Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany, on March 21, 1685, and died in Leipzig, Germany, on July 28, 1750. The Second Brandenburg Concerto is scored for solo flute, oboe, trumpet, and violin, continuo, and strings. Approximate performance time of the first movement is five minutes.
In the winter of 1718-19, Johann Sebastian Bach traveled to Berlin. There, he purchased a superb new harpsichord, the creation of Michael Mietke, the instrument maker at the court of Berlin from 1697 until his death in 1719. It was during this journey that Bach probably first met the Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg, the youngest son of the “Great Elector,” Frederick William. The Margrave offered Bach a commission to compose a series of works. Two years later, Bach presented the Margrave with scores he entitled, “Six Concerts Avec plusieurs Instruments,” (“Six Concertos with Several Instruments”).
It appears that the Margrave never heard the magnificent works that ultimately became known as the Brandenburg Concertos. The Margrave employed a small ensemble of musicians, too few to encompass all the parts of the Six Concertos. Scholars believe that Bach originally composed these works not for the Margrave, but for performance at various concerts by the excellent musicians in the service of Bach’s employer in Cöthen, Prince Leopold. Bach presented these completed, independent works as a collection to fulfill the Margrave's commission.
The trumpeter in the service of Prince Leopold in Cöthen was the virtuoso Johann Ludwig Schreiber. The Second Brandenburg Concerto provided a showcase for Schreiber’s considerable talents. The high Baroque trumpet of Schreiber’s time, known as the clarino, was a valveless instrument capable of an extraordinarily brilliant sound in the upper register.
- (Without tempo marking)—The opening movement, containing no specifically designated tempo, is performed at a quick pace. After a tutti presentation of the principal theme, Bach highlights the soloists. The writing throughout is of the utmost energy and brilliance.
Program notes by Ken Meltzer
