Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos

This fascinating new guide places the Brandenburg concertos in their historical context, investigates their sources, traces their origins and discusses the changing traditions of performance.

The Brandenburg Concertos represent a pinnacle in the history of the Baroque Concerto, as well as being among the most universally admired of all Bach's works. This fascinating new guide places the concertos in their historical context, investigates their sources, traces their origins and discusses the changing traditions of performance that have affected the way listeners have understood them since Bach's time. The works' rich instrumentarium is carefully described, and a substantial chapter considers each concerto individually, revealing those aspects of their style and structure that make this group of works a unique and towering landmark in the history of the genre.