The Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major (BWV 1047) by
Johann Sebastian Bach is the second of six great
concertos which, taken in combination, add up the most
complex and artistically successful failed job
application in recorded history. The Brandenburg
Concerto No. 2 may have been one of the last to be
written, and it certainly seems like a special-occasion
piece. It's a concerto featuring four prominent
instruments -- trumpet, recorder, oboe, and violin --
against a foundation of strings and...(+)
The Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major (BWV 1047) by
Johann Sebastian Bach is the second of six great
concertos which, taken in combination, add up the most
complex and artistically successful failed job
application in recorded history. The Brandenburg
Concerto No. 2 may have been one of the last to be
written, and it certainly seems like a special-occasion
piece. It's a concerto featuring four prominent
instruments -- trumpet, recorder, oboe, and violin --
against a foundation of strings and continuo. The
writing is virtuosic and brilliant; the high trumpet
part, in particular, brings many fine players to grief.
The work basically follows the Italian concerto grosso
pattern, punctuating the solo group's music with tutti
outbursts for the strings, although here the soloists
are often more integrated into the musical fabric than
in the Italian model. The strongly rhythmic first
movement, lacking a tempo indication, deploys the
soloists both as members of the overall ensemble and as
out-front players, in varying combinations. The
orchestra introduces an energetic eight-bar theme,
then, two at a time and separated by restatements of
the opening melody, the soloists jump in with their own
two-bar motif. From this point on, the soloists rarely
recede completely, constantly toying with their short
motif and picking up fragments of the initial theme as
well. The trumpet retires from the plaintive Andante,
leaving the other three soloists, with bare continuo
accompaniment, to focus on a sighing phrase. One
instrument's entrance overlaps another's last notes in
a sort of counterpoint that, despite several efforts,
never gets off the ground. Revamping a theme from the
first movement, the Allegro assai takes counterpoint
more seriously. In the earlier movements, Bach had
passed a melody from one instrument to another, fully
exploiting their contrasting colors. Now, in this final
movement, the soloists each provide different voices in
a full-fledged fugue, with the string orchestra merely
reinforcing key moments. This fugue is no academic
exercise; the music is bright and festive, clearly
intended to show how a learned structure could be
incorporated into popular entertainment at the
margrave's court.
Source: AllMusic
(http://www.allmusic.com/composition/brandenburg-concer
to-no-2-in-f-major-bwv-1047-mc0002394826).
Although originally written for Baroque orchestra
(Recorder, Oboe, Trumpet, violin, strings & Continuo),
I created this Arrangement of the Brandenburg Concerto
No. 2 in F Major (BWV 1047) for Winds (Bb Trumpet,
Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, English Horn & Bassoon) &
Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
SHEET MUSIC