Saturday, September 4, 2021The “Brandenburg Concertos” are a set of six instrumental works presented in 1721 by J.S. Bach to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, along with a letter requesting employment. No response was received, and the leather-bound manuscript hand-written by Bach was sold for a pittance after the Margrave’s death in 1734.
It ended up in the Royal Library of Prussia, where it was discovered in 1849 and the concerti finally published in 1850. The manuscript was saved from a bombing raid during WW2 by a librarian who fled into the forest clutching the manuscript under his coat.
Each concerto is scored for a variety of instruments. The Brandenburg Concerto number 6 in B flat calls for a variety of violas, harpsichord, cello, and bass, with no role for the violin. The arrangement we hear today includes the unusual “viola pomposa” in the ensemble.
J.S.Bach : Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-Flat Major, BWV1051
J.S.Bach : Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-Flat Major, BWV1051
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John Scialdone published this page in Daily Beethoven 2021-09-04 21:48:02 -0400