Short biography georg philipp telemann

His career there was cut short in early by the hostilities of the Great Northern Warand after a short period of travels he entered the service of Duke Johann Wilhelmin Eisenach where Johann Sebastian Bach was born. During his tenure at Eisenach, Telemann wrote a great deal of music: at least four annual cycles of church cantatas, dozens of sonatas and concertos, and other works.

Short biography georg philipp telemann

The mother died soon afterwards, leaving Telemann depressed and distraught. Catherine's Church. Here, as in Leipzig, he was a powerful force in the city's musical life, creating music for two major churches, civic ceremonies, and various ensembles and musicians. By he had adopted the use of the da capo ariawhich had been adopted by composers such as Alessandro Scarlatti.

Operas such as Narcisowhich was brought to Frankfurt inwritten in the Italian idiom of composition, made a mark on Telemann's output. This was a source of much personal happiness, and helped him produce compositions. Telemann continued to be extraordinarily productive and successful, even augmenting his income by working for Eisenach employers as a Kapellmeister von Haus aus, that is, regularly sending new music while not actually living in Eisenach.

Telemann's first published works also appeared during the Frankfurt period. His output increased rapidly, for he fervently composed overture-suites and chamber music, most of which is unappreciated. In the latter half of the Frankfurt period, he composed an innovative work, his Viola Concerto in G major, which is twice the length of his violin concertos.

Hamburg — [ edit ] Telemann accepted the invitation to work in Hamburg as Kantor of the Johanneum Lateinschuleand music director of the five largest churches in Leipzig, Telemann enrolled to study law in Leipzig in However, he was unable to remain faithful to his resolution to no longer give priority to music for long. Together with other students, he founded a Collegium Musicum, a private society of music amateurs who regularly played music together.

And it was in Leipzig that Telemann received his first commission to compose cantatas. His talent then finally took wing: As a singer, conductor, and composer, he made extensive contributions to the Leipzig Opera. Subsequently, he became organist and music director at the Neue Kirche in Leipzig. Telemann's further path was thus decided: He had become a "professional musician".

Here Telemann worked as court music director, conducting the court orchestra, composing and playing the organ. The Count had just returned from France and was fond of French music. Unfortunately the individual issues were not dated, nor is it known how long the periodical appeared for. Twenty-five of these periodicals have come down to us with their contents.

Telemann remained in Hamburg until his death inbeing succeeded in that position by his godson, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, son of Johann Sebastian. Though it is with Hamburg that we customarily associate his name, Telemann traveled widely, making many trips to Berlin where he was exposed to strains of Polish music imported from the East, and to Paris in where he absorbed much of the French idiom then current.

Telemann's friendship with Handel continued: Handel corresponded with him on several occasions, and in went to the trouble of sending him from London "a crate of flowers, which experts assure me are very choice and of admirable rarity". His name appears as 'Mr. Hendel, Docteur en Musique, Londres' on the list of subscribers to the most ambitious publication of Telemann's music during his lifetime, the Musique de Table, which appeared in three installments during the course of An interesting side-note is that Telemann supervised the preparation of the engraved plates from which the parts were printed, these being made of pewter as opposed to the short biography georg philipp telemann usual and more expensive copper, by a new process apparently first employed in London about by Walsh and Hare, and introduced into Germany by Telemann himself.

Further proof of Handel's esteem for Telemann's music is provided by the fact that Handel used ideas from no less than sixteen movements in the Musique de Table in his own compositions. Handel would jokingly relate that Telemann "could write a church piece in eight parts with the same expedition another would write a letter". As a composer Telemann was indeed prolific, providing an enormous body of work, both sacred and secular.

This included church cantatas, and settings of the Passion for each year that he was in Hamburg, 46 in all. In Leipzig he had written operas, and he continued to involve himself in public performances in Hamburg, later taking on additional responsibility as musical director of the Hamburg opera. He was also commercially active in publishing and selling much of the music that he wrote.

Raised in a devout Lutheran family, Telemann received singing and keyboard lessons but was largely self-taught musically. In he entered Leipzig University to study law but music proved the stronger attraction. Tragedy struck in with the death of his wife, following the birth of their first child. He also organised weekly concerts at the Collegium Musicum.

He remarried inbut the relationship foundered. He composed cantatas for the churches and for various civic ceremonies, an annual Passion and music for military celebrations.