Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
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Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German composer and musician of the
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
and Classical period. He was the fifth child and second surviving son of
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
and Maria Barbara Bach. Bach was an influential composer working at a time of transition between his father's
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
style and the Classical style that followed it. He was the principal representative of the ' or 'sensitive style'. The qualities of his keyboard music are forerunners of the expressiveness of Romantic music, in deliberate contrast to the statuesque forms of Baroque music. His organ sonatas mainly come from the
galant The galant style was an 18th-century movement in music, visual arts and literature. In Germany a closely related style was called the '' empfindsamer Stil'' (sensitive style). Another close relative is rococo style. The galant style was drawn in ...
style. To distinguish him from his brother Johann Christian, the "London Bach", who at this time was music master to Queen Charlotte of Great Britain,Hubeart Jr., T. L. (14 July 2006
"A Tribute to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach"
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. To his contemporaries, he was known simply as Emanuel. His second name was in honour of his godfather
Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...
, a friend of Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach was an influential
pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...
, writing the influential "Essay on the true art of playing keyboard instruments", which would be studied by
Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...
,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
and
Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
, among others.


Life


Early years: 1714–1738

C. P. E. Bach was born on 8 March 1714 in
Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...
to
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
and his first wife, Maria Barbara. He was their fifth child and third son. The composer
Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...
was his godfather. When he was ten years old, he entered the St. Thomas School, Leipzig, where his father had become cantor in 1723. He was one of four Bach children to become professional musicians; all four were trained in music almost entirely by their father. In an age of royal patronage, father and son alike knew that a university education helped prevent a professional musician from being treated as a servant. Carl, like his brothers, pursued advanced studies in
jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...
at Leipzig University in 1731 and at
Frankfurt an der Oder Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Marchian dialects, Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With a ...
in 1735. In 1738, at the age of 24, he obtained his degree but never practised law, instead turning his attention immediately to music.


Berlin years: 1738–1768

A few months after graduation, Bach, with a recommendation by the Graun brothers ( Johann Gottlieb and Carl Heinrich) and Sylvius Leopold Weiss, obtained an appointment at
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
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. He was by this time one of the foremost clavier players in Europe, and his compositions, which date from 1731, include about thirty
sonata In music a sonata (; pl. ''sonate'') literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cantare'', "to sing"), a piece ''sung''. The term evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms until th ...
s and concert pieces for
harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...
and
clavichord The clavichord is a stringed rectangular keyboard instrument that was used largely in the Late Middle Ages, through the Renaissance music, Renaissance, Baroque music, Baroque and Classical period (music), Classical eras. Historically, it was most ...
. 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 Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (; ; 22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a German philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and a representative of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the dev ...
, 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). In 1746, he was promoted to the post of chamber musician (') and served the king alongside colleagues like Carl Heinrich Graun, Johann Joachim Quantz, and Franz Benda. 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 George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...
, Carl Heinrich Graun,
Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...
and
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
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 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
,
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
and
Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...
. During his residence in Berlin, Bach composed a Magnificat (1749), in which he shows more traces than usual of his father's influence; an Easter
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...
(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. 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 ' (''With Varied
Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any re ...
s'', 1760–1768). While in Berlin, Bach placed himself in the forefront of European music with a treatise, ' (''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." By 1780, the book was in its third edition and laid the foundation for the keyboard methods of Clementi and Cramer. The essay lays out the fingering for each chord and some chord sequences. Bach's techniques continue to be employed today. The first part of the ''Essay'' contains a chapter explaining the various embellishments in work of the period, e.g., trills, turns, mordents, etc. The second part presents Bach's ideas on the art of
figured bass Figured bass is musical notation in which numerals and symbols appear above or below (or next to) a bass note. The numerals and symbols (often accidental (music), accidentals) indicate interval (music), intervals, chord (music), chords, and non- ...
and counterpoint, as well as performance suggestions and a brief section on extemporization, mainly focusing on the Fantasia. Bach used for his performances instruments (clavichord and fortepiano) made by Gottfried Silbermann, at that time a well-known builder of keyboard instruments. 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.


Hamburg: 1768–1788

In 1768, after protracted negotiations, Bach was permitted to relinquish his position in order to succeed his godfather Telemann as director of music (') at Hamburg. Upon his release from service at the court he was named court composer for Frederick's sister, Princess Anna Amalia. The title was honorary, but her patronage and interest in the
oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...
genre may have played a role in nurturing the ambitious choral works that followed. Bach began to turn more of his energy to ecclesiastical and choral music in his new position. The job required the steady production of music for
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
church services at the Michaeliskirche (Church of St. Michael) and elsewhere in Hamburg. The following year he produced his most ambitious work, the oratorio '' Die Israeliten in der Wüste'' (''The Israelites in the Desert''), a composition remarkable not only for its "great beauty" but for the resemblance of its plan to that of
Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...
's '' Elijah''. Between 1768 and 1788, he wrote twenty-one settings of the Passion, and some seventy cantatas,
litanies Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin ''wikt:litania, litania'' from Ancient Greek wikt:λιτα ...
, motets, and other liturgical pieces. In 1773, Bach wrote an autobiography: he was one of the first composers to write such an account of his life. In Hamburg he also presented a number of works by contemporaries, including his father, Telemann, Graun, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Salieri and Johann David Holland (1746–1827). Bach's choral output reached its apex in two works: the double chorus ''Heilig'' (''Holy'') of 1776, a setting of the seraph song from the throne scene in Isaiah, and the
oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...
'' Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu'' (''The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus'') of 1774–1782, which sets a poetic Gospel harmonization by the poet Karl Wilhelm Ramler. Widespread admiration of ''Auferstehung'' led to three 1788 performances in Vienna sponsored by the Baron Gottfried van Swieten and conducted by
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
. 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. Emanuel Bach died in Hamburg on 14 December 1788. He was buried in the Michaeliskirche in Hamburg.


