Georg Philipp Telemann (GAY-org   FIL-lip   TELL-eh-mahn)

Born March 14, 1681 in Magdeburg, Germany

Died June 25, 1767

Nationality: Germany

Period/Style: Baroque

About the composer:

Telemann was a remarkable composer for so many reasons.  For one thing, just look at his lifespan! He lived much longer than most people did in those days, and during his lifetime many other great composers also lived, including Bach, Handel, Haydn and Mozart.  For many years he was Germany’s favorite composer, even more respected and more famous than J.S. Bach.  He had a sense of humor and a likeable personality. He was  admired, even envied sometimes.  He was mostly self-taught in music, and he studied languages and science at the University of Leipzig. Telemann traveled around Europe a lot and picked up musical ideas from other countries and other composers, then incorporated them into his own music. Over that period of 85 years, musical tastes changed and music itself changed, but Telemann was able to adapt to the changes by keeping his music appealing to the public.  He wrote so much music that he was never able to count all of his compositions!  He wrote operas, over a thousand church cantatas, orchestral music (including over 600 suites), dance music, and music for small groups of instruments.

About the music:

We’re going to hear some music written for small groups of instruments.  We call it “chamber music” because it was meant to be played in homes or “chambers” rather than in large concert halls.  In Telemann’s day it was very common for people to have gatherings of friends at their houses just to play music and sing.  This music is just one example of the finest Baroque music ever written.  Listen for the melody, the rhythm, and the harmony in this piece.  See how many different instruments you can identify.

Suggested activities:

Find out what year your parents were born, and your grandparents, and think of some of the changes that have taken place in the world during their lifetimes. How many U.S. presidents have served during their lifetime?  What are some changes in technology? World events?

Do you sing or play an instrument? Are there other musicians in your family? Encourage them to get together now and then at home and make music. Perhaps you can begin your own chamber music gatherings!