Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach | |
---|---|
Born | 8 March 1714 |
Died | 14 December 1788 | (aged 74)
Works | List of compositions |
Signature | |
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788),[1] also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach,[2] and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period composer and musician, the fifth child and second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach.
C. P. E. Bach was an influential composer working at a time of transition between his father's
To distinguish him from his brother Johann Christian, the "London Bach", who at this time was music master to Queen Charlotte of Great Britain,[4] C. P. E. Bach was known as the "Berlin Bach" during his residence in that city, and later as the "Hamburg Bach" when he succeeded Telemann as Kapellmeister there.[5] To his contemporaries, he was known simply as Emanuel.[6] His second name was in honor of his godfather Georg Philipp Telemann, a friend of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Bach was an influential
Life
Early years: 1714–1738
C. P. E. Bach was born on 8 March 1714 in
Berlin years: 1738–1768
A few months after graduation, Bach, armed with a recommendation by the Graun brothers (Johann Gottlieb and Carl Heinrich) and Sylvius Leopold Weiss,[9] obtained an appointment at Berlin[2] in the service of Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia, the future Frederick the Great. Upon Frederick's accession in 1740, Bach became a member of the royal orchestra.[1] He was by this time one of the foremost clavier players in Europe, and his compositions, which date from 1731, include about thirty sonatas and concert pieces for harpsichord and clavichord.[1] During his time there, Berlin was a rich artistic environment, where Bach mixed with many accomplished musicians, including several notable former students of his father, and important literary figures, such as Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, with whom the composer would become close friends.
In Berlin, Bach continued to write numerous pieces for solo keyboard, including a series of character pieces, the so-called "Berlin Portraits", including "La Caroline". His reputation was established by the two sets of sonatas which he published with dedications to Frederick the Great (1742) and to Charles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (1744).[1] In 1746, he was promoted to the post of chamber musician (Kammermusikus) and served the king alongside colleagues like Carl Heinrich Graun, Johann Joachim Quantz, and Franz Benda.[1]
The composer who most influenced Bach's maturing style was unquestionably his father. He drew creative inspiration from his godfather Georg Philipp Telemann, then working in Hamburg, and from contemporaries like George Frideric Handel, Carl Heinrich Graun, Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart later. Bach's interest in all types of art led to influence from poets, playwrights and philosophers such as Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, Moses Mendelssohn and Lessing. Bach's work itself influenced the work of, among others, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn.
During his residence in Berlin, Bach composed a Magnificat (1749), in which he shows more traces than usual of his father's influence;[1] an Easter cantata (1756); several symphonies and concert works; at least three volumes of songs, including the celebrated Gellert Songs; and a few secular cantatas and other occasional pieces.[1] But his main work was concentrated on the clavier, for which he composed, at this time, nearly two hundred sonatas and other solos, including the set Mit veränderten Reprisen (With Varied Reprises, 1760–1768).[1]
While in Berlin, Bach placed himself in the forefront of European music with a treatise, Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen (An Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments), immediately recognised as a definitive work on keyboard technique. "Both Haydn and Beethoven swore by it."
Bach used for his performances instruments (clavichord and fortepiano) made by Gottfried Silbermann,[10] at that time a well-known builder of keyboard instruments.[11] In the recent years one of the models of pianos that Bach was playing, the Gottfried Silbermann 1749, was used as a model for making modern piano copies.[12]
Hamburg: 1768–1788
In 1768,
Bach began to turn more of his energies to ecclesiastical and choral music in his new position. The job required the steady production of music for
Bach married Johanna Maria Dannemann in 1744. Only three of their children lived to adulthood: Johann Adam (1745–89), Anna Carolina Philippina (1747–1804), and Johann Sebastian "the Younger" (1748–78). None became musicians and Johann Sebastian, a promising painter, died at the age of 29 during a 1778 trip to Italy.[17] Emanuel Bach died in Hamburg on 14 December 1788.[1] He was buried in the Michaeliskirche in Hamburg.
