Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (June 21, 1732 – January 26, 1795), the ninth son of Johann Sebastian Bach, sometimes referred to as the "Bückeburg Bach". He is not to be confused with Bach's first cousin once removed, Johann Christoph Bach.

Born at Leipzig, Germany, he was taught music by his father, and also tutored by his distant cousin Johann Elias Bach. He studied at the St. Thomas School, and some believe he studied law at the University there, but there is no record of that. In 1750, Count Wilhelm of Schaumburg-Lippe appointed Johann Christoph harpsichordist at Bückeburg, and in 1759, he became Konzertmeister. While there, Bach collaborated with Herder, who provided the texts for six vocal works; the music survives for only four of these.

Bach wrote keyboard sonatas, symphonies, oratorios, liturgical choir pieces and motets, operas and songs. Because of Count Wilhelm's predilection for Italian music, Bach had to adapt his style accordingly, but he retained stylistic traits of the music of his father and of his brother, C. P. E. Bach.

He married the singer Lucia Elisabeth Munchhusen (1728-1803) in 1755 and the Count stood as godfather to his first Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach. J.C.F. educated his son in music as his own father had, and Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst went on to become music director to Frederick William II of Prussia.

In April 1778 he and Wilhelm travelled to England to visit Johann Christian Bach.

The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica says of him "He was an industrious composer, ... whose work reflects no discredit on the family name." He was an outstanding virtuoso of the keyboard, with a reasonably wide repertory of surviving works, including 20 symphonies, the later ones influenced by Haydn and Mozart and hardly a genre of vocal music was neglected by him^[1]

Professor Peter Schickele, in comparing his alter ego, the fictitious composer P. D. Q. Bach, to Johann Sebastian's other sons, said that P.D.Q. possessed "the obscurity of Johann Christoph Friedrich."

Sadly, a significant portion of J. C. F. Bach's output was lost in the WWII destruction of the Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung in Berlin, where the scores had been on deposit since 1917. Bach's work shows him to have been a transitory figure in the mold of his half-brother C. P. E., his brother Johnn Christian, the Grauns, and Georg Philipp Telemann, with some works in the style of the high Baroque, some in a galant idiom, and still others which combine elements of the two, along with traits of the nascent classical style.

[edit] References

Ulrich Leisinger, "Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach," Grove Music Online, accessed 26 August 2006, <http://www.grovemusic.com>. Eugene Helm, "Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach" The New Grove Bach Family Macmillan 1985 pp309-314