Oboe talk today!

Mastering this instrument is almost unreasonably challenging, but the juice is worth the squeeze -- the baroque oboe, when played truly well, is one of the most rewardingly beautiful instruments.

Musical examples, as always, are courtesy of the Netherlands Bach Society. Check out their "All of Bach" project.

Referenced in today's episode:

Brandenburg Concerto No. 1: Trio I (2 oboes and bassoon) - performance by Netherlands Bach Society

Brandenburg Concerto No. 1: Trio II (2 horns and 3 unison oboes) - performance by Netherlands Bach Society

Short documentary video on the baroque oboe, featuring NBS oboist Katharina Verhaar

Another cantata we referenced today: Vergnügte Ruh (BWV 170)

Scott Leger horn - youtube short - excerpt from Brandenburg 1 trio II

The three instrument families in this big baroque orchestra leads us to speculate that Bach represented three social classes: the royal elite (elegant strings, one leader), the aristocratic nobles (horns, for upper-class hunting expeditions), and the common people (reeds, as for outdoor bands or shepherding). Bach concludes the concerto with the elegant and grand menuet (note his spelling; not "minuet"). The French dance exudes class and status, though in this case, the hunters and even the common townsfolk are invited to participate in the great dance of strings, reeds, and horns.

In this episode we discuss the repeating refrain section, called the "menuet" section. There are three other parts of the complete structure to be discussed in our next two episodes.

Audio note: at 20:55-21:15, we recommend stereo listening, so that you can hear the two pitches/beats separated to the left (bottom pitch; slower beating) and right (higher pitch by perfect fifth interval; faster beating). The respective ratio is 2:3. As it gets slower, listen for two clicks on the left for every three on the right.

Menuet of Brandenburg Concerto No. 1

The "rule of three" is in full effect here, as Bach carries us along with this jaunty dance, rhythmic triplets and triple sets of musical sentences abounding with life and energy. This eloquent piece can be considered a precursor to the later "sonata form" of the Classical period, along with Bach's other Brandenburg concertos.

Performance of movement 3 of Brandenburg 1 by the Netherlands Bach Society