For two decades, Johann Sebastian Bach's son shaped Hamburg's cultural life as music director. The baroque composer buried in the Michel was born a good 300 years ago.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. At least that's what a look at the offspring of Johann Sebastian Bach suggests. Four sons of the baroque composer followed in his footsteps. This gave them even more fame during their lifetime than their own father - especially their second son, Carl Philipp Emanuel. He was known in large parts of Europe as "the great brook" in his time. He was born 300 years ago, on March 8, 1714, in Weimar, Thuringia. His tomb is in Hamburg's Michel:the great musician spent the last 20 years as municipal music director in the Hanseatic city until his death in 1788. That's why Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach is still called the "Hamburg Bach".
Bach's eventful childhood and instructive youth
Johann Sebastian Bach, here with his family in 1870, was married twice and had 20 children. Some died shortly after birth.In Weimar, Johann Sebastian Bach had just taken over the position of concertmaster from Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar when his third child, Carl Philipp Emanuel, was born. Three years later, in December 1717, the family moved to Köthen, where Johann Sebastian Bach became Kapellmeister at the court of Prince Leopold.
The mother dies in 1720 and the father remarries a year later. In 1723 the family moved to Leipzig, where the father took up the position of Thomaskantor. Carl Philipp Emanuel grew up in Leipzig in the busy cantor's apartment. His father teaches students how to play the harpsichord in the house, musician friends come to visit, and the family has children almost every year. Carl Philipp Emanuel and his older brother Wilhelm Friedemann learned to play the piano and compose during these years. Her father teaches her both at the Thomasschule and often privately after work.
From Saxony to Prussia
In 1731, Carl Philipp Emanuel began studying law in Leipzig, and the 17-year-old also completed his first work:the composition "Menuet pour le Clavessin". In 1734 he continued his studies at the university in Frankurt/Oder. He also works there as a piano teacher and performs at various music festivals. In 1738 Bach moved to Berlin and was hired by Crown Prince Frederick - later Prussian King Frederick the Great - to play the harpsichord in his court orchestra. There he met Johanna Maria Dannemann, whom he married in 1744. The marriage later produced two sons and a daughter.
A harpsichord:Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach played such an instrument at the Prussian court.Bach remained in royal service until 1767. During this time he composed some of his most important works, including the "Berlin Symphonies" and the "Württemberg Sonatas". He is also active as a theoretician and wrote his book "An attempt to play the keyboard", which was published in 1753 and soon became the standard work throughout Europe. Bach has illustrated his work with numerous musical examples, for which he chooses clear descriptions, for example about the type of performance. Even today, with the help of the book, the reader can get a good picture of the customs of playing the piano in the 18th century.
Bach moves to Hamburg
In his function as music director, Bach was also responsible for the music at the Michel.In 1767 Carl Philipp Emanuel's godfather, the composer Georg Philipp Telemann, died. Until his death, Telemann was music director of the five main churches in Hamburg and cantor at the Johanneum. The post was considered one of the most respected musical posts in Germany at the time. Telemann's godchild now applies for the position that has become vacant - and is awarded the contract. From 1768 Bach was responsible for the church music in the five main churches, including the Michel. In the Johanneum he is responsible for the musical education of the students, and he is also responsible for the festive music on solemn occasions. Bach takes great care in his new position - he gains respect beyond the city limits.
From now on, sacred works characterize the musical life of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. He composed some himself, such as the oratorios "The Israelites in the Desert" (1769) or "The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus", a work which premiered on March 18, 1778 in Hamburg. In addition to constantly new compositions, he conducts works by contemporary composers such as Georg Friedrich Handel or Johann Adolph Hasse. He also publishes and sells his own plays.
Bach buried in the vault under the Michel
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach lived in Hamburg for 20 years. In 1788 he died in the Hanseatic city.During his time in Hamburg he played the harpsichord less and less. The gout bothered Bach, and he increasingly developed health problems. In addition, there is a tragic event that deeply saddens the musician in his old age:in September 1778 his beloved son Johann Sebastian dies during a stay in Italy. In 1787 Bach informed a friend that he wanted to finish the works for his audience. The musician doesn't withdraw completely, but composes less and has been more and more involved with his father's work in recent years. Bach died in Hamburg on December 14, 1788. His tomb in the vault under the Michel is open to the public.
The musical legacy of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
One of the less well-known achievements of Carl Philipp Emanuel is the preservation and transmission of his father's musical work. "We wouldn't be able to perform many of Johann Sebastian Bach's works if Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach hadn't kept his father's sheet music so carefully," explains Jörg Bode, board member of the Hamburg Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Choir. The renowned concert choir, which has borne the name of the famous musician since 1998, regularly sings pieces of the "Hamburg Bach" - and thus maintains a piece of the Hanseatic city's musical heritage.