Wilhelm Friedemann Bach


Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, the second child and eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach, was a German composer and performer. Despite his acknowledged genius as an organist, improviser and composer, his income and employment were unstable and he died in poverty.

Life

Wilhelm Friedemann was born in Weimar, where his father was employed as organist and chamber musician to the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. In July 1720, when Friedemann was nine, his mother Maria Barbara Bach died suddenly; Johann Sebastian Bach remarried in December 1721. J. S. Bach supervised Friedemann's musical education and career with great attention. The graded course of keyboard studies and composition that J. S. Bach provided is documented in the Clavier-Büchlein vor Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, with entries by both father and son. This education also included the French Suites, Inventions, Sinfonias, the first volume of The Well-Tempered Clavier, and the six Trio Sonatas for organ. At the age of 16 he went to Merseburg to learn the violin with his teacher Johann Gottlieb Graun.
In addition to his musical training, Friedemann received formal schooling beginning in Weimar. When J.S. Bach took the post of Cantor of the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, he enrolled Friedemann in the associated Thomasschule.. On graduating in 1729, Friedemann enrolled as a law student in Leipzig University, a renowned institution at the time, but later moved on to study law and mathematics at the University of Halle.
He maintained a lifelong interest in mathematics, and continued to study it privately during his first job in Dresden.
Friedemann was appointed in 1733 to the position of organist of the St. Sophia's Church at Dresden. In competing for the post he played a new version of his father's Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 541. The judge described Friedemann as clearly superior to the other two candidates. He remained a renowned organist throughout his life. Among his many pupils in Dresden was Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, the keyboardist whose name is erroneously enshrined in the popular nickname given to J. S. Bach's 1742 publication, "Aria with Diverse Variations"—that is, "The Goldberg Variations." The scholar Peter Williams has discredited the story which links the work to Goldberg stating that J. S. Bach wrote the work for the Russian Ambassador Count Hermann Carl von Keyserlingk, who would ask his employee, Goldberg, to play variations for him to ward off insomnia. Williams instead has argued that J.S. Bach wrote the variations to provide a display piece for Friedemann.
, where Friedemann lived in Halle
In 1746 Friedemann became organist of the Liebfrauenkirche at Halle.
In 1751, Friedemann married Dorothea Elisabeth Georgi, who was 11 years his junior and who outlived him by seven years. Dorothea was the daughter of a tax collector. The landed estates she inherited caused the family to be placed in a high tax bracket by Halle authorities, who were raising taxes to meet the revenue demands of the Seven Years' War. To raise cash for these payments, she sold part of her property in 1770. The couple produced two sons and a daughter, Friederica Sophia, who was the only one of their offspring to live past infancy. The descendants of Friederica Sophia eventually migrated to Oklahoma.
Friedemann was deeply unhappy in Halle almost from the beginning of his tenure. In 1749 he was involved in a conflict with the Cantor of the Liebfrauenkirche, Gottfried Mittag, who had misappropriated funds that were due to Friedemann. In 1750 the church authorities reprimanded Friedemann for overstaying a leave of absence. In 1753 he made his first documented attempt to find another post, and thereafter made several others. All these attempts failed. Bach had at least two pupils, Friedrich Wilhelm Rust and Johann Samuel Petri.
In 1762, he negotiated for the post of Kapellmeister to the court of Darmstadt; although he protracted the negotiations for reasons that are opaque to historians and did not actively take the post, he nevertheless was appointed Hofkapellmeister of Hessen-Darmstadt, a title he used in the dedication of his Harpsichord Concerto in E minor.
In June 1764, Friedemann left the job in Halle without any employment secured elsewhere. His financial situation deteriorated so much that in 1768 he re-applied for his old job in Halle, without success. He thereafter supported himself by teaching. After leaving Halle in 1770, he lived for several years in Braunschweig where he applied in vain for the post of an organist at the St. Catherine's church. Then he moved to Berlin, where he initially was welcomed by the princess Anna Amalia. Later, no longer in favor at court, he gave harpsichord lessons to Sarah Itzig Levy, the daughter of a prominent Jewish family in Berlin and an avid collector of Bach and other early 18th century music, who was also a "patron" of Friedemann's brother CPE Bach. Friedemann died in Berlin.
Earlier biographers have concluded that his "wayward" and difficult personality reduced his ability to gain and hold secure employment, but the scholar David Schulenberg writes that "he may also have been affected by changing social conditions that made it difficult for a self-possessed virtuoso to succeed in a church- or court-related position". Schulenberg adds, "he was evidently less willing than most younger contemporaries to compose fashionable, readily accessible music".
Friedemann Bach was renowned for his improvisatory skills. It is speculated that when in Leipzig his father's accomplishments set so high a bar that he focused on improvisation rather than composition. Evidence adduced for this speculation includes the fact that his compositional output increased in Dresden and Halle.
Friedemann's compositions include many church cantatas and instrumental works, of which the most notable are the fugues, polonaises and fantasias for clavier, and the duets for two flutes. He incorporated more elements of the contrapuntal style learned from his father than any of his three composer brothers, but his use of the style has an individualistic and improvisatory edge which endeared his work to musicians of the late 19th century, when there was something of a revival of his reputation.
Friedemann's students included Johann Nikolaus Forkel, who in 1802 published the first biography of Johann Sebastian Bach; Friedemann, as well as his younger brother Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, were major informants for Forkel. Friedemann has in earlier biographies been called a poor custodian of his father's musical manuscripts, many of which he inherited; however, more recent scholars are uncertain how many were lost. It is known that Friedemann sold some of his father's collection to raise cash to pay debts. Also, his daughter took some of the Sebastian Bach manuscripts with her when she moved to America, and these were passed on to her descendants, who inadvertently destroyed many of them. Others were passed on through his only known Berlin pupil, Sarah Itzig Levy, great-aunt of Felix Mendelssohn. Some of his scores were collected by Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch and his pupil Carl Friedrich Zelter, the teacher of Felix Mendelssohn and through them these materials were placed in the library of the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin, which Fasch founded in 1791 and of which Zelter took charge in 1800.
Friedemann is known occasionally to have claimed credit for music written by his father, but this was in keeping with common musical practices in the era.
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach is not to be confused with Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach, his nephew, also a composer.

