Louis Marchand vs. Johann Sebastian Bach
This story has been told by Bach’s biographers, but this is the real deal. In September 1717, Bach became well known in Europe as the greatest keyboard performer in Germany. He wasn’t known for his compositions, as he wrote in a heavy, meat-and-potatoes Baroque style. Louis Marchand was equally famous throughout Europe as a fantastic French organist and keyboard performer.
Source: France Musique
When Marchand heard about Bach’s virtuosity, he traveled to Germany to meet and defeat Bach. When they met, Frederick II, the King of Prussia, who was also a huge fan of Bach’s music, organized a harpsichord playoff. What happened was Bach arrived early in the morning before anyone else to warm up and stretch his fingers. Marchand later walked into the palace, heard Bach’s warm-up exercises, turned around, and walked out. He got in his carriage and returned to France never to return to Germany again.