During his time as a music director in Sorau, Poland, Telemann got an earful of local tunes, and was enthralled by what he called the music’s “barbaric beauty.’’ He described a band of bagpipes and fiddles as “wonderfully inspiring’’ and providing him with “enough ideas to last a lifetime.’’įrom these experiences came the Concerto Polonois (Polish) for strings, a short work that opens with a slow section similar to the French overture and follows with early forms of the polonaise and mazurka that would later be mastered by Chopin. ![]() Unlike Bach, Telemann traveled widely across Europe, and by absorbing the styles and traditions of different cultures he became a truly cosmopolitan artist. Comparisons to his friend, Johann Sebastian Bach, reveal two diverse approaches to composing for the church – one prosaic and the other exalted – as seen in their individual views of the St. “Telemann’s music survives to this day as evidence of a talented craftsman doing his job, often with grace and charm,’’ notes Jan Swafford in his Vintage Guide to Classical Music. ![]() ![]() ![]() He wrote quickly and in most any style demanded by his patrons – which he did with alacrity – but no single piece or group of works stand out as distinctive. He cranked out some 3,000 works in his long career, including 1,000 church cantatas and an endless stream of orchestral suites, masses, operas and chamber music.ĭespite this prolific output, Telemann’s music has been criticized as artisan and superficial.
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