I suspect the ubiquity of the term “fake news” inspired this compilation. But it does raise an interesting point. How much does authorship influence our assessment of a work? The Trio Glie Speziali present a variety of Baroque compositions that were attributed to others — some famous, and some not. Misattribution could be accidental. The […]
Baroque music
-
-
More from the Stone Age of Early Music Performance
Back on June 26, 2017 I presented a Historic Radio Special on The Early Music Show, consisting of ‘early’ recordings of early music, beginning with the barely audible spectacle of a Handel oratorio captured on wax cylinders in 1888 to a formative solo disc of countertenor Alfred Deller singing a Thomas Morley tune, made around […]
-
Wesser-Renaissance Bremen Ideally Suited to Johann Rosenmüller
In the 1650s “The Amphion of his Century” was an up-and-coming musician in Leipzig. He was poised to take over as the cantor of St. Thomas’ in 1653 (a position J.S. Bach would hold years later). Suddenly everything changed. A scandal forced Johann Rosenmüller to leave in haste. While it was a setback for his […]
-
Interview: Three Notch’d Road Baroque Ensemble 2018-2019 Season
Three Notch’d Road Baroque Ensemble (TNR) announced its new season for 2018-2019. WTJU recently spoke to Fiona Hughes, violinist and music director of TNR, about the 2018 concerts. Listen to Fiona explain the programs and introduce visiting artists for these events. For more, visit tnrbaroque.org Part 1: Part 2:
-
Funiculus Triplex: Franz Xaver Hassl Rediscovered
The title of this release comes from a collection of trio sonatas by Franz Xaver Hassl (1708-1757). Funiculus Triplex is the only known surviving work of Hassl’s and receives its world premiere recording here. Fleshing out the program are three sacred arias by Johann Ludwig Steiner (1688-1761). Also included are canzonettas by Johann Friedrich Agricola […]
-
I Musici Excel with Sammartini
This release is the first complete recording of Giuseppe Sammartini’s Op. 2 Concertos. These concerti had disappointing sales when first published. But by the late 1740s, the collection was selling quite well –especially in England. Sammartini’s concertos artfully balance between extremes. They have robust polyphonic sections, yet remain transparent. They can be played by amateurs, […]
-
Schütz – Kleine geistliche Konzerte II; Little Masterpieces
Schütz published his second volume of “little spiritual concerts” in 1639, three years after the first. It’s a remarkable collection of sacred works, full of inventiveness and variety. Schütz spent some time in Venice studying with Giovanni Gabrielli. There are some indications he also studied with — or at least studied the music of — […]
-
Heinrich Schütz Schwanengesang – Flawlessly Performed
Schütz’s massive setting of Psalm 119 (SWV 482-492) was completed a year before his death. Because of that, it’s known as his Schwanengesang or Swan Song. (There’s some evidence that Schütz himself referred to this work this way). Schütz set the text for two SATB choirs and organ. It might seem that such constrained resources […]
-
Heinrich Schütz: Becker-Spalter – Artistry on Every Page
In 1602 theologian Cornelius Becker wrote a German metrical psalter. Der Psalter Davids Gesangweis was published without melodies. The collection proved popular, and Becker set all 150 psalms for the 1628 edition. Psalmen Davids: Hiebevorn in Deutsche Reimen gebracht durch was reprinted in 1640 and revised and expanded in 1661. Several early Lutheran composers set Becker’s […]