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52-533: The Ames Stradivarius was sold to Polish-born American violinist Roman Totenberg in 1943, for $ 15,000 (equivalent to $ 264,000 in 2023), and it was his only performance instrument for almost the next four decades. It was stolen from Totenberg by his former student Philip Johnson in May 1980, from his office at the Longy School of Music of Bard College , where he was then the director. Totenberg died in 2012. The violin

104-405: A French horn . The clarino does not play in the second movement, as is common practice in baroque era concerti. This is due to its construction, which allows it to play only in major keys. Because concerti often move to a minor key in the second movement, concerti that include the instrument in their first movement and are from the period before the valved trumpet was commonly used usually exclude

156-549: A minute to over two minutes. Occasionally, other slow movements from Bach pieces, such as the Largo from the Sonata for Violin and Continuo in G, BWV 1021 and the Largo from the Sonata for Violin and Obbligato Harpsichord in G major, BWV 1019 , are substituted for the second movement as they contain an identical 'Phrygian cadence' as the closing chords. The outer movements use the ritornello form found in many instrumental and vocal works of

208-549: A quattro', 'Concerti a cinque' etc.", and also perhaps that Bach was indicating the number of different instruments, or that the sound was intended to evoke a larger orchestra even with only one player to a part. Heinrich Besseler has noted that the overall forces required (leaving aside the first concerto, which was rewritten for a special occasion) tallies exactly with the 17 players Bach had at his disposal in Köthen , although Wolff contradicts this: "contrary to conventional wisdom,

260-449: A single measure with the two chords that make up a ' Phrygian half cadence ' and although there is no direct evidence to support it, it is likely that these chords were meant to surround or follow a cadenza improvised by the harpsichord or a solo violin player. Modern performance approaches range from simply playing the cadence with minimal ornamentation (treating it as a sort of "musical semicolon"), to cadenzas varying in length from under

312-529: Is Six Concerts Avec plusieurs instruments , meaning "Six Concertos for several instruments". Some of the pieces feature several solo instruments in combination. They are widely regarded as some of the greatest orchestral compositions of the Baroque era . It is uncertain when most of the material for the Brandenburg Concertos was written. It is clear that the first movement of Concerto No. 1 (BWV 1046)

364-515: Is also an arrangement for four-hand piano duet by composer Max Reger . A Karl Richter recording of Concerto No. 2 was sent into space in 1977 on the Voyager Golden Record . In 2001, the piece came in at number 22 in the Classic 100 Original (ABC) listing. In 2007, all six of the concertos appeared on the Classic 100 Concerto (ABC) listing. In the overview table, the first column shows

416-578: Is also theorised Bach's original intent may have been the flageolet . In some performances, such as those conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, the two recorders are positioned offstage, thus giving an "echo" effect. Bach adapted the 4th Brandenburg concerto as a harpsichord concerto, BWV 1057 . Title on autograph score: Concerto 5 à une Traversiere, une Violino principale, une Violino è una Viola in ripieno, Violoncello, Violone è Cembalo concertato. Concertino : harpsichord , violin, flute Ripieno : violin, viola, cello and violone The harpsichord

468-470: Is both a concertino and a ripieno instrument. In the concertino passages the part is obbligato ; in the ripieno passages it has a figured bass part and plays continuo. This concerto makes use of a popular chamber music ensemble of the time (flute, violin, and harpsichord), which Bach used on its own for the middle movement. It is believed that it was written in 1719, to show off a new harpsichord by Michael Mietke which Bach had brought back from Berlin for

520-416: Is dated ca. 1720–21. Title on autograph score: Concerto 6 a due Viole da Braccio, due Viole da Gamba, Violoncello, Violone e Cembalo. Instrumentation : two viole da braccio , two viole da gamba , cello, violone, and harpsichord The absence of violins is unusual, but it is also found in a cantata written at Wiemar Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt , BWV 18 . Viola da braccio means

572-450: Is still considered one of the most difficult in the entire repertoire, and was originally written for a clarino specialist, almost certainly the court trumpeter in Köthen , Johann Ludwig Schreiber. After clarino skills were lost in the eighteenth century and before the rise of the historically informed performance movement of the late twentieth century, the part was often played on the piccolo trumpet in B ♭ , and occasionally on

