C.P.E. Bach, the composer, aimed to demonstrate that instrumental music could convey meaning beyond itself, representing dialogue rather than just a single emotion.
Composer Biography
C.P.E. Bach's fame largely stemmed from his solo keyboard music and his instruction book, 'Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen' (Essay on the true art of playing the keyboard), published in 1753.
Composition History
The dance 'La Folia' originated in Spain two centuries before C.P.E. Bach's variations and became popular in 17th-century Italy, with its chord sequence often used by composers.
Instruments
The Purcell Quartet uses period instruments, including a violin from 1790 and a harpsichord made in 1986 after a 1740 model.
Instruments
By the mid-18th century, the viola da gamba was considered an instrument of the past, sustained only by a few virtuosi.
Compositional Technique
In C.P.E. Bach's Trio in C minor, the two violins represent 'Sanguineus' and 'Melancholicus', two of the four basic psychological types from ancient Greek medical theory.
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