Bits of Brandenburg: Piano

Grade 2 orchestras rarely encounter Bach with this much textural sophistication intact. Carrie Lane Gruselle has preserved the counterpoint that makes these concerti matter as compositions, not flattened them into simple arrangements. Your students will feel like they're playing real Bach, and they actually are.

Lively and intricate, with the intellectual clarity of the Baroque floating above a steady harmonic foundation. Each melodic line seems to dance around the others, creating moments of sudden brightness when familiar themes emerge from the texture.

String orchestra conductors seeking substantial repertoire for Grade 2 ensembles who are ready for polyphonic writing but not yet prepared for full symphonic literature. Students benefit from direct contact with masterworks while building the listening skills that counterpoint demands.

• Balance the inner voices carefully during thick polyphonic passages. Young players often bury the viola and second violin lines; isolate those parts in sectionals and bring them forward in full rehearsal.
• Shape the famous melodies with gentle direction rather than exaggeration. Bach's lines speak for themselves when intonation is secure and vibrato is controlled.
• Observe all articulations as written. The distinction between slurred and separate bowing patterns defines the Baroque character and prevents the piece from sounding modern.

Program this as a contest or festival selection where the combination of musical substance and accessibility will impress adjudicators. It also serves well on a concert pairing Bach with later orchestral writing to show students how harmony and structure evolved.

• Listening for and maintaining independent melodic lines in polyphonic texture
• Baroque articulation and phrasing conventions
• Intonation in complex harmonic progressions
• Rhythmic precision with sustained notes and rests