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624-451: Is the only one in the collection with four movements . The concerto also exists in an alternative version, Sinfonia BWV 1046.1 (formerly BWV 1046a), which appears to have been composed during Bach's years at Weimar. The Sinfonia, which lacks the third movement entirely, and the Polacca (or Poloinesse, polonaise ) from the final movement, appears to have been intended as the opening of

676-1097: The New York Philharmonic , the Boston Symphony , the Cleveland , Minneapolis , Indianapolis , Los Angeles and Washington Symphonies . In Europe he performed with all major orchestras such as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (3 performances of Szymanowsky Vioin Concerto 1), Berlin Philharmonic , the London Philharmonic . and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw . He performed under eminent conductors including Leopold Stokowski , Kubelik, Szell, Rodzinski, Grzegorz Fitelberg , Jochum, Rowicki, Krenz, Pierre Monteux , Wit, Steinberg and Vladimir Golschmann . In recital he appeared at

728-719: The Polish government for lifelong contributions to Polish society. Roman Totenberg's wife, Melanie Frances Eisenberg (1917–1996), was his business manager for 50 years. Roman and Melanie Totenberg were the parents of National Public Radio journalist Nina Totenberg , judge Amy Totenberg , and businesswoman Jill Totenberg. Nina told the story of the theft and belated recovery of her father's Stradivarius in an article for NPR . Totenberg recorded for many labels, including Deutsche Grammophon, Telefunken, Philips, Vanguard, Musical Heritage Society, Heliodor, Remington, Da Camera, Dover, Titanic and VQR. One of Totenberg's favorite instruments

780-748: The Samuel Barber Concerto (new version) and the Bohuslav Martinů Madrigal Sonata, as well as giving the American premiere of Arthur Honegger 's Sonata for Solo Violin (1940). Under the patronage of violinist Yehudi Menuhin , and along with pianist Adolph Baller and cellist Gabor Rejto , Totenberg formed the Alma Trio in 1942–43 at Menuhin's Alma estate in California . Totenberg appeared with numerous American orchestras including

832-723: The White House for Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt . In 1938, at age 27, he formally immigrated to the U.S. under the distinguished artist visa program. Many of his family members were murdered in the Holocaust , though he managed to rescue his mother. His sister survived the Warsaw Ghetto , where her own husband had died. Totenberg toured South America with Franz Reizenstein in 1937, and gave joint recitals with Karol Szymanowski . He gave many concerts comprising

884-761: The White House , Carnegie Hall , the Library of Congress , the Metropolitan Museum of Art , and in every major American and European city. He was featured with the most important music festivals of the world, notably at Salzburg's Mozarteum , the Aspen Music Festival , Tanglewood Music Center , Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival and the Music Academy of the West in Montecito , which he helped found and where he

936-442: The "widest imaginable spectrum of orchestral instruments. The modest title does not begin to suggest the degree of innovation exhibited in the daring combinations ... Every one of the six concertos set a precedent in its scoring, and every one was to remain without parallel." Boyd (1993) interprets it as an indication that the concertos are written in a Venetian style, "with its greater opportunities for soloistic display ... 'Concerti

988-537: The Berlin State Library) in 1914. The manuscript was nearly lost during World War II , while being transported for safekeeping to Prussia by train in the care of a librarian – the train came under aerial bombardment, and the librarian escaped from the train to a nearby forest, with the scores hidden under his coat. As of 2023 the manuscript remains in the Berlin State Library. After Bach's death only

1040-542: The FBI. The violin was returned to Totenberg's daughters Nina Totenberg , Amy Totenberg and Jill Totenberg in August 2015. The heirs planned to sell the instrument after it had been restored to playing condition. According to Nina Totenberg, "We will make sure it is in the hands of another virtuoso violinist. And once again, the beautiful, brilliant and throaty voice of that long-stilled violin will thrill audiences in concert halls around

1092-507: The Köthen court. It is also thought that Bach wrote it for a competition at Dresden with the French composer and organist Louis Marchand ; in the central movement, Bach uses one of Marchand's themes. Marchand fled before the competition could take place, apparently scared off in the face of Bach's great reputation for virtuosity and improvisation . The concerto is well suited throughout to showing off

