Philippe Verdelot one of the composers credited with developing the Italian madrigal. Though French, he spent most of his professional life in Florence. His publications spread throughout Europe and set the model for this Renaissance vocal form. Verdelot wrote mostly five- and six-voice madrigals. This release features some of his less-common four-voice madrigals. They were […]
Pan Classics
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Musica Fiorita explores early string quartets
Franz Joseph Haydn may be the father of the string quartet. But who was the grandfather? Musica Fiorita presents some candidates in this program of pre-Classical string quartets. The combination of two violins, viola, and cello was not common during the Baroque. Most instrumental ensembles included a basso continuo (keyboard plus cello) to fill out […]
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Jana Semerádová in fine form with Richter and Stamitz
I think the title of this release is just a little misleading. “Franz Xaver Richter, Johann Stamitz: Flute Concertos & Trios” suggests (to me) an album of two composers in equal measure. Not so. This release has one flute concerto by Stamitz. The other five selections are all Richter. It’s still a program of six […]
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Ars Antiqua Austria energize Georg Muffat
Georg Muffat studied with Lully in Paris early in his career. In 1680, he journeyed to Venice to study with Corelli. Influences from both composers can be heard in his 1682 collection Armonico Tributo. The structure of the proto-concerto grossi resembles those of Corelli’s Opus 4, written around the same time. And the dance movements […]
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Symphony Anthems of Pelham Humfrey – Music from a Life Cut Short
This release features a selection of the nineteen symphony anthems written by Pelham Humfrey. Humfrey was the first of several English composers to achieve fame during the Restoration. He was well-regarded by Henry Purcell, John Blow, and Matthew Locke. And like Purcell, he died young, at the age of 27. Humfrey’s Symphony Anthems were written […]
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Joseph Schuster String Quartets — as good as Mozart’s?
So just how good are these string quartets? Good enough to be attributed to Mozart. Joseph Schuster (1748-1812) wrote these six string quartets in 1780, on commission from Marquis Giuseppe Ximenes, an ardent amateur violinist. The Paduan-based Ximenes collected string quartets from all of the important composers of the day — including Mozart. The full […]
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Cosmography of Polyphony Travels Well
Tags: Adrian Willaert, Alfonso Ferrabosco, Alonso Lobo, Anthony Holborn, Antoine Brumel, Carlo Gesualdo, CD Review, Classical music, early music, Hernando de Cabezón, Hester Groenleer, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Ockeghem, María Martínez Ayerza, Nicolas Gombert, Osbert Parsley, Pan Classics, Petri Arvo, Pierre Phalèse, Royal Wind MusicWebster’s defines cosmography as “a description of the world.” In “Cosmography of Polyphony,” the Royal Wind Music describe their world of renaissance music through their concert repertoire. This ensemble of twelve recorder players presents music from Johannes Ockeghem (early 1500s) through Johann Sebastian Bach (mid-1700s). Playing polyphonic vocal works on instruments was standard practice in […]