Georg Philipp Telemann composed thousands of pieces of music. As one of the few artists of his time, he was not only respected, but was also able to make a good living from his work.
At first it did not look as if little Georg Philipp, who was born in Magdeburg on March 14, 1681, would one day become one of the most famous German baroque composers, because music was not a passion in his family. After the death of the father, the family was also dependent on patrons - and Georg Philipp and his siblings had to submit to their educational wishes.
Georg Philipp Telemann - a musical autodidact
True, the boy was very interested in music. However, the young Telemann did not receive regular musical instruction, and so he acquired the craft of music - including playing several instruments - largely self-taught. In 1701 Telemann began studying law in Leipzig. Nothing is known of a degree, but the student developed numerous musical activities and made contact with musicians of his time - including Georg Friedrich Handel. Their friendship should last a lifetime.
Employments in Leipzig, Sorau and Eisenach
Composing was extremely easy for the young musician, and so he not only supplied the Leipzig churches with cantatas. In 1704 he rose to music director of the university church. He had previously founded his own ensemble, which at times probably included up to 40 musicians. The ensemble also played in the then young Leipzig Opera House, which was managed by Telemann from 1702.
Short court appointments in Sorau and Eisenach followed from 1705. There he became acquainted with French and Polish music, which influenced his later instrumental works. In 1709 he married Amalia Louise Juliana Eberlin, who died shortly after giving birth to their first daughter.
Music director in Frankfurt
In 1712 Telemann went to Frankfurt am Main. There he received the position of municipal music director. In addition to the musical life of the church, which was firmly in his hands, he composed for city events, organized civic musical life, which was becoming increasingly important far away from courts and churches, and dared to publish musical works at his own risk.
He remarried in 1714. The marriage to Maria Catharina Textor produced nine children. However, the connection was not happy. The couple separated around 1735.
Telemann's years in Hamburg
Influential Hamburg advocates brought Telemann to Hamburg in 1721. He was 40 years old at the time and a much-appreciated, courted and wealthy musician throughout Germany. The Hanseatic city had a thriving musical culture, a lively concert scene and an opera house. The possibilities for additional income also seemed promising.
As chief music director, he was responsible for the music in the five main churches of the Hanseatic city, as well as for music lessons at the Latin school Johanneum and for the music at festive occasions such as church dedications and the annual captain's festival. A year after his arrival, Telemann also took over the management of the opera house, for which he regularly contributed operas.
Telemann shapes the musical life of the Hanseatic city
View of the old Hamburg Opera, which was demolished in 1757. (Drawing by Peter Heineken, 1726)Under Telemann's influence, public concerts, independent of church and court institutions, flourished. Concerts took place regularly, so that in 1761 the first concert hall was built at Valentinskamp. His pupils, to whom he introduced sacred music in the Johanneum, rushed into the modern performances - despite the high ticket prices. In addition to sacred works, arias were also performed in the concerts, the ironic and suggestive texts of which provoked protests from older Hamburg residents.
Telemann also continued his publishing activities in Hamburg. He brought out the first German music magazine, the "True Music Master". He maintained close connections with Hamburg's literary and intellectual elite and also wrote the texts for his vocal works himself.
From composing to growing flowers
Telemann made no serious attempts to leave Hamburg. He only became fickle when, in 1722, shortly after his arrival, he was offered the position of Thomaskantor in Leipzig. But he finally refused. Only once, shortly after separating from his second wife, did Telemann leave the city for several months and embark on a trip abroad, including to Paris. The musician was also celebrated there.
At the age of over 80, things became quieter for the restless artist. He studied music theory and bought a garden on the outskirts of Hamburg where he grew flowers. George Frideric Handel is also said to have sent plants to his friend. On June 25, 1767, at the age of 86, Telemann died of pneumonia. Today, a gravestone to the left of the entrance to the town hall in Hamburg commemorates the great musician.
Forgotten and rediscovered
While his godson, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, succeeded him as Hamburg music director, none of the sons followed in Telemann's footsteps. Only grandson Georg Michael Telemann continued the musical tradition of the family. He became music director in Riga. With several thousand recorded sacred, secular and instrumental works in a wide variety of musical genres, Georg Philipp Telemann is considered one of the most productive composers in music history. However, after his death he was forgotten for almost two centuries. A systematic review of his work did not take place until the 1950s.