Fun with Bach

This afternoon, we gathered for another Pittsboro Bach Society reading. It was sort of a special occasion, in that it was the 5th anniversary of the very first unofficial get-together of the ensemble, and it was also our director Ted's birthday. We played the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by J. S. Bach and we had a blast. When we gather for PBS readings, we always play through the program once, break for refreshments, and then play the program again. Today, since we were having so much fun, we actually played through the Brandenburg three times!

This particular piece is pretty cool because it is scored for 3 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos, bass, and harpsichord, whereas most string ensemble literature includes 2 violins, viola, cello, bass, and harpsichord. We did have multiple people on a part, so all in all, we had 17 musicians crammed into Ted's 15 square-foot living room. The last time I played this piece was in youth orchestra when I was 12 years old. At that time, we played a transcribed and slightly condensed version, so I was excited to actually play the real thing this time.

Of the 6 Brandenburg concertos, the 3rd one is definitely my favorite to listen to and to play. For one thing, it is extremely familiar sounding (even if you've never played it, you've probably heard it). Secondly, it's nice to play a piece that is scored for more than just 2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello, 1 bass, and a harpsichord. Thirdly, no one's part is more important than anyone else's; everyone gets the melody line multiple times during the course of the piece. And lastly the 3rd movement is just super-fun to play!