Amid the wealth of Emanuel Bach's chamber music works a limited number of them don't fit into the usual mold of Symphonies or Sonatas we've been exploring so far.
Unlike his godfather Telemann and his older brother Wilhelm Friedemann, Emanuel composed only three chamber duets, one of which is lost. The extant ones are:
- Duet for Flute and Violin (Potsdam, 1748, published 1770), H. 598/Wq. 140. The I. Andante in E minor is played live in the first video. The second video features the entire duet, including II. Allegro and III. Allegretto both in G major.
- Duet for two clarinets (1789), H. 636/Wq. 142, an arrangement of two Flute-Clock Pieces from the 1775 H. 635 set.
Kleine Stücke (Small Pieces, 1758, published same year), H. 600/Wq. 81, for two flutes, flute and violin, or two violins, and keyboard. The instrumentation varies from piece to piece, and the textures are transparent. (2) Many would later be arranged as Trios. In the video we first hear a charming introduction inviting us to imagine the players as Frederick II of Prussia, and his court musicians Quantz and C.P.E. Bach himself. The music starts @ 2:45: 1. Minuet, 2. Minuet, 3. Polonaise, 5. Allegro, 6. Allegro, 8. Allegro, 11. Andantino, 12. Andantino.
The Eight Minuets (1762-1768), Wq. 189, and the Six Polonaises (1762-1766), Wq. 190, were composed for various small chamber ensembles. In an era and region were musical genres were increasingly defined by 'masculine' and 'feminine' characteristics, Minuets and Polonaises decidedly fell into the latter category and were greeted rather disdainfully by North-German critics. Menuetto movements did not appear in the more 'manly'Symphonies, and one finds very few of them in the Symphonies of North-German composers including Emanuel Bach. (3) Traditional dance forms, Bach's Minuets and Polonaises are short, pleasant pieces meant for music making in the home.
Of the six Polonaises (No. 1 Polonaise in D major for two clarinets, two violins and basso continuo, H. 604. This Polonaise was also arranged for keyboard as H. 170; No. 2 Polonaise in G Major for two violins and basso continuo, H. 607; No. 3 Polonaise in A Minor for two violins and basso continuo, H. 605; No. 4 Polonaise in D Major for two horns, two clarinets, two violins, and basso continuo, H. 608. H. 217 is its keyboard arrangement; No. 5 Polonaise in C Major for two violins and basso continuo, H. 609; No. 6 Polonaise in A Major for two violins and basso continuo, H. 627) we hear five:
The eight Minuets, Wq. 189 (H. 602, 603, 606 and 622-626), are scored for various wind instruments (e.g. two flutes, two clarinets and/or horns, two violins and basso continuo; No. 3 has an added bassoon). In the video we hear two: No. 6 in F major, H. 625, for two flutes, two horns, two violins and basso continuo, and @ 3:16 one of the four in D major.
Finally let's listen to the Divertimento in G major for flute, violin, viola, and basso continuo, H. 642. Although this work does not appear in the Wotquenne catalog and is more in the style of Emanuel's younger brother Johann Christian, it nevertheless is generally billed to Emanuel. (4)
_______________________________________________________________
(1) Johan van Veen, "Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714 - 1788): Chamber music with transverse flute." CD Review, MusicWeb International, 2013. (http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/May14/BachCPE_flute_94884.htm (08/13/2014)). The third duet is the lost Wq. 141 for two violins (1752), apart from some duets for two harpsichords.
(2) Ivan March, "C.P.E. Bach: Chamber Music, Phyllis and Thirsis / Les Adieux." CD Review, Gramophone (8/1996), quoted on ArkivMusic website. (http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=58395 (08/13/2014))
(3) Matthew Head: ""Like Beauty Spots on the Face of Man": Gender in 18th-Century North-German Discourse on Genre." Oakland, CA, Journal of Musicology 13/2 1995: pp. 143-67. (http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/764103?uid=3739808&uid=2134&uid=2473869753&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3&uid=2473869743&uid=3739256&uid=60&sid=21104583377863 (08/13/2014))
(4)"Divertimento H. 642." Source description, Baroquemusic.it. (http://www.baroquemusic.it/content/divertimento-h-642 (08/11/2014))
Unlike his godfather Telemann and his older brother Wilhelm Friedemann, Emanuel composed only three chamber duets, one of which is lost. The extant ones are:
- Duet for Flute and Violin (Potsdam, 1748, published 1770), H. 598/Wq. 140. The I. Andante in E minor is played live in the first video. The second video features the entire duet, including II. Allegro and III. Allegretto both in G major.
