Composed: Unknown
Duration: 25 minutes

Telemann, an almost exact contemporary of Handel and J.S. Bach, was probably the most widely respected composer in Germany, if not the whole of Europe. He held the prestigious position of Music Director of the wealthy Hanseatic city of Hamburg, where his associates were academics and members of the well-to-do merchant class. At a time when new music generally circulated in manuscript among a composer’s acquaintances, Telemann made a point of publishing his works, thereby ensuring a wide popularity. Although he was as skilled as anyone in the composition of learned contrapuntal textures, he preferred to keep things simple and often incorporated folk idioms in his works. In an era when fluent composition was the norm, Telemann was exceptionally prolific. Perhaps Telemann’s enormous productivity has aroused suspicion among musicians of later times; Handel remarked that Telemann could compose a cantata in the time it took most people to write a letter. Despite its great quantity, however, the music is fresh and appealing, seldom relying on formulas or padding.