Brandenburg concertos

The Brandenburg Concertos are a group of six concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach ( BWV 1046-1051 ). The resulting score of 1721 is the Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg- Schwedt ( 1677-1734 ) dedicated to the creek had met in winter 1718/1719 in Berlin.

The title of the Brandenburg Concertos was coined by Philipp Spitta wrote in his biography of Bach 1873-1879 and has now generally enforced. Bach's original title is Six Concerts Avec plusieurs Instruments.

The six concerts have a high stylistic and structural diversity. In its mixture of various historical and forward-looking elements, they form a personal and yet universal form of expression.

Formation

When Bach 1721 his score sent to the Margrave of Brandenburg- Schwedt, he had the works not composed specially for the occasion. Rather, Bach had assembled the collection of compositions that were created not only all in Köthen, but partly probably already in his Weimar period of office ( 1708-1717 ). So the first and third concert had been written according to current knowledge in Weimar, the others. Köthener in the first years This can be inferred from stylistic comparisons with datable cantata movements.

It is assumed that the resulting stream at Köthen works only with the permission of his employer, Prince Leopold was allowed to devote another prince. But there is no reason to doubt his approval - he may be assumed even the initiative because he had hand over only half a year already before the prince a crystal chandelier.

In Köthen Bach began compiling his compositions to extensive cycles by designing cross- order principles, such as well-planned sequences of keys or single sets - examples are the Well-Tempered Clavier or the English and French Suites. From such a continuous design of a cycle is at the Brandenburg Concertos but still nothing to notice - except in an effort to remember each time with a common instrument solo part.

From five of the concerts copies are obtained regardless of the dedication score; but none of them contains several works. It may be assumed that Bach composed the collection just for the dedication score and the individual concerts either before or afterwards regarded as belonging together. So Concerts form only a loose collection without any attempt another design as a whole - Bach, it would probably not come to mind to list the concerts together.

Conversely, shows Bach's meticulous work and thus the esteem in which he held the concerts, in the revision of many details of the underlying scores - about the fine differentiation of lots of cello, violone and continuo, which he often consider having separate votes. The thorough notation of the score clearly shows its commitment to the work: The bar lines are almost invariably drawn with a ruler. Bach may have been promised by the dedication of the title of a court Kapellmeister and the associated lucrative commissions.

More history

In addition to the presentation copy Bach possessed by the individual concerts too - no longer extant - Composition scores, which he, in several cases for later versions, such as the introduction symphonies in cantatas, used. Evidence suggesting that his son Carl Philipp Emanuel possessed of some concerts copies and made known this music in Berlin.

The dedication score was initially undetected until 1850 in the library of the Marquis of Brandenburg- Schwedt and then in the Royal Library in Berlin. It was generally known until the publication of the complete Bach edition.

Survey

Style

Concerts are highly individual in instrumentation and all compositional details. However, stylistically quite two groups can be distinguished:

• The first, third and sixth concert follow the shape of an Italian overture concerto movement, slow middle movement and dance - the first concert in its original form BWV 1071 has probably been used as such an overture. The slow movements end here each in a Phrygian cadence ( half -circuit in the dominant). At least the first and third concert represented clearly the older form of a group concert, an orchestra, but orchestral groups are compared with each other in the non- solo instruments.
• The second, fourth and fifth concert represent a small group of solo instruments against a string orchestra and thus represent the more modern form of a concert for several solo instruments; Here are the closing lines always fugati or even fully -developed joints. The second group affect stylistic point of view modern; the means but not necessary, that Bach wrote these concerts only after the completion of the other three.

Often the concerts treat the instruments are not the same throughout - so often is not at all or in a pure function accompanying a solo instrument in another set. In addition, peer soloists dissolve from the group first individual instrument voices and push to the fore: the first and fourth concert, the violin, the third concert, the first violin and first viola in the fifth concert harpsichord. Obviously consisted of Bach then no reason to make a clean separation from the current perspective of the instrumental functions.