C.P.E. Bach (Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach)

Born March 8, 1714 in Weimar, Germany

Died December 14, 1788

Nationality: German

Period/Style: Baroque/Early Classical

About the composer:

It must be hard to be the child of a great or famous father.  Everyone expects you to be just like him.  That’s what it must have been like for Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the oldest son of the very famous Johann Sebastian Bach, who was considered to be the greatest composer ever.  C.P.E. (‘Emmanuel’, for short) grew up with music in the house all the time.  His father was always teaching, composing (and probably playing the keyboard as he composed) and playing music with friends.  Visitors to the Bach home included some of the finest musicians of the day, so the children of J.S.Bach were always surrounded by great music.  What a learning experience this must have been for them!  Emanuel learned to play the keyboard (harpsichord) from his dad and wrote some music of his own, but then decided to go to college and study something other than music. He studied Law for a while, but soon found his way back to music as a career. His compositions were (and still are) often overshadowed by his father’s, but when we listen to Emanuel’s works, we find that he also had a great talent for music.  His music was different from his father’s  (kids’ taste in music is usually different from their  parents’) but his music was some of the finest ever written.

About the music:

Emanuel Bach’s music is tuneful, graceful and symmetrical.  We hear lots of dynamic range (the volume isn’t all the same, but varies from soft to loud). You might describe his music as elegant.  His Symphonies are a good example of the early Classical Period.

Suggested activities:

Look on a map for Weimar, and identify some other cities in Germany.

Find out the names of some of J.S. Bach’s other children.

Find out who Anna Magdalena Bach was.