Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was born on the 8th of March 1788 in Weimar and died in Hamburg on December 14th of 1788. Fifth son of Johann Sebastian and Maria Barbara Bach he had G. P. Telemann as his godfather. Together with serious law and general studies he had his father as his unique music teacher. Highly gifted, he would become a famous virtuoso at the keyboards. He settled down in Berlin at 1738 where he would stay for 30 years. On 1740 he started to work for Frederic II of Prussia then at the beginning of his reign. Carl Philipp was the accompanist of the king who played the flute, and his musical adviser. He kept this position until 1768. He resigned in 1768 and replaced Georg Philipp Telemann, who died few months earlier, as Music Director at Hamburg. He gave there many concerts, directed the "premieres" of many of the composers of his day and stayed until his death. Sometimes called "the Bach of Berlin" or "the Bach of Hamburg" he was, among his brothers, probably the most refined and creative composer. He endorsed the "new" style of music composing and developed this into the "classical style" as we know today. A highly educated and intellectual person, he was aware of the new ideas of his epoch and left a very large work, cataloged by the musicologist Alfred Wotquenne ("Wq"). - David Ezra Okonsar ______________ Mr. Okonsar's introduction (the full version of which can be found on his YT post) and performance seemed like a good beginning to a C.P.E. thread so I went with it. I don't agree that the music from this son is the most refined of Bach's talented progeny but everyone has their favorite. Here's to more beautiful sounds and performances from the catalogue of C.P.E.. Cheers.
Like his father, he wrote for a variety of instruments. I'm particularly enamored with his trio sonatas. There is an emotional element to his composing that was not (yet) a staple of music transitioning from baroque to classical.
I only recently became aware of C.P.E. Bach's work. I've been a J.S. Bach fan for a while now and, after scoring it at a decent price, decided to take the plunge on the Brilliant Classics compilation of C.P.E.'s collected works. So far, I've only delved into the discs devoted to the cello and oboe concertos, but I've been more than pleased with what I'm hearing. He's not his father, but the music definitely scratches a similar itch for me.
Indeed; the quote was taken from Mr. Okansar's life summary and I didn't want to fuss with editing his work but that mistake is conspicuous! Thanks. I also didn't bother with a reproduction of his image in the intro as I felt the music to be the most important aspect of his life. But if you feel the need to gaze at the 18th century master classicfm.com put together a Life in Pictures page that may be intriguing to some. The Packard Humanities Institute has an ongoing C.P.E. project called Carl Philipp Emanuel: The Complete Works where they apparently offer "at no charge, performing material for works that have been published in the edition thus far."
I was looking for a live version of CPE's Cello Concerto in A Minor, Wq. 170 but found this fine recording by the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Peter Bruns on Cello: A new favorite.
It's is a heavy one; but I'm in the mood for it tonight. CPE's Magnificat, performed by The Monteverdichoir Würzburg:
A friend of mine tells the story of a friend of his who was such a fan of CPE Bach, he used to describe Johann Sebastian Bach as "CPE Bach's father".
CPE's Cello Concerto in A Major is less compelling than the Minor to me but probably his most well known. And I love a live performance.
Concertos & Symphonies C.P.E. Bach, Johann Christian Bach Haydn Sinfonietta Wien, Manfred Huss On the plate today is this 2014 release widely available on streaming platforms. I picked up the disc a few weeks back and am just getting acquainted with it now. A review by Jerry Dubins (Fanfare Magazine) is right on; particularly with regard to the use of fortepianos in place of C.P.E. Bach's specified note of 2 harpsichords in the Concerto for 2 harpsichords, 2 horns & strings in F major, Wq. 46 (H408). The rest of the recording is first rate and certainly worth a download or discounted purchase. C.P.E. Bach: Concerto in F major, Wq 46 H 408C Concerto in A minor, Wq 166 H 43 Hamburg Symphony No.1 in D major, Wq 183/1 H 663 Hamburg Symphony No.4 in G major, Wq 183/4 H 666 Johann Christian Bach: Symphony for Double Orchestra in E flat major, Op.18 No.1 C 26
On the other hand I suspect that if Johann Sebastian Bach had not been CPE Bach's father we would never have heard of CPE Bach.
Back in 1998 in Munich's Prinzregententheater Christopher Hogwood conducted an all C.P.E. Bach concert lasting well over 90 minutes. It doesn't appear to be available on DVD. However some kind soul posted the entire thing on The Tube, alas, without program notes or credits. It clearly starts with Bach's Symphony in C Major, Wq. 182,3, followed by his Oboe, Flute Concertos, Symphonies and smaller works that I will have to list later. The program begins with an intro by a Greek TV host but quickly moves on to a Hogwood interview (in English) and the full concert. Brilliant performances all around:
So, Anastasia Injushina (piano) and the Hamburger Camerata, led by Raf Gothóni, are calling this the Keyboard Concerto in D Major Wq. 43/2 while purists insist on it being the Harpsichord Concerto in D Major. For me the piano works quite well here with a very brisk opening and no fuss or messing about between movements:
It's impossible to say how we would regard a C.P.E. Bach today, if the elder Bach wasn't so recognisable. But certainly during his time, C.P.E. was a well-regarded composer, whereas his father's music hadn't yet been rediscovered. Enough so for Mozart to have said of C.P.E., "Bach is the father, we are the children."
