Georg Philipp Telemann was born in Magdeburg in 1881. He was an exceptionally successful musician and held posts in Poland before moving to Frankfurt am Main. He later became director of music at Hamburg's five principal churches, a role that he accepted in preference to a post at St. Thomas' Church, Leipzig... for which J.S. Bach was to be grateful...

Stations in life:
Magdeburg, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Hamburg

Felix Mendelssohn was born in 1809 in Hamburg. Despite his untimely death at the age of 38, his legacy of works is vast. Born into a wealthy banking family, young Felix had a sheltered upbringing, shielded from the trials and tribulations of life. His piano works, his symphonies and the famous overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream all share the same carefree and unburdened feel.

Stations in life:
Hamburg, Berlin, Leipzig: Conductor at the Gewandhaus

Gustav Mahler was born in 1860 at Kaliste in Bohemia. Although it now seems inconceivable, he was virtually forgotten for many years after his death in 1911.In the 1970s, however, American conductor Leonard Bernstein unleashed a worldwide Mahler "renaissance" on an unprecedented scale. From the youthful exuberance of the First Symphony (the "Titan") via the cosmic exultation in the Second and Eighth (the "Symphony of a Thousand"), to the other-worldly Ninth Symphony, Mahler's post-romantic musical world unites the earth and the entire universe in song. The brilliant Mahler was principal kapellmeister at Hamburg's municipal theatre from 1891 to 1897.

Stations in life:
Kaliste, Hamburg

Along with Johann Sebastian Bach, that other great genius, Georg Friedrich Handel represents the ultimate in baroque musical achievement. He was born in Halle in 1685 and - unlike Bach - enjoyed an international career that took him first to Italy, then to England. Every year, Halle honours its most famous son with a prestigious international festival.

Stations in life:
Halle, Hamburg

Brahms, a traditionalist among Romantic composers, poured his sad, heart-rending melodies into classical forms, with the desire that his symphonies and concertos should consist of nothing but beautiful music.There is a museum dedicated to Brahms in Hamburg, the city where he was born.

The only remaining home of this great composer, in Baden-Baden, where he lived between 1865 and 1874, is open to the public. Numerous original furnishings and exhibits are on display there.

Stations in life:
Hamburg, Baden-Baden

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Johann Sebastian's second - and perhaps most gifted - son, was born in Weimar. For a number of years, he was chamber harpsichordist to Frederick the Great, before becoming a successful opera director in Hamburg. His imaginative works show freedom from his father's strict rules and are very much in the style of the rococo and Sturm und Drang (storm and stress).

Stations in life:
Weimar, Berlin, Hamburg