- Bach wrote his set of Six Symphonies for string orchestra, Wq. 182, in 1773. They were commissioned by Baron Gottfried van Swieten (famous patron of fellow composers Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven).
- “Wq” is an abbreviation for Wotquenne, used as a prefix to the numbers of C. P. E. Bach’s works as given in the standard thematic catalogue of Alfred Wotquenne.
- The six symphonies included in this set:
- Symphony No. 1 in G Major (Wq. 182/1)
- Symphony No. 2 in B-flat Major (Wq. 182/2)
- Symphony No. 3 in C Major (Wq. 182/3)
- Symphony No. 4 in A Major (Wq. 182/4)
- Symphony No. 5 in b minor (Wq. 182/5)
- Symphony No. 6 in E Major (Wq. 182/6)1
- In writing to Bach about the commission, Baron van Swieten instructed the composer to “let himself go entirely, without taking into account the difficulties of execution which necessarily must arise as a result,” thereby granting Bach freedom of expression.2
- Structure – Each symphony has three movements, though Bach structures them in such a way that the last measures of one movement serves as a harmonic transition into the next without break, called an elision.3
Sources
- Peter Wollny, “Preface: Symphonies,” Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: The Complete Works, accessed September 17, 2025, https://cpebach.org/prefaces/symphonies-preface.html.
- John Mangum, “Symphony in C, Wq. 182, No. 3,” L. A. Phil, accessed September 17, 2025, https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/3888/symphony-in-c-wq-182-no-3.
- Sarah Adams, “Introduction: III/2: Six Symphonies for Baron van Swieten,” Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: The Complete Works, accessed September 17, 2025, https://cpebach.org/pdfs/introductions/III-2-Intro.pdf.
Cut IDs
20879 27501 42909 49321 42910 27499 20880 27502