“Brandenburg” Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

THE STORY

In 1721 Johann Sebastian Bach was 36 and afraid of losing his job. He was Kapellmeister (director of music) in the court of a prince who had steadily been making cuts to the orchestra. Bach’s first wife had died the year before, and by the end of the year he would remarry—so he began looking for other opportunities.

He compiled a collection of six concertos, copying them out by hand himself, and sent them to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt. He dedicated the works to the nobleman (hence the name “Brandenburg”) and wrote, “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.”

Despite the flattery, Bach received no performance of the Concertos, no payment, and no job. The six “Brandenburg” Concertos would sit in the archives of the Margrave until they were found over a century later. Since their rediscovery, the Concertos have become known for their technical mastery and innovative use of instruments. The Third, written for strings alone, is the shortest of the six but has become a particular favorite.

THE STORY

• The kaleidoscope of different timbres throughout the orchestra which is divided (unconventionally, for the Baroque period) into three violins, three violas, and three cellos
• The short second movement, which acts as a bridge between the first and last movements and is a single measure with only two chords—over which Bach probably expected the players to improvise
• The rhythmic, bouncing feel of the final movement (common to concertos at the time) allowing the soloists to showcase fast virtuosic passages

INSTRUMENTATION

Strings, continuo