The international forensic science community is set to examine the provocative theory that Johann Sebastian Bach's wife, Anna Magdalena, wrote some of the works attributed to the great composer.

Debate surrounds how much Anna Magdalena contributed to her husband's music

Associate Professor Martin Jarvis of Charles Darwin University in Australia will present his research at the International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences in Melbourne next week.

He says Anna Magdalena is normally portrayed as a simple woman who was only good for having babies and accurately copying Bach's manuscripts.

"My conclusions may not be wholly accurate," he says. "But the way in which tradition has put Anna Magdalena into this pathetic role ... is rubbish."

Jarvis' interest was further peaked by the discovery of a note written on the cover of the cello suites manuscript, by its owner.