C.P.E. Bach

Synopsis

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was born today's date in 1714 as the fifth child of Maria Barbara and Johann Sebastian Bach.

One of C.P.E. Bach's godparents was Georg Philipp Telemann. Papa J.S. Bach trained his son to be a skilled keyboardist and composer, and by his early 20s, CPE had landed a plum job in Berlin as court harpsichordist for Frederick the Great. CPE's keyboard skills were legendary. In 1753 he published "An Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments," still required reading for anyone interested in 18th century performance practice.

In 1768, CPE succeeded his godfather Telemann as Director of Music for Hamburg's five main churches, and it was there that he died, aged 74, in 1788.

The 18th century music historian Charles Burney visited CPE in Hamburg, and recalled: "Mr. Bach was so obliging as to sit down to his favorite instrument, upon which he played three or four of his choicest and most difficult compositions... In the slow movements… he contrived to produce… a cry of sorrow and complaint, such as can only be effected on the clavichord, and perhaps by himself."

Mozart was a passionate admirer in the late 18th century, as was Brahms in the late 19th, but it wasn't until the latter half of the 20th century that CPE Bach gained widespread recognition as one of the greatest composers of his — or any — time.

Music Played in Today's Program

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714 - 1788) excerpt from Wuerttemberg Sonatas Mahan Esfahani, hc. Hyperion 67995

On This Day

Births

• 1714 - German composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (the third son of J.S. Bach), in Weimar;

• 1904 - Greek composer Nikos Skalkottas, on the island of Euboca;

• 1911 - American composer Alan Hovhaness, in Somerville, Mass.;

Deaths

• 1869 - French composer Hector Berlioz, age 62, in Paris;

• 1957 - Swiss composer Othmar Schoeck, age 70, in Zurich;

• 1961 - British conductor and arranger Sir Thomas Beecham, age 81, in London;

• 1983 - English composer and conductor Sir William Walton, age 80, in Ischia;

Premieres

• 1752 - Handel: oratorio "Jephtha," in London (Julian date: Feb. 26);

• 1896 - Rachmaninoff: symphonic fantasy "The Rock," in Moscow (Gregorian date: Mar. 20);

• 1898 - R. Strauss: tone-poem "Don Quixote," in Cologne, Wüllner conducting;

• 1902 - Sibelius: Symphony No. 2, by the Helsinki Philharmonic, with the composer conducting;

• 1903 - Enescu: "Rumanian Rhapsodies" Nos. 1 and 2, in Bucharest, with the composer conducting;

• 1934 - Piston: "Concerto for Orchestra," by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting;

• 1954 - Stravinsky: "Three Songs from William Shakespeare," at an "Evenings on the Roof" concert in Los Angeles conducted by Robert Craft;

• 1956 - David Diamond: Symphony No. 6, by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting;

• 1957 - Xenakis: "Pithoprakta," in Munich;

• 1979 - Rihm: opera "Jakob Lenz," in Hamburg at the Opera stabile (Staatsoper);

• 1991 - Daniel Asia: "At the Far Edge" for orchestra, by the Seattle Youth Symphony, Ruben Gurevich conducting;

• 2000 - Karen Tanaka: "At the Grave of Beethoven" for string quartet, in London, by the Brodsky Quartet;

• 2000 - John Tavener: "The Lord's Prayer," in Guildford (England), by the Tallis Scholars.