So for the Saturday music post let’s fall back on Bach again - this is the opening of his Brandenburg Concerto 4. It’s my favorite of the 6, probably because of the emphasis on the winds. You will notice recorders - I don’t know if this is still true, but they were mass produced back in the day with cheap material so kids in school could try out playing music. They don’t have the power of a modern flute or oboe - and you don’t see them much because they are easily drowned out by a string section. So if you’re going to use them at all, you have to give them some ‘me time,’ and kind of weave them in and out. But they’ve got a nice voice which you hear in this. I’ve said his before - but Baroque era music is popular with people not versed in ‘classical’ music because it has relatively simple structures - which makes the ‘narrative’ easy to follow. This here is ritornello form, meaning there is a main theme that is played with, developed, departed from and returned to. It forms a center that anchors the piece and doesn’t require too much of the listener. This also allows Bach to engage in a lot of polyphony - many voices playing simultaneously, giving a deep texture to the music - without overwhelming his audience. They know what’s going on broadly without any formal education. Anyway, I like it. Link to entire work in next post.