C.P.E. Bach - Six Spiritual Songs

C.P.E. Bach is most well known for his instrumental works, of which his most prolific genre is the works for solo keyboard with over 400 pieces.  But it may be a surprise to learn that his second largest genre of works was his output of songs, with over 250 works.  Bach's role as a transitional composer applies to his songs as well as other genres. To be sure, songs had been written before his time, but the style of accompaniment for earlier songs was a holdover from the Baroque era, a continuo accompaniment that could be played by a bass instrument that included numbers (a figured bass) that were an outline for harmony to be filled in by a keyboard.  Bach wrote out his accompaniments in full to his later songs and made them specific for a keyboard instrument.

Bach was very discriminating towards the texts that he set to music. Many of the texts he used were spiritual or sacred in nature.  One of the poets he set to music was Christoph Christian Sturm, German writer and preacher. Geistliche Gesänge (Sacred songs with melodies) is a set of two volumes of Sturm's poems (thirty in each volume for a total of 60 songs) that Bach set to music in 1780 and 1781.  Many of the songs are strophic; the music is the same for each verse of the poem.  Bach did not always set all the verses of a poem, and performers did not always perform all the verses that were contained in a song.

1) Über die Finsterniss kurz vor dem Tode Jesu (On The Darkness Shortly Before Jesus' Death) Wq. 197, No. 29

Christoph Christian Sturm

 Bach did not always set every verse of a poem, and performers did not always perform all the verses that were contained in a song. This is part of the tradition of these songs to this day, and  the performance linked at the end of this post has only the first verse of the song performed.  Modern scholarship has seen more awareness of the tonal colors C.P.E. Bach was familiar with. With most of Bach's songs being intended for private performance in a household or a very intimate venue, the keyboard instruments of his time are often utilized in performance. The first five songs in the linked video are accompanied by a tangent piano, a keyboard instrument that was a hybrid between piano and clavichord.

Night and shadow cover
the mediator's face,
and the soul cannot bear
the soul's terror!
Oh, how he feels the despair
for joy and light!
Father, oh how long
must your face remain hidden!
Lord, have mercy!
God, have mercy!

Christian Gellert

Geistliche Oden und Lieder (Spiritual Odes And Songs) are a collection of poems written by Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, who was a German philosopher and poet that helped usher in the Golden Age of German literature that culminated with the writings of Schiller and Goethe. Despite that he could be exceedingly wordy, his works were very popular. C.P.E. Bach admired Gellert's works so much that he set all fifty four poems of the first volume in 1758 as well as a supplement of twelve poems in 1764. Bach himself wrote a preface for the first edition of the work that conveys his purpose in setting the poems:

It would be superfluous to add more praise to the famous author of the text, since his work has already received much recognition. However, it can not be thankful enough fully convinced of the distribution of this collection and its enormous advantage. I for my part, have been very moved by the excellence of the noble and instructive thoughts contained in these texts and felt compelled to set all of them to music. It is common knowledge that didactic odes are not so easily set to music as lyrical poems. However, if didactic odes are as beautifully written as by Mr. Gellert, one feels compelled to make every effort to beautify their purpose, so that their use will be more widely circulated. It is solely for this reason that I composed these melodies. My main objective was to allow these odes to be more accessible and enjoyable for music lovers...

The melodies, which show directions such as 'alive', 'happy', et al. require a moderate pace, otherwise one can easy fall into a bold interpretation and can be easy to forget that these are religious songs Last but not least, I hope again for the approval of the experts and would be very grateful if my good intentions would be recognized.

2) Prüfung am Abend (Reflections In The Evening) - WQ. 194, No. 7
The day has gone again, and so thus far in my life,
how have I spent it? Has it passed by in vain?
Have I seriously strived after good?
Have I, perhaps only obeyed myself and not my duties?

God, who knows everything, what could I conceal from You?
Every day I still feel the frailty of my soul.
Forgive my breach of duty through Christ's blood;
Forgive and do not pronounce judgement on me.