Works
Keyboard Works in the 1722 "Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach"
March in D major, BWV Anh. 122, Polonaise in G minor, BWV Anh. 123, March in G major, BWV Anh. 124, Polonaise in G minor, BWV Anh. 125
Symphonies
Among Bach's most popular and frequently recorded works are his symphonies.[18] While in Berlin, he wrote several string symphonies (Wq. 173–181), most of which were later revised to add parts for wind instruments. Of these, the E minor symphony, Wq. 178, has been particularly popular.
In Hamburg, Bach wrote a major set of six string symphonies for Gottfried van Swieten, Wq. 182. These works were not published in his lifetime (van Swieten, who had commissioned them to be written in a more "difficult" style, preferred to retain them for private use),[19] but since their rediscovery, have become increasingly popular.
However, Bach's best works in the form (by his own estimation)[20] are assuredly the four Orchester-Sinfonien mit zwölf obligaten Stimmen, Wq. 183, which, as their title suggests, were written with obbligato wind parts that are integral to the texture, rather than being added on to an older string symphony. The first symphony (D major) in the set has been particularly popular, seeing a continuous performance and publication tradition all the way through the 19th century, which makes it the earliest such symphony.[20] Some of its more unusual features have been taken as characteristic of Bach's style:[21] the work, although it is in D major, begins on a D major chord, which then turns into a D dominant-seventh chord, outlining G major. In fact, there is no cadence on D major (D major is not "confirmed" as the key of the piece) until the beginning of the recapitulation, quite late in the piece.
Concertos
Bach was a prolific writer of concertos, especially for keyboard. Like his father, he would often transcribe a concerto for various instruments, leading to problems determining which came first. For instance, the three cello concertos (Wq. 170–172), which are cornerstones of that instrument's repertoire, have often been considered to be transcriptions of the harpsichord versions, but recent research has suggested that they might be originally for cello.[22]
According to Bach, his finest keyboard concertos were the Sei concerti per il cembalo concertato, Wq. 43, which were written to be somewhat more appealing, and somewhat easier to play.[23] His other concertos were written for oboe, flute, and organ. Bach also wrote for more unusual combinations, including an E-flat major concerto for harpsichord and piano. Additionally, he wrote several sonatinas for one or more keyboards and orchestra.
Chamber music
Bach's chamber music forms something of a bridge between stereotypically Baroque and Classical forms. On the one hand, he wrote trio sonatas and solo sonatas with basso continuo (including ones for harp and viola da gamba); on the other, he wrote several accompanied sonatas for piano, violin, and cello, which are more or less early
Keyboard sonatas
Bach was a prolific writer of keyboard sonatas, many of which were intended for his favored instrument, the clavichord. During his lifetime, he published more collections of keyboard music than anything else, in the following collections:
- Sei sonate per cembalo che all' augusta maestà di Federico II, re di Prussia, 1742 ("Prussian" sonatas), Wq. 48.
- Sei sonate per cembalo, dedicate all' altezza serenissima di Carlo Eugenio, duca di Wirtemberg, 1744 ("Württemberg" sonatas), Wq. 49.
- Achtzehn Probe-Stücke in Sechs Sonaten, 1753 ("Probestücke" sonatas), Wq. 63.
- Sechs Sonaten fürs Clavier mit veränderten Reprisen, 1760 ("Reprisen" sonatas), Wq. 50.
- Fortsetzung von Sechs Sonaten fürs Clavier, 1761 ("Fortsetzung" sonatas), Wq. 51.
- Zweite Fortsetzung von Sechs Sonaten fürs Clavier, 1763 ("Zweite Fortsetzung" sonatas), Wq. 52.
- Sechs Leichte Clavier Sonaten, 1766 ("Leichte" sonatas), Wq. 53.
- Six Sonates pour le Clavecin à l'usage des Dames, 1770 ("Damen" sonatas), Wq. 54.
- Six collections of Clavier Sonaten für Kenner und Liebhaber, 1779–87 ("Kenner und Liebhaber" sonatas), Wq. 55–59, 61.
