Georg Philipp Telemann was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist, born on March 14, 1681, in Magdeburg, Brandenburg, Germany. He passed away on June 25, 1767, in Hamburg. Telemann is one of the most prolific composers in history, with a surviving oeuvre that is among the largest of any composer.
Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to be one of the leading German composers of the time and was compared favorably both to his friend Johann Sebastian Bach, who made Telemann the godfather and namesake of his son Carl Philipp Emanuel, and to George Frideric Handel, whom Telemann also knew personally. Despite opposition from his family, who forbade any musical activities, Telemann pursued his passion for music and became a composer against his family’s wishes.
After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but he eventually settled on a career in music. He held important positions in Leipzig, Sorau (now Żary, Poland), Eisenach, and Frankfurt before settling in Hamburg in 1721, where he became the musical director of the city’s five main churches.
Telemann’s personal life was often troubled; his first wife died less than two years after their marriage, and his second wife had extramarital affairs and accumulated a large gambling debt before leaving him. As part of his duties, he wrote a considerable amount of music for educating organists under his direction, including 48 chorale preludes and 20 small fugues to accompany his chorale harmonizations for 500 hymns.
His music incorporates French, Italian, and German national styles, and he was at times even influenced by Polish popular music. He remained at the forefront of all new musical tendencies, and his music stands as an important link between the late Baroque and early Classical styles. The Telemann Museum in Hamburg is dedicated to his life and work.
