| A | B |
|---|
| German Composers | In the 18th c., for first time in history, leading composers in Europe came from German speaking lands= German composers rose to power NOT by inventing new genres (like the Italians had done), but by synthesizing elements from Italian, French, German, and other national traditions in new, rich ways= German secret was a balance of tastes between native trends and foreign influences |
| Aristocratic Musicians | Interesting phenomenon in 18th c. Germany was the amount of aristocrats who persued music avidly as performers and as composers (Johann Ernst, prince of Weimar [1696-1715]; Frederick the Great; his sister Anna Amalia, princess of Prussia [1723-87], etc.) |
| Musicians in Britain (aka English Patrons) | At the time, Britain was unified monarchy, but since revolutions in 17th century the power and wealth of the royal house were quite limited (at times even the low salaries of the court musicians went unpaid)= To keep musicians in service, the king had to allow them to earn extra $ outside official duties= The presence of highly skilled, underpaid, and underutilized performers in London led to the growth of the public concert= The nobility also supported music= Many English noblemen had visited Italy when younger, and on their return to England, they emulated Italian aristocrats in employing household musicians and helping to fund Italian opera |
| Concerts and Publishing | Musicians supplemented their salaried appointments through public concerts, an increasingly important part of musical life in Germany as well as England, and through the sale of their compositions to publishers= $ from publishing was small (the system of paying royalties on sales had not yet developed, so composers just got a set fee for sale of all rights to their score) |
| Synthesis of Traditions | For long time, Germans were interested in music from other nations= Also German musicians often trained in more than 1 style= This diverse background allowed German composers much flexibility to draw elements from various traditions and adapt/blend them to suit any purpose or audience (more than any other trait, this synthesis of traditions gave the music of 18th c. German composers its broad appeal) |
| Georg Philipp Telemann | (1681-1767) Regarded as one of best composers of his era= Described his style as a mixture of many= Almost every current style can be found in his music= Helped to establish the characteristic German style of his time, a synthesis of German counterpoint with traits from the other nations he mentions= Aimed to please varied tastes and wrote for abilities of good amateur/middle-level professional players= His preference for relative simplicity helped make him much more popular |
| Paris Quartets | (Published 1730; Telemann) Telemann's first set of 6 quartets for flute, violin, cello (or viola da gamba), and continuo= Includes 2 Italian style concertos, 2 suites in the French style, and 2 sonatas in teh German style, and he mixes styles within each work as well (such as the French ornaments and melodic turns and the German invertible counterpoint that he blends with Vivaldian melodies and forms in the first concerto) |
| Johann Sebastian Bach | (1685-1750) Wasn't as popular in his day as he is today= He embraced all the major styles/forms/genres of his time (except opera) and blended them in new ways |
| Bach at work... | Was a working musician who composed mainly to fulfill the needs of the positions he held (wrote music related to his jobs; organ job...organ music, etc.) |
| The position of musicians | Bach's life reminds us that musicians were NOT free agents but were subject to the wishes of their employers (was at points "imprisoned", etc.) |
| Conditions in Leipzig | Bach's working conditions in Leipzig illustrate the many demands on musicians in an era when no one worked solely as a composer= St. Thomas's School in Leipzig (a booming city) took in both day/boarding kids chosen for their musical/scholastic abilities; were given scholarships in return for singing/playing in the services of the 4 main Leipzig churches and fulfilled other musical duties= Bach's position as CANTOR obligated him to teach Latin and music 4 hours each day and to compose/copy/rehearse music for the church services (had a ton of other duties as well)= For all this, was paid a decent middle-class income and was provided with an apartment for his family in the school (including a personal study for him) |
| The craft of composition | Bach learned composition by copying/arranging the music of other composers, a habit maintained throughout his career (in this way, became familiar with methods of the big composers from all nations)= According to son Carl Philipp Emanuel, Bach composed away form the keyboard, then tested the result by playing through it= Most important step was inventing the principal theme or subject, on which Bach then elaborated using established conventions of genre, form, and harmonic structure= When working with a text (as in a recitative or aria) he wrote the vocal melody first, fitting it to the accentuation and meaning of the words |