Yes, You forgive the one who is wounded by his sins;
You love mercy and You will have mercy on me, too.
You protect me this night as well;
if I live, I live for You, if I die, I die for You!

3) Trost der Erlösung  (Consolation Of Redemption) - Wq. 194, No. 30
What cannot be explained by thought
the heart is able to understand.
"That God so loved the world that He gave
his only begotten son."

Give me the comfort to know that Jesus Christ
on the cross removes the blame from me,
that He is my redeemer
so that I am not filled with fear.

I know that my Redeemer lives,
that when I rise from the grave
I will see Him in the flesh.

4) Paßionslied - Erforsche mich, erfahr mein Herz (Passion Song - Search within me, inspect my heart) - Wq. 194, No. 14
Search within me, inspect my heart
and see, Lord, who I am.
I think of the pain of your suffering,
of your love, and I weep.
Your cross shall be praised!
What a miracle of mercy
have you given the world.
When have I ever thought of this enough,
and when have I ever, with all my strength,
praised you for it enough?

A victim, according to the old scripture.
burdened with our afflictions,
for you people's iniquity
tormented and beaten.
You are taken away to the cross
in innocence, like a lamb,
that leads to the slaughter.
Voluntarily as the hero's hero.

Your head falls. It is accomplished.
You die, the earth trembles.
This I have made you do.
Lord, my soul is shaking.
What is man, that you free him?
Oh, if only I could be truly thankful;!
Lord, let me find mercy.
And your love shall press me
so that I love you back,
and never crucify you again with my sins.

5) Abendlied - Herr, der du mir das Leben (Evening Song - Lord, you have given me my life) - Wq.194, No. 32
Lord, you have given me my life.
Until this day,
I pray to you like a child!
I am much too undeserving
of the loyalty that I sing of,
which you have shown me today.

Covered with your blessing
I hurry towards my rest,
your name shall be praised!
My life and my end
is yours; into your hands
Father, I commit my spirit.

6) Bußlied  (Song Of Penance) Wq. 194, No. 46
This final song in the video is sung to the accompaniment of a clavichord, reportedly Bach's most favorite keyboard instrument. It is an instrument that is capable of much nuance and expression, but in a very subdued tone.

Against you I have sinned
And often done evil in front of you.
You see the guilt,
Which declares my curse,
God. also look at my misery!

To you my pleading
My sighing is not hidden,
And my tears are in front of you,
Oh God, my God,
How long must I worry?
How long will you be absent from me?

Lord, do not treat me
As I deserve because of my sins,
Do not punish me for my guilt.
I seek you,
Let me find you,
God of infinite patience.

Soon you will fill me
With your grace,
God, father of mercy.
Make me glad for the sake of your name,
You are a God that gives delight.

Allow me on your path
Wander again with joy,
And teach me your holy law,
So I can every day
Do what pleases you.
You are my God, I am your servant.

C.P.E. Bach - Oboe Concerto In E-flat Major Wq. 165

In the period between the Baroque and Classical eras there was a short period of transition that began in France and spread throughout  Europe called Rococo, music that is typically lighter but intimate in style with ornate ornamentation. Music in this style was called style galante in France and empfindsamer stil in Germany.

The concept of eras in music is merely a device used by scholars and teachers to subdivide the vast history of the subject into more digestible chunks, so it is well to remember that  elements of one era overlap quite often into differing eras. If the 50 - year period between 1720 - 1770 can be considered the Rococo era, there was considerable overlap within the Baroque era at the beginning of it and within the Classical era at the end of it.  Composers can be difficult to pigeonhole into any one era as many times works were written with specific occasions, performers and patrons in mind, which would determine the style. Even within a single composition there could be sections representing more than one style.

The development of the solo concerto in the early 18th century by Vivaldi can be thought of as one example of the reaction against the learned contrapuntal composing style of the Baroque. The 12 concertos printed as L'estro Armonico in 1711 were widely distributed and studied by many composers, including J.S. Bach who made many transcriptions of them. Not all of the concertos are for solo violin. Some are for two, three or four violins and may be technically considered concertos grosso, but it is the style in which they were composed and the ritornello form that they used that were so influential.

