Georg Philipp Telemann

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767) was a German composer and the most prolific of the of the generation that included J.S. Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti. Unlike the others, he was mostly self-taught in music and became a musician against his family’s wishes. (His mother even took away all his instruments, telling him making music was forbidden, though the young Telemann kept composing in secret.) Like many other composers, he enrolled at the university in the faculty of Law in Leipzig, only to become a professional musician. He was very international in his style, writing music that blended Italian, German, and French characteristics. He held various jobs in Leipzig, both in churches and outside, such as the opera house. After Leipzig and short stays in Frankfurt and Eisenach, he settled in Hamburg, where at first he was so unhappy that he applied for (and was offered) the job that eventually was to be J.S. Bach’s in Leipzig. In Hamburg, he was responsible for music in many different organizations, secular and sacred.

Vocal Works Performed by the San Francisco Bach Choir

Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr
Die Ehre des herrlichen Schöpfers zu melden
Die schönste Schäferin beglückt from Don Quichotte auf der Hochzeit des Comacho
Laudate Jehovam (Psalm 117)
Missa brevis super “Ein Kindelein so löbelich”