Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 – 1767) was a German
Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost
completely self-taught in music, he became a composer
against his family's wishes. After studying in
Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered
the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually
settled on a career in music. He held important
positions in Leipzig, Sorau, Eisenach, and Frankfurt
before settling in Hamburg in 1721, where he became
musical director of the city's f...(+)
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 – 1767) was a German
Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost
completely self-taught in music, he became a composer
against his family's wishes. After studying in
Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered
the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually
settled on a career in music. He held important
positions in Leipzig, Sorau, Eisenach, and Frankfurt
before settling in Hamburg in 1721, where he became
musical director of the city's five main churches.
While Telemann's career prospered, his personal life
was always troubled: his first wife died only a few
months after their marriage, and his second wife had
extramarital affairs and accumulated a large gambling
debt before leaving Telemann.
While Telemann's Pentecost Cantata, "Gott der Hoffnung
erfulle euch" (May the God of Hope fill you) has no
proven direct connection to Bach, this festive, concise
(10-minute long) gallant work composed in 1717 is
emblematic of both composers' creative pursuit of the
cantata form as well as their mutual interests and
serendipitous connections.
The Bach-Telemann creative confluence is both broad and
deep, speaking clearly of their mutual interests and
practices. In less than two years, 1721-1723, they
achieved their final callings as music directors and
cantors at the two Lutheran cities of Leipzig and
Hamburg, producing annual cycles of church service
cantatas as well as Passion performances, creating most
of their church works before 1730. A close examination
of Telemann's Pentecost Cantata, listed as Telemann
work TVWV 1:634 and Bach work BWV 218, shows similar
techniques and common pursuits
Although there are no direct connections between Bach
and the Telemann Pentecost Cantata, it is an
attractive, influential work that could have fit
effectively into Bach's well-ordered church music. A
product of the Erdmann Neumeister (1671-1756) 1717
Sacred Poetry annual cycle, it reveals Telemann's
formative production of mature cantatas in the Italian
operatic style of biblical dictum opening, tutti non-da
capo arias surrounding a plain recitative, and closing
with a well-known Lutheran chorale. This cycle of
concertante music fuses texts and music in an
elaborate, appealing setting for orchestra and chorus.
Although originally created for 4-part Chorus (SATB)
and Orchestra (2 horns, 2 violins, viola, continuo), I
created this arrangement for Flutes (2) and Piano.