MuseData: Johann Sebastian Bach

Brandenburg Concertos

Work No.	Catalogue No.	Genre / Instruments	Key	Score (PDF)	Header text
No. 1	BWV 1046	Concerto / 2 Hn, Ob, Bn; VPiccolo, 2V, Va, Vc, Vne Gr, Cem	F Major	Example	Example
No. 1a	BWV 1046a	Concerto / 2 Hn, 3 Ob, Bn; 2V, Va, Vc, Cem	F Major	Example	Example
No. 2	BWV 1047	Concerto / Tr, Rec, Ob, Vn; 2V, Va, Vc, Vne, Cem	F Major	Example	Example
No. 3	BWV 1048	Concerto / 3V, 3Va, 3Vc, Vne, Cem	G Major	Example	Example
No. 4	BWV 1049	Concerto / VPr, Rec, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Vne, Cem	G Major	Example	Example
No. 5	BWV 1050	Concerto / Fl, VPr, Cem concertato; V, Va, Vc, Vne, Cem	D Major	Example	Example
No. 5a	BWV 1050a	Concerto / Fl, VPr, Cem concertato; V, Va, Vne	D Major	Example	Example
No. 6	BWV 1051	Concerto / 2Va, 2Va da gamba, Vc, Vne, Cem	B♭ Major	Example	Example

Two- and Three-part Inventions

J. S. Bach: Invention No. 4 [BWV 775] from the holograph manuscript, Mus.ms. Bach P 610, Berlin, Deutsche Staatsbibliothek.

Bach's two-part inventions (BWV 772-786) constituted one set of several that J. S. Bach composed for his gifted son Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784). The term invention is traced to the solo violin pieces Op. 10 (1713) by Francesco Antonio Bonporti (1672-1749), a Trentine composer. Bach uses the Latin title Inventio, reminding us of his command of the language, which he taught in at least one of his posts in addition to teaching music. Each three-voice work that follows in the same collection was likewise called a Sinfonia.

Work No.	Catalogue No.	Genre / Instrument	Key	Score
No. 1	BWV 772	Invention / harpsichord	C Major	Example
No. 1a	BWV 772a	Invention / harpsichord	C Major	Example
No. 2	BWV 773	Invention / harpsichord	C Minor	Example
No. 3	BWV 774	Invention / harpsichord	D Major	Example
No. 4	BWV 775	Invention / harpsichord	D Minor	Example
No. 5	BWV 776	Invention / harpsichord	E♭ Major	Example
No. 6	BWV 777	Invention / harpsichord	E Major	Example
No. 7	BWV 778	Invention / harpsichord	E Minor	Example
No. 8	BWV 779	Invention / harpsichord	F Major	Example
No. 9	BWV 780	Invention / harpsichord	F Minor	Example
No. 10	BWV 781	Invention / harpsichord	G Major	Example
No. 11	BWV 782	Invention / harpsichord	G Minor	Example
No. 12	BWV 783	Invention / harpsichord	A Major	Example
No. 13	BWV 784	Invention / harpsichord	A Minor	Example
No. 14	BWV 785	Invention / harpsichord	Bb Major	Example
No. 15	BWV 786	Invention / harpsichord	B Minor	Example

The harmonic cycle that Bach has constructed in the collection as a whole foreshadows the tonally more complete cycles of the two sets of paired preludes and fugues called the Well-Tempered Clavier. They appeared in 1722 and 1744. It was not enough for young Friedemann to be able to play the pieces. He was being called to understand the cyclic possibilities that inhered in tonal relationships. This was a dominant focus in music theory of the time. Johann David Heinichen's Circle of Fifths was first formalized in 1711 and has remained the dominant scheme in Western music theory.

The three-part inventions, or sinfonie, follow the same cyclical organization in the aggregate. It has been suggested that the intended relationship between the inventions and sinfonias was to be performed in pairs, like the prelude-fugue sets of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Given their shared cycle of keys, Invention 1 might be followed by Sinfonia No. 1 and so forth.

Work No.	Catalogue No.	Genre / Instrument	Key	Score
No. 1	BWV 787	Sinfonia / harpsichord	C Major	Example
No. 2	BWV 788	Sinfonia / harpsichord	C Minor	Example
No. 3	BWV 789	Sinfonia / harpsichord	D Major	Example
No. 4	BWV 790	Sinfonia / harpsichord	D Minor	Example
No. 5	BWV 791	Sinfonia / harpsichord	E♭ Major	Example
No. 6	BWV 792	Sinfonia / harpsichord	E Major	Example
No. 7	BWV 793	Sinfonia / harpsichord	E Minor	Example
No. 8	BWV 794	Sinfonia / harpsichord	F Major	Example
No. 9	BWV 795	Sinfonia / harpsichord	F Minor	Example
No. 10	BWV 796	Sinfonia / harpsichord	G Major	Example
No. 11	BWV 797	Sinfonia / harpsichord	G Minor	Example
No. 12	BWV 798	Sinfonia / harpsichord	A Major	Example
No. 13	BWV 799	Sinfonia / harpsichord	A Minor	Example
No. 14	BWV 800	Sinfonia / harpsichord	Bb Major	Example
No. 15	BWV 801	Sinfonia / harpsichord	B Minor	Example