Five Minute Mozart - Music Theory Education

Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach was born in Weimar, Germany on March 8th 1714.
 
Carl had an advantage which helped set him apart from other musicians of his day. He was the second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach and received his musical education from his father.
 
Being the son of such an important figure in music history did not leave him in the shadows. In fact, he went on to have quite a successful career.
 
In 1738 he became a chamber musician and keyboard player to King Frederick the Great of Prussia, a position which he held for 29 years until succeeding Georg Philipp Telemann as director of music for the principal churches of Hamburg in 1767.
 
Having written over 200 sonatas for various skill levels, Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach proved himself a necessary influence in the development of the sonata form, which would come to be widely used throughout the Classical Period.
 
Not limited to sonata form, his output included various oratorios, passions, and other sacred music, as well as chamber music, concertos, symphonies, and cantatas.
 
Additionally, he wrote what was considered a greatly important treatise on keyboard technique titled, “An Essay On The True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments”.
 
Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach died on December 14th, 1788 in Hamburg, Germany at the age of 74.