Karl Friedrich Abel

Short biography Karl Friedrich Abel was born on 22 December 1723 in Cöthen (Germany) and died on 20 June 1787 in London. He came from a musical family – his father Christian Ferdinand Abel was a gambist and colleague of Johann Sebastian Bach at Cöthen. He received his training most probably at the Thomasschule in Leipzig, where he may also have studied under Johann Sebastian Bach, although a direct teacher–pupil relationship cannot be established with absolute certainty. From 1758 he settled in London, where he entered royal service as a chamber musician to the Queen and became one of the most influential figures in London's musical life.

Historical placement Abel is regarded as one of the foremost gambists of the 18th century and as a significant representative of the galant style and early Classicism. His compositional language combines courtly elegance and cantabile melody with a clear, well-proportioned formal idiom that reflects the transition from the Baroque to the Viennese Classical period. Through his symphonies and chamber works he made a substantial contribution to the establishment of Classical genres in England. The Bach–Abel Concerts in London, which he co-founded, rank among the most important public concert series of the 18th century.

Personal connections Johann Christian Bach was his friend and business partner; together, from 1764/65 onwards, they organised the influential London concert series that entered music history as the 'Bach–Abel Concerts'. Christian Ferdinand Abel was Karl's father and a distinguished gambist at the Cöthen court, where he worked alongside Johann Sebastian Bach. Johann Sebastian Bach was a colleague of Abel's father at Cöthen; a direct teacher–pupil relationship with Karl Friedrich Abel has not been established.

Important works
Six Simphonies – symphony (op. 1, c.1759)
Six Overtures – symphony (op. 4)
Six Quartettos – string quartet (op. 8)
Six Sonatas for Violoncello and Bass – sonata (op. 5)
Six Sonatas for Harpsichord or Pianoforte with Violin – sonata (op. 2)
Six Simphonies – symphony (op. 7)
Overtures – symphony (op. 10)
Six Quartettos – string quartet (op. 12)