Georg Philipp Telemann

Georg Philipp Telemann was a German composer who lived from 1681 until 1767. Unlike many musicians, Telemann did not grow up in a musical family. In fact, it was against his family's wishes that he became a musician. After taking voice and keyboard lessons for two weeks with a local musician, Telemann taught himself several other instruments and began writing his own music. In spite of his family taking all of his instruments, he continued writing music in secret.

After graduating from school, Telemann's mother sent him to Leipzig to study law. However, after hearing a performance of Telemann's music, the mayor of Leipzig invited him to become the composer for two of the city's main churches. Throughout the remainder of his life, Telemann wrote and performed music, eventually becoming music director for the city of Hamburg. During his lifetime, Telemann was the most popular and prolific composer in Germany. After his death, his reputation suffered as later generations began to favor the music of Bach as most representative of the Baroque period.

VIOLA CONCERTO, 2nd Movement

SOLO VIOLA VERSION

Another version...2nd movement starts at 3:42