With the contributions by J.S. Bach to the solo concerto literature in the style of Vivaldi, he can be considered at least an occasional composer of works in the Rococo style. As the elder Bach was the only teacher that his son C.P.E. Bach ever had, it is natural that the son was taught not only the learned style of counterpoint, but other styles as well. C.P.E. Bach can be considered a Rococo composer, but he also expanded beyond that and was one of the primary composers in the development of the Classical style later perfected by Haydn and Mozart.

C.P.E. Bach composed works in most genres of his time, and the number of concertos is considerable, with some 52 works.  All of his concertos are originally written for keyboard, but he did make alternate versions of a few of these for other instruments such as flute, oboe, and cello.

He arranged two concertos for solo oboe in 1765, with the first one being in B-flat major which amounts to an enjoyable equivalent of 18th century easy listening music, while the second concerto in E-flat major shows more of Bach's quirky style. They were likely written for a prominent soloist whose name is not known, but who was probably a traveling virtuoso or member of the local orchestra in Berlin. The concerto is written for oboe, strings, continuo and is in three movements:

I. Allegro - The orchestra begins the work with a stubborn two note motive played in the violins over a shifting accompaniment in the other strings. The theme expands and goes off in a different direction until it returns to the opening two note motive. A rather awkward sounding chord progression (completely intentional, Bach usually has some harmonic surprises in his better compositions) leads to the entrance of the oboe. The oboe takes up the two note motive and develops the music that was introduced in the opening by the orchestra. The orchestra tosses out music in its own episodes and as an accompaniment to the soloist in Bach's version of ritornello form. A cadenza is played by the soloist, after which previous material is repeated by the orchestra in an early form of a sonata recapitulation. A short coda by the orchestra ends the movement.

II. Adagio ma non troppo - The middle movement is in C minor. The orchestra plays the melancholy theme which is taken up by the soloist and varied while the orchestra accompanies and comments. The oboe plays a short cadenza after which the orchestra repeats the melancholy theme without the oboe. The music moves to a cadence to an E-flat major chord and the last movement is played without a break.

III.  Allegro ma non troppo -  The final movement has a three to the bar theme played by the orchestra. AS in the previous movements, the oboe takes up the theme, expands and varies it between the orchestra's restatement of it. After the oboe develops the theme, it repeats it almost as it was first played. The orchestra then makes its final comments and closes the work.

C.P.E. Bach - Flute Concerto In D Minor Wq. 22

Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach spent thirty yeas in the employ of Frederick The Great, king of Prussia. His duties were not over taxing, (he played continuo for the King's nightly playing of flute sonatas and concertos) so he had ample time to devote to composition. It was while he was employed at the court in Berlin that he wrote copiously for keyboard, including two sets of published sonatas.

It was while Bach was in Berlin that he also wrote the Concerto In D Minor For Flute, perhaps as early as 1747.  There is evidence that the same music was used in an arrangement for a keyboard concerto, but there is some disagreement among musicologists as to which version was the original and which was the arrangement.  In either case, the flute version probably gave his Royal Highness fits trying to play it.  The concerto is in three movements:

I. Allegro - The orchestra begins by playing the themes of the movement. The soloist enters and gives its own more decorated renditions of the themes. The orchestra repeats the themes before the flute develops them with added ornamentation and key changes.  The main rhythmic theme is alternated with the soloist's statements as Bach keeps the momentum going to the end of the movement.

II. Un poco andante - A movement of smooth elegance that is not without sections of subdued drama for the soloist. Bach gives the soloist an opportunity for a cadenza shortly before the movement ends.

III. Allegro di molto - The movement begins in a whirl of rapidity that is maintained throughout. The music is a harbinger of the Sturm und Drang style of music  that would come into fashion later in the 18th century.  The opening theme returns throughout the movement and leads the soloist to run to keep up with the orchestra in music of great virtuosity and drama. The orchestra has the last word with a final statement of the main theme followed by an abrupt ending.