Film

Friedemann Bach is a 1941 German historical drama film directed by Traugott Müller and starring Gustaf Gründgens, Leny Marenbach and Johannes Riemann. The film depicts the life of Johann Sebastian Bach's son Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. It is based on Albert Emil Brachvogel's novel Friedemann Bach. Wilhelm Friedemann Bach is shown as a gifted son trying to escape his father's shadow.

List of works

"BR" denotes "Bach-Repertorium"; "F." denotes "Falck catalogue number".

Keyboard works

BR A1 \ Keyboard Sonata in C major

BR A2 \ Keyboard Sonata in C major

BR A3 \ Keyboard Sonata in C major

BR A4 \ Keyboard Sonata in D major

BR A5 \ Keyboard Sonata in D major

BR A6 \ Sonata for 2 harpsichord in D major

BR A7 \ Keyboard Sonata in E-flat major

BR A8 \ Keyboard Sonata in E-flat major

BR A9 \ Keyboard Sonata in E minor

BR A10 \ Keyboard Sonata in F major

BR A11 \ Keyboard Sonata in F major

BR A12 \ Sonata for 2 harpsichords in F major

BR A13 \ Concerto for harpsichord solo in G major

BR A14 \ Keyboard Sonata in G major

BR A15 \ Keyboard Sonata in A major

BR A16 \ Keyboard Sonata in B-flat major

BR A17 \ Fantasia for harpsichord in C major

BR A18 \ Fantasia for harpsichord in C minor

BR A19 \ Fantasia for harpsichord in C minor

BR A20 \ Fantasia for harpsichord in D major

BR A21 \ Fantasia for harpsichord in D minor

BR A22 \ Fantasia for harpsichord in D minor

BR A23 \ Fantasia for harpsichord in E minor

BR A24 \ Fantasia for harpsichord in E minor

BR A25 \ Fantasia for harpsichord in G major

BR A26 \ Fantasia for harpsichord in A minor

BR A 27-38 \ Twelve Polonaises

BR A39 \ Harpsichord Suite in G minor

BR A 40-41 \ 2 German Dances for harpsichord in G minor

BR A 42-43 \ 2 Menuets for harpsichord

BR A 44-47 \ 4 Preludes for harpsichord

BR A 48-49 \ 2 pieces for harpsichord

BR A50 \ Menuetto for harpsichord in F major

BR A51 \ L'imitation de la chasse for harpsichord in C major

BR A52 \ La Reveille for harpsichord in C major

BR A53 \ Gigue for harpsichord in G major

BR A54 \ Prelude for harpsichord in C minor

BR A55 \ Scherzo for harpsichord in D minor

BR A56 \ March for harpsichord in E-flat major

BR A57 \ March for harpsichord in F major

BR A58 \ Polonaise for keyboard in C major

BR A59 \ Ouverture for harpsichord in E major

BR A60 \ Andante for harpsichord in E minor

BR A61 \ Allegro non troppo for harpsichord in G major

BR A62 \ Un poco allegro for harpsichord in C major

BR A 63-80 \ 18 pieces for clock-organ

BR A 81-88 \ Eight fugues for harpsichord

BR A89 \ Fugue for organ in C minor

BR A90 \ Fugue for organ in F major

BR A91 \ Fugue for organ in F major

BR A92 \ Fugue for organ in G minor

BR A 93-99 \ 7 Chorale preludes for organ

BR A100 \ Trio on "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" for organ

