The Context of the Tromba in F in J.S. Bach's Second Brandenburg Concerto, BWV 1047

The author examines Bach's own scores and revisions as well as the larger performance environment of circa 1720s Germany in an effort to reassess the "tromba" designation in the Second Brandenburg Concerto, BWV 1047. Problems surrounding this label include the existence and use of a trumpet in the key of F, the substitution as seen in others of Bach's works, the related issues of transposition and key in this and others of Bach's works for brass, and the unusual instrument grouping called for in the concerto's concertino group. Proksch reveals a clearer picture of the problems surrounding Bach's composition and the broader context for determining the most plausible solutions to these problems given the available evidence.