Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (Nov 22, 1710 – July 1, 1784), German composer and organist, was the second child and eldest son of Johann Sebastian (JS) Bach. He is considered the most gifted son by common reputation.
Early Life of Wilhelm F. Bach
Born in Weimar and educated at Leipzig, he was appointed in 1733 organist of St. Sophia's Church at Dresden. In 1746, he became organist of the Liebfrauenkirche at Halle. His father's influence was enough to secure him the latter position without the usual trial performance.
His father, JS Bach, was the stabilizing factor in his life, and when his father died in 1750, he lived an unhappy life in Halle, from which he frequently traveled to seek other employment.
In 1762, (Mozart was 6 years old), he was offered the post of Kapellmeister to the court of Darmstadt, but refused the offer. It's been said that he led a wandering life until he died in great poverty at Berlin at the age of 74.
Wilhelm F. Bach's Music
His compositions include many church cantatas and instrumental works. Several of his manuscripts are preserved in the Royal Library at Berlin. A complete list of his works, so far as they are known, may be found in Eitner's Quellen Lexikon.
Friedemann along with his brother CPE Bach provided important information to Johann Nikolaus Forkel, the first biographer of Johann Sebastian Bach. However, unlike Emanuel, Friedemann was an exceedingly poor custodian of Sebastian's music, much of which he, like Emanuel, inherited on their father's death. Not only did a good deal of Friedemann's share of this music disappear unaccountably, but in some cases he is known to have claimed credit for music written by his father (such as the Organ Concerto, BWV 596 when it was first published in the 19th century).
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach is not to be confused with Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach, his nephew, also a composer.
Resources:
Sadie, Stanley, Ed. The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. London: Macmillan, 1994
www.britannica.com
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