Born on March 8, 1714, in Weimar, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach—known colloquially as C. P. E.—was the second son of Johann Sebastian and Maria Barbara. His father was a strong influence; from Carl Philipp Emanuel’s earliest days, music was his intended vocation. In 1740, he became the harpsichordist for Frederick II of Prussia, moving on to the post of music director in Hamburg in 1767. Ultimately, Carl Philipp Emanuel was perhaps the most famous of the musical brothers, making notable contributions to many genres of music. He was a well-respected teacher, and revered composers like Mozart and Beethoven used his “Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments” (Versuch über die wahre Art das Klavier zu spielen). And he was highly influential—when Mozart uttered his famous quote, “Bach is the father. We are the children!” he referred to Carl Philipp Emanuel, not Johann Sebastian.   

Despite his father’s influence, Carl Philipp Emanuel was at the forefront of something new. With its turgid textures and complex fugues, Johann Sebastian’s music was becoming unfashionable. Carl Philipp Emanuel favored the clean lines of the galant style, melody-dominated music with a clear musical texture that pointed the way to Mozart and Haydn. The concept of Empfindsamkeit—highly sensitive expression—was equally important to the composer. As he wrote,   

A musician cannot move others unless he too is moved. He must of necessity feel all of the affects that he hopes to arouse in his audience…constantly varying the passions, he will barely quiet one before he rouses another. Above all, he must discharge this office in a piece which is highly expressive by nature, whether by him or someone else.   

Initially scored for harpsichord, C. P. E. Bach’s Concerto in D minor was arranged for flute for Frederick II, an excellent amateur flutist. The galant style and Empfindsamkeit aesthetic are audible in the concerto’s three contrasting movements. The opening Allegro is theatrical, with a notable clarity of texture. The mood changes dramatically at the shift to the ensuing Un poco Andante, with its resolute, tender melody. An energetic Allegro di molto closes the concerto with fiery scales.