Caspar Othmayr was a theologian and composer of the early Protestant church. His 1549 Tricinia in pias offers a selection of musical virtues that address eight vices. The Dryades Consort uses this for a program celebrating both the vices and virtues. While Othmayr’s music provides the foundation, the consort pulls from other contemporary sources. There’s a significant […]
early music
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An Elizabethan Christmas – Fretwork’s gift to all
Fretwork marks its 35th anniversary with this holiday release. Although “holiday release” hardly describes this album. The celebration of Christmas was quite different than it is today. In fact, it was quite different from the Victorian Christmas traditions that now define the holiday. Advent, the time leading up to Christmas, was a time for mediation, […]
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Renata Dubinskaite Gives Luminuous Performances of Barbara Strozzi
Renata Dubinskaite and the Canto Fiorito perform Barbara Strozzi’s solo vocal music. Strozzi was well-respected as a singer and composer in 17th Century Venice. Her father, Guilio Strozzi hosted salons of intellectuals and artists in his home. Barbara Strozzi performed at these salons, often singing her own compositions. Many of these works saw publication. Strozzi’s […]
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Engaging performances of Barbara Strozzi by Aurata Fonte
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) was a remarkable woman. This talented Venetian was a renowned singer and composer. She hosted gatherings in her father’s house for the city’s intellectuals and artists. This was her venue for performing. But she’s known today for something else — her music. Strozzi published eight collections of vocal music between 1644 and […]
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¡Sacabuche! Reveals Hidden Treasures from Bohemia
The early music ensemble ¡Sacabuche! presents a collection of music from the Habsburg Court. Giovanni Valenti, Antonio Bertali, and Pavel Josef Vejvonovsky may not be well-known today. But in the 1640s Bohemia, they were renowned for their instrumental virtuosity and composing skills. ¡Sacabuche! delivers some first-rate performances of this music. In addition to violin, theorbo, […]
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Fiori Musicali Return to Renaissance Roots
According to the liner notes, the purpose of this release is to “uncover the fine thread of cultural exchange between high art music and popular music tradition.” Sure, I could hear that. You can also enjoy this release as a great collection of early music hits. I use the word “hits,” because many of these […]
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Blue Heron serves savory sounds with 14th C. Salmagundi
What exactly is a salmagundi? According to the liner notes, it’s “a savory dish composed of chopped meats, seafood, eggs, vegetables, and condiments.” In other words, a kitchen sink dish. I’m not sure I’d enjoy such a dish. But I very much enjoyed this release. In this case, the salmagundi is a sampling of various […]
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Hymns of Kassiani – history’s first woman composer
Pop quiz: who’s the earliest female composer you can think of? Chances are, it’s Hildegarde von Bingen. Although her star has risen from obscurity, she’s not the earliest, or perhaps, the most important. That honor belongs to Kassiani, or Kassia (c.810-c.865). Kassia’s career had some significant differences with Hildegard von Bingen, who was born two […]
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Mexican Baroque masterworks by Juan De Lienas
The Newberry Consort has assembled an impressive body of recordings over the years. But this one is a real standout. The consort explores the repertoire of the Mexican Baroque. Specifically, music from a 17th Century manuscript collection housed in a Mexico City convent. The primary composer is Juan De Lienas, who’s something of a cipher. […]