BR A101-104 \ 4 Chorale preludes for organ

BWV 534 \ Prelude and Fugue in F minor

Chamber music

BR B 1 \ Flute Duetto in E minor

BR B 2 \ Flute Duetto in G major

BR B 3 \ Flute Duetto in E-flat major

BR B 4 \ Flute Duetto in F major

BR B 5 \ Flute Duetto in F minor

BR B 6 \ Flute Duetto in G major

BR B 7 \ Viola Duetto in C major

BR B 8 \ Viola Duetto in G major

BR B 9 \ Viola Duetto in G minor

BR B10 \ Flute Sonata in F major

BR B11 \ Flute Sonata in A minor

BR B12 \ Flute Sonata in D major

BR B13 \ Trio Sonata in D major

BR B14 \ Trio Sonata in D major

BR B15 \ Trio Sonata in A minor

BR B16 \ Trio Sonata in B-flat major

BR B17 \ Sonata for flute, violin and continuo in F major

BR B18 \ Flute Sonata in F major

Orchestral works

BR C1 \ Symphony in C major

BR C2 \ Symphony in F major

BR C3 \ Symphony in G major

BR C4 \ Symphony in G major

BR C5 \ Symphony in B-flat major

BR C6 \ Symphony in A major

BR C7 \ Symphony in D minor

BR C8 \ Symphony in D major

BR C9 \ Harpsichord Concerto in D major

BR C10 \ Harpsichord Concerto in E-flat major

BR C11 \ Concerto for 2 harpsichords in E-flat major

BR C12 \ Harpsichord Concerto in E minor

BR C13 \ Harpsichord Concerto in F major

BR C14 \ Harpsichord Concerto in A minor

BR C15 \ Concerto for flute in D major

BR C17 \ Harpsichord Concerto in G minor

Concerto for harpsichord and winds in F minor
Orchestral Suite in G Minor

Liturgical works

BR F 1 \ Lasset uns ablegen die Werke der Finsternis

BR F 2 \ O Wunder ! wer kann dieses fassen?

BR F 3 \ Ach, daß du den Himmel zerrissest

BR F 4 \ Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe

BR F 5 \ Der Herr zu deiner Rechten

BR F 6 \ Wir sind Gottes Werk

BR F 7 \ Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern

BR F 8 \ Cantata for Palm Sunday

BR F 9 \ Erzittert und fallet

BR F 10 \ Auf, Christen, posaunt

BR F 11 \ Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen

BR F 12 \ Wo geht die Lebensreise hin?

BR F 13 \ Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten

BR F 14 \ Dies ist der Tag

BR F 15 \ Ertönt, ihr seligen Völker

BR F 16 \ Ach, daß du den Himmel zerrissest

BR F 17 \ Es ist eine Stimme eines Predigers in der Wüste

BR F 18 \ Der Herr wird mit Gerechtigkeit

BR F 19 \ Ach Gott vom Himmel, sieh darein

BR F 20 \ Introduzzione delle predicazione del Catechismo

BR F 21 \ Wie ruhig ist doch meine Seele

BR F 22 \ Der Höchste erhöret das Flehen der Armen

BR F 23 \ Verhängnis, dein Wüten entkräftet die Armen

BR F 24 \ Auf, Christen, posaunt

BR F 25 \ Dienet dem Herrn mit Freuden

BR F 26 \ Der Trost gehöret nur für Kinder

BR F 27 \ Zerbrecht, zerreist, ihr schnöden Banden

BR F 28 \ Laß dein Wehen in mir spielen

BR F 29 \ Gnade finden
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Secular Cantata and Opera

BR.G1
O Himmel, schöne

BR.G2
Lausus und Lydie

Song

BR H1 \ Cantilena nuptiarum consolatoria

Miscellaneous works

BR I1 \ Canons and Studies for organ

BR I2–5 \ 4 Triple Canons for organ

BR I6 \ Fugal exposition for organ in C major

BR I7 \ Fugue exposition on B-A-C-H for organ

BR I8 \ Abhandlung vom harmonischen Dreiklang

Other works in Falck catalogue

F 34 \ Fugue for organ in B-flat major

F 211 \ 3 Fugues for organ

Fnv8 \ Keyboard Sonata in A minor

Use by later composers