Bach took up the position of Cantor and Director of Music at Hamburg in 1768, and in his autobiography of 1777 he expressed his disappointment and frustration during his time in Berlin. Bach had gained the reputation of one of the great keyboard players in Europe early on, but it was his compositions that probably held him back from being more appreciated at court. As Annette Richards, organist, musicologist and authority on 17th and 18th century music has written:

Outside music, the cultural references of JS Bach were more or less exclusively theological. But with CPE Bach, things are completely different. Engaged with poets, painters, philosophers, his music is a reflection of the burgeoning secular discourse of his time.  Even among his contemporaries you get a sense that CPE Bach is an acquired taste. His music – or the music he considered representative of his talents – is miles away from the elegance and balance we associate with this period. Timelines are crisscrossed, he is endlessly stopping and starting, wrong-footing the listener and causing his audience to reconsider its relation to the music. In that sense, it's very postmodern, a kind of meta-music.

The composer himself had something to say about his style and originality in his autobiography:

Because I have had to compose most of my works for specific individuals and for the public, I have always been more restrained in them than in the few pieces that I have written merely for myself. At times I even have had to follow ridiculous instructions, although it could be that such not exactly pleasant conditions have led my talents to certain discoveries that I might not otherwise have come upon. Since I have never liked excessive uniformity in composition and taste, since I have heard such a quantity and variety of good [things], since I have always been of the opinion that one could derive some good, whatever it may be even if it is only a matter of minute details in a piece, probably from such [considerations] and my natural, God-given ability arises the variety that has been observed in my works…..Among all my works, especially for keyboard, there are only a few trios, solos, and concertos that I have composed in complete freedom and for my particular use.  

C.P.E. Bach - Symphony In G Major Wq 183/4

The word symphony is derived from two Greek words that roughly mean 'an agreeable, concerted and harmonious sound'. As far back as the 11th century it could be used as the name of an instrument, usually one that played more than one tone at once, as with the bagpipe or the medieval instrument called the hurdy gurdy. Later it came to mean music played by a group of instruments or even vocalists.

The words sinfonia and symphony were used for instrumental pieces in opera, concertos and sonatas all through the Baroque period in the 17th and early 18th centuries.  Soon the term symphony and overture were used interchangeably in Italian opera. The overture to many Italian operas followed a three-movement form that had the tempo scheme of fast-slow-fast. The evolution of the form was more or less standardized with the later symphonies of Haydn and Mozart in the late 18th century by the addition of a fourth movement.

Scholars have determined that C.P.E. Bach wrote his first documented symphony in 1741. It followed the fast-slow-fast form and was for strings and continuo, which makes Bach one of the first recognizable composers of compositions that were meant to be heard as stand-alone works not tied to the theater. There are 20 symphonies extant that can be confidently attributed to Bach, all of them follow the three movement form.

The other feature of the symphony is the presence of sonata form, usually found in the first movement, but it can be used for any of the movements. It was derived from binary form, a form that consists of two related sections that are repeated. An early style of sonata form was used by Bach in his symphonies, with Haydn and Mozart standardizing a model of the form in their symphonies and other works. As C.P.E. Bach uses it, sonata form utilizes two themes, the first being in the tonic key, the next in the dominant key (or other related key), that are played in succession after which a short section develops these themes by variations in key, phrasing, etc. The themes appear again (recapitulation) after the development with the first theme played as before, and the second theme modulating to the tonic (usually).

Bach's Symphony In G Major Wq. 183/4  is in three movements:
I. Allegro assai - An angular, down-beat stressed theme is played by the violins while the second theme is played by the flutes with comments by oboes and violins. The first theme reappears and goes directly to the development section where the second theme is commented upon after which the first theme modulates to the minor. This leads to the recapitulation that segues to the slow movement

II. Poco andante - A short movement in the minor that serves as a contrast in mood to the first movement.

III. Presto - A lively dance movement.

C.P.E. Bach - Symphony In F Major Wq. 183/3

C.P.E. Bach, known as Emmanuel to his friends, left the employ of Frederick The Great in 1768 after spending 30 years in Berlin. The years in Berlin had been fruitful as he composed many works for the keyboard while there as well as writing his famous An Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments. This book changed keyboard technique forever and is an invaluable guide to how music was performed in Bach's day.  He was one of the first musicians that recommended the use of the thumbs when playing the keyboard. There is some evidence that his father J.S. Bach also allowed the use of the thumbs in certain circumstances, but Emmanuel broadened their use.

