Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (born with Weimar the November 22nd 1710, deceased on July 1st 1784 with Berlin) was a German musician of the Famille Bach. It was called the Bach de Halle .

Its life

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach was the first wire of Johann Sebastian Bach and his first wife, Maria Barbara. It passes, according to all contemporary testimonys, for more endowed with wire of the large type-setter; in spite of its remarkable musical provisions - contrapuntist, Organist and accomplished Improviser - it is also among the four brothers musicians that which had less success in its career.

The family having moved of Weimar with Köthen in 1717, it followed the courses of the Latin school of this city. As from 1722, he attended the Saint-Thomas school of Leipzig where his/her father was Kantor. He accepted lessons of violin of Johann Gottlieb Graun, attended the university; he obtained in 1733 a post of organist to the church Holy-Sophie ( Sophienkirche ) of Dresden then in 1746 became Directeur of the Music and organist of the church Notre-Dame ( Marktkirche Unser Lieben Frauen ) of Halle. This is why it is sometimes indicated like Bach of Halle. He knew Georg Friedrich Haendel - which was native of Market - and transmitted to this one, at the time of one of his passages in Germany, the invitation to meet his father, which was not carried out.

After the death of his father it passed a dull existence to Halle, often went away to find to place itself. In 1762, one proposed to him the post of choirmaster of the court with Darmstadt; for an unknown reason he refused it.

He gave up his station with Halle in 1764. As from this moment, it did not have any more a stable position, trying to ensure its resources giving concerts, courses and by the composition. The musicians, at that time, were almost always attached to the service of a prince, a church, a city, an opera or some powerful and rich organization. It was one of the first musicians to try to carry out an independent career, which was to hardly succeed to him because it sank gradually in poverty and, seem-you it, in the Alcoolisme.

In 1770, it left Halle for Braunschweig then is established finally with Berlin in 1774. During the decade 1764-1774, he had travelled much, going in particular to Göttingen at Forkel. But it could not find there of stable station, not more than with Braunschweig or Wolfenbüttel where it had requested a place of organist. In Berlin, it organized several concerts of organ which had success and pointed out it of the princess Anna Amalie, sister of Frederic II: this one gave its support to him but withdrew to him thereafter in 1778 or 1779 when it was suspected (under unknown conditions) of having intrigued against its professor of music, Johann Philipp Kirnberger, then choirmaster to the service of king de Prusse. Wilhelm Friedemann Bach died in Berlin, in the destitution.

The musician

Johann Sebastian, all demanding that it was out of musical matter, recognized in his son a pupil extremely endowed and envisaged for him the future more shining. As of its childhood, it acquired a complete control of the counterpoint, showed exceptional provisions for the organ and the harpsichord like for the violin. However its difficult character and its tormented personality were going to make of him, to some extent, a “failure”.

Its attempt to exert the trade of independent musician without depending on a Master was balanced, financially, by a failure, due probably also to its instability. This one came certainly from what he did not manage to sufficient be different his father, contrary to his brothers, Carl Philipp Emanuel or Johann Christian, which anticipated, accompanied the evolution by the music for this period hinge where esthetics baroque left room to the classicism.

Wilhelm Friedemann was, like Carl Philipp Emanuel, in relation to Forkel, the first biographer of its father (delivers published in 1802). But contrary to his/her brother who was a careful conservative of the documents of which he had inherited, Wilhelm Friedemann dispersed to them his, from where regrettable losses. In addition, it is known that he claimed himself author of certain compositions of his father, and that he wrote his name on some of his manuscripts, thus inducing the editors in error (the Concerto for organ BWV 596 was wrongfully allotted to him at the time of its first edition to the XIXe century.

Its works are generally identified according to the number which was allotted to them by Martin Falck in his catalog published in 1913. Thus, Falck 12 (or F. 12 or FK 12) indicate the whole of Polish completed in 1765. For works redécouvertes or which were allotted to him in a posterior way, the n° is preceded by the letters nv which mean Nachlassverzeichnis (catalogs complementary). Thus Falck nv 2 indicates an imagination in C minor for harpsichord.

Some works

Chamber music and instrumental

Sonatas for harpsichord

in G major, Falck 7
in the minor, Falck nv8

Imaginations for harpsichord

in minor C, Falck nv2
in minor D, Falck 19

Eight runnings away for harpsichord or organ, Falck 31
Sonata for two harpsichords in Major F, Falck 10
Runnings away and preludes of chorals for Polish organ
Sonata S in trio, Falck 47-50 in Major D, Major D, the Major one and Major Si♭
Duets for two flutes, Falck 54-59 (published in a different order)
Duets for two viols, Falck 60-62 (in Major C, G major and minor ground)
Sonate in C minor for viol and low continues - sometimes allotted to Johann Gottlieb Graun
Sonates for violin and harpsichord (doubtful attribution, without Falck number)

orchestral Musique

Symphonie S. Some comes from openings of cantatas. Is often recorded: Consistent Falck 65 in Adagio and running away in minor D. Others are of more usual form, such as Falck 64 (Major D) and 67 (Major F)
Concerto S

Six concertos for harpsichord (including one incomplete). One of them is Falck 43 as a semi minor. Dedicated to Maria Antonia, Électrice of Saxony in 1767.
Concerto for two harpsichords, in Major Mi♭, Falck 46
a concerto for flute in D.

vocal Music and cantatas.

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