reference to J.S. Bach during his whole lifetime in Vienna or in Italy, Bohemia, France or even England. Catholic Europe pretended he did not exist. End of story. And, anyway, they wanted to invent something else. Their own theoretical models. And, by the late 18th century there were charlatans who taught that they could make better arrangements of Bach's own music (complete with their own new harmonies) that were supposedly superior to those of Bach himself. Men such as the buffoon theorist, Abbe Vogler, for example. (A man who also attacked Forkel). Accusing him (as you do) of Bach being 'old fashioned'. When, today, if you were to ask, say, a jazz musician whose music has been the greatest influence on them from classical music they will invariably tell you it's JS Bach. The 19th century saw the teaching of harmony enter into a chaotic state. With fugue itself ignored. Or parodied at best. In Vienna others marvelled at it, and even bought copies of it. But they never performed it publicly. Because, of course, they had their heroes. And the music industry had 'modern' things to give the public in its place. The resistance against Bach (and others of the late baroque period) was relentless. The secularisation was, of course, the emerging industry itself. Which still found no place for this amazing music of the late baroque.
So, no. Let's be honest about this. People don't exist if they aren't part of the 'system'. And others worked for peanuts whose names are today virtually ignored. That's the reality.
It would be useless, of course, to replace the idol of Mozart with one of Bach. And that has never happened. Still, the lesson is clear. The industry suffers from 'amnesia' and Bach is amongst the greatest examples. All this taking place within a Holy Roman Empire where, only a few decades before the teaching in most schools was in Latin, with students unable to speak their own language there, and no history taught at all. A recipe for ignorance. Only matched by us today.
Originally Posted by Musicology
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Anglo-Sachsen Musik!
(you'll find many french musicologists to keep you company in the "Bois" Robert) 
