Carl Friedrich Abel, a gamba virtuoso and composer, became Chamber Musician to Queen Charlotte of England in 1761 after establishing himself in London.
Composition History
The Bach-Abel Concerts, a joint concert series started in 1765, were London's most professionally organized and longest-lasting concert series of their time.
Compositional Technique
The Sextet in C major by Johann Christian Bach features a unique instrumentation for the 18th century, with a quartet of keyboard, oboe, violin, and cello determining the music, while two horns enrich the sound only in outer movements.
Critical Reception
Leopold Mozart, father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, highly praised Johann Christian Bach's chamber music for its natural, flowing, and carefully composed style.
Composition History
Johann Christian Bach and Carl Friedrich Abel shared a 'bachelor pad' in London, which became a meeting point for musicians and artists like painter Thomas Gainsborough and actor David Garrick.
Composer Biography
Johann Christian Bach, son of J.S. Bach, moved to London in 1762 for a lucrative opera commission and remained there for the rest of his life.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Carl Friedrich Abel's instrumental works are characterized by thematic simplicity, harmonic clarity, and spontaneous expressiveness, making him a key representative of the Empfindsamer Stil (sensitive style).
