The Application of Forensic Document Examination Techniques to the Writings of J. S. Bach and A. M. Bach
Martin W. B. Jarvis · 2008
The music-calligraphy of Johann Sebastian Bach’s works has been subjected to extensive and thorough examination over the past fifty years or so. However, this calligraphy is not a reliable method of identification, as the writing styles of Johann Sebastian and Anna Magdalena Bach are remarkably similar (see Example 10). If manuscripts are to be examined reliably, a new approach is required. The Forensic Science of Document Examination (Forensic Document Examination or FDE) can, given enough handwriting specimens, offer a scientific method to identify the handwriting of both Johann Sebastian and Anna Magdalena Bach. FDE is the scientific study of documents and handwriting for the purpose of demonstrating authenticity or otherwise. Over 100 years of research and investigation have established scientific principles which can be used to identify the writer of a suspect or Questioned Document (QD).