Georg Philipp Telemann
after a lost painting
by
Ludwig Michael Schneider

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 – 1767) composer and multi-instrumentalist. He became a composer against his family’s wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually settled on a career in music.

Telemann held important positions in Leipzig, Sorau, Eisenach, and Frankfurt before settling in Hamburg in 1721, where he became musical director of that city’s five main churches.

While Telemann’s career prospered, his personal life was troubled: his first wife died less than two years after their marriage, and his second wife had extramarital affairs and accumulated a large gambling debt before leaving him.

Johann Sebastian Bach, made Telemann the godfather and namesake of his son Carl Philipp Emanuel.