What was going on in the world in 1684 that produced a trio of composers the following year unrivaled in music history? The two more celebrated composers are to come, but first up is the curious case of Domenico Scarlatti, favored son of Alessandro Scarlatti who we covered a several weeks ago. From what we … Continue reading Baroque Music X: Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Month: January 2022
Interlude: The Power of Great Art
Playwright, lyricist, theatre critic and all-round Renaissance guy David Cote asked his many followers the other day to identify "a work of art that had an actual, direct, political consequence . . . [a] work of art that led to political change." Perhaps such a work exists, but the power of great art, in my … Continue reading Interlude: The Power of Great Art
Rameau’s Harmony
Rameau’s importance to the development of opera notwithstanding, his claim to fame lies in his music theory. Rameau’s harmonic innovations, and especially his development of a fundamental bass, form the basis of modern theories of tonality. Rameau’s 1722 Treatise on Harmony (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traité_de_l%27harmonie_réduite_à_ses_principes_naturels) more or less governed musical composition until Debussy more or less threw it … Continue reading Rameau’s Harmony
A Gertus History of Music 