The Social and Religious Designs of J. S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos

Michael Marissen

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English

Princeton University Pres
28 September 1999

Music; Baroque music (c 1600 to c 1750); Individual composers & musicians, bands & groups; Orchestras

"This new investigation of the Brandenburg Concertos explores musical, social, and religious implications of Bach's treatment of eighteenth-century musical hierarchies. By reference to contemporary music theory, to alternate notions of the meaning of ""concerto,"" and to various eighteenth-century conventions of form and instrumentation, the book argues that the Brandenburg Concertos are better understood not as an arbitrary collection of unrelated examples of ""pure"" instrumental music, but rather as a carefully compiled and meaningfully organized set. It shows how Bach's concertos challenge (as opposed to reflect) existing musical and social hierarchies. Careful consideration of Lutheran theology and Bach's documented understanding of it reveals, however, that his music should not be understood to call for progressive political action. One important message of Lutheranism, and, in this interpretation, of Bach's concertos, is that in the next world, the heavenly one, the hierarchies of the present world will no longer be necessary.

Bach's music more likely instructs its listeners how to think about and spiritually cope with contemporary hierarchies than how to act upon them.

In this sense, contrary to currently accepted views, Bach's concertos share with his extensive output of vocal music for the Lutheran liturgy an essentially religious character."

By: Michael Marissen
Imprint: Princeton University Pres
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 254mm, Width: 197mm, Spine: 10mm
Weight: 227g
ISBN: 9780691006864
ISBN 10: 0691006865
Pages: 164
Publication Date: 28 September 1999
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Bach's Musical Contexts3Ch. 1Relationships between Scoring and Structure in Individual Concertos11The First Brandenburg Concerto16The First Movement of the Sixth Brandenburg Concerto35The Fourth Brandenburg Concerto62Ch. 2The Six Concertos as a Set77Ch. 3Lutheran Belief and Bach's Music111Appendix 1: Text-Critical Notes on Early Copies of the Sixth Brandenburg Concerto121Appendix 2: Notes on Bach's Notation of the Gamba Parts in the Margrave of Brandenburg's Dedication Score129Works Cited135Index145

Reviews for The Social and Religious Designs of J. S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos

The field of Bach studies has been greatly enriched by the appearance of [this book]... [It] is full of significant insights into the nature of the [Brandenburg Concertos]... [It] offers a fascinatingly fresh approach to these masterworks. -- F. Ellsworth Peterson, Notes For anyone who is interested in exploring the remarkably rewarding challenge Bach lays down for the human family, this is a careful, helpful, plausible, and perceptive analysis. -- Paul Westermeyer, Church History Full of important and closely argued discussions of individual aspects of chronology, source criticism, musical structure, and [Bach's] biographical background... [Marissen] is very informative on analytical and historical points, effectively demolishing many received beliefs, especially regarding chronology and source filiation. -- Michael Talbot, Music and Letters