Day 178
Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach Westphalens Freude
Soloists
Das Kleine Konzert
Hermann Max
For the final work in this exploration of the Bach family I go forward a further generation to the only one of Bach's grandsons who composed. W F E Bach (1759- 1845). He was a Kapellmeister in Berlin and lived long enough to meet Schumann at the unveiling of a monument to his grandfather JSB. He was modest about his own achievements, saying 'Heredity can tend to run out of ideas' . This secular cantata dates from 1788 and celebrates the accession to the Prussian Throne of FriedrichWilhelm II. It is very much of the world of Early Haydn Mozart and Gluck and it well put together with some charming melodies and some attractive wind writing. You would never call it a masterpiece but on its own terms it works well and clearly went down well with the Emperor, because he offered WFE the post in Berlin.
WFE also wrote a piece for 6 hands at the piano which is played by two (female) pupils in the middle of the keyboard with the (male) teacher putting his arms round them both to play the very top and very bottom parts of the piece. It is quite fun though it would hardly be allowed today!
This ends my exploration of a handful of Bachs. What is extraordinary is how the family died out. You would think that having had 20 children JSB would have had lots of descendants but in fact WFE's children were the last undisputed members of JSB's line. I say undisputed because there are various accounts of some illegitimate children in direct descent and some people in Oklahoma of all places claim to be direct descendants. We may well never know the truth.
For the next project I am going to look at various settings of the Requiem.
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