Throughout much of his life Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (C.P.E. Bach, 1714 - 1788) composed concertos, often at the rate of one to two or more per year. It is not until the 1760s that Bach's concerto production started to drop.
Most of these concertos were written for keyboard in general, or later the fortepiano. The examples we will hear are largely played on the harpsichord, but we will also discover the virtues of the tangent piano.
Much editorial and publishing work has been done by The Packard Humanities Institute, and extensive recordings have been made on the BIS label.
First we will explore a few of the Sonatinas for keyboard and small orchestra, a wholly new genre of Emanuel Bach's creation.
The twelve Sonatinas were composed in the early 1760s towards the end of Bach's Berlin period. Usually set for keyboard, two flutes, two horns and four-part strings, their instrumentation hovers somewhere between chamber ensemble and full orchestra, and their structure is between that of a suite and a concerto. They were probably written for a group of amateurs, possibly Bach's students. Many movements are arrangements from keyboard works or from the Twelve Small Pieces for two flutes and keyboard, H. 600/Wq. 81 (1758). (1)
Andantino, first movement from the Sonatina for keyboard and orchestra in G Major (1762), H. 450/Wq. 97.
Sonatina in D minor for two keyboards and orchestra (1762), H. 453/Wq. 109. Reworked from an earlier version (both H. 480 and H. 480.5), H. 453 is set for two keyboards, two trumpets, timpani, two oboes and the usual ensemble of two flutes, two horns, and four-part strings. The first movement is and adaptation of La Gause from Petites Pièces per il Cembalo Solo, Wq. 117/37, the second movement is adapted from La Pott, Wq. 117/18. (2)
Allegro di molto, the second quick and most substantial movement of the Sonatina for keyboard and orchestra in E flat major)) (1763), H. 462/Wq. 108, the last of the three Sonatinas published during Bach's lifetime--the others were H. 458/Wq. 106 and H. 461/Wq. 107. (2)
Sonatina for keyboard and orchestra in C major (1763 or later), H. 460/Wq. 101. This is a greatly altered version of the published Sonatina H. 458/Wq. 106 (1763). (1)
We now travel back in time to Bach's student years in Leipzig as a member of J.S. Bach's Collegium Musicum and in Frankfurt and der Oder as part of the Musikalische Akademie. Three keyboard concertos originated in these. All three underwent substantial revisions in the 1740s in Berlin.
Only the Concerto in A minor, H.403/Wq.1 (1733, rev. 1740~, 1744) survives in the earlier version and gives us an idea of Bach's revision process and additions of articulation and dynamics as he transitioned to a new style in Berlin. (3)
Whereas the first concerto exists in many different manuscripts, Bach did not allow the Concerto in E flat major (1734, rev. 1743), H.404/Wq. 2, and the Concerto in G Major, H. 405/Wq. 3 (1737, rev. 1745) to circulate before their Berlin revisions.
In H. 404/Wq. 2 the steady pace of the middle movement may point to the original, but the brilliant finale was probably completely revised. (3)
H. 405/Wq. 3 originated in Frankfurt and der Oder. The surviving version has Berlin-style, rich orchestral ritornellos in the outer movements whereas the middle movement takes J.S. Bach's Concerto in D minor BWV 1052 as an example. (3) The last movement is especially engaging.
In the next three posts we will delve deeper into Emanuel Bach's keyboard concertos from the Berlin period (1738 - 1768); we will hear selections from the Hamburg period (1768 - 1788) and the double keyboard concertos.
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(1) Peter Wollny, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The Complete Works, Preface: Sonatinas." CPEBach.org website. (http://www.cpebach.org/prefaces/sonatinas-preface.html (07/08/2014))
(2) Stephen C. Fisher, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The Complete Works, III/11: Keyboard Sonatinas from Prints: Original and Revised Versions."Table I. The Sonatinas and Their Concordances, Introduction, CPEBach.org website. (http://www.cpebach.org/toc/toc-III-11.html (07/09/2014)). Peter Wollny points out that the term Sonatina is to be understood in the older sense as 'Ensemble Sonatina.'
