First published at 14:01 UTC on May 8th, 2023.
Symphony in C major, H. 659 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
CPE Bach completed this symphony in 1773 while working as Kapellmeister in Hamburg. Bach was given this role in 1768 after lengthy negotiations with his previous employer, the court of Freder…
MORE
Symphony in C major, H. 659 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
CPE Bach completed this symphony in 1773 while working as Kapellmeister in Hamburg. Bach was given this role in 1768 after lengthy negotiations with his previous employer, the court of Frederick the Great in Berlin. His new position in Hamburg came with a generous patronage from Princess Anna Amalia, the sister to Frederick.
The freedom awarded to Bach in his role in Hamburg allowed him to completed 21 settings of the Passion and over 70 cantatas, litanies, motets and other liturgical works. Additionally, Bach would complete an autobiography in 1773, making him one of the first composers to do so.
Bach would dedicate this symphony to Gottfried van Swieten, the Austrian ambassador to Prussia and patron of many musicians.
This symphony is comprised of three movements:
I. Allegro assai
II. Adagio
III. Allegretto
LESS