Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 Term Paper

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The melodies and countermelodies of the two instruments dance around each other before the violins reprise the opening melody. The flutes continue, and the violin joins in again, providing a richness and depth to the composition. The concerto modulates again to a minor key and continues for several measures, as the harpsichord is heard for the first time. Music scholars regard the harpsichord part in Brandenburg No. 5 as the invention of the modern keyboard concerto (Simeone). The harpsichord seems to drop out as the melodies of the other instruments continue to dance around one another. A chromatic progression of scales leads into another reprise of the first melody. The harpsichord appears again with delicate inventions on the tune that segue into an impressive solo that lasts until the end of the piece. The cadenza picks up speed and uses the full range of the keyboard before the strings reiterate the melody a final time.

The writing of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, particularly the fifth, are "so advanced and so intricate for [their] time" (Simeone).

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They represent an extraordinary achievement, especially considering that most music of Bach's era was written "to order," meaning that it was supposed to meet specific requirements that came mainly from churches and aristocratic courts (Kamien, 1998, p.100). Towards the end of his life, Bach was considered too old-fashioned by his younger contemporaries (Kerman & Tomlinson). Bach's legacy is an exhaustive body of work that includes sacred and secular cantatas, fugues, preludes, sonatas and orchestral suites, in some cases using combinations of instruments that had not been used before, or since. The Brandenburg Concertos, as with much of Bach's work, has endured because of its beauty, complexity and techniques, providing a foundation for the composers and the music that came later......

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