Georg Philipp Telemann

After graduating in 1701, he became the director of the municipal opera house Opernhaus auf dem Bruhl and, subsequently, director at the Neukirche. During this time, he studied music at the Leipzig University and supplied a variety of music, including several operas. In 1705, Telemann left Leipzig after receiving an invitation to become Kapellmeister for the court of Count Erdmann II of Promnitz.

In 1712, he became the city music director of Frankfurt. During this time, he developed his mature personal style and created music for two major churches, civic ceremonies and various ensembles and musicians. In 1715, he released the Frankfurt Sonatas for the violin and in 1716, he composed his first choral masterpiece, Brockes Passion.

In 1721, he became the Kantor of the Johanneum Lateinschule in Hamburg and the music director of the five largest churches. After hearing an opera by composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, he incorporated the French operatic style into his vocal works. From 1725 to 1740, he found success in his music and poetry. From the 1740s onwards, he became less interested in music and more interested in gardening and exotic plants. In his later years, despite his failing health, he found ways to compose and produce privately. He passed away in 1767.