BMC 13 - Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) : Orchestral Music
Born in Magdeburg in 1681, Telemann belonged to a family that had long been connected with the Lutheran Church. His
father was a clergyman, his mother the daughter of a clergyman, and his elder brother also took orders, a path that he too
might have followed had it not been for his exceptional musical ability. As a child he showed considerable musical talent,mastering the violin, flute, zither and keyboard by the age of ten and composing an opera (Sigismundus) two years later tothe consternation of his family (particularly his mother's side), who disapproved of music.
However, such resistance only reinforced his determination to persevere in his studies through transcription, and modeling
his works on those of such composers as Steffani, Rosenmüller, Corelli and Antonio Caldara. After preparatory studies atthe Hildesheim Gymnasium, he matriculated in Law (at his mother's insistence) at Leipzig University in 1701. That he had
little intention of putting aside his interest in music is evident from his stop at Halle, en route to Leipzig, in order to makethe acquaintance of the young Handel, with whom he was to maintain a lifelong friendship.
It was while he was a student at Leipzig University that a career in music became inevitable. At first it was intended that heshould study language and science, but he was already so capable a musician that within a year of his arrival he founded thestudent Collegium Musicum with which he gave public concerts (and which Bach was later to direct), wrote operatic works
for the Leipzig Theater; in 1703 he became musical director of the Leipzig Opera, and was appointed Organist at the Neue
Kirche in 1704. While at the University he involved fellow-students in a great deal of public performance, to the annoyanceof the Thomas Cantor, Bach's immediate predecessor, Kuhnau, who saw his prerogative now infringed.
Telemann did not stay long in Leipzig. In 1705 he accepted an appointment as Capellmeister to the cosmopolitan Court ofCount Erdmann II of Promnitz at Sorau (now Zary). But his tenure there was cut short by the imminent prospect ofinvasion by the Swedish army, causing the Court to be hurriedly disbanded. His next appointment was at Eisenach as Court
Konzertmeister in charge of singers, with Pantaleon Hebenstreit as Leader of the Orchestra. His appointment there (sometime between 1706 and 1708) just overlapped with the presence of Bach, who left in 1708 to take up posts at the Weimar
Court. Telemann had every reason to assume that this would be a period of relative stability and accordingly plunged into
composing church cantatas, occasional pieces, orchestral and instrumental chamber music. The reason for cutting short histenure seems unclear; perhaps he felt the need for a change of scene following the tragic death of his wife in 1711.
Telemann’s next move was to the free imperial city of Frankfurt-am-Main where he took up duties as Director of Municipal
Music and also as Capellmeister of the Barfüßerkirche. Together with his activities as director of the "Frauenstein", a musicalsociety in that same city, which presented weekly concerts, Telemann's new posts suited his talents very well. He composedoccasional music for civic ceremonies, five year-long cycles of church cantatas, oratorios, orchestral music and a wealth ofchamber music, much of which was published. Only the opportunity to produce opera was lacking, though he continued tosupply works to the Leipzig Opera. During this period he was also appointed Capellmeister to the Prince of Bayreuth. Hemarried again, gaining citizenship through marriage.
The dates and places of composition of Telemann’s 170 surviving Concertos cannot precisely be determined. However it islikely that many may have been composed during this Frankfurt period, for entertainment at Court or by the FrauensteinMusical Society. Some of his Concertos do exist in copies by Graupner, whose Darmstadt orchestra frequently
supplemented Telemann’s own Frankfurt Court forces. Composition of the Suite No. 6 in d-minor can however be datedwith certainty during this Frankfurt period since it comes from a set of “Six Concerts et Six Suites à Clavecin et Flûte
traversière” which Telemann edited for his own independent publication between 1715 and 1720.
The wide variety of instrumentation in Telemann’s concerted works, which we have tried to demonstrate in the selection on
this disc, shows his desire for exploration in sonorities. The Concerto in G for 2 Violas for example, is titled, interestingly, “Concert par Monsieur Telemann pour 2 violettes, 2 violons, taille et basse”; the viola was clearly regarded as an English
instrument, and a “foreign” sonority to be explored. The violas were also referred to as “Violette all’ inglese” by Vivaldi, whose
variety of instrumentational coloring far exceeded even that of Telemann.
In 1721, the coveted position of Cantor of the Hamburg Johanneum, a post that traditionally carried with it teaching
responsibilities and the directorship of Hamburg's five principal churches, became vacant, and Telemann was invited tosucceed Joachim Gerstenbüttel. Here, at last, was a prestigious post that would provide him with seemingly unlimited
opportunities to compose and perform. After accepting the Post, as Cantor he was stretched as never before: he was required
to compose two Cantatas a week, a new Passion annually, as well as providing occasional works for church and civil

ceremonies. Indeed such was his vitality and creative impetus that, in spite of heavy responsibilities, he apparently eagerlysought and fulfilled additional commissions from home and abroad.
The prospect of being actively involved in the Hamburg Opera - his Opera “Der geduldige Socrates”, had already been
performed there earlier that year - was a further attraction. However, there was strong opposition among the city fathers to
his operatic participation. Telemann reacted characteristically by threatening to resign.
He applied for the post of Cantor of the Leipzig Thomaskirche, and in 1722 was chosen over Bach, Graupner and threeother candidates. However, since the Hamburg City Council then refused to grant his release, they were obliged to improve
his salary and withdraw their objections to his association with the Hamburg Opera. Telemann thereupon redoubled hisactivities at Hamburg, increasing the number of public concerts given at the churches, the Drill-Hall and at a tavern known
as the 'Lower Tree-House' at which a wide variety of sacred and secular music was performed. These performances werepatronized by prominent Hamburg citizens and supported by paid admission. More to the point, he was subsequently madeMusic Director of the Hamburg Opera, remaining in that capacity until its closure in 1738. He produced both serious andcomic works, many of which have been lost, or survive only as excerpts published in Der getreue Musikmeister. In addition toTelemann's own Operas and those of Reinhard Keiser, Handel's London Operas were also performed there during
Telemann's tenure.
Der getreuer Musikmeister ("The Faithful Music Master") was founded in 1728 by Telemann and J.V. Görner (not to beconfused with J.G. Görner, organist at Leipzig and Bach's contemporary). Intended as a "home music lesson", this Germanmusic periodical, the first of its kind, appeared every two weeks in the form of a four-page “Lection” meaning a reading or alesson. It consisted of actual music, new music just composed and given its first circulation in this unusual fashion. Much ofit was by Telemann himself, but other contemporary composers were also represented, such as Keiser, Pezold, Görner,Bonporti, Zelenka, Ritter and Stoltzer. Unfortunately the individual issues were not dated, nor is it known how long theperiodical appeared for. Twenty-five of these periodicals have come down to us with their contents.
Telemann remained in Hamburg until his death in 1767, being succeeded in that position by his godson, Carl PhilippEmanuel Bach, son of Johann Sebastian Bach.