It was not only this treatise that changed the unorthodox to the orthodox. Emmanuel's compositions did also. He stands between two musical eras, the Baroque and Classical. He didn't compose music in the galante style of his younger brother Johann Christian either. Emmanuel's music takes sudden turns, runs the full gamut of emotions. He keeps the listener off balance, for just as you get a good foot hold of what's going on, he throws the listener a curve. That is what makes his music appealing for some, and perhaps not so much for others. Robert Schumann disliked Emmanuel's music, Johannes Brahms loved it.

After his stint in Berlin Emmanuel got the position of director of music in Hamburg, succeeding his godfather Georg Philip Telemann who had recently died. Emmanuel was more of a businessman than his father, for while he was in Hamburg he published and sold his compositions himself and earned more money than his father ever did.

While he was in Hamburg he wrote the set of  symphonies known as the Four Symphonies In Twelve Obbligato Parts. These symphonies were printed in Emmanuel's lifetime and intermittently throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. They are the only works of C.P.E. Bach that have an unbroken history of performance from Emmanuel's lifetime to the present.

The third symphony in F Major follows the three movement pattern of the rest of the symphonies in the set:
I. Allegro di molto - Bach begins straight away with a theme of short statements followed by a pause. The theme quickly evolves into longer statements. After a short pause the woodwinds make their comments and the theme returns to its evolution through the strings. The second theme also consists of short statements by the strings, but the wind instruments play more of a role in this one by filling in the harmonies. The strings proceed to a trill followed by a large downward leap. A short interlude is played by the strings, and the trill and downward leap is repeated. The development section has the first theme commented on and the second theme interjects with key changes. The first theme reappears, the second theme is played in the tonic, complete with the trills and downward leap. The first theme appears once again, but is suddenly cut short as a brief lead-in is played that changes the mood and prepares for the second movement that is played without pause.

II. Larghetto - The violas and cellos play a theme in D minor that is taken up by the whole orchestra. Bach instructs the cembalo (the keyboard instrument that is part of the basso continuo) to remain silent through this short movement.

III. Presto - The cembalo is directed to resume playing as a sprightly theme is played by the violins and winds as the rest of the orchestra backs them up. The music plays piano for a few bars, and the orchestra answers with a forte. This section is repeated. The second section has the music change keys and elaborate on the theme. This section is also repeated.

C.P.E. Bach - Symphony In E-flat Major Wq. 183/2

Bach was in the employ of Frederick The Great's court in Berlin for thirty years as court harpsichordist. In 1768 he left his post in Berlin and assumed the musical directorship of the five churches in Hamburg. The conservative musical atmosphere in Berlin was not conducive to Bach's interests in composing. Despite the added responsibilities of his new position in Hamburg, he had more opportunities to promote his own compositions as well as participate in the concert life of the city.

Bach wrote two sets  of symphonies while in Hamburg. The first six were symphonies for string orchestra and were commissioned by Baron Gottfried van Swieten, Austria's ambassador to Berlin, who had traveled to Hamburg to visit Bach. Thanks to the patronage of van Swieten, Bach's music came to be performed in Vienna. It was at Sunday concerts given in van Swieten's  home that Mozart heard works by C.P.E Bach as well as J.S. Bach and Handel.

The four symphonies in twelve obbligato parts shows Bach at his most inventive. The earlier style of his father's that saw a single mood dominate a composition is thrown overboard in these symphonies as the younger Bach throws mood changes as well as key changes, rhythmic changes, and sudden pauses at the listener in each one of these symphonies. But despite the surprises in them, Bach manages to keep a flow to the music that creates a sense of balance between form and spontaneity.

