Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788)
Through the late half of the 18th century, the reputation of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, known as the "Hamburg Bach", stood very high. In 1740 he took office as court cembalist at the Prussian Court.
After the death of Telemann Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach applied to succeed his godfather as director of music in Hamburg. His main task now was the organization of the music in the five principal churches. Besides conducting his official duties, he assumed a leading position in Hamburgs concert life.
His compositions are extensive and diverse: Symphonies, Concertos for keyboard instruments, Oratorios, Songs and more. Friends of the Italian style considered his music unnatural, obstinate and bizarre, often wishing that the great man should incorporate more of the touching, cute, simple and less of the artificial [...] in his movements. Bach reacted by compiling works of differing quality and giving his collections of sonatas and other piano works the subheading For Connoisseurs and Lovers, published 1766 by Breitkopf in Leipzig. Among C.P.E. Bachs friends Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf (1719-1794) holds a special position, which lasted four decades.