The Music of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: (Eastman Studies in Music)

In this first comprehensive examination of the music of the most prolific Bach son, David Schulenberg offers new perspectives on the career, style, and originality of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Of Bach's four sons who became composers, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-88) was the most prolific, the most original, and the most influential both during and after his lifetime. This is the first comprehensive study of his music, examining not only the famous keyboard sonatas and concertos but also the songs, the chamber music, and the sacred works, many of which resurfaced only recently and have not previously been evaluated. A compositional biography,the book surveys C. P. E. Bach's extensive output of nearly a thousand works while tracing his musical development-from his student days at Leipzig and Frankfurt (Oder), through his nearly three decades as court musician to Prussian King Frederick "the Great," to his final twenty years as cantor and music director at Hamburg. David Schulenberg, author of important books on the music of J. S. Bach and his first son, W. F. Bach, here considers the legacy of the second son from a compelling new perspective. Focusing on C. P. E. Bach's compositional choices within his social and historical context, Schulenberg shows how C. P. E. Bach deliberately avoided his father's style whileborrowing from the manner of his Berlin colleagues, who were themselves inspired by Italian opera. Schulenberg also shows how C. P. E. Bach, now best known for his virtuoso keyboard works, responded to changing cultural and aesthetic trends by refashioning himself as a writer of vocal music and popular chamber compositions. Audio versions of the book's musical examples, as well as further examples and supplementary tables and texts, are available on a companion website. David Schulenberg is professor of music at Wagner College and teaches historical performance at the Juilliard School. He is the author of The Music of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (University of Rochester Press, 2010).

Table of Contents:
Preface Abbreviations Note about Online Supporting Material Emmanuel Bach in Context A Student in Leipzig Leipzig: First Works From Leipzig to Frankfurt (Oder) and Berlin Joining the Court: Bach at Berlin Bach's Works of the 1740s: Sonatas, Concertos, Trios Beyond the Court Berlin and After: Songs and the New Aesthetic of Vocal Music Leaving the Court: Music Mainly for Concerts The Later Keyboard Music Church Piece and Oratorio at Hamburg Swan Songs Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
DAVID SCHULENBERG has performed on historical keyboard instruments across North America, Europe and Asia, and has recorded for Naxos, Hungaroton, and Brilliant Classics. His publications include The Music of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (University of Rochester Press, 2014). He has taught at Boston University, the Juilliard School, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he directed the Collegium Musicum. His website schulenbergmusic.org features numerous recordings and editions.

Review :
Intriguing . . . [and] lucid. An attractive bonus is an extensive online supplement. Well-researched and thoroughly documented. A first-rate addition to the growing literature on C.P.E. Bach. One of the best aspects of this book is the attention paid to Bach's less-known lieder and choral output. Schulenberg's comprehensive knowledge of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century works...allows him to make ready connections between similar characteristics in one of Bach's works and those of another composer. [Offers] keen insights into the people in the Berlin court, Bach's role, and how carefully he fit in musically and personally. Schulenberg's survey elucidates Bach's works through his insights and vivid prose. BACH: Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute Packed with analytical and historical detail; the prose is lucid. This important book should find a place in all research libraries. Schulenberg notes similarities and divergences between the early keyboard music of his subject and [of CPE's brother] Wilhelm Friedemann. The book is a marvelous celebration of the 300th anniversary of [C.P.E. Bach's] birth, honestly showing the figure of . . . one of the most important composers of the eighteenth century. 'This is an important book that not only reflects the present state of knowledge regarding C.P.E Bach's music but also has great potential to stimulate further research. Full of insight, it will be essential reading for scholars and students with a serious interest in C.P.E. Bach and mid- to late-eighteenth-century music generally.