Bach - Brandenburg Concertos No.3 - ii: Adagio

[WimeSTone]

"Have a pause, have a TWIX" - sad Bach. XD

[ThatRachGirl]

@WimeSTone Need a moment? Chew it over with the...second movement of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G. :p

[Pretendkid]

This was written on a tissue

while Bach went for a coffee break

[KojiWada060724]

13秒…だと…?

[arisussmanpianoman]

isnt it funny that 247,487 people watched the shortest movement of baroque music ever?

[Lassannn]

This is referred to as a bridge or recitative. Bach must not have felt like writing a second movement.

[dolofonos]

Better left alone than polluted by poor taste . . . an insertion of a related work might well be better. True improvisation requires more than the talents of the performer, but those of a composer.

[NSProductions1432]

Bach must have spent forever on this XD.

[mrwhypiano]

I just had to hear this whole movement once again...

[Makeoutparadise2]

Lol guess Bach's hands got sore after writing so many concertos prior 

[Lordlihige]

Where is the improvisation? This movement is for improvise in the violin or in the harpsichord.

[hellhammer161]

@Lordlihige it isn't for sure that Bach wanted there to have a violin or harpsichord to improvise over those two chords. it's just a theory which may or may not be true.

[Lordlihige]

Where is the improvisation? This movement is for improvise in the violin or in the harpsichord.

[floooky1]

Stunning piece.

[pacificrules]

(haha...) and I was really waiting for a serious concert. great peice though, simple and sweet.

[Jem7Vellz]

Epic.

[TheStevewhelan]

hehe - catches so many folks out don't it :D

[jaxxstraw]

...and then Bach died

[Avagadrostein]

I think there’s supposed to be a cadenza (probably harpsichord) right here.

[Alexjr1543]

@Avagadrostein I think I even heard a version with a harpsichord cadenza, followed by these two wonderful notes we're hearing here.

[witchcraftlord]

@Alexjr1543 its actually more than just 2 notes, they are 2 chords,

[Alexjr1543]

@witchcraftlord That's what I meant by "notes". I guess I really need to work on my choice of words.

[witchcraftlord]

i know what you mean, no worries, im just glad that so many people listen and/ or watch these videos , this music needs to be shared and loved, i love it, and im sure others will

[otpenagos]

i think, Bach wanted a Allegro part, but he mistaked by wrote "Adagio", so he wrote only two notes, one system, and then, THE ALLEGRO!!

[goodcommentguy]

wow, 212k views for a video 2 notes and 14 seconds long. magnificent.

[YoshuaRider]

That lazy son of a ......

[putoamodetodo]

he was hurry to finish it

[Cranfillr]

LMAO!!! I forgot how short this movement was....

[judy1989judy]

klasse video jungs aus Deutschland? Bin total einsam wer hat Lust zu schreiben

[majav15mg]

lolololololol

[butterfingers6m]

mmmm.......

[theultimateplu]

@Nimenicamine01 yes, yes he does. :P

[chomskyFTW]

Well... I have heard more creative things from other musicians. Karl Richter did a decent one. Viola players also make beautiful cadenzas on this movement.

But here, we have the groundbreaking.... C chord, B chord.

[Violinkid05]

@chomskyFTW Actually its A Minor over C and then B

[chomskyFTW]

@Violinkid05 Ah yes, my ear must have been off that day. Also, a look at the score confirms it. Really, I wish this player had been more creative...

[Violinkid05]

@chomskyFTW MM I'm sure they know the standers or "traditions" rather, of this movement, and simply choose not use them

[cayoharksen]

ver esta de outra forma; ach eu q. esta obra foi inacabada por motivos de doença de BACH, pesquisar para ver e confirmar.

[zuckstocker]

this is just a lead sheet for another two minutes of improvisation, i guess.

(search wikipedia for this piece)

[pianopolly]

Personally, I thing this is too much improvisation.

[insert sarcastically arrogant smily here]

[witchcraftlord]

i love this , so simple , so wonderful 

[TwiddleXTormenT]

Wow. That's 13 seconds of history being made. =D

[regaldrifter]

bach is so awesome he made a 14 second adagio. now thats what i cal BACHOLOJI.