The Symphony In E-flat is in three movements:
I - Allegro di molto - The movement begins with the full orchestra followed by phrases filled with trills played by the strings that are separated by pauses. The full orchestra resumes playing with the violins playing phrases of repeated notes. The second subject is played by the flute with simple violin accompaniment. The development section begins straight away with no repeat of the exposition. The opening material returns, themes modulate and segue into the next movement that begins without pause.

II. - Larghetto - A gentle tune is played by the flute, then taken up by the oboes with string accompaniment in this very short movement.

III. - Allegretto - A rhythmic movement in sonata form that contrasts with the short preceding larghetto. The violins chatter away, the winds add their share of seasoning to the mix. The first section of the movement is repeated, and is followed by a development section. The opening section returns once more with modulations occurring in the themes.  

C.P.E. Bach - Symphony In D Major Wq. 183/1

C.P.E Bach composed music that was at the forefront in the development of music that strayed away from the more formal Baroque style of his father J.S. Bach. He helped develop sonata form (a compositional method as much as a form) that was refined by Haydn and Mozart and perfected by Beethoven. His influence on those three composers also led to more expressive music. Bach was also a proponent of empfindsamer Stil, a rather imposing German phrase that translates as 'sensitive style.'  Some of the features of empfindsamer Stil are:

•  Music was to appeal to the emotions by the performer being emotionally involved
• Subtle nuance and shading 
• Expression of a variety of sentiments, sometimes in rapid succession
• A singing, expressive style
• Short phrases
• Frequently changing dynamic and rhythmic patterns

C.P.E Bach composed copiously in all of the musical forms of his day, including symphonies.  It is unclear how many symphonies C.P.E. Bach composed, but the number that are definitely known to musicologists is 18. His first symphonies date to about 1741 and are for strings and continuo.  His symphonic output spans over thirty years and his last known works in the form date from 1775-1776. This set of four symphonies was written for an unknown patron and are written for a larger ensemble than the early symphonies. Translated from German, the full tile of this set is named Orchestral Symphonies with Twelve Obbligato Parts. Besides the usual strings and harpsichord continuo, the symphonies call for pairs of horns, flutes, oboes and a single bassoon.  The first symphony in this set is the subject of this article. 

All of Bach's known symphonies follow a three movement plan of fast-slow-fast, and all have a part for continuo but it plays a much smaller role in the later symphonies.

I. Allegro di molto - The symphony opens with the 1st violins playing the tonic note of D with the first measure being a whole note and then alternating D's in syncopation in a procession of shorter notes while the rest of the strings play arpeggiated D chords  until all the strings play D's. The 1st violins repeat the pattern but this time play an F# while the rest of the strings play arpeggiated B minor chords. The pattern repeats, 1st violins play a B while arpeggiated G chords are played by the rest of the strings. The 1st violins then play a C natural and the winds make their entrance and the full orchestra finds its way back to G major. The instruments take their turn in the music that leads up to an interlude for the woodwinds. The strings then take up an agitated theme that is punctuated by the woodwinds. Another theme appears that is just as agitated in  a major key, which leads to the end of the exposition. Bach wrote no repeat for the exposition, so the development begins straight away. The material from the exposition is commented on and developed. The recapitulation then begins and as the movement ends, it gently segues into the next movement.

II. Largo - Bach asks the continuo to be silent in this movement, a slow and gentle tune. The calm mood doesn't last long, as this movement leads directly to the finale.

III. Presto - A rhythmic dance-like movement that Bach repeats. After the repeat there is a short coda that wraps up the symphony.  

C.P.E. Bach - Keyboard Concerto In D Minor Wq. 23

The influence of C.P.E. Bach on composers of his own era and of other generations is large. Mozart said about him that "He is the father, we are the children".  Haydn acknowledged that Bach was a major influence to his instrumental music. After Bach's death in 1788 his reputation slipped somewhat, although Beethoven admired his music greatly and recommended Bach's book An Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments as a teaching tool.  Bach was eclipsed further after Mendelssohn helped revive popular interest in the music of his father, Johann Sebastian Bach in the late 1820's, and Schumann commented that as a creative musician Carl was far behind his father. His music was not entirely forgotten, as Brahms admired his music and edited some of it, but it wasn't until the late 1950's that Carl's music became more well known through recordings of some of the symphonies and keyboard sonatas.

