So... Bach was like.....really good...and stuff.... :nod:
I always suspected as much! The Bach fanboy in me likes to imagine that he's the culmination of all that came before, and the standard for all that came after, but I know that isn't the complete picture. It seems the same could be argued, at the very least, for Beethoven (seems like the more I learn about the Romantic Era, the more everyone was trying to emulate and/or improve Beethoven), and probably for many other composers.
I'm glad the article mentioned that, at least among other musicians, Bach was not completely unknown before Mendelssohn. I also have to agree with composerorganist that Telemann wrote some fantastic stuff -- and sometimes shockingly original.