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1144-517: The U.S. in 1938, at age 27. He performed and taught nationally and internationally throughout his life. One of Totenberg's favorite instruments was the Ames Stradivarius , which was stolen from his office in the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts after a concert in May 1980. The instrument was recovered and returned to Totenberg's daughters on August 6, 2015. Roman Totenberg

1196-809: The age of eleven as soloist with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra . He was also awarded the gold medal at the Warsaw Chopin Conservatory. By 1929, he had moved to Berlin , where he continued his studies with Carl Flesch . In 1932, he moved to Paris , where he studied with George Enescu and Pierre Monteux . He won the International Mendelssohn Prize . In 1935, he made his British debut in London and his American debut in Washington, D.C. In 1936, at age 25, he played at

1248-440: The cantata Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd , BWV 208 . This implies a date of composition possibly as early as the 1713 premiere of the cantata, although it could have been used for a subsequent revival. The first movement can also be found as the sinfonia of a later cantata Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht , BWV 52 , but in a version without the piccolo violin that is closer to Sinfonia BWV 1046a. The third movement

1300-615: The collection does not reflect specific structure of ensembles available either to the margrave of Brandenburg or to the prince of Anhalt-Cöthen." It is often asserted that Christian Ludwig lacked the musicians in his Berlin ensemble to perform the concertos, and that the score was left unused in the Margrave's library until his death in 1734, but Boyd argues that the evidence does not necessarily support these assertions, and that "it seems unlikely that Bach would have sent him six concertos totally unsuitable for his musicians to play." Nevertheless,

1352-497: The command to send Your Highness some pieces of my Composition: I have in accordance with Your Highness's most gracious orders taken the liberty of rendering my most humble duty to Your Royal Highness with the present Concertos, which I have adapted to several instruments; begging Your Highness most humbly not to judge their imperfection with the rigour of that discriminating and sensitive taste, which everyone knows Him to have for musical works, but rather to take into benign Consideration

1404-615: The complete cycle of Beethoven sonatas and all Bach Brandenburg concertos . His diversified repertoire included more than thirty concerti. Among the many contemporary works he introduced are the Darius Milhaud Violin Concerto No. 2, the William Schuman Concerto in its final version, 1959, and the Krzysztof Penderecki Capriccio. He also premiered Paul Hindemith 's Sonata in E (1935),

1456-453: The composition dates of the other concertos varies, taking into account the styles of the pieces as well as the instrumentation Bach would have had available during his years prior to the date of the compiled manuscript. In 1721, Bach compiled the six concertos , writing them almost entirely in his own hand instead of leaving the work to a copyist . He presented the collection to Christian Ludwig , Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt , under

1508-525: The concertos were not included by name in the library inventory after Christian Ludwig's death, and it is uncertain who they went to. The next owner we have a record of was Bach's own pupil Johann Kirnberger , who left the collection to Princess Anna Amalia on his death, who subsequently bequeathed it to the Joachimsthal Gymnasium from which it was transferred to the Royal Library of Berlin (now

1560-523: The fifth concerto received any widespread attention, probably due to the fashion for keyboard concertos; the rest seem to have been forgotten. The pieces were rediscovered by Siegfried Dehn , who found them in Princess Amalia's library in 1849 and had them published for the first time the following year, the centenary of Bach's death. However, this publication appears not to have spurred large numbers of performances, and those that did occur tended to adapt

1612-571: The instrumentation to the forces available to modern orchestras. The concertos' current place in the canon is instead owed to the advent of recording technology; the first recording of the complete set was made in 1936, directed by Adolf Busch , and the revival of interest in historically informed performance made the pieces popular for further recordings on period instruments. They have also been performed as chamber music , with one instrument per part, especially by groups using "baroque instruments" and historically informed techniques and practice. There

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1664-429: The normal viola, and is used here to distinguish it from the viola da gamba . The viola da gamba was already an old-fashioned instrument when Bach compiled the Brandenburg Concertos in 1721: one reason for using it may have been the interest which his employer, Prince Leopold, had in the instrument. Nikolaus Harnoncourt speculated that Prince Leopold wished to play with his orchestra and that Bach's provision of such music

