Emanuel Bach (1714 -1788) left us eighteen three-movement orchestral Symphonies. They are often called Sinfonias or Sinfonien in older sources, but these words can have a broader meaning. (1)
Eight of them were composed in Berlin, and there may have been more either lost or in manuscripts that cannot be conclusively attributed to Emanuel. Composed at the flowering musical court of Frederick the Great, they were influenced by J.G. Graun and Schaffrath and with them the Dresden/Italian pattern of ritornellos, ternary slow middle movements, and binary finales--often played without pause, and with an adherence to the figured bass. (2)
The Symphony in G major (1741), H. 648/Wq. 173, is an early outlier and is still scored for four-part strings only. The first movement ritornellos alternate with more varied passages corresponding in structure to solo passages in Bach's Concertos. Although the symphony follows the style prevalent at the Court, one can already hear the trademarks of Emanuel's individual style. This is a vivacious, exuberant symphony.
When Emanuel Bach returned to the Symphony in the mid-1750s, he incorporated some of the innovations from his many concertos composed during the intervening years. The first movements are longer and start to approach a sonata form. The middle movements are rondo-like or rhapsodic. As Berlin's Court Orchestra grew, Bach added winds and in Wq. 176 even timpani. The symphonies from 1755-1756 were the best known of the Berlin works.
I. Allegro assai from Symphony in C major (1755), H. 649/Wq. 174, for strings and two flutes. Listen to the second and third movements here and here.
III. Tempo di Menuetto from Symphony in F major (1755), H. 650/Wq. 175, where a minuet replaces the usual binary last movement design. Listen to the first and second movements here and here.
Symphony in D major (1755), H. 651/Wq. 176, for two flutes, two oboes, three trumpets, two horns, timpani, strings and basso continuo. This symphony starts off with a big sound and links the first and second movements. The pizzicati in the middle movement are very charming and contrast strongly with the ensuing full-blast finale. Was it in finales like this that Haydn got the idea for his genial last movements?
I. Allegro Assai of Symphony in E minor (1755, published 1759), H. 652/Wq. 177 for strings. H. 653/Wq. 178 (1756) is the same work but with added winds. This symphony was the most widely distributed and the only one of Emanuel's symphonies published before the twentieth century. (1)
Symphony in E-flat major (1757), H. 654/Wq. 179, for 2 oboes, 2 horns, strings, and continuo. Herbert Glass describes the first movement as 'all jagged edges and precipitate dynamic shifts,' the second movement as an 'uncertain calm,' and a "hunting" finale with 'maximum thematic variety within an unchanging rhythmic pattern'(3)--in short signature C.P.E. Bach.
I. Allegro of Symphony in F. major (1758), H. 657/Wq. 181, the final symphony in Berlin. We've come a long way from Baroque Concerto all the way to Classical Symphony. (4) Listen to the second and third movements here and here.
In Hamburg Emanuel Bach composed two remarkable sets of symphonies.
The Six Symphonies for string orchestra were composed in 1773 for Baron van Swieten, the diplomat and patron--of a.o. no less than Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Although van Swieten became an important supporter and frequently purchased multiple copies of Emanuel's publications for further distribution, there is no proof the two ever met. van Swieten requested 'difficult and sophisticated' music for this commission. Bach was thus able to compose freely for the connoisseur. This in contrast with his published music where he felt more constrained to be 'less artistic and give more sugar,' in other words to please the public in order to boost sales. (6)
Let's listen to the Symphony in G major (1773), H. 657/Wq. 182/1. The first movement of this symphony is lively and fun and requires unusual virtuosic string-crossing in the violins. (5)
Symphony for Strings in B Minor (1773), H. 661/Wq. 182/5, another trademark Emanuel Bach work.
The four Orchester-Sinfonien mit zwölf obligaten Stimmen (Orchestral Symphonies with Twelve Obbligato Parts), Wq. 183, were composed in 1775-1776 for an unknown patron and dedicated in the 1780 print edition to the Prussian Crown Prince. They are the only Symphonies Emanuel published as a set.
This last set is scored for full orchestra. At their premiere in Hamburg, they were 'performed by forty instruments' and each played twice. (7) Bach himself declared in a letter:
This concludes my survey of Emanuel Bach's vast number of orchestral works. The following two posts will be devoted to his solo and chamber works and, last but definitely not least, his vocal treasures.
