Metric Conflict in the Brandenburg Concertos of J. S. Bach

This paper presents a comprehensive metric analysis of Bach\u27s Brandenburg Concertos, with particular emphasis on the issues of metric conflict. The analytic methodology is based on the work of Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff, while the analytic notation used is based partly on that of Lerdahl and Jackendoff and partly on that of Jonathan Kramer, with some original modifications. The paper discusses the factors generating metric conflict, along with its distribution, correlation with other structural parameters, and functional effects. The relationship between metric conflict and fluctuations in the depth of metric hierarchy is examined in detail. Some cases of metric displacement and metric irregularity are examined, when they form part of the context for particular episodes of conflict. The conclusion argues for an approach to interpreting this and similar repertoires that leaves room for the emergence in performance of the independent metric organization of different parts, as an integral part of the ebb and flow of musical tension