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After three decades working the same job, Bach moves to new city and makes a fresh start.

In 1773, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach sat down to record his life story. He’d been asked to write it down for a new book on German music and it made him one of the first composers to produce an autobiography. This week, Donald Macleod follows the composer’s story, using Bach’s own account as his guide. Bach’s words provide fascinating insights into the things he considered most important but it’s possible that what he chose to leave out is even more revealing.

CPE Bach’s extensive catalogue of published works occupies fully half the pages of his autobiography. Today, we discover how publishing became both a lucrative business and an essential creative outlet for Bach. Plus, Donald looks at Bach’s growing social circle as he sets up a home in a new city.

Sinfonia in B-Flat Major, Wq 182 No 2: III. Presto
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, directed by Sakari Oramo

30 Geistliche Gesänge mit Melodien, Book 2, Wq 198: No 2, Versicherung der Seligkeit, No 8, Trost der Auferstehung
Bettina Pahn, soprano
Tini Mathot, fortepiano

Die Israeliten in der Wüste, Wq 238 (extract from Part 1)
Joanne Lunn, soprano
Judith Gauthier, soprano
Tobias Berndt, bass
Barockorchester Stuttgart
Kammerchor Stuttgart, conducted by Frieder Bernius

Symphony in B minor, Wq 182 No 5
Orchestra of the 18th Century, directed by Alexander Janiczek

Rondo in E Major, Wq 58 No 3
Rondo in F Major, Wq 57 No 5
Pierre Goy, fortepiano