(3) Peter Wollny, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The Complete Works, III/9.1: Keyboard Concertos from Manuscript Sources I."Introduction, CPEBach.org website. (http://www.cpebach.org/toc/toc-III-9-/1.html (07/09/2014))
Most of these concertos were written for keyboard in general, or later the fortepiano. The examples we will hear are largely played on the harpsichord, but we will also discover the virtues of the tangent piano.
Much editorial and publishing work has been done by The Packard Humanities Institute, and extensive recordings have been made on the BIS label.
First we will explore a few of the Sonatinas for keyboard and small orchestra, a wholly new genre of Emanuel Bach's creation.
The twelve Sonatinas were composed in the early 1760s towards the end of Bach's Berlin period. Usually set for keyboard, two flutes, two horns and four-part strings, their instrumentation hovers somewhere between chamber ensemble and full orchestra, and their structure is between that of a suite and a concerto. They were probably written for a group of amateurs, possibly Bach's students. Many movements are arrangements from keyboard works or from the Twelve Small Pieces for two flutes and keyboard, H. 600/Wq. 81 (1758). (1)
Andantino, first movement from the Sonatina for keyboard and orchestra in G Major (1762), H. 450/Wq. 97.
Sonatina in D minor for two keyboards and orchestra (1762), H. 453/Wq. 109. Reworked from an earlier version (both H. 480 and H. 480.5), H. 453 is set for two keyboards, two trumpets, timpani, two oboes and the usual ensemble of two flutes, two horns, and four-part strings. The first movement is and adaptation of La Gause from Petites Pièces per il Cembalo Solo, Wq. 117/37, the second movement is adapted from La Pott, Wq. 117/18. (2)
Allegro di molto, the second quick and most substantial movement of the Sonatina for keyboard and orchestra in E flat major)) (1763), H. 462/Wq. 108, the last of the three Sonatinas published during Bach's lifetime--the others were H. 458/Wq. 106 and H. 461/Wq. 107. (2)
Sonatina for keyboard and orchestra in C major (1763 or later), H. 460/Wq. 101. This is a greatly altered version of the published Sonatina H. 458/Wq. 106 (1763). (1)
We now travel back in time to Bach's student years in Leipzig as a member of J.S. Bach's Collegium Musicum and in Frankfurt and der Oder as part of the Musikalische Akademie. Three keyboard concertos originated in these. All three underwent substantial revisions in the 1740s in Berlin.
Only the Concerto in A minor, H.403/Wq.1 (1733, rev. 1740~, 1744) survives in the earlier version and gives us an idea of Bach's revision process and additions of articulation and dynamics as he transitioned to a new style in Berlin. (3)
Whereas the first concerto exists in many different manuscripts, Bach did not allow the Concerto in E flat major (1734, rev. 1743), H.404/Wq. 2, and the Concerto in G Major, H. 405/Wq. 3 (1737, rev. 1745) to circulate before their Berlin revisions.
In H. 404/Wq. 2 the steady pace of the middle movement may point to the original, but the brilliant finale was probably completely revised. (3)
H. 405/Wq. 3 originated in Frankfurt and der Oder. The surviving version has Berlin-style, rich orchestral ritornellos in the outer movements whereas the middle movement takes J.S. Bach's Concerto in D minor BWV 1052 as an example. (3) The last movement is especially engaging.
In the next three posts we will delve deeper into Emanuel Bach's keyboard concertos from the Berlin period (1738 - 1768); we will hear selections from the Hamburg period (1768 - 1788) and the double keyboard concertos.
_________________________________________________________
(1) Peter Wollny, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The Complete Works, Preface: Sonatinas." CPEBach.org website. (http://www.cpebach.org/prefaces/sonatinas-preface.html (07/08/2014))
(2) Stephen C. Fisher, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The Complete Works, III/11: Keyboard Sonatinas from Prints: Original and Revised Versions."Table I. The Sonatinas and Their Concordances, Introduction, CPEBach.org website. (http://www.cpebach.org/toc/toc-III-11.html (07/09/2014)). Peter Wollny points out that the term Sonatina is to be understood in the older sense as 'Ensemble Sonatina.'
(3) Peter Wollny, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The Complete Works, III/9.1: Keyboard Concertos from Manuscript Sources I."Introduction, CPEBach.org website. (http://www.cpebach.org/toc/toc-III-9-/1.html (07/09/2014))