Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach
Illustration — Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach, also known as William Bach (24 May 1759 – 25 December 1845) was the eldest son of Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach and the only grandson of Johann Sebastian Bach to gain fame as a composer. He was music director to King Frederick William II of Prussia. Ernst Bach received training in music from his uncle Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and from another uncle in England, Johann Christian Bach.
Also recorded as Wilhelm Bach · William Bach
Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach
Probably Eduard Magnus · Public domain
- Born
- 1759 · Bückeburg.
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Prussia · Germany
- Occupation
- composer · pianist · chapelmaster · musician · harpsichordist · organist · music teacher · independent publisher
- Teachers
- Johann Christian Bach
- Languages
- German
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Illustration — Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach, also known as William Bach (24 May 1759 – 25 December 1845) was the eldest son of Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach and the only grandson of Johann Sebastian Bach to gain fame as a composer. He was music director to King Frederick William II of Prussia. Ernst Bach received training in music from his uncle Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and from another uncle in England, Johann Christian Bach.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q505267 · wikipedia · Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach
In this article
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
The authorities additionally record the headings Wilhelm Bach and William Bach. His recorded language was German. He was the child of Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach and Lucia Elisabeth Münchhausen. He married Charlotte Philippine Henriette Bach and Wilhelmine Susanna Bach. One child is recorded: Caroline Auguste Wilhelmine Bach.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1759
Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach born at Bückeburg.
1845
Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach died at Berlin.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Bückeburg.
Birth place
Berlin.
Death place
Selected recordings
He was in London when Johann Christian died there on 1 January 1782. Ernst Bach remained in England until 1784, when he returned to Germany via Holland. He was Kapellmeister of Minden in 1786, and Kapellmeister in Berlin from 1788 to 1811, with Friedrich Wilhelm's blessing. He retired after Prince Heinrich, the brother of King Friedrich Wilhelm III, granted him a pension. At the unveiling of the Bach Monument in Leipzig on 23 April 1843, Ernst Bach met Robert Schumann. Schumann later described Ernst Bach as "a very agile old gentleman of 84 years with snow-white hair and expressive features". One of Ernst Bach's most remarkable compositions was Dreyblatt, a concerto for piano involving six hands. It is to be performed by a man with a petite woman on either side of him. Ernst Bach indicated that the man is to stretch his arms around the women to play the outer parts while the women play the middle parts. Ernst Bach is buried at the Friedhof II der Sophiengemeinde Berlin. He married twice. The eldest of his three daughters, Caroline Augusta Wilhelmine, lived the longest.
• Kantaten & Sinfonien "Columbus"; Ingrid Schmithüsen, Howard Crook, Gotthold Schwarz, Klaus Mertens, Hermann Max; cpo 999 672-2, 2000
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
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- 1.Das Grabkreuz nennt den 27. Mai 1759 als Geburtsdatum. Laut dem Artikel ist der 24. Mai das Geburts-, der 27. Mai aber das Taufdatum.
- 2.Triosonate.
- 3.Heinrich Miesner: Urkundliche Nachrichten über die Familie Bach in Berlin. In: Bach-Jahrbuch XXIX (1932), S. 157–163; DOI:10.13141/bjb.v19322391.
- 4.Robert Schumann berichtete damals in seiner Neuen Zeitschrift für Musik von diesem besonderen Ereignis mit folgenden Worten: „Der Gefeierte des Tages war außer Bach der einzige seiner noch lebenden Enkel, ein noch rüstiger Greis von 81 [recte: 83] Jahren mit schneeweißem Haar und ausdrucksvollen Zügen, der mit Frau und zwei Töchtern von Berlin herübergekommen war. Niemand hatte von ihm gewußt, selbst Mendelssohn nicht, der so lange in Berlin gelebt, der sich gewiß nach Allem, was Bach betrifft, emsig umgethan […].“ H. H.: Die Einweihungsfeier von Bach’s Denkmal zu Leipzig. In: Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, Jg. 18, Nr. 36, 4. Mai 1843, S. 144 ( ).
- 5.Hans-Jürgen Mende: Lexikon Berliner Begräbnisstätten. Pharus-Plan, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-86514-206-1, S. 118.
- 6.13 Pianos live in Concert. Telefunken Aspekte 6.42610 (Aufnahme 1974), vgl. In: Fono-Forum, September 1980, S. 84.
- 7.Baynov-Piano-Ensemble - 6 Hands on 1 Piano Vol.1, jpc
- 8.Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach muziekweb.nl; abgerufen am 16. März 2019
- 9.Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach: Kantaten und Sinfonias, jpc
- 10.Johann Christian Bach: Sämtliche Werke für 2 Klaviere & zu 4 Händen, jpc.
References
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reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q505267: Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst BachWikimedia Foundation
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Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach is recorded as composer, pianist, chapelmaster, musician and harpsichordist.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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