Much of Bach's energy during his last years was dedicated to the publication of the "Kenner und Liebhaber" collections (which also include fantasias and rondos, see below).[24]
Wq. 64:1–6 are six
Other keyboard works
Easily Bach's best-known piece is the
Bach published three major collections of miscellaneous keyboard works during his lifetime: the Clavierstücke verschiedener Art, Wq. 112 of 1765, and the Kurze und Leichte Clavierstücke collections, Wq. 113–114 of 1766. The former includes songs, fantasias, dances, sonatas, fugues, and even a symphony and concerto for solo piano (Bach was later to publish an entire collection of keyboard versions of his symphonies).
He also wrote a set of six sonatas for the organ of Frederick the Great's sister Anna Amalia.
Music for mechanical instruments
Mechanical instruments such as the
Choral works
Throughout his lifetime, Bach worked on the Magnificat in D, Wq. 215. J. S. Bach was alive to hear it in 1749, and C. P. E. continued to revise and perform it as late as 1786. The work clearly shows the influence of J.S. Bach's own Magnificat, including the striking resemblance of the Deposuit movements in both works.
His other important choral works include the Heilig (German Sanctus), Wq. 217, which he performed together with the Credo from his Father's Mass in B minor, the oratorios Die Israeliten in der Wüste, Wq. 238 and Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu, Wq. 240, and 21 Passions.
Unpublished works
Many of C.P.E. Bach's compositions and original manuscripts were stored in the archive of the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin where Bach lived from 1738 to 1768. This archive was packed during the Second World War and hidden to preserve it from Allied bombing, captured and sequestered by USSR forces in 1945, thus long believed lost or destroyed during the war.
The archive was discovered in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 1999, returned to Berlin in 2001, and deposited in the Staatsbibliothek. It contained 5,100 musical compositions, none ever printed for the public, including 500 by 12 different members of the Bach family.[30]
Legacy and musical style
Through the later half of the 18th century, the reputation of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach stood very high,[1] surpassing that of his father.[7] Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven admired him and "avidly" collected his music.[7] Mozart said of him, "Bach is the father, we are the children."[1][31]
His work is full of invention and, most importantly, extreme unpredictability, and wide emotional range even within a single work, a style that may be categorized as
He was probably the first composer of eminence who made free use of harmonic color for its own sake.
His name fell into neglect during the 19th century, with
The works of C. P. E. Bach are known by "Wq" numbers, from Alfred Wotquenne's 1906 catalogue, and by "H" numbers from a catalogue by Eugene Helm (1989).
He was portrayed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner in the 1941 biopic of his brother Friedemann Bach.
The street Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Straße in Frankfurt (Oder) is named for him.
In 2015 the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Museum was opened in Hamburg.[35]
Anniversary year 2014
2014 marked the 300th anniversary of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's birth. All six German Bach cities—Hamburg, Potsdam, Berlin, Frankfurt-on-the-Oder, Leipzig, and Weimar—hosted concerts and other events to commemorate the anniversary.[36]
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z EB (1911).
- ^ a b c d e f g h EB (1878).
- ^ Ratner (1980).
- ^ Hubeart, T.L. "A Tribute to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
- ^ Allison, John. "CPE Bach at 300: why he's more than just Johann Sebastian's son", The Telegraph, 26 January 2014.
- ^ "Carl Phillipp Emanuel Bach" ClassicalCat.net
- ^ a b c d Dammann, Guy (24 February 2011). "CPE Bach: like father, like son". The Guardian.
- ^ Thompson (1998), p. 32.
- ^ Percy M. Young, The Bachs, 1500–1850, p. 167
- ISBN 978-1-4724-4337-3.
- ISBN 978-1-135-94978-5.
- ^ "Malcolm Bilson: The Pattern-Prelude Tradition of J. S. Bach and the Silbermann Piano as Precursors to Beethoven's Moonlight – Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards". Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ Thompson (1998), pp. 30, 56.
- OCLC 1314382566.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ Thompson (1998), p. 37.
- ^ Thompson (1998), pp. 47–48.
- ^ Thompson (1998), p. 98.
- ^ Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach The Complete Works, Preface: Symphonies.
- ^ Complete Works, Vol. III/2, Preface.
- ^ a b Complete Works, Vol. III/3, Preface.
- ^ Richard Crocker, A History of Musical Style
- ^ Complete Works, Vol. III/6, Preface.
- ^ Complete Works, Vol. III/8, Preface.
