Template

“One should never say to art: Thou shalt go no farther. One is always going farther and one should always go farther.” – Georg Philipp Telemann

If every composer in history were to enter a contest to see who had written the most music during his or her lifetime the winner would be Georg Philipp Telemann. WHO? That’s right, the composer you’ve never heard of, Georg Philipp Telemann, wrote more than 40 operas, 600 overtures, and countless other works making his total composition count reach over 4,000. Telemann began composing when he was only ten years old and didn’t stop until he died at the age of eighty-six. Ultimately, Telemann’s life of hard work paid off. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Telemann has the largest musical output ever!

Telemann was considered the top composer of his day, even over the likes of Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel. Once, Telemann was offered a prestigious position at St. Thomas’ Church in Leipzig. Telemann turned the offer down much to everyone at St. Thomas’ disappointment. “Since the best man could not be obtained,” the councilor sighed, “mediocre ones [will] have to be accepted.” The ‘mediocre’ man that was given the job was a guy by the name of Johann Sebastian Bach!

Telemann was born to a family with many connections to the Lutheran Church. His father was a clergyman and his mother was the daughter of clergyman, so it can only be assumed that Telemann was expected to continue his family’s tradition. Georg’s mother greatly disapproved of music, so Georg was forced to teach himself how to play and write music. When Georg wrote his first opera at the age of twelve his parents were distraught at the prospect that their son might become a musician. In fact, it is said that when they found their son writing his first opera they hid all of his musical instruments. However, Telemann continued down the musical path and spent the rest of his life composing music by the tons.

Telemann’s music was famous in his day for using daring modern techniques. His attitude was that the only way to keep art alive was to progress with it. “One should never say to art: Thou shalt go no farther.” Telemann once wrote. “One is always going farther and one should always go farther.”

Listening to Telemann

A major complaint about Telemann’s music is that it all sounds the same. For the most part this is true about any Baroque composer; there’s no way of denying it. Works by Baroque composers often sound the same because they often are the same. In fact, most Baroque composers “borrowed” from music they had previously written or even the works of other composers to meet deadlines. This was before copyright laws, so this “borrowing” was simply viewed as a trick of the trade. After all, Baroque composers weren’t writing music to form record label empires.

Telemann Recommendations

Orchestral Music

- Recorder Suite

- Viola Concerto

- “Table Music” Overture

Chamber Music

- Trio Sonata in D minor

- Trio Sonata in G major


Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767) *The Man of 4,000 Works* “One should never say to art: Thou shalt go no farther. One is always going farther and one should always go farther.” – Georg Philipp Telemann If every composer in history were to enter a contest to see who had written the most music during his or her lifetime the winner would be Georg Philipp Telemann. WHO? That’s right, the composer you’ve never heard of, Georg Philipp Telemann, wrote more than 40 operas, 600 overtures, and countless other works making his total composition count reach over 4,000. Telemann began composing when he was only ten years old and didn’t stop until he died at the age of eighty-six. Ultimately, Telemann’s life of hard work paid off. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Telemann has the largest musical output ever! Telemann was considered the top composer of his day, even over the likes of Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel. Once, Telemann was offered a prestigious position at St. Thomas’ Church in Leipzig. Telemann turned the offer down much to everyone at St. Thomas’ disappointment. “Since the best man could not be obtained,” the councilor sighed, “mediocre ones [will] have to be accepted.” The ‘mediocre’ man that was given the job was a guy by the name of Johann Sebastian Bach! Telemann was born to a family with many connections to the Lutheran Church. His father was a clergyman and his mother was the daughter of clergyman, so it can only be assumed that Telemann was expected to continue his family’s tradition. Georg’s mother greatly disapproved of music, so Georg was forced to teach himself how to play and write music. When Georg wrote his first opera at the age of twelve his parents were distraught at the prospect that their son might become a musician. In fact, it is said that when they found their son writing his first opera they hid all of his musical instruments. However, Telemann continued down the musical path and spent the rest of his life composing music by the tons. Telemann’s music was famous in his day for using daring modern techniques. His attitude was that the only way to keep art alive was to progress with it. “One should never say to art: Thou shalt go no farther.” Telemann once wrote. “One is always going farther and one should always go farther.” Listening to Telemann A major complaint about Telemann’s music is that it all sounds the same. For the most part this is true about any Baroque composer; there’s no way of denying it. Works by Baroque composers often sound the same because they often are the same. In fact, most Baroque composers “borrowed” from music they had previously written or even the works of other composers to meet deadlines. This was before copyright laws, so this “borrowing” was simply viewed as a trick of the trade. After all, Baroque composers weren’t writing music to form record label empires. Telemann Recommendations Orchestral Music - Recorder Suite - Viola Concerto - “Table Music” Overture Chamber Music - Trio Sonata in D minor - Trio Sonata in G major



Contact \| Top of Page \| Home