Bach wrote in many different genres including nearly one hundred concertos with roughly half of those for keyboard instrument. As this was a period of transition not only in musical form and expression but of the instruments themselves, Bach labeled his concertos for keyboard, harpsichord or piano.

The Concerto in D Minor Wq.23 (the Wq is an abbreviation for the name of the musicologist who in 1906 assembled the first catalog of Bach's music, Alfred Wotquenne) is written for keyboard, strings and continuo and is in 3 movements:

I. Allegro -  The 1st movement is in a type of sonata form, and begins with an angular, quirky theme. This theme and other secondary ones that are related to the main theme are played by the orchestra alone. The piano then jumps in with the first theme. The piano takes center stage and is answered by the orchestra. These beginning themes are developed slightly, and this section can be thought of as the exposition. There follows a development section that expands upon the themes at length. The main theme keeps bouncing back into the picture until what amounts to a type of recapitulation begins. After further exploring of the themes, the orchestra has the final word and brings the movement to a close.

II. Poco andante - Music that strolls gently from the instruments in splendid contrast to the drama of the first movement.

III. Allegro assai - Bach returns to the mood of the first movement with a theme that leaps and then pauses after the leap, like the instruments need to catch their breathe. This leaping followed by a pause appears throughout the movement, along with brilliant passage work for the soloist. The soloist joins in the leaping and taking of a breath later in the movement as the music remains energetic throughout. After a leap shared by strings and soloist, there is a short cadenza for the piano and the strings have the last word with a sigh of exhaustion.

C.P.E. Bach - Württemberg Sonata No. 1 In A Minor

The music of C.P.E. Bach had a profound effect on the younger composers of his time, namely Mozart and Haydn. It is one of the ironies of art that in the early 19th century the younger Bach's music came to be appreciated less and less as his father's music came to be appreciated more and more. The elder Bach's music never was completely forgotten, especially his keyboard music. Beethoven studied The Well Temper Clavier as did many other composers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, sometimes in hand-written copies that passed from teacher to pupil.

But the younger Bach continued to have a great influence on the art of keyboard playing because of his book Essay On The True Art Of Playing Keyboard Instruments (written in 1753).  The book is a valuable reference to anyone wishing to play the music of the younger Bach and some of his contemporaries. The music of this era continued the musical shorthand of figures written over certain notes that signified trills (and other ornaments of the basic melody) from the music of the previous generation. The meaning and execution of these ornaments can be quite puzzling, even with Bach's book. Different composers in different countries had their own interpretations of the ornaments. What is good for the music of Bach (elder and younger) is not always good for other composers.  Bach states in the book that there is a certain amount of flexibility with what a performer did with an ornament in a specific piece of music, that the overall effect of the piece should be enhanced by the ornamentation which should be a result of the 'good taste' of the performer.

Bach wrote a large amount of music for solo keyboard and his reputation was made with the publication of two sets of sonatas, the  'Prussian' sonatas were dedicated to Frederick The Great and the 'Württemberg' sonatas were dedicated to the grand duke of Württemberg.  The six Württemberg sonatas were written in 1742 while Bach was court musician for Frederick The Great in Berlin.  The sonatas are expressive, chromatic and dramatic, fitting the 'new' style of composition that Bach helped to create. C.P.E. Bach has been called one of the first composers of the classical era.

The first sonata in the set is in A minor and is in three movements:
I. Moderato - This short movement creates tension with its rolled chords and is punctuated by triplets that add a restlessness to the music. The movement consists of two sections that are both repeated, as is the case with early classical era sonatas.  The first section is an early example of sonata form, as there are two themes, with the secondary theme appearing shortly after the first. The second section begins in the relative major (C major) and makes its way back to the original key of A minor.

