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Bürgercapitainsmusik

Hamburg depicted on a 1679 Half-portugalöser.

The Captains of the Guard



The Citizens Guard was an important institution in 18th century Hamburg. Charged with various communal duties, civic functions, and with keeping order in the city, the guards were divided by parish into fifty-seven companies, each of them headed by an elected civic captain, a Bürgercapitain. The Captains of the Guard held significant influence in Hamburg's political structure and great clout in the city's social scene.

Annual Gala



Each year, the Captains held an annual celebratory gala to bolster morale and foster fraternity, for which new music was often commissioned. The expectation came to be an *oratorio to open the evening and a serenata to close it. Telemann wrote a great many pieces of this "capitainsmusik " during his nearly 50 year career in Hamburg, so it only makes sense that for the 1780 festivities, the commission went to Telemann's successor, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Bach wrote at a much slower pace than had Telemann, and in order to fulfill his church compositional duties Sunday after Sunday, Bach very often reworked his own music or borrowed from other composers. For the 1780 Captain's gala however, CPE Bach started from scratch with all new material, presenting for the commission the oratorio "Hebt an, ihr Chöre der Freuden" and the corresponding serenata, "Der Trommeln Schlag, der Pfeifen Spiel."

Barockwerk Hamburg



A 2016 cpo release from Barockwerk Hamburg offers listeners a first complete recording of CPE Bach's Bürgercapitainsmusik of 1780.

Oratorio: Hebt an, ihr Chöre der Freuden



Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, like his father, Johann Sebastian never wrote any operas. Yet there are certainly moments of operatic drama in this oratorio. In one, the character, Philanthropy, recalls the rage and horrors of war, and sings with sadness at the loss of life.  In another, the personification of Hamburg, called "Hammona" joins with a chorus of Virtues and Patriots praising God for her peace and prosperity.

Serenata:Â Der Trommeln Schlag, der Pfeifen Spiel



The other half of CPE's Captains Music of 1780 is the Serenata. Patriotic, military themed music is not what our ears are used to when we think of CPE Bach-most listeners are perhaps more familiar with the Sturm und Drang of his symphonies, or the complex, highly refined and ornamented style in his keyboard works. But the Serenata is fife and drum music-the drums beat and the pipes play and awaken joy among the people. The uncharacteristically simplistic rhythm and catchy tunes are a fun addition to Carl Philipp Emmanuel's core repertory. *misspoken in the podcast audio as "cantata."

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