Brandenburg Concertos

 

           The Brandenburg Concertos were presented by Bach to Christian Ludwig, Margrave 

      of Brandenburg Schwedt in 1721, though were probably composed earlier.  Christian 

      Ludwig was the brother of King Frederick William I of Prussia.
      
            Because Frederick I was not a significant patron of the arts, Christian Ludwig seems to 

      have lacked the musicians in his Berlin ensemble to perform the concertos.  The full score 

      was left unused in the Margrave's library until his death in 1734, when it was sold for 24 

      groschen (about $24 today) of silver.  The autograph manuscript of the concertos was only 

      rediscovered in the archives of Brandenburg in 1849; the concertos were first published in 

      the following year.

            The six Brandenburg Concertos stand as supreme achievements in the concerti grossi 

      literature of the Baroque.  The variety of the instrumental combinations they exploit sets 

      them apart from any other opus, as does the flexibility of Bach's writing — which allows 

      each of the participants to play both leading and supporting roles in a constantly changing 

      pattern of give-and-take.  

 
            The six works, no two of which sound alike, encompass an impressive range of style 
      and manifest in combination the courtly elegance of the French suite, the exuberance of 

      the Italian concerto, and the gravity of German counterpoint.  Subtle and brilliant at the 

      same time, they are a microcosm of Baroque music, with an astonishingly vast sample 

      of that era's emotional universe.

Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major BWV 1046
 

      No. 1 is the only one with four movements.  The others have three movements (fast→slow→fast) like Vivaldi's 

      violin concertos.

      1.  Allegro
      2.  Andante (en re menor)
      3.  Allegro
      4.  Menuetto; Trío I (2 oboes y fagot); Menuetto Polacca (violines y violas); Menuetto Trío II (2 cornos y 3 oboes); Menuetto.


Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F mayor BWV 1047
 
      1.  Allegro
      2.  Andante (en re menor)
      3.  Allegro assai


Concierto de Brandeburgo No. 3 in G major BWV 1048
 
      1.  Allegro
      2.  Adagio
      3.  Allegro


Concierto de Brandeburgo No. 4 in G mayor BWV 1049
 
     1.  Allegro
     2 . Andante (en mi menor)
     3.  Presto


Concierto de Brandeburgo No. 5 in G mayor BWV 1050
 
     1.  Allegro
     2.  Affettuoso (en si menor)
     3.  Allegro


Concierto de Brandeburgo No. 6 in B♭ mayor BWV 1051
 
    1.  Moderato
    2.  Adagio ma non tanto (en Mi♭ mayor)
    3.  Allegro


     While Corelli and Handel only used 2 violins and a cello as the solo instruments in their concerti 

     grossi, Bach used a large variety including the trumpet, recorder, flute & harpsichord. 


           Brandenburg Concerto No 2  in F major, BWV 1047  Movement 1 
                 John Elliot Gardiner         

                         Concertino: clarino (natural trumpet) in F, alto (treble) recorder, oboe, violin

                          Ripieno: two violins, viola, violone, and basso continuo (including harpsichord)

                               Movement 1:  Allegro

            Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1051  

                               Movement 1:  Allegro

            Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049  

                     Concertino:  Violin & 2 Recorders

                               Movement 2:  Andante in E minor

            Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in G major, BWV 1049  

                     Concertino:  Harpsichord, violin, & flute

                               Movement 1:  Allegro (Famous for having the first harpsichord cadenza)