- ^ Complete Works, Vol. I/4, Preface.
- ^ Bach Digital Work 01440
- ^ "Contents of The Essential C.P.E. Bach". Via archive.org.
- ^ "Cramer and Sturm Songs" in Complete Works, ser. VI, v. 2., p. xxiii (Packard Humanities Institute, 2009).
- ^ Shepherd, John. Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Vol. II, p. 325 (A&C Black, 2003).
- ^ Altman, Ludvig. "A well-tempered musician's unfinished journey through life: oral history transcript", UC Berkeley, 1990, 125b. Via archive.org.
- ^ Patricia Kennedy Grimsted. "Bach is Back in Berlin: The Return of the Sing-Akademie Archive from Ukraine in the Context of Displaced Cultural Treasures and Restitution Politics", Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, 2003
- ^ Rochlitz (1824–1832), pp. 308 ff quoted in Ottenberg (1987), p. 98 & 191
- ^ "Felix Mendelssohn: Reviving the Works of J.S. Bach". Library of Congress. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-521-29121-7. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ Hubeart Jr., T. L. (14 July 2006). A Tribute to C. P. E. Bach. Retrieved on 17 May 2008
- ^ Stadt Hamburg, CPE Bach-Museum
- ^ www.cpebach.de, Official Anniversary Website for Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.
Sources
- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: The Complete Works, a complete edition of his music, has been in progress since 2005 and is somewhat more than halfway finished as of 2014.
- Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878), Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 3 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 196 ,
- Ottenberg, Hans-Günter (1987), Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, translated by Whitmore, Philip J., OUP, ISBN 978-0-19-315246-5.
- Ratner, Leonard G. (1980), Classic Music: Expression, Form and Style, New York: Schirmer
- Rochlitz, Friedrich(1824–1832), Für Freunde der Tonkunst (in German), vol. 4 vols., Leipzig
- Thompson, Alton (1998). Formal Coherence in Emanuel Bach's Auferstehung (DMA thesis). Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.
Attribution
- public domain: Hadow, William Henry (1911), "Bach, Karl Philipp Emanuel", in Chisholm, Hugh (ed.), Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 3 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 130–131 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
Further reading
- The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2001) contains a biography and list of his compositions.
- Oleskiewicz, Mary. "Like Father, Like Son? Emanuel Bach and the Writing of Biography," in Music and Its Questions: Essays in Honor of Peter Williams, edited by Thomas Donahue (Richmond, Virginia: Organ Historical Society Press, 2007), 253–279.
- Oleskiewicz, Mary. "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and the Flute", Flutist Quarterly 39/no. 4 (Summer 2014): 20–30.
- Oleskiewicz, Mary, ed. J. S. Bach and His Sons, vol. 11 of Bach Perspectives, Illinois University Press, 2017. See also the Web companion, which shows images of historical keyboards he played, and places where C. P. E. Bach performed, at the Prussian Court.
- Schulenberg, David. The Music of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2014).
- Schulenberg, David. Chronological list of all of C.P.E. Bach's Works
External links
- Free scores by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
- Performances of some works at Musopen
- A Tribute to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, sketch of the composer's life with extensive references
- Complete Catalogue Archived 25 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine of C. P. E. Bach's oeuvre (French)
- Website of the edition Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: The Complete Works
- Finding the Lost Manuscripts of C.P.E. Bach at the Wayback Machine (archived 16 July 2008) Greater Boston Arts
- New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
.
- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – The Complete Works, Packard Humanities Institute, published for the 300th anniversary year, 2014
- Ensayo sobre la verdadera manera de tocar el teclado, spanish version of the Versuch (Eva Martínez Marín ed.), Ed. Dairea, Galapagar, Madrid, Spain, 2017 Archived 27 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- Free scores by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- Piano Sonatas by CPE Bach played by Taisia Hadizadeh on YouTube
- Trio sonata in C minor, H. 579, first edition, Sibley Music Library
- Fantasia e fuga in C minor, H. 75.5, for keyboard instrument, Sibley Music Library
- "Hamburger Sonata Wq. 133" on YouTube, played by Eckhart Duo
- Early fortepiano after the Silbermann model C. P. E. Bach played in Potsdam