A Very Remarkable and Famous Man
Donald Macleod explores CPE Bach's skill in writing and marketing music for the emerging middle class in Hamburg.
A Very Remarkable and Famous Man
Times were changing during the second half of the 18th century. A whole new group of people emerged - the middle class. They wanted to be entertained and to acquire the accomplishments of the gentry - playing the harpsichord and the like. For several centuries beforehand music had revolved around the church and the aristocracy, but no more. Composers had to take note of their new audience and CPE Bach immediately recognised the opportunities of a city full of amateur musicians. As he put it to a colleague, "in works that are intended for general consumption, be less abstruse and put in more sugar". Donald Macleod tells the story of CPE Bach's commercial success.
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Music Played
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Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
12 short pieces for flute and harpsichord: Nos.1-2
Performer: Nancy Hadden (flute), Elizabeth Walker (flute), Lucy Carolan (harpsichord)
- ASV CDGAU161.
- 16.
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Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Rondo in C minor
Performer: Inger Grudin-Brandt (fortepiano)
- BIS CD142.
- 3.
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Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Symphony for strings in E Wq182 no.6
Performer: Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Stefan Mai (conductor)
- Harmonia Mundi HMC901622.
- 13 to 15.
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Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Quartet in G Wq95
Performer: Wilbert Hazelzet (flute), Wiel Peeters (viola), Richte van der Meer (cello), Ton Koopman (harpsichord)
- PHILIPS 4166152.
- 10 to 12.
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Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Double Concerto for harpsichord, fortepiano and orchestra in E flat Wq47
Performer: Eric Lynn Kelley (harpsichord), Jos van Immerseel (fortepiano), Collegium Aureum
- Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472774102.
- 1 to 3.
Broadcasts
- Fri 27 May 201112:00BBC Radio 3
- Fri 27 May 201118:00BBC Radio 3
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