Georg Philipp Telemann
German Baroque contemporary of Bach and the most prolific composer of his age
1681
1767
German
Baroque
Tafelmusik, Paris Quartets
Early life
Georg Philipp Telemann was born on 14 March 1681 in Magdeburg, in the Duchy of Magdeburg. Despite opposition from his family, who intended him for the law, Telemann was largely self-taught in music, learning by studying the scores of established composers and mastering several instruments including the violin, flute, oboe, and keyboard. At the University of Leipzig, where he had enrolled to study law, he founded and directed a collegium musicum, composed operas for the Leipzig Theatre, and was appointed organist of the Neukirche — effectively abandoning any pretence of a legal career.
Career and major works
Telemann held important posts at Sorau, Eisenach, and Frankfurt before accepting the most prestigious musical position in Germany: Cantor of the Johanneum and music director of the five main churches in Hamburg, a post he assumed in 1721 and held until his death forty-six years later. He was arguably the most famous and prolific composer of his generation — more celebrated in his own time than his friend Johann Sebastian Bach. His catalogue runs to over 3,000 works, encompassing more than 1,000 church cantatas, 46 passions, numerous oratorios, over 600 orchestral suites, some 125 concertos, 40 operas, and a vast quantity of chamber music, including the Tafelmusik (1733), a monumental collection of orchestral and chamber pieces published by subscription across Europe, and the twelve Paris Quartets (1730 and 1738).
Musical style and legacy
Telemann's music is characterised by melodic fluency, formal clarity, galant elegance, and a remarkable ability to absorb influences from French, Italian, and Polish styles. He was a pioneer in music publishing, promoting subscription editions that reached audiences far beyond court and church. His reputation suffered an unjust decline in the nineteenth century, when the cult of genius elevated Bach and Handel at his expense, but modern scholarship and performance practice have restored his standing as one of the Baroque era's most inventive and cosmopolitan composers. He died in Hamburg on 25 June 1767.