Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049 (1720), Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major, BWV 1051 (1720)
Though Bach practically defined Baroque music as we know it today, he met with a surprising number of setbacks in his own lifetime. The Brandenburg Concertos were one such unsuccessful attempt for recognition. They were named after Christian Ludwig, the Margrave of Brandenburg, who Bach only met once—in 1719 during a trip to Berlin. The Margrave asked for some of his music, but it took two years for Bach to deliver, at which time his employer, Prince Leopold of Cöthen, was having financial difficulties and Bach was probably looking for leads on a new job. Bach gathered six concertos with vastly different instrumentations, made revisions, and sent them to the Margrave in March 1721. Not only did Bach not get a job, there is no record the Margrave ever listened to them or even acknowledged Bach’s gift. The Brandenburgs remained virtually unknown until they were rediscovered in 1849 in the archives of Brandenburg.