Works


In the ''Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach''

Works C. P. E. Bach wrote in the '' Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach'' are: 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; and "Solo per il cembalo", BWV Anh. 129.


Symphonies

Among Bach's most popular and frequently recorded works are his symphonies. 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 of 1773. 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), but since their rediscovery, have become increasingly popular. However, Bach's best works in the form (by his own estimation) 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. Some of its more unusual features have been taken as characteristic of Bach's style: 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. 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. His other concertos were written for
oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...
, flute, and organ. Bach also wrote for more unusual combinations, including an E-flat major concerto for harpsichord 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
piano trio A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in European classical music, classical chamber music. The term can also ...
s, and three very popular quartets for keyboard, flute, and viola. Bach also wrote one of the earliest pieces for solo flute, a sonata that is clearly influenced by his father's Partita in A minor for solo flute, BWV 1013.


Keyboard sonatas

Bach was a prolific writer of keyboard sonatas, many of which were intended for his favored instrument, the
clavichord The clavichord is a stringed rectangular keyboard instrument that was used largely in the Late Middle Ages, through the Renaissance music, Renaissance, Baroque music, Baroque and Classical period (music), Classical eras. Historically, it was most ...
. 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). Wq. 64:1–6 are six sonatinas for keyboard, and Wq. 65:1–50 are fifty further keyboard sonatas. The Sonata in E-flat major, Wq. 65:7, is based on ''Solo per il cembalo'', , No. 27 in the second Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach.


Other keyboard works

Easily Bach's best-known piece is the '' Solfeggietto'', Wq. 117/2, to the point that the introduction to ''The Essential C. P. E. Bach'' is subtitled "Beyond the Solfeggio in C Minor". Several of Bach's other miscellaneous keyboard works have gained fame, including the character piece '' La Caroline'' and the Fantasia in F-sharp minor, Wq. 67. Bach's fantasias, in particular, have been considered to show him at his most characteristic: they are full of dramatic silences, harmonic surprises, and perpetually varied figuration. 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
music box A music box (American English) or musical box (British English) is an automatic musical instrument in a box that produces Musical note, musical notes by using a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder (geometry), cylinder or disc to pluck ...
and musical clock were popular at the Prussian court, and C. P. E. Bach wrote thirty original compositions for these instruments, grouped together as Wq. 193. At that time, Bach was court musician to King Frederick the Great at Potsdam; the King, who was intrigued by mechanically reproduced music, had mechanical organ clocks built for the City Castle of Potsdam and for the New Palais.


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 Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
, Ukraine, in 1999, returned to Berlin in 2001, and deposited in the Berlin State Library. It contained 5,100 musical compositions, none ever printed for the public, including 500 by 12 different members of the Bach family.


Legacy and musical style

Through the later half of the 18th century, the reputation of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach stood very high, surpassing that of his father. Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven admired him and "avidly" collected his music. Mozart said of him, "Bach is the father, we are the children." His work has been described as "sincere in thought" and "polished and felicitous in phrase". His keyboard sonatas, for example, "mark an important epoch in the history of musical form". "Lucid in style, delicate and tender in expression, they are even more notable for the freedom and variety of their structural design"; they break away altogether from the hardened conventions of the Italian school. He was probably the first composer of eminence who made free use of harmonic color for its own sake. In this way, he compares well with the most important representatives of the First Viennese School. In fact, he exerted enormous influence on the North German School of composers, in particular Georg Anton Benda, Bernhard Joachim Hagen, Ernst Wilhelm Wolf, Johann Gottfried Müthel, and Friedrich Wilhelm Rust. His influence was not limited to his contemporaries and extended to
Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...
and
Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...
. His name fell into neglect during the 19th century, with
Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...
notoriously opining that "as a creative musician he remained very far behind his father"; others opined that he was "a somewhat feeble imitator of his father's style". All the same,
Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...
held him in high regard and edited some of his music. By the early 20th century, he was better regarded but the revival of C. P. E. Bach's works has been chiefly underway since Helmuth Koch's recordings of his symphonies and Hugo Ruf's recordings of his keyboard sonatas in the 1960s. There is an ongoing project to record his complete works, led by on the Swedish record label BIS. In 2014, the Croatian pianist Ana-Marija Markovina, in cooperation with the Packard Humanities Institute, the Bach-Archiv Leipzig, the Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig and
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
released a 26-CD box set of the complete works for solo piano on the German record label Hänssler Classic, performed on a modern Bösendorfer grand piano. 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) Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With around 58,000 inh ...
is named after him. In 2015 the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Museum was opened in Hamburg. 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.www.cpebach.de
Official Anniversary Website for Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.


References

Notes Sources *

* * . * * * Attribution *


Further reading

* ''
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...
'' (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 th
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

* *
Works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
at
Musopen Musopen is an organization which creates, produces and disseminates Western classical music, via public domain recordings, sheet music and educational resources. It stands with the ChoralWiki and the Wind Repertory Project as among the most prom ...

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: The Complete Works
by Packard Humanities Institute * , ''Greater Boston Arts'' by WGBH {{DEFAULTSORT:Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel 1714 births 1788 deaths 18th-century German classical composers 18th-century German male musicians 18th-century German keyboardists Carl Philipp Emanuel German classical composers of church music Composers for pipe organ European University Viadrina alumni German classical pianists German Baroque composers German Classical-period composers German harpsichordists German Lutherans German male classical composers German male classical pianists German music theorists Leipzig University alumni Musicians from Leipzig Musicians from Weimar Oratorio composers People educated at the St. Thomas School, Leipzig Pupils of Johann Sebastian Bach Composers for flute