1716-536: The original score as "flauti d'echo"). Ripieno : two violins, violas, violone, cellos and basso continuo (harpsichord and/or viola da gamba) The violin part in this concerto is extremely virtuosic in the first and third movements. In the second movement, the violin provides a bass when the concertino group plays unaccompanied. It has been debated what instrument Bach had in mind for the " fiauti d'echo " parts. Nowadays these are usually played on alto recorders, although transverse flutes are sometimes used instead: it

1768-411: The profound respect and the most humble obedience which I thus attempt to show Him. It is likely that the performance this excerpt mentions happened during the trip Bach took to Berlin in 1719, to pay for the new Mietke harpsichord. Bach's titular reference to scoring the concertos for "several instruments" has drawn commentary. Christoph Wolff treats it as an understatement, observing that Bach used

1820-567: The qualities of a fine harpsichord and the virtuosity of its player, but especially in the lengthy solo cadenza to the first movement. It seems almost certain that Bach, considered a great organ and harpsichord virtuoso, was the harpsichord soloist at the premiere. Scholars have seen in this work the origins of the solo keyboard concerto as it is the first example of a concerto with a solo keyboard part. An earlier version, BWV 1050a, exists, and has many small differences from its later cousin, but no major difference in structure or instrumentation. It

1872-473: The third movement served as the theme for William F. Buckley Jr. 's Firing Line ; a revival featuring Margaret Hoover also used the first movement. Recent research has revealed that this concerto is based on a lost chamber music version for quintet called "Concerto da camera in Fa Maggiore" (Chamber Concerto in F major), whose catalogue number is BWV 1047R. It is similar to the orchestral version, in that

1924-507: The time. The first movement can also be found in reworked form as the sinfonia of the cantata Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte , BWV 174 , with the addition of three oboes and two horns . This concerto is the shortest of the six. Title on autograph score: Concerto 4 à Violino Principale, due Fiauti d'Echo, due Violini, una Viola è Violone in Ripieno, Violoncello è Continuo. Concertino : violin and two recorders (described in

1976-525: The title Six Concerts Avec plusieurs instruments (Six Concertos for several instruments) with a dedication dated 24 March. Translated from the original French, the first sentence of Bach's dedication reads: As I had the good fortune a few years ago to be heard by Your Royal Highness, at Your Highness's commands, and as I noticed then that Your Highness took some pleasure in the little talents which Heaven has given me for Music, and as in taking Leave of Your Royal Highness, Your Highness deigned to honour me with

2028-639: The title, the second the key , the third the number in the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV), the fourth the prominent instruments (solo). Title on autograph score: Concerto 1 à 2 Corni di Caccia, 3 Hautb: è Bassono, Violino Piccolo concertato, 2 Violini, una Viola col Basso Continuo. Instrumentation : two corni da caccia (natural horns) , three oboes , bassoon , violino piccolo , two violins , viola and basso continuo ( harpsichord , cello , viola da gamba and/or violone ) The Brandenburg Concerto No. 1, BWV 1046.2 (BWV 1046),

2080-401: The trumpet from the second movement. The first movement of this concerto was chosen as the first musical piece to be played on the Voyager Golden Record , a phonograph record containing a broad sample of Earth's common sounds, languages, and music sent into outer space with the two Voyager probes. The first movement served as a theme for Great Performances in the early-to-mid 1980s, while

2132-571: The trumpet, flute, oboe and solo violin parts are the same, but the orchestra part has been arranged for basso continuo (or piano) by Klaus Hofmann. This reconstructed quintet arrangement is also the very first piano reduction of the 2nd Brandenburg Concerto ever published by Bärenreiter Verlag (Product Number BA 5196). Title on autograph score: Concerto 3 à tre Violini, tre Viole, è tre Violoncelli col Basso per il Cembalo. Instrumentation : three violins, three violas, three cellos, and harpsichord (as basso continuo) The second movement consists of

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2184-429: The world." It has since been sold to an unknown buyer, who subsequently lent it to young American violinist Nathan Meltzer. Brandenburg concertos The Brandenburg Concertos ( BWV 1046–1051) by Johann Sebastian Bach are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to Christian Ludwig , Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt , in 1721 (though probably composed earlier). The original French title

