Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel 1714 - 1788
Author: Asayama, Natsuko
Last updated：May 1, 2007
Author: Asayama, Natsuko
German composer. Johann Sebastian Bach and his first wife, Maria Barbara. Known as 'the Berlin Bach' or 'the Hamburg Bach'. He left behind the most works among Bach's children, and his fame during his lifetime surpassed that of his father, earning him the title 'the Great Bach' at the time. In music history, he is an important figure who bridged the Baroque and Classical eras.
In Berlin, he served as a court musician to Frederick the Great from the time the latter was Crown Prince. At the court of the king, who enjoyed playing the flute, Emanuel's works were rarely performed, and his musical tastes often did not align with the king's, resulting in no increase in his salary. Nevertheless, during his Berlin period, he published Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments (2 volumes, 1753/1762, Japanese translation available), establishing his reputation as a keyboard player. It is said that Frederick the Great himself did not stint on praise for Emanuel's playing. However, in 1767, he finally resigned from the Berlin court after 30 years of service and became the music director of the five principal churches in Hamburg.
In Hamburg, he was extremely busy providing music for various church and city events, but he also actively organized regular public concerts, published his own works, and interacted with musicians and cultural figures across Europe.
Emanuel's keyboard works were written for harpsichord or clavichord. While taking the keyboard works of his father, J.S. Bach, and D. Scarlatti as models, the element of counterpoint is not very strong. Rather, his works are characterized by the 'galant style,' which makes extensive use of ornamentation and figuration, and the 'Empfindsamer Stil' (sensitive style), which seeks to express emotions directly through sudden changes in mood and bold modulations. Furthermore, in his sonatas, he established the three-movement form of fast-slow-fast, and the prototype of sonata form with a second theme can be observed. In addition to these forms, the rich musical effects and emotional expression in his works greatly influenced the Viennese Classical composers such as Haydn and Beethoven.
Works(174)
Concerto (1)
concerto (33)
Concerto d-Moll für Cembalo Wq. 23 H. 427
Key: d-moll Composed in: 1748 Playing time: 24 min 10 sec
Concerto e-Moll für Cembalo Wq. 24 H. 428
Key: e-moll Composed in: 1748 Playing time: 24 min 50 sec
Concerto a-Moll für Cembalo Wq. 26 H. 430
Key: a-moll Composed in: 1750 Playing time: 24 min 10 sec
Concerto G-Dur für Orgel oder Cembalo Wq. 34 H. 444
Key: G-Dur Composed in: 1755 Playing time: 25 min 00 sec
Concerto c-Moll für Cembalo Wq. 37 H. 448
Key: c-moll Composed in: 1762 Playing time: 21 min 20 sec
Concerto Es-Dur für Cembalo Wq. 40 H. 467
Key: Es-Dur Composed in: 1765 Playing time: 25 min 10 sec
Concerto Es-Dur für Cembalo Wq. 41 H. 469
Key: Es-Dur Composed in: 1769 Playing time: 23 min 50 sec
Concerto doppio F-Dur für 2 Cembali Wq. 46 H. 408
Key: F-Dur Composed in: 1740 Playing time: 24 min 10 sec
Concerto doppio Es-Dur für Cembalo, Fortepiano Wq. 47 H. 479
Key: Es-Dur Composed in: 1788 Playing time: 17 min 20 sec
Piano Solo (9)
arrangement (30)
sonata (90)
Sechs Clavier-Sonaten für Kenner und Liebhaber, Erste Sammlung Wq. 55
Playing time: 1 hr 01 min 30 sec
Playing time: 44 min 10 sec
Playing time: 52 min 10 sec
fantasy (1)
variation (1)
menuetto (3)
march (2)
Various works (11)
Rondo e-Moll - Abschied von meinem Silbermannischen Claviere Wq. 66 H. 272
Composed in: 1781 Playing time: 6 min 20 sec
Piano Ensemble (1)