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(1) Peter Wollny, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The Complete Works." Preface: Symphonies, CPEBach.org. (http://www.cpebach.org/prefaces/symphonies-preface.html (07/23/2014)). For example, Emanuel Bach also used the term for some chamber trios.
(2) Stephen C. Fisher, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The Complete Works, III/1: Berlin Symphonies." Introduction, CPEBach.org, 2008. (http://www.cpebach.org/toc/toc-III-1.html (07/23/2014))
(3) Herbert Glass, "Symphony in E-flat major, Wq. 179 - C.P.E. Bach." Philpedia page, L.A. Phil website, 02/07.(http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/music/symphony-e-flat-major-wq-179-cpe-bach (02/25/2014))
(4)Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), Berlin Symphonies Wq 174, 175, 178-181 MDG.de website, 11/13-(5). (http://www.mdg.de/pdf/1824e.pdf (07/26/14))
(5) Ivan Hewett, "CPE Bach top ten pieces: Sinfonia in G, first movement."The Telegraph website, 03/07/2014. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/10673402/CPE-Bach-top-ten-pieces.html (07/26/2014))
(6) Sarah Adams, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The complete works, III/2: Six Symphonies for Baron van Swieten." Introduction, CPEBach.org website, 2006. (http://www.cpebach.org/toc/toc-III-2.html (07/26/2014))
(7) David Kidger and Stephen C. Fisher, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The Complete Works: III/3: Orchester-Sinfonien mit zwölf obligaten Stimmen." Introduction, CPEBach.org, 2005. (http://www.cpebach.org/toc/toc-III-3.html (07/26/2014))
(8) Stephen Lowe, "Baroque & Northwest Wine Series: Telemann & Bach." Seattle Symphony website, 2011. (http://www.seattlesymphony.org/symphony/buy/single/programnotes.aspx?id=9098 (07/26/2014))
Eight of them were composed in Berlin, and there may have been more either lost or in manuscripts that cannot be conclusively attributed to Emanuel. Composed at the flowering musical court of Frederick the Great, they were influenced by J.G. Graun and Schaffrath and with them the Dresden/Italian pattern of ritornellos, ternary slow middle movements, and binary finales--often played without pause, and with an adherence to the figured bass. (2)
The Symphony in G major (1741), H. 648/Wq. 173, is an early outlier and is still scored for four-part strings only. The first movement ritornellos alternate with more varied passages corresponding in structure to solo passages in Bach's Concertos. Although the symphony follows the style prevalent at the Court, one can already hear the trademarks of Emanuel's individual style. This is a vivacious, exuberant symphony.
When Emanuel Bach returned to the Symphony in the mid-1750s, he incorporated some of the innovations from his many concertos composed during the intervening years. The first movements are longer and start to approach a sonata form. The middle movements are rondo-like or rhapsodic. As Berlin's Court Orchestra grew, Bach added winds and in Wq. 176 even timpani. The symphonies from 1755-1756 were the best known of the Berlin works.
I. Allegro assai from Symphony in C major (1755), H. 649/Wq. 174, for strings and two flutes. Listen to the second and third movements here and here.
III. Tempo di Menuetto from Symphony in F major (1755), H. 650/Wq. 175, where a minuet replaces the usual binary last movement design. Listen to the first and second movements here and here.
Symphony in D major (1755), H. 651/Wq. 176, for two flutes, two oboes, three trumpets, two horns, timpani, strings and basso continuo. This symphony starts off with a big sound and links the first and second movements. The pizzicati in the middle movement are very charming and contrast strongly with the ensuing full-blast finale. Was it in finales like this that Haydn got the idea for his genial last movements?
I. Allegro Assai of Symphony in E minor (1755, published 1759), H. 652/Wq. 177 for strings. H. 653/Wq. 178 (1756) is the same work but with added winds. This symphony was the most widely distributed and the only one of Emanuel's symphonies published before the twentieth century. (1)
Symphony in E-flat major (1757), H. 654/Wq. 179, for 2 oboes, 2 horns, strings, and continuo. Herbert Glass describes the first movement as 'all jagged edges and precipitate dynamic shifts,' the second movement as an 'uncertain calm,' and a "hunting" finale with 'maximum thematic variety within an unchanging rhythmic pattern'(3)--in short signature C.P.E. Bach.
