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 […]
early music
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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. […]
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William Tisdale Music for Virginal unusual fare
There are plenty of Renaissance keyboard recordings floating around. So what makes this release special. Three things: the music, the performer, and the instrument. The music is mostly from Tisdales Virginal Book, supplemented with selections from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. Very little is known about William Tisdale, save that he was a composer and keyboardist […]
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Ensemble Almara with the best of Carmina Predulcia
There are collectors for everything — even information. Take Hartmann Schedel (1449-1514) for example. He amassed a collection of over 600 volumes comprising all the knowledge of his day. He compiled the Schedel Song Book not so much out of a love for music, but just to collect and record the information. The Schedel Song Book […]
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Antonio Vandini Complete Works carefully researched
Antonio Vandini was one of the celebrated cellists of his age. And that age was the early 1700s when he shared the spotlight with his close friend Giuseppe Tartini. Vandini, like other virtuosos of his time, composing music for his instrument. But he didn’t write much that survived — just six sonatas and a concerto. […]