Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: Oeuvres pour clavier

Featuring

Maude Gratton
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
Johann Wilhelm Hässler

Did you know?

1/7

Compositional Technique

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's fugues, particularly the Eight Fugues for Anna Amalia, combine compositional rigor with unpredictable whims and subtle, humorous counterpoint.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's keyboard music is described as a self-portrait of a strange, unpredictable, and original man, revealing a relentless existential anguish.

Composer Biography

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, the eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, was a child prodigy whose father personally oversaw his musical education, including violin and organ.

Performer Biography

Maude Gratton, the performer on this album, is a prize-winning harpsichordist and organist who regularly performs internationally and is a founding member of the ensemble "Il Convito."

Composer Biography

Johann Sebastian Bach, the composer's father, expressed great satisfaction with Wilhelm Friedemann, reportedly saying, "This is my beloved son, the one who gives me joy."

Compositional Technique

The Polonaises are considered Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's most personal compositions, each serving as a "painting" that intensely conveys emotion through the chosen tonalities.

Instruments

The harpsichord used for this recording was made by Christian Zell, an 18th-century Hamburg instrument maker who inherited his workshop through marriage to his master's widow.