Falckenhagen was born in Großdalzig, a city near Leipzig. He learned to play the lute and the harpsichord. From 1719-1720 he studied in the Leipzig University. Between 1720 and 1727 he worked in Weißenfels as a court musician. He went to Dresden to study with Sylvius Leopold Weiss. In 1734 he moved to Bayreuth. He worked for Margrave Frederick of Bayreuth. He died in Bayreuth on 6 October 1754.