Credits:

Julia Brown, Barbara Baird

Description:

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, the eldest son of J.S. Bach (17101784), is considered the most gifted of his brothers. However, he is also known as someone who, having become overwhelmed by his own abundant talent and neglected to put in the necessary effort, passed away in solitude in his later years. Although he published only a small number of works, they are all beloved by many as fantastical pieces marked by a magnificent outpouring of emotion. Looking at his surviving works, his early pieces show a strong influence from his father, but his style gradually became more free and independent. It is said that his Sonata in D majorhis first published workwas deemed far too complex, rendering it a piece that amateur enthusiasts could never hope to master; perhaps this is why his subsequent sonatas were shunned. Although his works were shunned by his contemporaries, there is no doubt that