Brandenburg Concerto No. 1

Of all of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos that I have listened to and/or played, this was probably the most dynamic and complex. As I haven’t listened to them all, I could be wrong. But compared to the first movement of Brandenburg 3, there is a lot more going on!

– When it begins, you are presented with a wall of sound, with all the sections playing different melodies.

– Each section (i.e woodwind, strings and horns) each have their own parts, that seem separated from one another. They each combine and breakaway from each at different points throughout the movement.

– Bach introduces all the thematic material at once, in particular the Oboe line in bar 6. If this movement was to have a main theme, that would probably be it.

– Bach uses a mix of grand Tutti passages and flowing solos, both of which gives the other much more emphasis.

I suppose what I have learned most from this work, as I do from most of Bach’s works, is the best way in which to manipulate thematic material. However in the particular movement, it was quite different. From the very onset the listener is given everything, at once. I realise if I wanted to incorporate this into my composition technique, I would have tread VERY carefully, and not over-orchestrate or complicate my work. But it is something to consider, and it would be quite entertaining to see just how messy a first attempt at this would be for me!

Emma

Brandenburg Concertos

Here are some thoughts:

- Following the scores while listening was a whole new experience for me. I get a different sense of what’s going on. I’m very glad I was made to do this.

- The different parts interact in a way that’s very dynamic, to the point that the meter is often obscured. The individual parts themselves, however, are rhythmically straightforward.

- You might say the parts are like streams that come together and break apart and dance around one another in parallel and opposing harmony – the sum which is a river.

- I will study these pieces further in the hope that I will absorb some of his contrapuntal genius.

- Very intricate. There is always a lot going on.

- There are many cadences, particularly perfect cadences. Some movements in particular finish idea after idea with perfect cadence, as though he confidently answering question after question. Such pieces are representative of the enlightenment, for me – among other things.

- Often the bass parts will be rhythmically simple and the melodic parts rhythmically complex, and often vice versa. It never souds cluttered, though. There’s always some kind of balance maintained. He is amazing.

- The pieces are balanced in many ways. For example, as they progress they tend to have frequent and sharp alternations between denseness and sparseness.

- They work very well as a set – he’s found a sound, a’ight. All six are bound together with a unifying ideals (if you like) but never running short of ideas. Go Bach.

- They seem very well suited to a court. Not only are they mostly lively – always dancable – they facilitate conversation well too. I remember my friend Al crashed at mine, this one time, and I put this on we drank tea. It was by far the most intelligent conversation we’ve ever had.

Miles

Bach, J. Brandenburg Concerto’s No:1 to 3

The Brandonburg Concerto’s are a set of 6 concertos dedicated to the Margrave of Brandenburg (hence the name).

Probably the most standout feature of the concertos is the masterful use of counterpoint. It is quite inspiring to hear how the many different contours in the different voicings merge harmoniously while remaining for the most part very busy.

Probably my favorite movement would be the 2nd Adante movement of Concerto 2. It was really interesting how the the melodies built on top of each other then fade away only to return a few bars later.

Another particularly interesting  feature was the imitative nature of many of the parts throughout the three concertos. For example in the first section of Concerto 1, the melody is played by the oboe, then the horn and string section one after each other. Less obviously, the contour of the melodies is often similar throughout all three pieces and often different sections take over the melody over short sequences.

So basically, this piece has taught me a little about counterpoint and imitation… I’m not really sure what else to write to be honest.

Nathan

Tjlaw7 on (that’s Timothy, btw) Bach’s Brandenburg concerto number 1

For my score study this week I looked at Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no. 1 in F major. before I continue, I’d like to ask, Peter, are we supposed to lok at all three of them at once? I assumed the answer to be no, as the concertos in themselvees are of a reasonable length.

One movement is fine to study – the main thing is to focus on specific techniques or concepts and be able to talk about what you have learned. PMc

Now on to my review. I’ll try and do this properly, unlike last week, where I was still trying to get an idea of what I was supposed to do!  Firstly, some basic things about genre, instrumentation, and form. This is a concerto grossi (I think), so instead of one solo instrument, there are many which carry the melody: two horns, three oboes, and the “violin principal.” From a compositional point of view, to me this makes things more interesting as Bach is able to engage in a responsorial format, by having groups of soloists play a single melody in turn. This is also interesting as the numerous soloists allow for call – and responses in instrumental group with not just melody but harmony. Also, in his use of movements, Bach will occaisionally employ instrumentation grouped by family, for instance, he contrasts a string movement with a movement comprising of bassoon, and horns.

I was also facinated by the second movement, where Bach modulates to the relative minor (D min), but starts essentially in A minor, a fifth up from D and the submediant-based tonality of F major. To me, this really established the movement as minor. The oboe, in this passage, plays a melody based in A min, followed by the violin, which recapitulates the melody in D min. Then, which is what I feel was a real learning experience for me, the two versions of the melody are played togetjher in a polyphonic style. I really liked this.

 

So that’s it for this week. Sorry, I realise I wrote as much as I did last time!