by Briana Murphy

Created on: November 15, 2008

There is an old adage that says, "To be the child of a musician is to be a musician". This is most certainly true in the case of Carl
Philipp Emanuel Bach, the son of the renowned composer and musician, Johann Sebastian Bach. Although he is not as famous as his father, CPE Bach is nonetheless an extremely important figure in the history of Western music. CPE Bach was born in Weimar, Germany in 1714, to Johann Sebastian and Maria Barbara Bach. His mother, Maria, died when he was just six years old. However, his father remarried Anna Magdalena Wilcke, a singer, a year and a half later. At ten years old he began schooling at the St. Thomas School of Leipzig, where his father was cantor. CPE Bach continued on a somewhat circuitous route to music by studying law at the universities of Leipzig and Oder (now Frankfurt) and receiving his law degree in 1738.

By the time he received this degree he was also considered one of the best clavier players on the continent, and not too much time passed before he was appointed to serve Frederick the Great in Berlin. Less than two years later, he was granted a spot in the royal orchestra. By this time he had over three dozen works written, including sonatas and concert pieces for harpsichord and clavichord. In 1744 he married Johanna Maria Dannermann. He served in the court of Frederick the Great until 1768, after which he became the music director of five large churches in Hamburg.

Although he is not as well known as the "big three" (Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven) of Classical music, and certainly not as well known as his father, CPE Bach was extremely important to the development and emergence of the Classical style of music. He was born into the materialization of the Enlightenment, and the thoughts surrounding this time period are reflected in CPE's writings, such as his influential "Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments" (1753-62). As a composer, he is especially known for his works for keyboard. CPE was a master of the empfindsamkeit style of music, which is characterized by expressive, dynamic melodies with light accompaniment. Often there are unexpected and abrupt changes in dynamics and harmony throughout the piece. A perfect example of this is the Second Movement from Sonata in A Major.

Unfortunately, the adage of musicianship transference from parents to children stopped with Carl Philipp Emanuel; none of the three children he bore with Johanna Dannermann became musicians. Still, CPE Bach remained an active composer until the end of his life. His health began to deteriorate early in 1788, and he passed away of a "chest ailment" at sixty-four years of age on December 14th, 1788. By the end of his life he had written over 1000 compositions for a variety of instruments and ensembles. His works remain an important part of musical repertoire to this day.

Sources:

Grove Music Online

A History of Western Music. W.W. Norton & Company, New York & London, Seventh Ed, 2006.

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