Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach   1782

Source: Wikipedia

Born on 22 November 1710 in Weimar, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach was the eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach who trained his son extensively. He is generally called Friedemann to distinguish him from J.S. Bach's only grandson, Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach, born of Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach. As proof that humans do beautiful things, Freidemann spanned baroque to classical and is among the more complex and enigmatic of the major Bachs. An improvisational virtuoso at keyboard, he was yet socially inept and wanting in this or that manner, such that progress in the actual world met with frustrations. Putting himself to the solitary task of composing instead, Bach wrote largely for keyboard, including sonatas, fantasias, concertos and symphonies. He also wrote chamber music, for flute especially, and a number of sacred cantatas.

Among Friedemann's early studies was the 'Klavierbüchlein' ('Little Keyboard Book' / IMSLP) now housed at Yale University. 'Klavierbüchlein' contains sixty-three compositions collected for Friedman by his father (J.S. Bach), arranged in order of difficulty and given to him at age ten. His father then sent him to Merseburg in 1726 to learn violin from Johann Gottlieb Graun. Friedman otherwise began to study law at Leipzig University in 1729 and had a lifelong fascination with mathematics.

In 1733 Friedemann became organist at St. Sophia's in Dresden (Saxony). Among works there composed was his 'Symphony in D minor' (aka 'Adagio and Fugue') about 1740 if not later. In the cataloguing of his compositions there are two major verseichnisse. The first was the outdated "F" numbers from Part IV of the 'Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: Sein Leben und seine Werke' of Martin Falck published in 1913. The second is the "BR" numbers of the 'Bach Repertorium' published by Peter Wollny a century later in 2012.

Saint Sophia's Church in Dresden   < 1890

Source: Wikipedia

'Symphony in D minor'   BR C7   F 65   Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

Composed for 2 flutes w strings in Dresden c 1740 or later

Bach Digital   IMSLP

Jeune Orchestre Atlantique led by Stéphanie-Marie Degand

Valletta International Baroque Festival at the Teatru Manoel in Malta 15 Jan 2013

In 1746 Friedemann became organist at the Marktkirche Unser Lieben Frauen (Market Church of Our Dear Lady) in Halle (Saxony). He there wrote such as his cantata, 'Lasset uns ablegen die Werke der Finsternis' ('Let us put away the works of darkness'), given a date of 20 November 1749. His 'Symphony in D major' was also written in Halle circa 1655. Unfortunately Bach met with various conflicts in Halle such that he resigned in 1764. He unsuccessfully reapplied for the post in 1768, teaching alone not sufficient to financial needs. Per his 'Zwölf Polonoisen' ('Twelve Polonaises') completed circa 1765 and revised circa 1775, though Friedemann certainly wrote for harpsichord and organ, it isn't established if he composed for fortepiano as well, much less piano. Fortepiano was the bridge at various stages of development from 1700 to the full piano finally arriving around 1800. Though Friedemann was highly likely to be familiar with the instrument, like his father, Johann Sebastian, he may have preferred to compose for harpsichord, the fortepiano not yet developed well enough. Be as may, the polonaise is a stately Polish processional dance borrowed by nobility from folk wedding dances of the 17th century [Wikipedia].

Market Church of Our Dear Lady in Halle   2004

Source: Wikipedia

'Lasset uns ablegen die Werke der Finsternis'   BR F1   F 80   Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

'Let us put away the works of darkness'

Cantata for 1st Sunday of Advent poss written in Halle in 1748

Premiere 30 Nov 1749 in Leipzig

Bach Digital   IMSLP

Rheinische Kantorei / Das Kleine Konzert/ Hermann Max

'Symphony in D major'   BR C8   F 64   Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

Used as prelude to the cantata 'Dies ist der Tag' ('This is the day') BR F13 / F 85

C 1755   'Dies ist der Tag' c 1755-58

Bach Digital

Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin / Stephan Mai

'Polonaise'   BR A36   F 12 No.10   Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

C 1765-70

Bach Digital

Harpsichord: Neil Coleman   2018

'Fantasia in E minor'   BR A24   F 21   Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

Composed for keyboard 1770 or later

Bach Digital   IMSLP

Harpsichord: Léon Berben

Between 1771 and 1774 Bach worked in Braunschweig, then left for Berlin where Princess Anna Amalia, sister of Frederick William I of Prussia, listened to his organ recitals for a couple of years. For reasons unclear he soon fell from grace with Amelia, and though he continued to teach in Berlin with Jewish salonnière, Sara Itzig Levy, among his pupils, he later died in poverty in Berlin on 1 July 1784. Among his latest works was his one and only opera, 'Lausus und Lydie' probably unfinished circa 1779 and lost since then.

'Concerto in E flat major'   BR C11   F 46   Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

Composed for 2 harpsichords poss c 1775 in Berlin

Bach Digital   IMSLP

Musica Antiqua Köln / Reinhard Goebel

Harpsichord: Andreas Staier / Robert Hill

'Keyboard Sonata in G major'   BR A14   F 7   Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

Composed c 1775-80 in Berlin

Bach Digital   IMSLP

Harpsichord: Anna Kislitsyna   Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church   Pennsylvania

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: 12 Polonaises F. 12 by Slobodan Jovanović at fortepiano

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: Complete Organ Works by Friedhelm Flamme at organ / 2010

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: Das Orchesterwerk by the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra / Hartmut Haenchen / 1994

Abe Books (vendor: Martin Falck of 1913 leatherbound / 2013)

Carus-Verlag (vendor)

Carus-Verlag (vendor: Bach Repertorium of Peter Wollny)

Carus-Verlag (vendor: complete Bach Repertorium of Peter Wollny edited by Bach-Archiv Leipzig)