On this same day in 1721, some two hundred and eighty-eight years ago, Johann Sebastian Bach dedicated his completed Brandenburg Concertos to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt. The dedication (which Bach wrote in French) is not so much a reflection of Bach's character as it is a reflection of the time period, when such dedications were the norm . In the first sentence alone, Bach manages to squeeze in no fewer than nine "Your Highnesses." It began thus:
"As I had, a couple of years ago, the happiness of appearing before Your Royal Highness, on your orders, and that I noticed then that Your Highness took some pleasure in the little talents that Heaven has given me for Music, and that in taking leave of Your Royal Highness you were willing to do me the honor of commanding me to send you some pieces of my Composition: I have therefore according to your gracious orders, taken the liberty of offering my very humble duties to Your Royal Highness, with the present Concertos, which I have adapted for several instruments [...]"
The margrave did not have the proper ensemble for performing the concertos, and so they were hardly performed for decades, if at all. It is not until 1835, a full century after their composition, when there is finally a record of a public performance of a Brandenburg Concerto.
In contrast, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra performed Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 last Sunday in Berkeley, California. This coming Sunday, the Academy of Ancient Music will perform all six concertos in Morrow, Georgia.
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