Symphony in F major (Wq 175 / H 650) - . Bach

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra conducted by Hartmut Haenchen I - Allegro assai: 0:00 II - Andante: 3:34 III - Tempo di Menuetto: 7:29 The F major Symphony is one of the group of . Bach works called “Berlin Symphonies“ because Bach was attached to the court of Frederick the Great of Prussia at the time of their composition. The piece was written in Berlin in 1755. In its original version it was for strings only; later Bach added wind parts, calling these “reinforcements“ of the original sound but actually showing some sensitivity to the possibilities of creative use of tone color. The wind section added comprises two horns, two flutes, and two bassoons. When Bach returned to the genre in the mid-1750s, notable differences are apparent. These can largely be explained by the great development of the concerto, especially the keyboard concerto, in Bach’s hands in the intervening years. The individual movements, particularly the first movements, are longer. In the structure of the first movements the ritornello principle is less evident; there is a tendency for the movement to fall into three sections, the third of them a tonally prepared section in the tonic key that increasingly resembles the recapitulation of a sonata design. This is particularly clear in Wq 175, where the first movement originally had repetition signs for the two halves of a large binary or sonata design; Bach only took them out in Hamburg many years after composing the piece. The slow movements are most often in a rondo-like sectional design, but may unfold rhapsodically without a set formal plan. The finales are usually in binary design; the minuet finale of Wq 175 is exceptional. The first movement, in F major, is written in three sections. It begins with the orchestra presenting a moderate theme, which is which is abundantly ornamented. The repetition of the beginning (a “ritornello“) marks the start of several modulations in the very personal style of . Bach. A new ritornello marks the start of a varied “recapitulation“, ending with a firm coda. The second movement, in F minor is written in a pretty free form. It begins with a soulful theme that anticipates the so-called Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) period that swept German orchestral music around 1770. It is a tonally unstable movement, modulating creatively from its dark F minor opening through the relative major (A flat), up to B flat minor, up another whole step to C minor, and then rather shockingly sliding up to D flat major, before the F minor conclusion. The final movement, in F major, is a rarity for the period: it is a rondo in the tempo and style of a minuet (A-B-A’-. North German musicians of the time disliked both forms in symphonic music; Bach’s contemporary Hiller likened minuets in symphonies to “makeup plasterings on the face of a male person.“ Nevertheless, the choice here is a well-judged one, making a charming and rather simple contrast to the complex second movement. The main theme is a gentle, moderate-paced theme presented by the orchestra. The secondary themes shows the more lyrical veins of the main one, then returns to the main theme, ending with a bright coda in F major. Picture: Engraving of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (c1987) Sources: Musical analysis done by myself