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Program Notes, ©2012 Lori Newman

Johann Sebastian Bach
Born 1685, Eisenach, Germany
Died 1750, Leipzig, Germany

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048 (1721)

The Brandenburg Concerti of Johann Sebastian Bach reflect the lamentable musical realities of the time: composers, even successful and brilliant composers such as Bach, were at the mercy of the aristocracy. This is never more evident than when studying the Brandenburg Concerti. The six concerti were written in effect, as a musical job application or instrumental résumé. The intended employer was Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt. The dedication page begins as follows:

As I had the good fortune a few years ago to be heard by Your Royal Highness, at Your Highness’s commands, and as I noticed then that Your Highness took some pleasure in the little talents which Heaven has given me for Music, and as in taking Leave of Your Royal Highness, Your Highness deigned to honour me with the command to send Your Highness some pieces of my Composition: I have in accordance with Your Highness’s most gracious orders taken the liberty of rendering my most humble duty to Your Royal Highness with the present Concertos, which I have adapted to several instruments; begging Your Highness most humbly not to judge their imperfection with the rigor of that discriminating and sensitive taste, which everyone knows Him to have for musical works, but rather to take into benign Consideration the profound respect and the most humble obedience which I thus attempt to show Him.

Sycophancy aside, Bach was rewarded neither with a job, a fee, nor even a performance of the works. It appears that the score was never used and remained in the Margrave’s library until his death in 1734. At that time it was sold for twenty-four groschen (about $22.00) and not published until 1850, a year after its rediscovery in the Brandenburg archives.

While the date on the concerti is listed as 1721, it is widely believed that they were written much earlier and perhaps over a significant period of time, while at the courts of either Weimar (1708–1717) or Köthen (1717–1723) or a combination thereof. Because of this, it is doubtful that the works were conceived as a set of concerti, but rather assembled as such when Bach sent them to the Margrave. The original title of the set is Six Concerts à plusieurs instruments, and the dedication page describes them as Concerts avec plusieurs instruments (Concertos with several instruments).

The Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048 was originally written for three violins, three violas, three celli, and basso continuo (including harpsichord), thereby excluding winds from this work. It is purported that the third concerto was written during Bach’s tenure in Weimar, due to its similarity to the “Italian Concerto” genre; Bach greatly favored and composed many pieces in this style while serving in Weimar. Since there are no winds and no obvious solo instrument, the role of ripieno (full ensemble) and concertino (small group of soloists) is blurred and perhaps best interpreted by the listener. The outer movements are typical of a concerto grosso of the time; the second movement however, is quite another situation. Bach’s contribution to the second movement is that of merely two chords: a Phrygian half-cadence. Most scholars interpret this as an opportunity for a cadenza for one or more instruments in improvisational form. On the countless recordings of the concerti there are various interpretations, but most often, the cadenza is performed by a solo violin.

 

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