Although lesser known than his father, Johann Sebastian, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was quite the trendsetter in the Baroque figured bass arena. When he wasn’t writing the Essay, which contained chapters on embellishments, trills, and ornamentation, figured bass, and counterpoint, he was experimenting with making his own chord realization symbols (Hubeart).

Bach was the fifth child in a large family, and entered St. Thomas School at Leipzig at the age of ten. He was one of four Bach children to become musicians, and was almost entirely trained by his father (Hubeart). After joining the Prussian Royal Orchestra he quickly became one of the foremost keyboard players in Europe and began composing. His endeavors included symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and keyboard sonatas. His knowledge of keyboard instruments and composition of keyboard sonatas undoubtedly sharpened his acuteness for figured bass and chord realization. His keyboard works often lurch into unexpected keys and sudden changes in tempo and dynamic (Five). Additionally, his essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments is known as the “pianist’s bible” and influenced the keyboard methods of Muzio Clementi and Johann Baptist Cramer. In it, he encouraged the use of thumbs, (previously a no go) and since its publication the use of thumbs when playing keyboard instruments is standard technique (Five).

As far as figured bass goes, Bach used accidentals to refer to the literal accidental needed for the pitch that was to be played (Bach). For example, a sharp over the bass note F# in the key of D major indicates the pitch A#. For simple major and minor triads, Bach typically omits the accidental that was to be played. His reasoning seems to be that a fifth will be considered perfect unless stated otherwise. Some aspects of Bach’s figured-bass notation are unusual or diagnostic of his style. In most cases, the piece retains these odd idiosyncrasys and includes explanations in the critical report of the music. For some figures, like 5 and 7, Bach occasionally reverted to the older practice of using a ♭ to indicate the lowering of the pitch by a half step for diminished intervals, despite the actual accidental required by the music (Bach).

Bach’s figured bass habits are often still used today, despite having different interpretations. Some rare and unusual figured bass notations used by Bach include a five with an embellishment over the top, which was often interpreted as allowing the player to add the interval of a sixth to the chord, although the 6 was not included in the figuration. Another symbol, which was a  / occasionally appears in the figuration of original sources of Bach’s works. It indicates that the right hand is supposed to play the chord belonging to the following note in the bass line. Traditionally, the / has become interpreted in a notation like 6/, to be a first inversion with a raised sixth (Kelley).

“Bach is the father, we are the children”

-Mozart, speaking of C.P.E. Bach

Bach’s complicated figured bass notations are evidence of a high caliber musician  who strived for perfection. Despite his fallout from popularity in recent times, many composers in his day held him in higher regard than his father. Speaking, of Bach, Mozart once said “[He] is the father, we are the children.” (Allison). His influence and precedents for the style of Baroque figured bass were unmatched and consequenced how we realize chords to this day.




References:

Allison, John. "CPE Bach at 300: Why He's More than Just Johann Sebastian's Son." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 26 Jan. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

Bach, C.P.E. Trio in F Major. N.p.: n.p., 1755. PDF.

http://javanese.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/2/27/IMSLP154183-PMLP281643-partitura.pdf

"Five Reasons Why C.P.E. Bach Matters." WQXR. N.p., 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

Hubeart Jr, T.L. "A Tribute to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach." A Tribute to C.P.E. Bach. N.p., 2002. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.

Kelley, Robert T. Figured Bass Symbols. Thesis. N.d. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.