[TravisHYoungz]

nunhm jemand bei laune und lust mit mir zu chatn hab auch bilder wenn ihr sehen wollt

[TwiddleXTormenT]

Where is the second movement for this concerto? I can't seem to find it.

[lolturtle13]

@TwiddleXTormenT

This is the 2nd mvt. I think your looking for the 3rd movement ^^

[TwiddleXTormenT]

Thanks! I got confused because in the music sheet i have for this, the second movement is what would be the third movement here. Oh well. Thanks again. =]

[HerrWarja]

One of the best slow movements of the Brandenburg Concertos.

[thebookmann]

Why tease?

[cassandra5322]

I've got this WHOLE movement memorized.

[locomotifx]

@cassandra5322 Isn't that cool, being able to listen to one's favourite music on one's own hi-fi orchestra. Keeps me happy as i walk to the bus stop each morning!

[LULLYxoxo]

@cassandra5322 I know, but this really isent the fool mvt, its really 30 seconds long !

[cassandra5322]

@LULLYxoxo

The score says otherwise;

or you mean 30 seconds- 2 minutes including the optional violin or harpsichord cadenza...

[bersa888]

This is NOT an incredibly short or genially economical slow movement, people.... ;-)

It's just a standard baroque (Phrygian) cadence - nothing more than a pause, a breathing parenthesis between movements. Bach just didn't write/leave/want a slow movement, for some reason or another - and THAT should be open to discussion

[bobmusick]

I don't normally like to trust Wikipedia, but this makes sense... "The second movement consists of a single measure with the two chords that make up a so-called 'Phrygian cadence' and—although there is no direct evidence to support it—it was likely that these chords are meant to surround or follow a cadenza improvised by a harpsichord or violin player."

[bobmusick]

Would the keyboardist be doing the fugue-ing? lol Or is it possible for a violin to play one?

[bobmusick]

Yeah.. I wish I could improvise a fugue. Or write one for that matter.. But thank you for the info!

[CalebTheGuitarist]

blows me away every time.

[joycedusoleil]

qué oscuro pensamiento estaría pasando por la mente de Bach al escribir este adagio?.... porque dice más que cualquier otro, concentró todo en unas cuantas notas.... salve, maestro

[witchcraftlord]

The term 'Phrygian' is, strictly speaking, inaccurate: the cadence does not represent or belong to the Phrygian mode.

[basscl1]

Yes that's true: the reason they call it that is because it's reminiscent of the phrygian mode (or the scale built on the 3rd degree of a major key).

But the fact is you answered your own question, there is such a thing as a Phrygian (half) cadence. Gotta love the internet.

[witchcraftlord]

i dunno ,  i just copied and pasted that from google, ..im going to talk to my piano teacher about it

[colfranz1278]

Unbelievable. A movement that lasts only 13 seconds?!

[willowwaxwork]

Ha, that is actually hilarious. Bach, you little genius. If you like this you'll like Haydn's "The Surprise".

[danenhod]

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[DynVec]

13 seconds ? WTF ?!

[basscl1]

Hahaha, this is one of Bach's jokes. The second movement is only 2 bars long, just a Phyrgian cadence. So the entire movement has been uploaded, and yes, it is only 13 seconds long.

[basscl1]

Well if you really want to get academic, you can write a song much shorter than that - in fact you could write one that endures for no time at all.

[DynVec]

I wonder if it'll be in the Guinness book of world record though, You Suffer is.

[witchcraftlord]

ive heard of perfect, plagal and deceptive cadence, but not  Phyrgian cadence. did you make that up? not trying to be rude..

[TheVanya1900]

@DynVec Because this is interlude, that is IMPROVISATION! Different harpsichordists plays different improvisations! Once I have heard 5-minute 2nd mvt of this concert!

[DynVec]

@TheVanya1900 Capitalization is used for shouting and exclamation mark to indicate strong feelings. So you either ignore netiquette or you're a babbling fool, not in a place to give someone a lesson.

