Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos

This fascinating new guide places the Brandenburg concertos in their historical context, investigates their sources, traces their origins and discusses the changing traditions of performance.

Malcolm Boyd (Author)

9780521387132, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 24 September 1993

124 pages, 4 b/w illus. 20 music examples
22.2 x 13.8 x 0.8 cm, 0.17 kg

"Boyd's informed and judicious work, the 20th in the 'Cambridge Music Handbook' series, is a must for those wishing to catch up with the latest scholarship dealing with this celebrated set of 'six concertos for several [different] instruments.'" Choice

The Brandenburg Concertos represent a pinnacle in the history of the Baroque Concerto, as well as being among the most universally admired of all Bach's works. This fascinating new guide places the concertos in their historical context, investigates their sources, traces their origins and discusses the changing traditions of performance that have affected the way listeners have understood them since Bach's time. The works' rich instrumentarium is carefully described, and a substantial chapter considers each concerto individually, revealing those aspects of their style and structure that make this group of works a unique and towering landmark in the history of the genre.

1. Background
2. Genesis and reception
3. Instrumentation
4. The dedication score and its design
5. The ritornello structure
6. The individual concertos.

Subject Areas: Individual composers & musicians, specific bands & groups [AVH]