I. Allegro of Symphony in F. major (1758), H. 657/Wq. 181, the final symphony in Berlin. We've come a long way from Baroque Concerto all the way to Classical Symphony. (4) Listen to the second and third movements here and here.
In Hamburg Emanuel Bach composed two remarkable sets of symphonies.
The Six Symphonies for string orchestra were composed in 1773 for Baron van Swieten, the diplomat and patron--of a.o. no less than Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Although van Swieten became an important supporter and frequently purchased multiple copies of Emanuel's publications for further distribution, there is no proof the two ever met. van Swieten requested 'difficult and sophisticated' music for this commission. Bach was thus able to compose freely for the connoisseur. This in contrast with his published music where he felt more constrained to be 'less artistic and give more sugar,' in other words to please the public in order to boost sales. (6)
Let's listen to the Symphony in G major (1773), H. 657/Wq. 182/1. The first movement of this symphony is lively and fun and requires unusual virtuosic string-crossing in the violins. (5)
Symphony for Strings in B Minor (1773), H. 661/Wq. 182/5, another trademark Emanuel Bach work.
The four Orchester-Sinfonien mit zwölf obligaten Stimmen (Orchestral Symphonies with Twelve Obbligato Parts), Wq. 183, were composed in 1775-1776 for an unknown patron and dedicated in the 1780 print edition to the Prussian Crown Prince. They are the only Symphonies Emanuel published as a set.
This last set is scored for full orchestra. At their premiere in Hamburg, they were 'performed by forty instruments' and each played twice. (7) Bach himself declared in a letter:
It is the greatest thing of this type I have done. My modesty does not allow me to say more about them.(7)The Berlin critic Christoph Friedrich Nicolai wrote:
In none of his other works has this great master gone so completely his own way as here.(7)Let's take a listen to Symphony No.1 in D major (1775/1776, published 1780), H. 663/Wq. 183/1, a 'bracing' symphony propelled in the first movement by repeated notes and interspersed with Bach's 'canny use of silences'. (8)
This concludes my survey of Emanuel Bach's vast number of orchestral works. The following two posts will be devoted to his solo and chamber works and, last but definitely not least, his vocal treasures.
_____________________________________________________________________
(1) Peter Wollny, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The Complete Works." Preface: Symphonies, CPEBach.org. (http://www.cpebach.org/prefaces/symphonies-preface.html (07/23/2014)). For example, Emanuel Bach also used the term for some chamber trios.
(2) Stephen C. Fisher, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The Complete Works, III/1: Berlin Symphonies." Introduction, CPEBach.org, 2008. (http://www.cpebach.org/toc/toc-III-1.html (07/23/2014))
(3) Herbert Glass, "Symphony in E-flat major, Wq. 179 - C.P.E. Bach." Philpedia page, L.A. Phil website, 02/07.(http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/music/symphony-e-flat-major-wq-179-cpe-bach (02/25/2014))
(4)Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), Berlin Symphonies Wq 174, 175, 178-181 MDG.de website, 11/13-(5). (http://www.mdg.de/pdf/1824e.pdf (07/26/14))
(5) Ivan Hewett, "CPE Bach top ten pieces: Sinfonia in G, first movement."The Telegraph website, 03/07/2014. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/10673402/CPE-Bach-top-ten-pieces.html (07/26/2014))
(6) Sarah Adams, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The complete works, III/2: Six Symphonies for Baron van Swieten." Introduction, CPEBach.org website, 2006. (http://www.cpebach.org/toc/toc-III-2.html (07/26/2014))
(7) David Kidger and Stephen C. Fisher, "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, The Complete Works: III/3: Orchester-Sinfonien mit zwölf obligaten Stimmen." Introduction, CPEBach.org, 2005. (http://www.cpebach.org/toc/toc-III-3.html (07/26/2014))
(8) Stephen Lowe, "Baroque & Northwest Wine Series: Telemann & Bach." Seattle Symphony website, 2011. (http://www.seattlesymphony.org/symphony/buy/single/programnotes.aspx?id=9098 (07/26/2014))