[Spangley03]

@DynVec The violins get two half notes. :-)

[VexD420]

This video sucks what a fucking idiot he didnt even upload the whole thing.

[majav15mg]

This is supposed to be improvised on. As far as I'm concerned.

[Echnaton1993]

Okay, forget the riddle, that was stupid of me. But I have a record of the chamber orchestra berlin and THERE is a solo-part of harpsichord! And it sounds like Bach and not like an adaptaion...

[Echnaton1993]

Where's the solo-part of the harpsichord?

This piece is actually longer and nicer. There aren't just two chords.

By the way: Even if this is the end of the adagio it seems to be more than a bridge to the third movement. It's more like a cue of the strings. Bach is actually  "untouchable" for me, he's always logic in all his pieces but here he wrote something like a musical riddle. Of course the phrygian cadence is the right explication for this end but I think it's more than simple music.

[stevenstreets3]

My thesis is that Baroque music has more in common with modern jazz than people feel comfortable with. Modern just aint as modern as it thinks. You take what is written and commonly understood then improvise on it as the music inspires. Just like I made a play on words to make that point. This interlude is supposed to showcase the ad lib chops of one of the performers. Two chords. Such a performance practice also gives a break for the hardworking strings before the energetic last movement.

[bersa888]

You are perfectly right!

[tough0crowd0eh9]

Take your thesis and get the hell outta here! Damn! I just wanna listen to some Bach!

[bersa888]

For all the commentators below: you can find HUNDREDS of examples of EXACTLY these two chords throughout the Baroque and beyond (before and after). It is an exceedingly common formula known as a "Phrygian cadence", a half cadence (non conclusive), generally used at the end of a slow movement, as a bridge to the next one; or as the ending cadence in a piece written in the Phrygian mode. No genius whatsoever was required here, everyday craftsmanship alone sufficed. Funny, uh? :-)

[formaggioneone]

very clever

[jeansebastienbach5]

sans aucun intéret

[goodcommentguy]

Bach must have used all of his musical knowledge to put this movement together. Fantastic.

[golaxo]

True. when he played several minutes improvising to these two accords...

[FranzofL]

Hahaha.... I love this... 13 second movement... But still, 13 seconds of heaven...

[golaxo]

wow

13 seconds of heaven. Would you wrote it if I just showed you the video without knowing who is the composer ? :)

[SonofDostojevskij]

Is this the whole movement, Bach must have bin out of fantasy writing this

[Alexjr1543]

The easiest movement for this entire piece... obviously. It still has a bit of a dramatic feel to it, maybe because it's just two slow notes.

[beethomozart]

this short 2nd movement consisting of 2 chords that should be as a leaving point and an arrival point for the violin or clave, to introduce the 3rd movement, extraordinary Bach

[GreenHatemerald]

that's so weird that the colour of the keys are reversed! :o

[cassandra5322]

well. it's a harpsichord....

[GreenHatemerald]

yes, I know that, but on the harpsichords I've seen the keys are like the piano.

[mrharpsi]

There is a little number of harpsichords with same kay colours like on a piano.

[mortson978]

They used to make all keyboards like that. Harpsichords, Clavichords, Organs, and even the early Forte pianos.

[place910]

"It would have saved a lot of elephants!"

[bobmusick]

back in the Baroque era, Ivory was expensive, so instead of having the modern day "white keys" white, they were back and had the ivory on the modern day "black keys"

[ramiraramira]

you learn something new evey day!

[bobmusick]

so true!!!

[goodcommentguy]

So many people confused this with the 3rd movement...

[webboffin]

I could listen to that all day..... all 10 seconds of it.

[stevenstreets3]

Its called "Baroque" because this is where you "Break" it down and improvise. In modern understanding its called "Jazz".Two chords are all you need to display your chops.

Underneath Baroque music is a dixieland soul trying to bust out of the stiffling conventions of the culture of classical audiences.

[SlipperyChickenzz]

I'm not an expert on etymology, but not all Jazz-style music is improvised. and musical improvisation existed long before the creation of Jazz. the word baroque has very little linguistic connection to "break".

[HARMONICO101]

Yeah, the word "baroque" has nothing to do with that.

