# Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

> German composer, organist, harpsichordist (1710-1784)

**Wikidata**: [Q107277](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107277)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Friedemann_Bach)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/wilhelm-friedemann-bach

## Summary
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (22 November 1710 – 1 July 1784) was a German composer, organist and harpsichordist active in the tradition of classical music. He is known as a keyboard composer and performer of the 18th century and is the dedicatee of the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, a keyboard collection compiled by Johann Sebastian Bach for his son.

## Biography
- Born: 22 November 1710
- Died: 1 July 1784
- Nationality: Citizen of the Holy Roman Empire
- Education: Thomasschule zu Leipzig; Leipzig University
- Known for: Work as a composer, organist and harpsichordist in the classical-music tradition
- Employer(s): Affiliated with Thomasschule zu Leipzig; affiliated with Leipzig University
- Field(s): Classical music; keyboard performance and composition

## Contributions
- Performer and composer in the classical-music tradition, active as a keyboard musician and composer; recorded work period start in source data: 1773.
- Dedicatee and recipient of the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, a collection of keyboard music compiled by Johann Sebastian Bach for his son Wilhelm Friedemann (documented relationship in the provided material).
- Served as an organist and harpsichordist and contributed repertoire and practice as a keyboard musician (roles explicitly cited in occupations and related entities).

Note: the available source material lists his occupations, affiliations, dates, and the specific connection to the Klavierbüchlein; specific individual compositions beyond that collection are not named in the provided data.

## FAQs
- Where and when was Wilhelm Friedemann Bach born and when did he die?
  - He was born on 22 November 1710 and died on 1 July 1784.

- What was Wilhelm Friedemann Bach’s nationality?
  - He held citizenship of the Holy Roman Empire.

- What were his main occupations?
  - He worked as a composer, organist and harpsichordist within the classical-music tradition.

- What formal education did he receive?
  - He was educated at the Thomasschule zu Leipzig and attended Leipzig University.

- With which institutions was he affiliated?
  - He was affiliated with the Thomasschule zu Leipzig and with Leipzig University.

- What is the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach?
  - It is a collection of keyboard music compiled by Johann Sebastian Bach for his son Wilhelm Friedemann; the collection is specifically associated with Wilhelm Friedemann Bach in the provided material.

- When does the provided work period data begin?
  - The provided structured data lists a work period start of 1773.

## Why They Matter
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach matters as a documented 18th-century German keyboard composer and performer associated with the classical-music tradition. His direct connection to the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, compiled by Johann Sebastian Bach for his son, places him within a central lineage of German Baroque-to-classical keyboard practice and pedagogy. As an organist and harpsichordist educated and affiliated with prominent Leipzig institutions (Thomasschule and Leipzig University), he represents the continuity of Leipzig’s musical schooling and ecclesiastical/academic musical life in the Holy Roman Empire. Without figures like him, the documented transmission of keyboard repertoire and the biographical record of the Bach family’s musical pedagogy would be less complete.

## Notable For
- Being a German composer, organist and harpsichordist active in the 18th century (1710–1784).
- Being the dedicatee of the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, a keyboard collection compiled by Johann Sebastian Bach for his son.
- Affiliation with Thomasschule zu Leipzig and Leipzig University as recorded institutional relationships.
- Cited in structured authority and bibliographic records across many databases (large set of identifiers in source material).
- Genre association: classical music.

## Body

### Early life and identity
- Born 22 November 1710 and died 1 July 1784, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach is described in the provided material as a German composer, organist, and harpsichordist.
- The source explicitly connects him to the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, a keyboard anthology compiled by Johann Sebastian Bach for his son, identifying a documented personal and pedagogical link to Johann Sebastian Bach.

### Education and affiliations
- Educated at the Thomasschule zu Leipzig. The Thomasschule zu Leipzig is listed among his affiliated institutions in the provided material.
- Attended Leipzig University; Leipzig University is listed as an affiliated institution.
- These affiliations place his education and professional life within Leipzig’s musical and academic network.

### Career and roles
- Occupations recorded in the provided data: composer, organist, harpsichordist, and musician (classical keyboard specialist).
- The material records him as active in the classical-music genre and lists a work period start of 1773 in the structured data.
- Institutional affiliations include Thomasschule zu Leipzig and Leipzig University, which are stated as affiliations in the supplied facts.

### Works and documented collections
- Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: documented in the provided material as a collection of keyboard music compiled by Johann Sebastian Bach for his son Wilhelm Friedemann. The source ties this specific collection directly to Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.
- Beyond the Klavierbüchlein association, the provided source lists his general role as a composer and keyboard performer but does not enumerate individual published scores or composition titles within the supplied facts.

### Historical and cultural context
- Citizenship is recorded as the Holy Roman Empire, situating his life and career in the multi‑ethnic political context of Central Europe in the 18th century.
- Genre association: classical music. The provided data explicitly links his work to the classical-music tradition.

### Structured properties and external identifiers (as provided)
- P18: Wilhelm Friedeman Bach.png
- P213: 0000000109878504
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- P244: n79145903
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- P373: Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
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- P569: +1710-11-22T00:00:00Z
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- genre: Q9730 (classical music)
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- P14073: 01944073-4945-7199-ab79-8effe189f77a
- P14178: jn19990000369
- P14191: 00000176
- P14772: (entry repeated above as needed)
- occupation: Q36834 (composer), Q765778, Q486748 (organist), Q639669 (harpsichordist), Q1643514, Q115793211
- citizenship: Q12548 (Holy Roman Empire)
- educated_at: Q699668 (Thomasschule zu Leipzig), Q154804 (Leipzig University)
- instance_of: Q5 (human)
- sitelink_count: 49
- wikipedia_title: Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
- work_period_start: +1773-00-00T00:00:00Z
- wikidata_description: German composer, organist, harpsichordist (1710-1784)

### Legacy and influence
- The provided material situates Wilhelm Friedemann Bach within the classical-music tradition and links him to Leipzig’s musical institutions. His association with the Klavierbüchlein compiled by Johann Sebastian Bach preserves an attested pedagogical and repertory connection to one of the central figures of the Baroque era.
- As an organist and harpsichordist of the 18th century, his recorded roles contribute to the documented continuity of keyboard performance practice in Leipzig and the Holy Roman Empire.

### Limitations of the provided data
- The supplied source material lists occupations, affiliations, dates, structured identifiers and the Klavierbüchlein connection; it does not enumerate specific composition titles authored by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach beyond the association with the Klavierbüchlein, nor does it provide detailed narratives of appointments, specific employment dates, or a catalog of works within the provided facts. The content above represents the full set of assertions supported by the supplied material.

## References

1. Integrated Authority File
2. [Source](http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/47890/Wilhelm-Friedemann-Bach)
3. Catalog of the German National Library
4. [Source](http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/bachwf.php)
5. [Source](http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2008/Feb08/WFBach_8557966.htm)
6. BnF authorities
7. International Standard Name Identifier
8. MusicBrainz
9. CiNii Research
10. Virtual International Authority File
11. Encyclopædia Britannica Online
12. SNAC
13. Find a Grave
14. International Music Score Library Project
15. filmportal.de
16. Brockhaus Enzyklopädie
17. Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana
18. Musicalics
19. Croatian Encyclopedia
20. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
21. [Grove Music Online](http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-3000000159)
22. CONOR.SI
23. BBC Things
24. LIBRIS. 2012
25. [Source](http://www.musiklexikon.ac.at/ml/ml-beacon.txt)
26. HMML Authority File