Concerto in D Minor (1747?
) – Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
I – Allegro
II – Un Poco Andante
III – Allegro di Molto
Composer Biography
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled
Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth
child and second (surviving) son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach. His second
name was given in honor of his godfather Georg Philipp Telemann, a friend of Johann Sebastian
Bach.
C. P. E. Bach was an influential composer working at a time of transition between his
father's baroque style and the classical and romantic styles that followed it. His personal
approach, an expressive and often turbulent one known as empfindsamer Stil or 'sensitive style',
applied the principles of rhetoric and drama to musical structures. Bach's dynamism stands in
deliberate contrast to the more mannered galant style also then in vogue.
To distinguish him from his brother Johann Christian, the "London Bach," who at this
time was music master to the Queen of England, C.P.E. Bach was known as the "Berlin Bach"
during his residence in that city, and later as the "Hamburg Bach" when he succeeded Telemann
as Kapellmeister there. He was known simply as Emanuel to his contemporaries. (Wikipedia)
Carl Philipp Emanuel (C. P. E.) Bach was born on March 8, 1714 in Weimar, Germany,
and died on December 14, 1788 in Hamburg, Germany. He was the second surviving son of
Johann Sebastian Bach, and is often referred to as the "Berlin Bach" or the "Hamburg Bach" to
distinguish him from other family members who were composers as well. The Bach family was
prominent in German musical life from the 17th to the 19th centuries.
Carl Philipp Emanuel was the most prolific composer of the Bach family, and in his day
was considered greater than his father. He abandoned his father's characteristic polyphonic style
of writing to become the leading exponent of "Empfindsamkeit" (the German equivalent of
French Rococo). C. P. E. Bach composed hundreds of songs, solo, chamber and orchestral
compositions. His essay "The True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments" was highly influential
in his time, and provides today's scholars with authentic information on musical practices of the
18th century.
C. P. E. Bach's most famous patron was Frederick II of Prussia, for whom he worked
nearly 30 years. Frederick was an avid amateur flutist, and Bach composed over 300 works for
him. After his relationship with Frederick became strained (primarily over money), Bach moved
to Hamburg in 1768 and earned a living from a variety of church and teaching jobs. He was also
a musical entrepreneur, publishing his own music and producing concerts in which he and others
performed his compositions. (Smart Music)
Composition Notes
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. (Muswrite on Blogspot)
Pedagogical Use
Use
Form of the Piece
Form
Translations
Recordings
Emmanuel Pahud
As expected, Emmanuel Pahud has a great recording of this concerto. Noticeable
almost immediately in the first movement is the fact that Pahud adds ornamentation to the
movement. They’re subtle, so if one was not familiar with the piece they would not
notice at all. The strings blend well with his playing. There are also spots in the first
movement where he just barely stretches out the time, which I think sounds fitting. He
has great phrasing and direction in the second movement and clean, clear articulation in
the third.
Jennifer Stinton
What I notice first is that Stinton’s playing is not as strong as I expected it to be.
She also adds ornamentation to the first and second movement of the piece (and possibly
the rest?), though she adds different ornamentation than Pahud did. Her sound is
resonant, though it is difficult to hear if she is using vibrato or not.
Difficulties
Movement
Difficulties