II. Andante - The gentle opening mood of the andante (in the parallel key of A major)  lasts for 19 bars and is brought to an expressive close by a tempo change to adagio for the 20th bar. The opening theme begins again and the music works its way to an ending of but two 'A' notes, one in the treble and one in the bass.

III. Allegro assai - The last movement returns to the minor key and is highlighted by runs in the right hand as the left hand changes the harmony. This movement is also in two sections that are to be repeated.

C.P.E. Bach readily gave praise to his father as a great musician and teacher (the only teacher he ever had) but that didn't prevent the younger Bach from calling his father's music old-fashioned. C.P.E. Bach was a fine performer and was an innovator and influential composer. His music is no longer forgotten, but it still is rare to hear some of it. To my ears, there is something different about his music, something that is very attractive, even quirky. With more of it being made available on recordings, there is still much I want to listen to and explore.

  

C.P.E. Bach - Symphony For Strings In B Minor Wq. 182/5

Mozart said of C.P.E. Bach, "He is the father, we are the children", high praise indeed from Mozart who didn't have much nice to say about most composers.  Haydn also held him in high regard, and once C.P.E.'s music is heard we can understand why.

His music is full of originality, wit, depth of feeling and craftsmanship. He was also influential as a keyboard teacher and his Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments was used by Beethoven for his students and is still in print today.  Bach lived in a time of great change in musical style, from the learned fugue and counterpoint that his father J.S. Bach was master of, to a style more accessible, simple and tuneful, the Style Galante.  Bach wrote over 800 pieces in many different forms, including the symphony.

Bach's symphonies are written in the Italianate style, that is they are in three movements and alternate fast-slow-fast, and are descended from overtures to operas.  His other stylistic factor is that he does not follow style galante nearly as much as he follows empfindsamer Stil, or the sensitive style of composition. Bach's symphonies are the forerunners of the Romantic style in that they have more of a depth of feeling to them and are full of sudden changes of mood between the movements.

There's some question as to how many symphonies Bach wrote, but we do know that the Symphony in B Minor For Strings was fifth in a set of six string symphonies he wrote for Baron Gottfried van Swieten. Upon talking to Bach about the commission for the symphonies, the Baron told Bach to not be concerned about writing difficult music to perform. Evidently the Baron had a good orchestra at his disposal. The Baron was also a patron of three other great composers, Haydn, Mozart, and the young Beethoven.

The symphony is typical of Bach, with a first movement that flirts with the major and minor scales, is full of runs for the violins and outbursts for the entire ensemble. The second movement is a gently rocking larghetto that leads into the third movement presto with the orchestra scampering out a theme amid the outbursts from the high strings.

C.P.E. Bach - Farewell To My Silberman Clavichord

Another composition by J.S. Bach's second oldest son, C.P.E. Bach.  This is a piece for the clavichord, a type of keyboard instrument that was said to be the favorite of J.S. Bach and his son.  The name of this piece comes from the story that C.P.E Bach gave one of his favorite pupils a clavichord made by the German maker Silbermann, and as a part of the gift also wrote a piece to go along with it.

The clavichord was invented in the 14th century and is a direct ancestor of the piano.  Unlike the harpsichord that plucks the string when a key is depressed, the clavichord has a brass upright, or tangent attached to the end of the key that hits the string when the key is depressed. these tangents are shown in close up in the photo to the left.  This difference in action makes the clavichord capable of changes in levels of volume, but the range is not very large. It is an instrument that played at its loudest could never be heard in a concert hall, so it was and still is an instrument for the home.  Bach's piece is in a minor key, and unlike other pieces written in rondo form of the time, this one is rich in feeling and emotion, even sadness, as it depicts Bach's feeling of saying farewell to an old friend.

If you watch the video of the piece closely, you'll see the performer occasionally move a finger up and down on a key. This is a unique attribute to the clavichord, the ability to play vibrato on a keyboard instrument. It was a common part of clavichord technique at the time as there is a German word for it, bebung.