Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach, also known as ''William Bach'' (24 May 1759 – 25 December 1845) was the eldest son of

Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (21 June 1732 – 26 January 1795) was a harpsichordist and composer, the fifth son of Johann Sebastian Bach, sometimes referred to as the "Bückeburg Bach". Born in Leipzig in the Electorate of Saxony, he was ...

and the only grandson 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 ...

to gain fame as a composer. He was music director to

Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II (german: Friedrich Wilhelm II.; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was in personal union the Prince-elector of Brandenburg and (via the Orange-Nassau inherita ...

. He said, "Heredity can tend to run out of ideas." Ernst Bach received training in music from his uncle,

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 ...

, and from another uncle in England, Johann Christian Bach. He was in London when Johann Christian Bach died there on New Year's Day, 1782. Ernst Bach remained in England until 1784 before returning via Holland to Germany. He held a few positions, namely those of '' Kapellmeister'' of Minden in 1786, and from 1788 to 1811 as ''Kapellmeister'' in Berlin with the blessing of King Friedrich Wilhelm II. Ernst Bach retired from his position after Prince Heinrich, the brother of the Prussian King

Friedrich Wilhelm III Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, w ...

granted him a pension. At the unveiling of the Bach Monument in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

on 23 April 1843, Ernst Bach met Robert Schumann. Schumann later described Ernst Bach as "a very agile old gentleman of 84 years with snow-white hair and expressive features." One of Ernst Bach's most remarkable compositions was ''Dreyblatt,'' a concerto for piano involving six hands. He wrote it in such a way in that it was to be performed with one large male in the middle with a petite female on either side of him. Ernst Bach indicated that the man was to stretch his arms around the ladies to play the outside parts, while the ladies performed the middle parts. He is buried at the

Friedhof II der Sophiengemeinde Berlin The Friedhof II der Sophiengemeinde Berlin is a Protestant cemetery of the Sophienkirche in Berlin-Mitte, Germany. Notable interments (*) = An Ehrengrab awarded by the "Landes Berlin" * Adam Weishaupt German philosopher, professor of civil ...

. Ernst Bach married twice. His only son (by his second wife) died in infancy. The first born of his three daughters, Caroline Augusta Wilhelmine, lived the longest. She died in 1871 – the very last of the Bachs. Grace, Harvey. ''Bach'', Novello Short Biography (1938), p. 1

Selected recordings

*Kantaten & Sinfonien "Columbus"; Ingrid Schmithüsen, Howard Crook, Gotthold Schwarz, Klaus Mertens,

Hermann Max Hermann Max (born 1941 in Goslar) is a German choral conductor. In 1977, he founded the Jugendkantorei Dormagen, which in 1985 became the basis of the Rheinische Kantorei and Das Kleine Konzert. In 1992 he founded the Knechtsteden Early Music Fes ...

; cpo 999 672-2, 2000

References

External links

* * * 1759 births 1845 deaths Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst German male composers German Classical-period composers 19th-century German male musicians {{Germany-composer-stub