Wilhelm Friedemann Bach [45] (Composer)

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Wilhelm Friedmann Bach [45] (Composer)
Born: November 22, 1710 - Weimar, Thuringia, Germany Died: July 1, 1784 - Berlin, Germany
Life
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach [45] was the eldest, and by common repute the most gifted son, of J.S. Bach [24]; a famous organist, a famous improvisor, and a complete master of counterpoint. Unlike the rest of the family, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach was a man of idle and dissolute habits, whose career was little more than a series of wasted opportunities. Born in Weimar and educated at Leipzig, he was appointed in 1733 organist of St. Sophia's Church at Dresden, and in 1746 became organist of the Liebfrauenkirche at Halle; his father's influence was enough to secure him the latter position without the usual trial performance. With his father's death in 1750, the stabilizing influence in Friedemann's life seems to have disappeared, and he lived an unhappy life in Halle, from which he frequently traveled to seek other employment. In 1762, he was offered the post of Kapellmeister to the court of Darmstadt, but for some reason he did not accept the position. Two years later, in 1764, he walked off the job in Halle, ending his employment there and indeed his formal employment anywhere. Thenceforward he led a wandering life until he died in great poverty at Berlin, aged 74.
Music
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's compositions, very few of which were printed, include many church cantatas and instrumental works, of which the most notable are the fugues, polonaises and fantasias for clavier, and an interesting sextet for strings, clarinet and horns. Several of his manuscripts are preserved in the Royal Library at Berlin; and a complete list of his works, so far as they are known, may be found in Eitner's Quellen Lexikon. A commonly-used numbering system is that of Martin Falck, who published a catalog of Friedemann's music in 1913. For example, F. 12 stands for the celebrated "Twelve Polonaises" that were completed by 1765. Additionally, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach along with his brother Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach [46] provided important information to Johann Nikolaus Forkel, the first biographer of J.S. Bach. The biographical information supplied by Friedemann and Emanuel was utilized in the biography of J.S. Bach that Forkel published in 1802. However, unlike C.P.E. Bach, Friedemann was an exceedingly poor custodian of J.S. Bach's music, much of which he, like Emanuel, inherited on their father's death. Not only did a good deal of Friedemann's share of this music disappear unaccountably, but in some cases he is known to have claimed credit for music written by his father (such as the Organ Concerto, BWV 596; because Friedemann wrote his own name on J.S. Bach's autograph score, it was mistakenly attributed to Friedemann when it was first published in the 19^th century).

Source: Wikipdia Website (incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica) Contributed by Aryeh Oron (January 2006)
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Works previously attributed to J.S. Bach
Keyboard Works: Allemande for keyboard in G minor, BWV 836 (& J.S. Bach) (?) Allemande for keyvoard in G minor (fragment), BWV 837 (& J.S. Bach) (?) Scherzo for keyboard in D minor, BWV 844 (?) Scherzo for keyboard in D minor, BWV 844a (variant of BWV 844) (?) Prelude for keyboard in C major, BWV 924 (WFN 2) (?) Prelude for keyboard in C major, BWV 924a (WFN 26) (?) Prelude for keyboard in D major, BWV 925 (WFN 27) (?) Prelude for keyboard in A minor, BWV 931 (WFN 29) (?) Prelude for keyboard in E minor (fragment), BWV 932 (WFN 28) (?) Presto for keyboard in D minor, BWV 970 Works for Musical Clock: Fantasia in G major, BWV Anh 133 Scherzo in G major, BWV Anh 134 Bourlesca in A minor, BWV Anh 135 Trio in A minor, BWV Anh 136 L'Intrada della Caccia, BWV Anh 137 Continuazione della Caccia, BWV Anh 138 Il Fine della Caccia 1, BWV Anh 139 Il Fine della Caccia 2, BWV Anh 140 O Gott die Christenheit (Psalmlied), BWV Anh 141 Psalmlied zu Psalm 110, BWV Anh 142 Polonaise in E minor, BWV Anh 143 Polonaise Trio in A minor, BWV Anh 144 March in C major, BWV Anh 145 March in F major, BWV Anh 146 La Combattuta, BWV Anh 147 Scherzo in G minor, BWV Anh 148 Minuet in G major, BWV Anh 149 Trio in G minor, BWV Anh 150 Vocal Works: Kyrie in G minor, BWV Anh 168, Fk 100 Sonata (Concerto) for 2 keyboards in F major, BWV Anh 188, Fk 10
Arrangements of J.S. Bach's Works
Additions of trumpets and timpani parts to the opening chorus (Mvt. 1) of Cantata BWV 80: Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott Cantata BWV 30 Freue dich, erlöste Schar (June 24, 1738 or a year or two later) Bach’s autograph title page for the score does not list trumpets and timpani. Someone, probably C.P.E. Bach, later added in parentheses “concordant e se piace a 3 Trombe e Tamburi”. The original set of parts does not include the parts for trumpets and timpani; however, the 3 parts for Clarino 1, Clarino 2, and Timpani (for mvts. 1 & 12) in W.F. Bach’s handwriting were added later (probably for a performance of this work in Halle). Later C.P.E. Bach came into possession of the score and parts and it was listed in his estate at the time of his death (1790).
Works performed by J.S. Bach
Concerto for Two Harpsichords in F major, Fk 10 - performed by J.S. Bach & Collegium Musicum in Leipzig c1742
Use of Chorale Melodies in his works
Title	Chorale Melody	Year
Ertönet, ihr seligen Völker, Cantata, F. 88 (BR F15) (parts by D. Stoppe; parody of cantata Act Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein)	Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein
Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein, Cantata, F. 96 (BR F19)	Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein	1752-1753
Organ Trio on Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr (lost)	Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr
Durch Adams Fall, Chorale Prelude for Organ, F. 38/1/4 (BR A96)	Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt
Jesu, meine Freude, Chorale Prelude for Organ, F. 38/1/3 (BR A95)	Jesu, meine Freude
Nun komm der Heiden Heiland, Chorale Prelude for Organ, F. 38/1/1 (BR A93)	Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
Chorale Prelude for organ Was mein Gott will, das gscheh allzeit, F. 38/1/5 (BR A97), from 7 Chorale Preludes for Organ	Was mein Gott will, das g’scheh allzeit
Wir Christenleut, Chorale Prelude for Organ, F. 38/1/6 (BR A98)	Wir Christenleut habn jetzund Freud

Links to other Site
HOASM Wilhelm Friedemann Bach Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann: Biography (Sojurn) Classical Net - Basic Repertoire List - WF Bach Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784) (Karadar) Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann (1710-1784) (Naxos) Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (Weltchronik) [German] Klassika: Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784) [German]	Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (Wikipedia) Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (Wikipedia) [German] Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (Encyclopædia Britannica) Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (Answers.com) allmusic ((( Wilhelm Friedemann Bach > Overview Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann (WQXR)
Bibliography
Eugene Helm: "Wilhelm Friedemann Bach," in Christoph Wolff et. al., The New Grove Bach Family. NY: Norton, 1983 (ISBN 0393300889), pp. 238-50.

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Last update: ýJuly 29, 2009 ý09:26:09