Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Keyboard Sonata in Fm (1st movement) "Allegro di Molto"

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (or C. P. E. Bach) was the 2nd son of Johann Sebastian Bach. He was a key composer in the development of what is called Sonata Form, which became central to the Classical Music Period, and he himself composed a large number of Keyboard Sonatas. These Sonatas were written for the main keyboard instruments of the period especially Harpsichord, Clavichord, Fortepiano and Organ. Today many of these keyboard works are played on the modern Piano. Some of his Keyboard Sonatas are grouped into sets, and the F minor Sonata illustrated on this page is the 6th in a set of 6. It has the catalogue number "Wq 63:6" or "H 75" depending on the catalogue system. This is the first movement of the Sonata and it is example of what is known as "Sturm und Drang" translated as "Storm and Stress" in English. "Sturm und Drang" is primarily a literary movement from the 2nd half of the 18th century but the term is also frequently applied to certain music from that time period. The characteristics of "Sturm und Drang" music are that it is passionate and emotional, often energetic and usually in a minor key. This style of music was picked up by other composers such as Haydn and Mozart. Sheet music, midi and mp3 files for this Keyboard Sonata movement can be downloaded using the links on the left-hand menu, or scroll down this page to play and see the music.