2236-462: The world." They have since sold it to an unknown owner, who has lent it to Nathan Meltzer. This article relating to violins is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Roman Totenberg Roman Totenberg (January 1, 1911 – May 8, 2012) was a Polish-American violinist and educator. A child prodigy, he lived in Poland, Moscow, Berlin, and Paris, before formally immigrating to

2288-781: Was appointed chairman of the string department in 1947. In addition to his concert activities, Totenberg held the position of Professor of Music at Boston University , where he headed the string department from 1961 to 1978. He also taught at the Peabody Conservatory of Music ; the Music Academy of the West ; the Aspen Music Festival and School ; the Mannes College of Music and the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts , which he directed from 1978 to 1985. Notable pupils of his include Yevgeny Kutik , Mira Wang, Leon Botstein , Daniel Han, Rachel Vetter Huang, Na Sun, Ikuko Mizuno and Elizabeth Chang. Roman Totenberg

2340-762: Was awarded the Wieniawski Medal of Poland and the Ysaye Medal of Belgium. In 1983, he was named Artist Teacher of the Year by the American String Teachers Association , and in April 2007, he was honored with the New England String Ensemble 's Muses & Mentors Award for his great artistry and significant contributions to string education. In 1988, he was awarded the highest Medal of Merit by

2392-459: Was based on an introduction to Bach's 1713 cantata Was mir behagt , and the second and last may have been as well. It also seems likely that Concerto No. 5 was the last to be written; it features a prominent harpsichord part, which is presumed to be for a new instrument ordered for Prince Leopold from the instrument-maker Michael Mietke and paid for by Bach in Berlin in 1719. Speculation regarding

2444-495: Was born in Łódź , Poland to a Jewish family, the son of Adam (an architect) and Stanisława (Winawer) Totenberg. He spent his early childhood years (1914–1921) in Moscow , where the family moved at the beginning of World War I. Totenberg was a child prodigy who made his concert debut at the age of eleven with conductor Grzegorz Fitelberg . Returning to Warsaw in 1921, he studied with Mieczyslaw Michalowicz, and made his debut at

2496-471: Was finally recovered in 2015, and returned to his daughters. Johnson frequently played the violin, including in public, but it was never recognized. After Johnson's death, his ex-wife discovered the Stradivarius in his belongings and attempted to sell it in 2015, not knowing the violin's origin and value. She e-mailed pictures of the violin to master violinmaker Phillip Injeian who identified it and contacted

2548-432: Was returned to Totenberg's daughters on August 6, 2015, after which it was to be restored to playing condition. The family stated that they planned to sell the instrument after it had been restored. According to Nina Totenberg, "We will make sure it is in the hands of another virtuoso violinist. And once again, the beautiful, brilliant and throaty voice of that long-stilled violin will thrill audiences in concert halls around

2600-413: Was somehow related to the fact that he was looking for jobs elsewhere. By upsetting the balance of the musical roles, he would be released from his servitude as Kapellmeister. The two violas start the first movement with a vigorous subject in close canon , and as the movement progresses, the other instruments are gradually drawn into the seemingly uninterrupted steady flow of melodic invention which shows

2652-552: Was the Ames Stradivarius , which he purchased for about $ 15,000 in 1943 (equivalent to $ 264,000 in 2023). It was stolen from his office after a concert in May 1980. Totenberg suspected aspiring violinist Philip S. Johnson of the theft, but police at the time did not believe there was enough evidence to issue a search warrant. The instrument was recovered thirty-five years later in 2015, four years after Johnson's death, when his former wife discovered it among his effects and sought to have it appraised. The recovered instrument

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2704-548: Was used as the opening chorus of the cantata Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten , BWV 207 , where the horns are replaced by trumpets. Title on autograph score: Concerto 2 à 1 Tromba, 1 Flauto, 1 Hautbois, 1 Violino, concertati, è 2 Violini, 1 Viola è Violone in Ripieno col Violoncello è Basso per il Cembalo. Concertino : natural trumpet in F, recorder , oboe, violin Ripieno : two violins, viola, violone, cello and harpsichord (as basso continuo) The trumpet part

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