''Friedemann Bach'' is a 1941 German

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by Traugott Müller and starring Gustaf Gründgens,

Leny Marenbach Leny Marenbach (20 December 1907 – 26 January 1984) was a German film actress. She was a leading German actress of the Nazi era, appearing in films such as the biopic '' Friedemann Bach''.Schulte-Sasse p.332 After the Second World War, she appea ...

and

Johannes Riemann Johannes Riemann (31 May 1888 – 30 September 1959) was a German actor and film director. Riemann was a member of the Nazi Party.Ernst Klee (2007) ''Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich: Wer war was vor und nach 1945''. Fischer-Taschenbuch-Ver ...

. The film depicts the life of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

's son

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (22 November 17101 July 1784), the second child and eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach, was a German composer and performer. Despite his acknowledged genius as an organist, improviser and compose ...

. It is based on

Albert Emil Brachvogel Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert C ...

's novel ''Friedemann Bach''. Wilhelm Friedemann Bach is shown as a gifted son trying to escape his father's shadow.

Plot

During a house concert, the Bach family gets a visit by their son Wilhelm Friedemann, who has just given up his position in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

because he no longer could endure the reprisals of his superiors. After he helps his sister Frederike to tell father Johann Sebastian about her engagement to Johann Christoph Altnikol, the family gets a visit from a messenger of the Saxon Court. Johann Sebastian is asked to take part in a musical competition against French composer

Louis Marchand Louis Marchand (2 February 1669 – 17 February 1732) was a French Baroque organist, harpsichordist, and composer. Born into an organist's family, Marchand was a child prodigy and quickly established himself as one of the best known French virt ...

. Johann Sebastian, however, does not want to let his

Thomanerchor The Thomanerchor (English: St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig) is a boys' choir in Leipzig, Germany. The choir was founded in 1212. The choir comprises about 90 boys from 9 to 18 years of age. The members, called ''Thomaner'', reside in a boarding sch ...

down and so, he sends Friedemann to Dresden. Friedemann wins the competition, as Louis Marchand takes flight during Friedemann's performance. Many aristocrats, among whom is Comtesse Antonia Kollowrat, come to Friedemann to be taught in music; Friedemann is ordered by the court to write a ballet. Friedemann and ballet dancer Mariella Fiorini fall in love with each other, which is also due to the influence of Count Graf von Brühl, who has an eye on Antonia. After the ballet is successful, Friedemann is to be appointed court composer. As Antonia criticizes the ballet, Friedemann recognizes that the court's superficiality does not go together with his artistic ambitions. Friedemann and Antonia fall in love with each other. Friedemann promises to find a new position and to get Antonia to join him; his father will surely help him. However, Johann Sebastian dies. So, Friedemann is confronted with a series of disappointments. Being demanded again and again to play music following his father's style, he finally passes, when applying in

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

, one of his father's early compositions off as one of his own. The truth is discovered, Antonia and Christoph are unable to understand Friedemann, who is frustrated and responds that he no longer wants to be compared with his father Johann Sebastian but wants to be Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. Embittered, he joins a group of travelling actors who regard him to be as what he is. As Christoph comes after years to see him and tells him that Antonia had been waiting for him in Braunschweig, Friedemann wants to see her again. Antonia, however, has meanwhile married Count Heinrich von Brühl. When Friedemann's group gives a performance in Dresden, the Count arranges that Friedemann and Antonia meet. Although she is still willing to help him, Friedemann shows her his full embitterment; at the Count's behest, Friedemann has to leave Saxony. Desperately, Friedemann offers one of his father's compositions to a music trader. As one of the trader's client mocks Johann Sebastian Bach, Friedemann starts to argue with the client who hurts Friedemann with a

rapier A rapier () or is a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense) and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Impo ...

; shortly after, Friedemann dies.

Historical inaccuracy

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach did not die as young as shown in the film.

Cast

* Gustaf Gründgens —

Eugen Klöpfer Eugen Gottlob Klöpfer (10 March 1886 in Talheim, Heilbronn – 3 March 1950 in Wiesbaden) was a German actor. Early life Born to Karl Klöpfer and his wife Karoline, née Hörsch, Eugen attended the Realschule ("secondary school") in Heilbr ...

