The Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major (BWV 1046) by
Johann Sebastian Bach is the first of six great
concertos which, taken in combination, add up the most
complex and artistically successful failed job
application in recorded history. They were written
around 1721 and dedicated to Christian Ludwig, Margrave
of Brandenburg in March of the same year. Bach's
position at Cöthen was becoming less desirable to him;
his wife had died in 1720 while Bach accompanied his
employer, Prince Leopold of A...(+)
The Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major (BWV 1046) by
Johann Sebastian Bach is the first of six great
concertos which, taken in combination, add up the most
complex and artistically successful failed job
application in recorded history. They were written
around 1721 and dedicated to Christian Ludwig, Margrave
of Brandenburg in March of the same year. Bach's
position at Cöthen was becoming less desirable to him;
his wife had died in 1720 while Bach accompanied his
employer, Prince Leopold of Anthalt-Cöthen, to
Carlsbad. The prince was also reallocating funds from
music to his palace guard, no doubt because the
prince's new wife was not a music lover.
Christian Ludwig probably heard Bach perform in 1719,
or perhaps earlier at the spas in Carlsbad, where
Prince Leopold would have Bach accompany him. Bach sent
a beautifully rendered score of the concertos to the
Margrave in 1721, suspecting that the royal might be
interested in giving him a job, but there is no known
response to Bach's political overture.
The first concerto is, like all of Bach's concertos,
indebted to the methods of the Italians. Vivaldi was
particularly attractive to the German composer, who
eagerly copied out Vivaldi's scores in order to
understand his use of contrast, rhythmic propulsion,
and orchestration. The Brandenburg Concertos were not
as unusual as was once thought; Italian composers
created concertos for widely varying combinations of
instruments, and Bach's shifting textures have their
parallels in works by other composers. But the handling
of the Italian concerto material went unmatched
throughout the Baroque era. One unique, perhaps
non-Italian idea in the Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 is
Bach's use of hunting horns. The concerto also calls
for three oboes and a bassoon, as well as continuo
strings and the violino piccolo. The sound of the horns
stands out, but the composer manages to make them blend
into the ensemble through the use of multiple
winds.
Though the first movement does not have a tempo
marking, performances of the four-movement work are
about 20 minutes in duration. Each movement has a brisk
pace and extraordinary counterpoint that inventively
shades and blurs the contrast between the small
concertino group and the tutti ensemble. Along with the
horn, the violino piccolo seems to have been included
in order to draw more attention to the innovative
qualities of the music. The Brandenburg Concertos
contain some of Bach's most brilliant counterpoint, and
the attention-grabbing orchestration of the first
concerto has not diminished the work's value at all. It
is among Bach's best works.
Although originally written for Baroque orchestra (3
Oboes, Bassoon, 2 Horns, Violino piccolo, strings &
Continuo), I created this Arrangement of the
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major (BWV 1046) for
Winds (Bb Trumpet, Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, English
Horn & Bassoon) & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
SHEET MUSIC