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Donald Macleod explores JC Bach’s eventful final years, including a marriage, a trip to France and being held up by highwaymen.

Composer of the Week explores the life and music of the ‘English Bach’, Johann Christian Bach, whose blending of German technique with Italian lyricism in his music made him not only the leading composer in London but a favourite too with the likes of Mozart. He was the youngest son of JS Bach, and the first of Bach’s numerous sons to visit Italy, where he had lessons with Padre Martini. JC Bach spent much time composing sacred music whilst in Italy, but he soon got the opera bug, and it was a commission for the Haymarket theatre in London which enticed him to travel to England, where he remained based for the rest of his life. Bach became a music tutor to members of the royal family, and his operas were soon wowing London audiences. He also set up a famous series of London concerts with another musician, CF Abel. Celebrated singers of the age all wanted to perform arias by Bach, and when the Mozart family visited London, Bach became a mentor to the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. JC Bach also produced operas for European stages in Paris and Mannheim, and his works became so popular that many pirated editions appeared in print during his lifetime.

Bach’s final years were marked by a number of jubilant occurrences. He married the singer, Cecilia Grassi, who had previously performed in a number of premieres of his works. Bach also received a commission to compose an opera for Paris, where he travelled and met Mozart again. His music remained popular in London and abroad, with publications of his works issued all around Europe.

We also hear how Bach was held up by highwaymen on his way to Richmond. Bach had rented a house there to be close to the royal family’s summer residence. His new housekeeper turned out to be far from honest, and he soon found himself confronted by angry merchants with unpaid debts amounting to over a thousand pounds. Bach and his wife continued to live rather lavishly in their new house in Paddington, and when he died, creditors broke into the room where he lay to find money and objects to pay off his debts.

Temistocle, T. 238 (Overture: Presto)
Hanover Band
Anthony Halstead, conductor

La legge accetto, o Dei, T.234 (Orfeo ed Euridice)
Philippe Jaroussky (Carattaco), countertenor
Le Cercle De L’Harmonie
Jérémie Rhorer, director

Quintet in D, Op 11 No 6 (Allegro)
The English Concert
Trevor Pinnock, director

La Clemenza di Scipione, T. 229 (Me infelice che intendo)
Véronique Gens, soprano
Sandrine Piau, soprano
Le Concert de La Loge
Julien Chauvin, conductor

Amadis de Gaule (A qui pourrai-je avoir recours)
Mojca Erdmann (Oriane), soprano
Le Cetra Barockorchester Basel
Andrea Marcon, conductor

Missa Da Requiem (excerpt)
Lenneke Ruiten, soprano
Ruth Sandhoff, alto
Colin Balzer, tenor
Thomas Bauer, bass
RIAS Kammerchor
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
Hans-Christoph Radermann, conductor

Keyboard Sonata, Op 17 No 5
See Siang Wong, piano

Produced by Luke Whitlock