22-23 Program Book - Flipbook - Page 42
Six Brandenburg Concertos (1721)
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
CLASSICAL SERIES: THE SIX BACH BRANDENBURGS
(March 31, 1685-July 28, 1750)
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“Concertos” of the 17th and 18th centuries had numerous characteristics
that make them considerably different from later works by the same name.
Some of the earliest concertos, around 1600 in Italy by composers such as
Giovanni Gabrieli, pitted equal ensembles of instruments and voices against
each other antiphonally. As time wore on, it became fashionable to feature
soloists or small groups against large groups, primarily to exploit timbre
contrasts. By the time the genre reached J.S. Bach, just about anything was
fair game, and he wrote “concertos” in all possible types.
Presented to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt in
northeastern Germany, on March 21, 1721, the six “Brandenburg” concertos
represent a remarkable compendium of applications of the term “concerto.”
They have been studied individually and as a group, and it is possible they
were composed at different times for different original purposes. We are
presented with three types of concertos. Numbers 1 and 3 are “orchestral”
concertos where there are no soloists but the different orchestral sections
take turns in featured roles and then come together as musical ideas are
explored and resolved. Numbers 2, 4, and 5 are “concerto grossi,” with
small groups of soloists pitted against the larger orchestra. Number 6 is
a “chamber” concerto, a unique combination of two small groups playing
together and in contrast to each other.
The term “Brandenburg” was not applied to these pieces, however, until
the 1800s after the collection was re-discovered. Scholars have shown
that the orchestration did not fit the musicians of the Brandenburg court;
the works were much better suited for the court orchestra maintained at
Cöthen, Bach’s previous employer.
Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046
The first Brandenburg concerto is Bach’s most stylish and forward-looking
in orchestral terms. A pair of horns, a trio of oboes, and a string section
(with basso continuo) play together from the start, but then take turns with
the melodic materials, sometimes with solo “representatives,” other times
as sections, echoing each other or extending an idea, but always returning
to the larger group effort. All three sections participate equally; while this
seems normal to us today, in Bach’s day the instrument technologies did
not lend themselves to equal participation. Oboes could generally keep up
with the strings, but the horns (valveless in those days) had to play in the
extreme high register in order to participate as melodic equals. The second
movement is an exception—a lovely pairing of solo oboe and piccolo violin
(a smaller size of instrument built for playing higher notes), with some nice
contrast from the continuo. The pacing of this concerto is quite appealing:
fast and virtuosic in the first and third movements, a tender, expressive
second movement, and a stately, elegant minuet as a finale. Everyone gets
a chance to shine, and the result is very satisfying.