J.C. Bach, Sonata for Two Keyboards

Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) was born to Johann Sebastian Bach and his second wife Anna Magdalena. The elder Bach was 50 years old at the time. He had married Anna Magdalena in 1721 after the sudden death of his first wife Maria Barbara with whom he had seven children. Johann Christian was the 11th of 13 children born to Anna Magdalena. Of J.S. Bach’s 20 children, ten lived to adulthood.

It was a musical family dating back several generations before J.S. Bach and continuing with some of his children. But two sons in particular gained fame: Carl Philipp Emanuel (1714-1788) and Johann Christian. Their fame at the time clearly surpassed that of their father. Both composed in the newer styles while the elder Bach had written in the High Baroque style that was seen as outdated.

When J.S. Bach died in 1750, Johann Christian went to live in Berlin with his half-brother C.P.E. who was 21 years his senior. In 1754, Johann Christian went to Italy. In 1760, he was appointed as one of two organists at the Milan Cathedral. While in Italy, he converted to Catholicism and wrote most of his sacred music during that time.

In 1762, he went to London to premiere his opera Orione. He stayed in London the rest of his life and is often called the “London Bach.” He became music master to Queen Charlotte. When the child prodigy Mozart toured England at the age of 8 in 1764, he spent several months studying with Bach.

This sonata for two keyboards (Op. 15, No. 5; W.A. 21) was written in 1778. The first of the sonata’s two movements is presented here. The pianoforte was gradually replacing the harpsichord, and this performance featuring both instruments provides an interesting contrast.