—

Wolfgang Liebeneiner Wolfgang Georg Louis Liebeneiner (6 October 1905 – 28 November 1987) was a German actor, film director and theatre director. Beginnings He was born in Liebau in Prussian Silesia. In 1928, he was taught by Otto Falckenberg, the director of th ...

—

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and sec ...

Lina Lossen Lina Lossen (born Caroline Elisabeth Lossen; 7 October 1878 – 30 January 1959) was a German stage and film actress.Soister p.55 Selected filmography * ''Peer Gynt'' (1919) * ''The Forbidden Way'' (1920) * ''Miss Julie'' (1922) * '' Love's Final ...

—

Anna Magdalena Bach Anna Magdalena Bach (née Wilcke or Wilcken) (22 September 1701 – 22 February 1760) was a professional singer and the second wife of Johann Sebastian Bach. Biography Anna Magdalena Wilcke was born at Zeitz, in the Electorate of Saxony. Whi ...

Lotte Koch Lotte Koch (9 March 1913 – 26 May 2013) was a Belgian-born German film actress. She emerged as a star during the Nazi era, appearing in the 1944 drama ''The Black Robe''. Following the Second World War she appeared in several rubble films inc ...

— Friederike Bach *

— Antonia Kollowrat *

—

Heinrich von Brühl Heinrich, count von Brühl ( pl, Henryk Brühl, 13 August 170028 October 1763), was a Polish-Saxon statesman at the court of Saxony and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and a member of the powerful German von Brühl family. The incumbency ...

Camilla Horn Camilla Martha Horn (25 April 1903 – 14 August 1996) was a German dancer and a film star of the silent and sound era. She starred in several Hollywood films of the late 1920s and in a few British and Italian productions. Biography The daught ...

— Mariella Fiorini *

Hermine Körner Hermine Körner (30 May 1878 in Berlin - 14 December 1960) was a German actress, director and theater manager. Early life Körner was the fifth child of teacher and zoologist William Stader and Emilie Luyken. The father departed in 1880 on a lect ...

— Countess Kollowrat *

Gustav Knuth Gustav Knuth (7 July 1901 – 1 February 1987) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1935 and 1982 and starred in the TV series '' Alle meine Tiere''. He was married to the actress Elisabeth Lennartz. Selected ...

— Christoph Altnikol *

Sabine Peters Sabine Peters (29 December 1912 – 10 October 1982) was a German film actress. Peters emerged as a film actress during the Nazi era, and played largely supporting roles. She was one of the companions of the title in the 1938 Ingrid Bergman vehi ...

— Charlotte von Erdmannsdorf *

Franz Schafheitlin Franz Schafheitlin (9 August 1895 – 6 February 1980) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1927 and 1974. He was born in Berlin, Germany and died in Pullach, Germany. Selected filmography * '' The Bordellos ...

— Sekretär Siepmann *

Franz Arzdorf Franz Arzdorf (5 May 1904 – 24 April 1974) was a German stage, film and television actor.Jacobsen & Prinzler p.276 Selected filmography * ''Love Can Lie'' (1937) * '' Dangerous Game'' (1937) * ''Talking About Jacqueline'' (1937) * '' A Night in ...

— Kammerherr am königlichen Hof in Dresden *

Paul Bildt Paul Hermann Bildt (19 May 1885 – 13 March 1957) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1910 and 1956. He was born and died in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * ''Devil in Silk'' (1956) * ''Ich suche Di ...

— Musikalienhändler Lohmann *

Ernst Dernburg Ernst Dernburg (born Erich Wilhelm Franz Hermann Calow; 4 April 1887 – 23 September 1969) was a German stage and film actor.Giesen p.198 Selected filmography *'' The Sacrifice'' (1918) * '' The Living Dead'' (1919) * ''The Marquise of Armiani'' ...

— Kurfürst August III *

Erich Dunskus Erich Adolf Dunskus (27 July 1890 – 25 November 1967) was a German film actor. He appeared in 170 films between 1927 and 1966. He was born in Pillkallen, East Prussia and died in Hagen, Germany. Selected filmography * '' The King of Pa ...

: Mitglied der fahrenden Theatertruppe *

Albert Florath Albert Peter Adam Florath (7 December 1888, Bielefeld – 11 March 1957, Gaildorf) was a German stage and film actor. Early life and education Born to Joseph Florath, a locksmith, and his wife Matilda, née Burkart, he attended school in Brak ...

