In the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach Works C. P. E. Bach wrote in the
Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach are: March in D major, BWV Anh. 122; Polonaise in G minor, BWV Anh. 123; March in G major, BWV Anh. 124; Polonaise in G minor, BWV Anh. 125; and "Solo per il cembalo", BWV Anh. 129.
Symphonies Among Bach's most popular and frequently recorded works are his symphonies. While in Berlin, he wrote several string symphonies (
Wq. 173–181), most of which were later revised to add parts for wind instruments. Of these, the E minor symphony, Wq. 178, has been particularly popular. In Hamburg, Bach wrote a major set of six string symphonies for Gottfried van Swieten, Wq. 182 of 1773. These works were not published in his lifetime (van Swieten, who had commissioned them to be written in a more "difficult" style, preferred to retain them for private use), but since their rediscovery, have become increasingly popular. However, Bach's best works in the form (by his own estimation) are assuredly the four
Orchester-Sinfonien mit zwölf obligaten Stimmen, Wq. 183, which, as their title suggests, were written with obbligato wind parts that are integral to the texture, rather than being added on to an older string symphony. The first symphony (D major) in the set has been particularly popular, seeing a continuous performance and publication tradition all the way through the 19th century, which makes it the earliest such symphony. Some of its more unusual features have been taken as characteristic of Bach's style: the work, although it is in D major, begins
on a D major chord, which then turns into a D dominant-seventh chord, outlining
G major. In fact, there is no cadence on D major (D major is not "confirmed" as the key of the piece) until the beginning of the
recapitulation, quite late in the piece.
Concertos Bach was a prolific writer of concertos, especially for keyboard. Like his father, he would often transcribe a concerto for various instruments, leading to problems determining which came first. For instance, the three cello concertos (Wq. 170–172), which are cornerstones of that instrument's repertoire, have often been considered to be transcriptions of the harpsichord versions, but recent research has suggested that they might be originally for cello. According to Bach, his finest keyboard concertos were the
Sei concerti per il cembalo concertato, Wq. 43, which were written to be somewhat more appealing, and somewhat easier to play. His other concertos were written for
oboe, flute, and organ. Bach also wrote for more unusual combinations, including an E-flat major concerto for harpsichord piano. Additionally, he wrote several sonatinas for one or more keyboards and orchestra.
Chamber music Bach's chamber music forms something of a bridge between stereotypically Baroque and Classical forms. On the one hand, he wrote trio sonatas and solo sonatas with basso continuo (including ones for harp and viola da gamba); on the other, he wrote several accompanied sonatas for piano, violin, and cello, which are more or less early
piano trios, and three very popular quartets for keyboard, flute, and viola. Bach also wrote one of the earliest pieces for solo flute, a sonata that is clearly influenced by his father's
Partita in A minor for solo flute,
BWV 1013.
Keyboard sonatas Bach was a prolific writer of keyboard sonatas, many of which were intended for his favored instrument, the clavichord. During his lifetime, he published more collections of keyboard music than anything else, in the following collections: • ''Sei sonate per cembalo che all' augusta maestà di Federico II, re di Prussia'', 1742 ("Prussian" sonatas), Wq. 48. • ''Sei sonate per cembalo, dedicate all' altezza serenissima di Carlo Eugenio, duca di Wirtemberg'', 1744 ("Württemberg" sonatas), Wq. 49. •
Achtzehn Probe-Stücke in Sechs Sonaten, 1753 ("Probestücke" sonatas), Wq. 63. •
Sechs Sonaten fürs Clavier mit veränderten Reprisen, 1760 ("Reprisen" sonatas), Wq. 50. •
Fortsetzung von Sechs Sonaten fürs Clavier, 1761 ("Fortsetzung" sonatas), Wq. 51. •
Zweite Fortsetzung von Sechs Sonaten fürs Clavier, 1763 ("Zweite Fortsetzung" sonatas), Wq. 52. •
Sechs Leichte Clavier Sonaten, 1766 ("Leichte" sonatas), Wq. 53. • ''Six Sonates pour le Clavecin à l'usage des Dames'', 1770 ("Damen" sonatas), Wq. 54. • Six collections of
Clavier Sonaten für Kenner und Liebhaber, 1779–87 ("Kenner und Liebhaber" sonatas), Wq. 55–59, 61. Much of Bach's energy during his last years was dedicated to the publication of the "Kenner und Liebhaber" collections (which also include fantasias and rondos, see below). Wq. 64:1–6 are six
sonatinas for keyboard, and Wq. 65:1–50 are fifty further keyboard sonatas. The Sonata in E-flat major, Wq. 65:7, is based on
Solo per il cembalo, , No. 27 in
the second Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach.
Other keyboard works Bach's best-known piece is the
Solfeggietto, Wq. 117/2, to the point that the introduction to
The Essential C. P. E. Bach is subtitled "Beyond the Solfeggio in C Minor". Several of Bach's other miscellaneous keyboard works have gained fame, including the character piece
La Caroline and the Fantasia in F-sharp minor, Wq. 67. Bach's fantasias, in particular, have been considered to show him at his most characteristic: they are full of dramatic silences, harmonic surprises, and perpetually varied figuration. Bach published three major collections of miscellaneous keyboard works during his lifetime: the
Clavierstücke verschiedener Art, Wq. 112 of 1765, and the
Kurze und Leichte Clavierstücke collections, Wq. 113–114 of 1766. The former includes songs, fantasias, dances, sonatas, fugues, and even a symphony and concerto for solo piano (Bach later published an entire collection of keyboard versions of his symphonies). He also wrote a set of six sonatas for the organ of Frederick the Great's sister Anna Amalia.
Music for mechanical instruments Mechanical instruments such as the
music box and
musical clock were popular at the Prussian court, and C. P. E. Bach wrote thirty original compositions for these instruments, grouped together as Wq. 193. At that time, Bach was court musician to King Frederick the Great at Potsdam; the King, who was intrigued by mechanically reproduced music, had mechanical organ clocks built for the City Castle of Potsdam and for the
New Palais.
Choral works Throughout his lifetime, Bach worked on the
Magnificat in D, Wq. 215. J. S. Bach was alive to hear it in 1749, and C. P. E. continued to revise and perform it as late as 1786. The work clearly shows the influence of J.S. Bach's own
Magnificat, including the striking resemblance of the
Deposuit movements in both works. His other important choral works include the
Heilig (German Sanctus), Wq. 217, which he performed together with the
Credo from his Father's
Mass in B minor, the oratorios
Die Israeliten in der Wüste, Wq. 238 and
Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu, Wq. 240, and
21 Passions. ==Unpublished works==