If you grew up playing classical music, I’d wager that you played something by Georg Philipp Telemann. The odds would be in my favor—he composed about 3000 works over his lifetime (more than Bach and Handel, combined). Granted, he had a very long career to do so, having been a child prodigy on several instruments … Continue reading Baroque Music VIII: Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
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Thanksgiving Treat: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Much like my wife's bacon stuffing at Thanksgiving, this list would not be complete without Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, easily the most famous work of the Baroque Era, despite first entering the modern repertoire in the 1950s. It is an endlessly fun piece to play. First, let’s start with a very historically accurate performance. By all … Continue reading Thanksgiving Treat: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Interlude: Mysterious Barricades
Another way to have approached this blog would have been by works, rather than by composers. Had I done so, Francois Couperin's Les Barricades Mysterieuses would have featured prominently. This two-page composition, not even three minutes in duration, was a sonic boom that has reverberated throughout the centuries since its was composed in 1717. It … Continue reading Interlude: Mysterious Barricades
Vivaldi and Bach
The Bach-Vivaldi Conversations are particularly interesting as they span a wide swathe of Bach’s career. First up, Bach’s transcription of Concerto No. 11 in D Minor for Organ. Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto Op. 3, No. 11 in D Minor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8UmlKEWIyY J.S. Bach, Organ Concerto in D Minor (After Vivaldi): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2upDLfG2Os This is more or less a straight transcription. It is thought … Continue reading Vivaldi and Bach
Baroque Music VII: Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Antonio Vivaldi is the first composer on this list whose name and music are likely familiar to everyone. That was not always the case. Despite his profound influence on Bach and many others, Vivaldi’s compositions fell out of a favor (his virtuosity as a violinist was his primary calling card, not his compositions) and were pretty … Continue reading Baroque Music VII: Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
A Gertus History of Music 