The 'Württemberg' Sonatas were intended for professional musicians and sophisticated music lovers, not for beginners, and are among the longest and most demanding sonatas Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach ever wrote.
Compositional Technique
These sonatas feature a wide range of thematic material and extended forms, giving listeners an experience similar to following the plot of a long novel or film.
Instruments
The clavichord used for this recording is a 1999 facsimile of a 1785 instrument by Gottfried Joseph Horn, built by Joris Potvlieghe, a Belgian specialist in the Saxonian school of instrument making.
Interpretation
The performer, Miklós Spányi, chose to record these sonatas on a clavichord because it was a central instrument in 18th-century Germany and allows for dramatic contrasts and a rich sound, unlike a harpsichord.
Composer Biography
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was appointed Chamber Musician to Friedrich II, King of Prussia (Frederick the Great), in 1741, primarily to accompany the king's flute solos.
Composition History
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's 'Württemberg' Sonatas are dedicated to Carl Eugen, Duke of Württemberg, who was one of Bach's music students in Berlin.
Composition History
The order in which Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach composed the 'Württemberg' Sonatas differs from the order in which they were published, and the reason for this change remains a mystery.
