Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, a collection of six instrumental works presented by him to Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721, had probably been composed earlier.

Most likely they had been written over a number of years during Bach's tenure as Kapellmeister at Anhalt-Cöthen and possibly even extending back to the period of his employment at Weimar (1708-17).

The concertos, revered, like many of Bach’s works, for their intellectual depth, technical command and artistic beauty, are often regarded as some of the best ever written.

Because King Frederick William I of Prussia patronizes the military over the arts, Christian Ludwig lacks enough musicians in his Berlin ensemble to perform the concertos.