Meet Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – His Life and Music

by | Dec 3, 2025 | Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Uncategorized, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | 0 comments

Johann Sebastian Bach had several sons who became composers: Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, and Johann Christian Bach. It was remarkable that he had so many sons who became composers, and even more remarkable that each of them developed a highly individual compositional style. Although a case can be made that Johann Christian wrote the most beautiful music of them all, Carl Philipp Emmanuel exerted the greatest influence on the evolution of western classical music. Even if the monumental Johann Sebastian Bach had never existed, this son would surely have made a name for himself as one of the most important forces in the evolution of classical music.  

Ladies and gentlemen, dear lovers of music,

My name is Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. I was born in 1714 in Weimar, the second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach. My father’s shadow was vast — a master of counterpoint and of the organ loft — yet I sought my own path in a changing world. Where his art reached the sublime heights of the Baroque, I found myself drawn to new currents: expressiveness, surprise, and the intimate voice of the empfindsamer Stil — the “sensitive style.”

I was trained thoroughly by my father in Leipzig and later studied law in Frankfurt an der Oder, but music proved the stronger calling. In 1738 I entered the service of Frederick the Great in Berlin as harpsichordist. There I played alongside the king himself and met many brilliant minds, including Franz Benda and later the fiery Johann Joachim Quantz. It was a world of refinement and elegance, yet I longed for deeper expression than courtly polish often allowed.

I also knew of and admired the daring Joseph Haydn, whose youthful works hinted at the Classical symphony’s future, and I exchanged ideas — directly and indirectly — with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who later said of me, “He is the father, we are the children.” Such words humbled me, for I, too, revered my father’s greatness while striving to speak in my own voice.

My music sought freedom of feeling. In my keyboard sonatas and concertos, you will hear sudden shifts of mood: joy breaking into melancholy, drama yielding to calm. My Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments became a guide for performers across Europe, including young Mozart himself. And in Hamburg, where I succeeded Telemann as music director in 1768, I poured my soul into symphonies, passions, and sacred music that carried both tradition and innovation.

I spent my final years in Hamburg, passing away there in 1788. My hope is that when you hear my works, you sense a man living between eras — honoring the great contrapuntal art I inherited, yet daring to open doors to the Classical style that would soon flourish.

Thank you for listening, and for keeping alive the conversation between generations of composers and the emotions we all share.

A Selection of Works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Available for Listening on Classical Archives

Please note that in order to listen, you must be a member of Classical Archives. If you are not yet a member, we invite you to join now. Free 14-day trial memberships are now available.

The works listed below are only a selection of many more works by this composer that are available for listening on Classical Archives. To find more, be sure to visit the listings contained on our Composer’s Page. 

Selected Keyboard Works

Selected Orchestral Works

Selected Concertos

Selected Chamber Music

Oratorios

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *