XI. The German Preclassics (1700-1760)
XIA. Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
German composer. He received instruction in Latin,
rhetoric, and dialectic at the Altstädtisches Gymnasium and
the Domschule in Magdeburg. His music master was the Kantor
Benedikt Christian, whose compositions he transcribed; by the age
of 10 he had teamed to play the violin, the flute, the zither, and
keyboard instruments. At the age of 12 he began composing an opera,
prompting his mother, who wished him to study law, to forbid him to
continue his musical studies. In late 1693 or 1694 he was sent to
school at Zellerfield and placed under the care of the
superintendent, Caspar Calvoer. Calvoer instructed Telemann in
music theory and approved of the boy's teaching himself composition
and thoroughbass. Telemann remained there for four years before
moving to the Gymnasium Andreanum at Hildesheim. There he composed
incidental songs for Latin school dramas, became involved in
performances of German cantatas, and made visits to Hannover and
Brunswick, where he became exposed to French instrumental music and
Italian opera.
In 1701 he entered Leipzig Univ. with the intent of
studying law; he organized a student collegium musicum there in
1702. Also in that year he was appointed music director of the
Leipzig Opera, where he used students in productions. In 1704 he
became organist at the Neue Kirche, and the following year he was
appointed Kapellmeister to the court of Count Erdmann II of
Promnitz at Sorau. Several visits to Poland acquainted him with
Polish folk music, which he admired greatly. In 1708 or 1709 he
moved to Eisenach to assume the duties of Konzertmeister and
later Kapellmeister. For the orchestra he composed French
overtures, concertos, and chamber works; for the Hofkapelle he
supplied church cantatas and occasional music. It was there that he
probably met J. S. Bach; he was godfather to C. P. E. Bach in 1714.
In 1709 he married Louise Eberlin; she died in January 1711. The
following year he became the city director of music at Frankfurt am
Main and Kapellmeister at the Barfüsserkirche. There he
trained choristers, wrote at least five cycles of cantatas, and
supplied occasional music. He also directed weekly public concerts
at which his oratorios and instrumental works were performed. In
1714 he married Maria Katharina Textor, with whom he had eight sons
and two daughters. In 1717 he became Kapellmeister at Gotha,
and on 16 October 1721 he was appointed Kantor of the
Johanneum in Hamburg and music director of the city's five main
churches. Although the latter position placed considerable demands
on Telemann, he still found time to conduct a collegium musicum in
public concerts and take part in operatic productions; from 1722 to
1738 he was music director of the Hamburg Opera. From his time in
Frankfurt until 1740 Telemann himself published a great many of his
works, including sacred cantatas and the three-part Musique de
table. In 1737 he went to Paris, probably to prevent pirated
editions of his music from being published; his works were
performed to great acclaim at court and at the Concert spirituel.
Like Handel, he turned in his later years to the oratorio.
Biblography; Wikipedia:
Number of PDF-score / MIDI-file: cpdl=34,
Discography
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