Music I Adored As A Teenager

FIFTH PIECE

Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, Johann Sebastian Bach

Of course, all 6 Brandenburg concertos are perfect masterpieces. The brilliant trumpet part in Brandenburg Concerto 2 is a favorite with most people. The harpsichord cadenza in Brandenburg Concerto 5 knocks your socks off. But as a teenager, my favorite was this lighter Brandenburg 4 in G major, with the way it sweetly alternates and blends flutes and strings.

Listen to the whole concerto on your own or click below to hear my favorite parts…

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There is such delight and bright sunshine in this opening that simply alternates tonic and dominant chords:
Delightful beginning of Bach Brandenburg No. 4

All of Bach’s music is a clockwork of descending of 5ths and those sequences are often the most emotional. This violin solo in the first movement is a perfect example:

Solo violin with beautiful descending 5th sequences, Bach Brandenburg No. 4

After such bright harmonies, the shift to minor makes for a very different color:

How different the theme sounds in the minor key, Bach Brandenburg No. 4 mvt. 1

Then there is this brilliant duet for two flutes:

Extended flute duet, Bach Brandenburg No. 4 mvt. 1

And a variation with 32nd notes that pumps the solo violin into a race car:

“Crazy fast” violin solo, Bach Brandenburg No. 4 mvt. 1

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The mood changes to sadness in the middle slow movement. The solo flute is so expressive here as it creates spaces with beautiful scales in between the ensemble’s lament (again, a descending circle of 5ths sequence):

Beautiful flute solos in the slow movement, Bach Brandenburg No. 4

I love the way Bach ends this slow movement with a final expressive flute scale and then a magical Phrygian cadence (a iv-V chord progression that ends on the dominant instead of the tonic):

Final flute solo in the slow movement and the end with an exquisite Phrygian cadence, Bach Brandenburg No. 4

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After that Phrygian cadence, the mood in the 3rd movement switches instantly to joy with a fugue:

Opening Fugue in Mvt 3, Bach Brandenburg No. 4

What a wonderful and delicate texture Bach creates when the full ensemble telescopes down to a trio of 1 solo violin and 2 flutes. They play the fugue subject and then dance together in a descending circle of 5ths. It feels so satisfying when the full ensemble re-enters:

Trio of solo violin and two flutes play fugue subject and expressive episode of descending 5ths, 3rd mvt. Bach Brandenburg No. 4

This movement also features a virtuosic violin cadenza, but now Bach draws on his admiration of Vivaldi’s own violin concertos, using fancy cross-string tremolos:

Another virtuosic violin cadenza with shades of Vivaldi, 3rd mvt. Bach Brandenburg No. 4

Before the final section, Bach writes a very satisfying bass pedal point on G. Absolutely love this moment!—

Satisfying tonic pedal and final section, 3rd mvt. Bach Brandenburg No. 4

Bach scored Brandenburg 4 for either flutes or recorders. Here’s a recording with recorders.