Georg Philipp Telemann

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.