[gocymru]

i think the word 'Baroque' indicated an architecture pattern initially.

[tehdarkcloud]

I think you're close. As far as I know, Baroque painting and sculpture came before Baroque architecture.

But basically, Baroque as a music style has not much to do with Baroque as an art style (except, as I read somewhere, that they are both highly decorated).

[pcmendes1973]

Some passages are tiresome :P

[txzoein]

Don't forget that quite often that the 2nd movement of this concerto is often opted as a harpsichord cadenza. I've also seen many orchestra opt to insert the Air on the G String. Just my two sense

[hosposits]

I don't understand. I bought the brandenburg concertos a few months back and #3 part ii adagio is 1:44 long...

[AsSomedayItMayHappen]

Should this really be considered a separate movement? I mean, its just a one bar long segment of tempo change.

[roman9dulcei]

sure

[ascasq]

Short, but sweet.

[bumice911]

nice!, though wendy/walter carlos' version is the best on the switched on bach record

[MillyProductions]

i agree it is totally awsome with all that stuff in the background.

[reebachan]

what? the whole movement is only 13-second long?!

[horselovermeme]

yes it is a movement but its more like a transition from the allegro moderato to the allegro

im playing this piece in my orchestra...the whole thing-- not just this movement...lol

[Azurlake]

it's not very clear yet if this part was supposed to be played as it was written, or if it was meant to improvise over it. Some authors play just those two chords, others improvise maybe one or two minutes... Most of Bach's improvisations were probably not written down, except maybe some ones that he wanted to remain as he thought them, like the harpsichord one in Brandembourg #5...

[HARMONICO101]

In concertos in the baroque period, there were two things you could opt for. A series of chords in which one of the soloists or continuo players would improvise a harmony or something, or you could go for a nice intimate melody that eventually became more prevalent. Bach here opted for the previously mentioned type.

[juliamiju]

es lo mas bonito dl 3 concierto ,lo malo esk dura poko,puede ser k no lo acabara

[purtykitty24]

Yes this is the whole second movement. People have made adagios for it but adagio second movements weren't as common in the baroque era. It was a new thing. And even if it wasn't the full song calm down peole

[narval77]

Bach era un cachondo. :)

[musiKraZ]

XD

XD

XD

[morrales]

thats the whole movement , only tow chords and the "bajo continuo"

[Jitpring]

This is indeed the whole movement. From the liner notes to the Boston Baroque's recording: "The Adagio separating the two fast movemets of this concerto consists only of two chords. Given the finished quality of the manuscript that Bach presented to the Margrave of Brandenburg, there is no reason to suppose that anything else is meanst to be supplied here, other than perhaps a connecting flourish between the two chords."

[ShutUpNShred]

what is this a tease?

[Loverboy954]

I hate when people don't play the whole freaking thing.

[violoner]

That is the whole movement. The second movement consists of a single measure with the two chords that make up a Phrygian mode cadence and—although there is no direct evidence to support it—it was likely that these chords are meant to surround or follow a cadenza improvised by a harpsichord or violin player.

[ThreeUnderscores]

NO! Why is this only 13 seconds long?! If you have the rest, please put it up, would love to hear it...

Oh and thank you for all the other videos!

[xrosesxneverxfadex]

That's really how long the second movement for this concerto is :P

[ThreeUnderscores]

I could have sworn it was longer... my mistake.

[marclavius]

It seems like this movement has an optional harpsichord cadenza that can add a minute or two to its length, but this group opted for a shorter rendition. I kinda love it for how short it is :)

[retread01]

You must have been thinking of the 14 second version :p

[wolfgang7445]

Its alot longer

[Nacho242000]

is this one that short?

[heituzi]

Wow. That was the best 6 seconds ever.

[tigrankalevian]

Es el movimiento más imaginativo de Bach. Incluso supera al vals del segundo de Les Luthiers

[marclavius]

Yay for Phrygian Half Cadences.

[TrustyShellback]

I adore the music of J.S. Bach (AKA John Brook).

[texrah]

Cut...

[liuesho]

Hahahahahaha. I love this movement.