: Gastwirt in Dresden *

Eric Helgar Eric Helgar (8 February 1910 – 14 June 1992) was a German singer and film actor.Goble p.389 He was married to the actress Lola Müthel. Selected filmography * ''What Women Dream ''What Women Dream'' (german: Was Frauen träumen) is a 1933 G ...

: Singender Gast bei Fiorini *

Karl Hellmer Karl Hellmer (11 March 1896 – 18 May 1974) was an Austrian film actor. He appeared in 92 films between 1932 and 1969. He was born in Vienna, Austria and died in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * ''I by Day, You by Night'' (1932) * ...

: Gärtner *

Liselotte Schaak Liselotte Schaak (born 27 October 1908, date of death unknown) was a German actress, who appeared in more than thirty films during the Weimar and Nazi eras. She starred in the 1930 film ''Sabotage''.Hodges p.217 Selected filmography * '' Rivals f ...

: Gemahlin Josepha *

Werner Scharf Werner Scharf (19 September 1905 – 30 April 1945) was a German actor. He appeared in more than 45 films between 1929 and 1945. Personal life Scharf served in the ''Volkssturm'' during the Second World War and was killed in action on 30 A ...

: Baron am Dresdener Hof *

Just Scheu Just or JUST may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Just (surname) * Just (given name) Arts and entertainment * ''Just'', a 1998 album by Dave Lindholm * "Just" (song), a song by Radiohead * "Just", a song from the album ''Lost and Found'' by Mudvayne ...

: Königlicher Kurier aus Dresden *

Alfred Schieske Alfred Schieske (6 September 1908 – 14 July 1970) was a German actor. Career Schieske was born in Stuttgart, the son of a German father and a French mother. He studied acting with Willy Reichert made his stage debut at the Staatstheater Stut ...

: Wirt in Braunschweig *

Heinrich Schroth Heinrich August Franz Schroth (23 March 1871 – 14 January 1945) was a German stage and film actor. Career Schroth was born in Pirmasens, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. He made his acting debut at the Sigmaringen Royal Theatre in 1890. In 1894 h ...

: Gutsverwalter bei Baron von Sollnau * Wolfgang Staudte: Musiker bei Philipp Emanual Bach *

Annemarie Steinsieck Annemarie Steinsieck (21 September 1889 – 29 August 1977) was a German actress. She was married to actor Hugo Werner-Kahle. Selected filmography * ''The Duke of Reichstadt (1920 film), The Duke of Reichstadt'' (1920) * ''Modern Vices (film), M ...

: Frau von Erdmannsdorf *

Magnus Stifter Magnus Stifter (23 January 1878 – 8 September 1943) was an Austrian stage and film actor. He appeared in 85 films between 1914 and 1941. He was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria), and died in Vienna, Austria. Selected filmograp ...

: Zeremonienmeister des Königs in Dresden *

Leopold von Ledebur Leopold von Ledebur (18 May 1876 – 22 August 1955) was a German stage and film actor. Selected filmography * '' Carmen'' (1918) * ''The Serenyi'' (1918) * ''Midnight'' (1918) * ''The Foolish Heart'' (1919) * ''The Golden Lie'' (1919) * '' Th ...

: Gast bei Fiorini *

Otto Wernicke Otto Karl Robert Wernicke (30 September 1893, Osterode am Harz – 7 November 1965) was a German actor. He is best known for his role as police inspector Karl Lohmann in the two Fritz Lang films '' M'' and ''The Testament of Dr. Mabuse''. Marrie ...

: Kunde im Musikladen * Wolf Trutz: Franz *

Walter Werner Walter Gotthard Werner (11 April 1883 – 8 January 1956) was a German actor. He appeared in more than seventy films from 1921 to 1956. Selected filmography References External links * 1883 births 1956 deaths German male film actor ...

: Director of the theater troupe *Boris Alekin:

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Friedemann Bach (Film) 1941 films 1940s historical drama films German historical drama films 1940s biographical drama films German biographical drama films Films of Nazi Germany 1940s German-language films German black-and-white films Films about classical music and musicians Films about composers Films based on German novels Films set in the 18th century Films set in Berlin Terra Film films 1941 drama films Cultural depictions of Johann Sebastian Bach