The two instruments are treated on strictly equal terms. Sometimes they follow their own route, but there are also passages in which they imitate each other and there are episodes in parallel motion. - Johan van Veen (1)
- Duet for two clarinets (1789), H. 636/Wq. 142, an arrangement of two Flute-Clock Pieces from the 1775 H. 635 set.
Kleine Stücke (Small Pieces, 1758, published same year), H. 600/Wq. 81, for two flutes, flute and violin, or two violins, and keyboard. The instrumentation varies from piece to piece, and the textures are transparent. (2) Many would later be arranged as Trios. In the video we first hear a charming introduction inviting us to imagine the players as Frederick II of Prussia, and his court musicians Quantz and C.P.E. Bach himself. The music starts @ 2:45: 1. Minuet, 2. Minuet, 3. Polonaise, 5. Allegro, 6. Allegro, 8. Allegro, 11. Andantino, 12. Andantino.
The Eight Minuets (1762-1768), Wq. 189, and the Six Polonaises (1762-1766), Wq. 190, were composed for various small chamber ensembles. In an era and region were musical genres were increasingly defined by 'masculine' and 'feminine' characteristics, Minuets and Polonaises decidedly fell into the latter category and were greeted rather disdainfully by North-German critics. Menuetto movements did not appear in the more 'manly'Symphonies, and one finds very few of them in the Symphonies of North-German composers including Emanuel Bach. (3) Traditional dance forms, Bach's Minuets and Polonaises are short, pleasant pieces meant for music making in the home.
Of the six Polonaises (No. 1 Polonaise in D major for two clarinets, two violins and basso continuo, H. 604. This Polonaise was also arranged for keyboard as H. 170; No. 2 Polonaise in G Major for two violins and basso continuo, H. 607; No. 3 Polonaise in A Minor for two violins and basso continuo, H. 605; No. 4 Polonaise in D Major for two horns, two clarinets, two violins, and basso continuo, H. 608. H. 217 is its keyboard arrangement; No. 5 Polonaise in C Major for two violins and basso continuo, H. 609; No. 6 Polonaise in A Major for two violins and basso continuo, H. 627) we hear five:
The eight Minuets, Wq. 189 (H. 602, 603, 606 and 622-626), are scored for various wind instruments (e.g. two flutes, two clarinets and/or horns, two violins and basso continuo; No. 3 has an added bassoon). In the video we hear two: No. 6 in F major, H. 625, for two flutes, two horns, two violins and basso continuo, and @ 3:16 one of the four in D major.
Finally let's listen to the Divertimento in G major for flute, violin, viola, and basso continuo, H. 642. Although this work does not appear in the Wotquenne catalog and is more in the style of Emanuel's younger brother Johann Christian, it nevertheless is generally billed to Emanuel. (4)
_______________________________________________________________
(1) Johan van Veen, "Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714 - 1788): Chamber music with transverse flute." CD Review, MusicWeb International, 2013. (http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/May14/BachCPE_flute_94884.htm (08/13/2014)). The third duet is the lost Wq. 141 for two violins (1752), apart from some duets for two harpsichords.
(2) Ivan March, "C.P.E. Bach: Chamber Music, Phyllis and Thirsis / Les Adieux." CD Review, Gramophone (8/1996), quoted on ArkivMusic website. (http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=58395 (08/13/2014))
(3) Matthew Head: ""Like Beauty Spots on the Face of Man": Gender in 18th-Century North-German Discourse on Genre." Oakland, CA, Journal of Musicology 13/2 1995: pp. 143-67. (http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/764103?uid=3739808&uid=2134&uid=2473869753&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3&uid=2473869743&uid=3739256&uid=60&sid=21104583377863 (08/13/2014))
(4)"Divertimento H. 642." Source description, Baroquemusic.it. (http://www.baroquemusic.it/content/divertimento-h-642 (08/11/2014))