Brandenburg Concerto No. 1: movement 1

"Horns, horns, horns, in dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the north wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last." (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King)

It's time for our yearly miniseries celebrating the famous Brandenburg Concertos! This year: Brandenburg 1.

The horn call has an undeniable power. Here, Bach uses it to great effect at the opening two measures of this rousing piece. We explore the baroque horn and its idiosyncrasies.

(Look at our past seasons to find episodes covering Brandenburg Concertos 3, 4, 5, and 6.)

Performance of Brandenburg 1 by the Netherlands Bach Society