The text for the aria 'Fürsten sind am Lebensziele' (Princes have reached their life's goal), Wq 214, was written by the Courland poetess Elise von der Recke for her younger sister's birthday.
Composer's Artistic Vision
C.P.E. Bach recognized early on the shift in musical attitudes towards a greater appreciation of artistic performance over the written score.
Compositional Technique
The 'Empfindsamkeit' or 'sensitive style' in C.P.E. Bach's era emphasized detailed performance practice rather than just compositional technique.
Composition History
C.P.E. Bach often revised and updated earlier works; for example, the Sonatina in D minor/F major, Wq 104, is an arrangement of a 1764 version with an expanded orchestration.
Composition History
The cantata 'Der Frühling' (The Spring), Wq 237, and 'Selma', Wq 236, both started as songs with piano accompaniment before C.P.E. Bach refashioned them into cantatas.
Composer Biography
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the second son of the famous Cantor of St. Thomas's, was considered a leading figure in a new compositional style during his lifetime.
Critical Reception
The music critic Johann Friedrich Reichardt praised C.P.E. Bach's originality, stating that all his works, even the shortest, bore the stamp of freshness and novelty.
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