J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048 - 3. Allegro (Synthesized)

Описание: For information on the visualization, please read the note at the end.

Few musical works are as loved and as often performed as the six "Brandenburg" Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach. These six works (BWV 1046-1051) display a lighter side of Bach's imperishable genius. Yet they came into being as an unexpected gift. That's what happened in 1721 when Bach presented the Margrave of Brandenburg with a bound manuscript containing six lively concertos for chamber orchestra based on the Italian Concerto Grosso style. The Margrave never thanked Bach for his work - or paid him! There's no way he could have known that this unnamed gift (later named the "Brandenburg Concertos" 150 years later when Bach's biographer, Philipp Spitta called them that for the very first time, and the name stuck) would become a benchmark of Baroque music.

Even though he didn't call them the "Brandenburgs," originally, Bach considered them as a set. What he did was compile them from short instrumental Sinfonias and concerto movements he had already written. Then he re-worked the old music, often re-writing and elaborating where he saw fit. Bach even later reworked components of the Brandenburgs into other compositions. For example, the 1st movement of Concerto No. 1 can also be found as the Sinfonia to Cantata 52 and its 3rd movement was used as the opening Chorus of Cantata 207. The Sinfonia to Cantata 174 is a reworking of the 1st movement of the 3rd Brandenburg with the addition of three oboes and two horns.

The Concerto No. 3 in G major seems to make its own guidelines. It strays from the usual Concerto Grosso pattern in that, technically, there is no actual solo; the 9 stringed instruments – 3 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos (supported by a continuo of bass and harpsichord), function sometimes as three solid units, sometimes simply as nine individual voices, engaging in a variety of combinations.

The 3rd movement opens with a fast, arpeggiated motif in the first violin, which is immediately imitated by the second and third violins, then passed down through the violas and cellos in a fugal style. It is sometimes described as a "gigue" due to its 12/8 time feel and the relentless perpetual motion of its constant 16th-note passages.

The movement’s structure relies on 3 motives (musical ideas) that are exchanged between the groups, inverted, and fragmented, shifting between homophonic ritornello passages (all strings together) and imitative contrapuntal episodes (dialogue between groups). The strings function as both Concertino (a distinct small group of soloists) and Ripieno (the larger supporting ensemble) here creating a highly intricate kaleidoscopic texture.

This energetic, contrapuntal finale is characterized by its binary form (AABB) with the short first section setting the thematic material (motifs), while the longer more developed second section delves into inverting those motifs (contrary motion) and complex counterpoint. Its driving rhythm, form and virtuosic interplay serves as a rapid, joyous conclusion to the concerto.


For those wanting to follow along, the MAMM (Music Animation Machine Midi Player) visualization displays the voicing listed as follows:

Violin I: Orange
Violin II: Yellow
Violin III: Green
Viola I: Cyan
Viola II: Blue
Viola III: Purple
Cellos: Fuchsia
Bass Continuo: Pink


The use of headphones will greatly enhance your listening experience.