Bach
BIOGRAPHY
The Brandenburg Concertos
The Brandenburg Concertos (BWV 1046-1051) are six instrumental compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach given to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721. First an excerpt from Christoph Wolff‘s book Johann Sebastian Bach, The Learned Musician, then videos of the Freiburger Barockorchester performing all six concertos on period instruments, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt (6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) giving an in depth analysis of the concertos.
“Instrumental virtuosity is displayed in the Brandenburg Concertos, a collection of six ‘Concerts avec plusieurs instruments’ (concertos with several instruments) – so called in the original score because the pieces feature the concerto genre in varying configurations of solo instruments. “Several instruments” actually understates the case, for Bach makes use, again in a systematic manner, of the widest imaginable spectrum of orchestral instruments. The modest title does not begin to suggest the degree of innovation exhibited in the daring combinations, as Bach once again enters uncharted territory. Every one of the six concertos set a precedent in it’s scoring, and every one was to remain without parallel.
The design of the concertos reflects the composer’s own choice and shows no evidence of any external influence as, for example, a request from a commissioning patron. Moreover, contrary to conventional wisdom, the collection does not reflect a specific structure of ensembles available either to the Margrave of Brandenburg or to the Prince of Anhalt-Cöthen. In any case, the origin of most if not all of these concertos, at least in their earliest versions, most likely predates Bach’s Cöthen appointment. Their overall layout as well as voice leading details, thematic-motivic treatment, and imitative polyphony definitely predates the standards set by the Well Tempered Clavier. But there is a further consideration that argues against a Cöthen origin. Eighteenth-century protocol would have required Bach, while in the employ of Prince Leopold, to obtain formal permission for dedicating such a work to another sovereign, and it is hard to imagine that Bach could have submitted to the margrave of Brandenburg a bundle of works originally written for the prince of Anhalt-Cöthen – especially if the prince was fond of them and considered them his property. We can therefore assume that Bach carefully selected from outside the restricted Cöthen contingent the best of his concerto compositions that would properly fit into an uncommon collection. In the end, the six concertos embody a repertoire fashioned more for its instrumental diversity than for any other reason.
The selection criteria appear to follow a scheme that highlights in half a dozen examples a maximum number of different solo instruments and their combinations. All three orchestral families are included, with their main subspecies: brass instruments with trumpet and French horn; woodwinds with recorder, transverse flute, oboe and bassoon; and strings with violin, piccolo violin, viola, cello, and viola da gamba. The only instrument lacking a solo function is the double bass, a pivotal member of the continuo group, while another component of the continuo group, the harpsichord, is assigned a prominent, indeed exceptional, obbligato part.
Bach juxtaposes the solo groups and their ripieno support in the opening and finale movements – modifications are made for the middle movements – with highly imaginative choices: a rich array of brass, woodwinds, and strings in an eleven part score in Concerto No. 1; a heterogeneous treble solo of trumpet, recorder, oboe, and violin in Concerto No. 2; and a trio of violin and two echo recorders, where the dominating concertato-violin alternatively functions as a basseto in Concerto No. 4. Even more surprising is Bach’s treatment of all-string ensembles: in Concerto No. 3 a ninefold solo group of three stratified trios of 3 violins, 3 violas, and 3 cellos, and in Concerto No. 6 a six-part score with two contrasting but low register trio formations, 2 violas and cello (the “modern” four stringers) on the one side and the two violas da gamba and violone (the “old fashioned” 6 stringers) on the other. Another special case is presented by Concerto No. 5, which in its middle movement features transverse flute, violin, and harpsichord, the most fashionable chamber trio of the time, but which in its outer movements turns that trio into a concertino with a commanding harpsichord part – the first time in history of the concerto that a solo keyboard instrument is so boldly integrated. Bach included in the dedication score for the margrave an elaborate sixty-four-measure harpsichord cadenza that would find its equivalent only later in the written-out piano concerto cadenzas of Mozart and Beethoven. The extravagantly virtuosic harpsichord part of Concerto No. 5 turns this concerto into a showpiece highlighting the brilliant technique of its performer. However, all the Brandenburg Concertos celebrate performing virtuosity, and beyond that, all of them testify to the compositional virtuosity – the facility, finesse, mastery, and genius – of their creator.” Christoph Wolff; Johann Sebastian Bach – The Learned Musician, pages 232-234
Freiburger Barockorchester
Nikolaus Harnoncourt videos
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