Johann Sebastian Bach most likely completed his
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050, in
1721. This work is the fifth of six concertos the
composer dedicated to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of
Brandenburg. The offering was likely a sort of
application for employment; Bach got no response, but
these pieces have become some of his best-known
material. Every one of the concertos is distinct, as
are the composer's sets of suites and partitas. Hearing
the fifth concerto in the context of the...(+)
Johann Sebastian Bach most likely completed his
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050, in
1721. This work is the fifth of six concertos the
composer dedicated to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of
Brandenburg. The offering was likely a sort of
application for employment; Bach got no response, but
these pieces have become some of his best-known
material. Every one of the concertos is distinct, as
are the composer's sets of suites and partitas. Hearing
the fifth concerto in the context of the rest of the
set makes it clear that, apart from Bach's inimitable
strength as a contrapuntist, the key to his ability to
make music that is both sublime and entertaining lies
in the fact that in his hands, everything is elastic.
No other composer of the Baroque era could write
through the constraints of form as if it was not there
at all. Bach saw more options than anyone else, in form
and in influence. The way he blended the Italian sound
into his own in these concertos ennobled both Italian
and German music. The scope of his vision and his
relentless invention, making everything he wrote new,
frustrates any attempt at comparison.
This fifth concerto is scored for flute, solo violin,
obbligato harpsichord, and strings. It is the only one
of the six pieces to have any solo material given to
the harpsichord, which is part of the continuo
throughout the other works, filling out the harmonies.
The final movement is a charming dance, a lively gigue
with fugal powers.
Originally written for Flute, Violin & Harpsichord, I
created this Arrangement of the Brandenburg Concerto
No. 5 in D Major (BWV 1050) for Flute, Viola & Piano.
SHEET MUSIC