Swarthmore College Works Music Faculty Works Music 1995 The Social And Religious Designs Of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos Michael Marissen Swarthmore College,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-music Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Michael Marissen. (1995). "The Social And Religious Designs Of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos". The Social And Religious Designs Of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-music/10 This work is brought to you for free by Swarthmore College Libraries' Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Music Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Works. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. ✜ INTRODUCTION ✜ Bach’s Musical Contexts Tubby the Tuba, at a rehearsal, sitting forlornly in the back row of the orchestra: “Oh, what lovely music.” (Sighs.) Peepo the Piccolo, rushing to Tubby’s side: “Here, what’s the matter?” Tubby: “Oh, every time we do a new piece, you all get such pretty melodies to play. And I? Never, never a pretty melody.” Peepo, arms stretched out: “But people don’t write pretty melodies for tubas. It just isn’t done.” Paul Tripp, Tubby the Tuba ubby the Tuba captures powerfully the enculturated notion Tof the orchestral hierarchy. As Tubby’s story goes on to show, there is, of course, no inherent technical reason why tubas should not be highlighted with pretty melodies in orchestral music; it just “isn’t done.” Further explanation is hardly needed. J. S. Bach would apparently not have been moved by an appeal to tradition.