Brandenburg Concerto No.3: Johann Sebastian Bach

arr. Chris Mowat

Programme Notes

The majority of Bach's secular music was written at Köthen where he was employed as conductor of a small court orchestra. His output at Leipzig, where he moved in 1723 to take up the post of Cantor was necessarily tied more to the needs of the Church. The pinnacle of his composition at Köthen is undoubtedly the set of six concerti grossi now known as "The Brandenburg Concerti". Bach dedicated them to the Margrave Christian Ludwig van Brandenburg in 1721, although it would seem that they had been composed some years earlier. It is likely that Bach had played for the Margrave during a visit to Berlin in 1718 to purchase a harpsichord for the Court.

All concerti follow the Italian convention of three movements (fast, slow, fast) and No 3 is scored in ten parts, three each of violins, violas, and celli, and basso continuo. Bach did not write a slow movement for the work, notating only a final cadence of two chords in the movement. He would probably have expected the continuo player to improvise here, or may have himself inserted a movement from a solo keyboard work.

Chris Mowat, in his brass transcription,  solves the problem with two little cadenzas played by cornet and horn, the first echoing the main theme of the first movement and the second anticipating that of the third.

Arranger's Notes

This arrangement, transposed down a tone from the original, is an attempt to reconstruct the musical texture that Bach might have created if he had had the benefit of modern brass instruments. To this end I have avoided several modern brass scoring techniques of which he would have been ignorant: the use of mutes, widely spaced chords with several thirds, octave doubling of melodies and wide dynamic contrasts. Wherever possible I have observed the rules of academic part writing. 

The style of performance should also contribute to this ideal and, in the light of many performances with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, I would recommend the following points: 

• 1. Semiquavers should be played tenuto and the quavers slightly shorter than full length; 

• 2. Slurs, even on valve instruments, should be soft-tongued; 

• 3. Dynamics sometimes appear strange, but should be strictly observed (e.g. Bar 1), noting that the loudest is only f ; 

• 4. The seating plan below is essential (original plan is in score).

Christopher Mowat

Orchestration

The Surrey Brass use the arrangement published in Philip Jones Brass Ensemble series. The arrangement is for a 10 piece brass ensemble (four trumpets, one horn, four trombones and tuba) and no percussion.

Movements

• Three movements (fast, slow, fast)

Playing Duration

• About 11 minutes 30 seconds.

Recordings

Our favourite recording is by the Howard Snell Brass on their CD "The Four Seasons", Polyphonic Reproductions QRPZ 007D, recorded in 1991.  This fantastic recording assembles the best brass players in the UK to play arrangements of the most popular and challenging music for brass, including:

• The Water Music (Handel arr. Snell)
• Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 (J.S.Bach arr. Mowat)
• The Four Seasons - (Vivaldi arr. Snell)

You can buy this terrific recording over an hour of great brass music online. 

This arrangement has been recorded by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble on the record entitled "Music for the Courts of Europe": Decca 417524-2

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