Composers Corner: Georg Philipp Telemann

Georg Philipp Telemann (March 14, 1681 - June 25, 1767) was born in Magdeburg, a small town in Germany. His father died when Telemann was only four years old. When he was 10, he had music lessons from a local organist. He loved music but his mother did not think it was a good career for him.
Despite this, he continued to study music and learned to play many instruments, including the flute, violin, harpsichord, organ, oboe, and more. He also started composing small pieces and even wrote an opera when he was 12.

His mother and her family continued to discourage his interest in music; they all worked for the church and thought that was a more respectable job. His mother sent him to boarding school when he about 12. However, the director of the school approved of his interests and encouraged him. Telemann continued to study music and became very good at theory and composition.

When he was 20, he went to the University of Leipzig to study law; however, he soon became very involved in the musical life of the city. He organized a college music society and became the organist for the university chapel. A year later he was appointed director of the town's opera house as well. He stayed in Leipzig until he was 24 and wrote many church cantatas, sonatas, concertos, and several operas.

After leaving Leipzig, Telemann worked in Frankfurt for a while before moving to Hamburg, Germany, where he became music director of the five largest churches in Hamburg - he held this position for 46 years until his death. He wrote two new cantatas each Sunday and other music for special occasions, including oratorios and passions. He also directed an orchestra that gave concerts each week, was in charge of the opera house and taught singing and music theory. He traveled around Europe to learn about other musical styles and then used them in his music. He even spent eight months in Paris learning about French opera.