Page "Georg Philipp Telemann" Paragraph 6

Heinrich Telemann died in 1685, leaving Maria to raise the children and oversee their education.

Telemann studied at the Altstädtisches Gymnasium and at the Domschule, where he was taught the catechism, Latin and Greek.

At age 10 he took singing lessons and studied keyboard playing for two weeks with a local organist.

This was enough to inspire the boy to teach himself other instruments ( recorder, violin and zither ) and start composing.

His first pieces were arias, motets, and instrumental works, and at age 12 he composed his first opera, Sigismundus.

Neither Maria nor her advisers were supportive of these endeavours, however.

They confiscated all of the boy's instruments and forbade him any musical activities, yet Telemann continued composing, in secret.

In late 1693 or early 1694 his mother sent him to a school in Zellerfeld, hoping that this would convince her son to choose a different career.

However, the superintendent of the school, Caspar Calvoer, recognized Telemann's talents and even introduced him to musical theory ; Telemann continued composing and playing various instruments, taught himself thoroughbass and regularly supplied music for the church choir and the town musicians.