Johann Sebastian Bach

   German composer and pianist

   born: 1685, Eisenach; died: 1750, Leipzig

      Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048

              Allegro

              Allegro

      Composed between 1719 and 1721, the six Brandenburg Concertos were written at the request of Christian Ludwig, the Margrave of Brandenburg, who was an avid collector of manuscript scores by a variety of composers.  But even though Bach had customized the concertos for the Margrave's court orchestra they were never performed due to the scarcity of competent solo performers, even at such a prestigious court venue.  With little alternative the Margrave simply added the concertos to his library which already held more than 170 original works.  After the passing of Christian Ludwig the Brandenburgs were sold intact to a private collector who later transferred them to a Berlin archive.  They were uncovered there and published in 1850; all six were premiered shortly thereafter, 130 years after they had been composed.

      All of the Brandenburg concertos are set in what is called concerto grosso form, i.e. they feature not a single virtuoso part but a group of instrumental soloists defined as the concertino.  The accompaniment parts are known as the ripieno.  Simply put:  concertino + ripieno = concerto grosso.

    Bach's third Brandenburg is scored entirely for strings and continuo.  The latter is the term for an accompanying background, most often performed on a keyboard instrument, usually the harpsichord.

     "Light, lilting and lofty" might well describe Bach's pen at the very opening of the first movement.  The rhythmic and melodic buds of the initial G major phrases generally blossom into a bright workout for the full ensemble.  The principal parts alternate from that of a classical duo to respective roles for obligato plus counterpoint, and always with Bach's cachet of forward energy and eternal spin.

     Serving as a bridge to the third movement are brief, momentary chords, most likely originally intended to allow the featured players to improvise an optional Adagio of a kind.  However, most modern performances of Brandenburg No. 3 segue directly to the final Allegro, a splendid showcase of eloquence and verve in G major.

     And speaking of the Baroque era and allegros in particular, a fragment from English poet John Milton (1608-1674) offers a fair prologue:

L'Allegro

In notes with many a winding bout

Of linked sweetness long drawn out,

With wanton heed and giddy cunning,

The melting voice through voices running,

Untwisting all the chains that tie

The hidden soul of harmony;

     These delights if thou canst give

     Mirth, with thee I mean to live.

program notes by Edward Yadzinsky