The performers on this album believe that the songs were originally intended for private, internal experience rather than public performance.
Performer Biography
Norbert Meyn, the tenor on this recording, is a professor at both the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal College of Music in London, teaching German Lieder.
Composition History
C. P. E. Bach wrote over 250 songs, mostly devotional, which were popular in their time but are rarely performed today.
Composer's Artistic Vision
For C. P. E. Bach, the poetry was the main inspiration for his songs, leading him to set entire collections of poems by figures like C. F. Gellert and Christian Carl Sturm.
Recording & Production
Toccata Classics specializes in releasing recordings of neglected music from various periods and cultures, aiming to bring overlooked treasures to the public.
Compositional Technique
C. P. E. Bach's song collections, such as those to words by C. F. Gellert and Christian Carl Sturm, were among the first to feature fully written-out keyboard accompaniments instead of figured basses.
Instruments
The clavichord used for this recording was made by Peter Bavington in 2008, modeled after a J. J. Bodechtel instrument from around 1790.
