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Donald Macleod examines what CPE Bach has to tell us about his family, whose musical credentials reached back seven generations.

In 1773, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach sat down to record his life story. He’d been asked to write it down for a new book on German music and it made him one of the first composers to produce an autobiography. This week, Donald Macleod follows the composer’s story, using Bach’s own account as his guide. Bach’s words provide fascinating insights into the things he considered most important but it’s possible that what he chose to leave out is even more revealing.

Today, CPE Bach introduces us to his illustrious father, the great Johann Sebastian Bach, and reveals how their home in Leipzig became a Mecca for visiting musicians. But why did Bach make no mention of his musically talented siblings?

L'Aly Rupalich, Wq 117 No 27
Marc-André Hamelin, piano

Symphony for Strings and Continuo in G major, Wq 182 No 1
Berlin Barock Solisten, directed by Reinhard Goebel

Fantasia for keyboard in C major, Wq 61 No 6
Marc-André Hamelin, piano

Trio Sonata in B minor, Wq 143
Christian Delafontaine, flute
Friedmann Sarnau, violin
Philippe Mermoud, cello
Michel Jordan, harpsichord

Keyboard Concerto in G major, Wq 3
Pieter-Jan Belder, harpsichord and director
Musica Amphion