Next week, we will start more than five months devoted to the twin geniuses of the late Baroque: Handel and Bach. Together (and with a significant assist from Telemann), these two composers wrested the center of musical development away from Italy and planted music's flag stoutly in the German states, where it would remain, more … Continue reading Interlude: At the side of the road with Dietrich Buxtehude
Tag: Baroque Period
Baroque Music IX: Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
Of that generation of composers who were born in the decade between 1675 and 1685, there is a good argument to be made that Jean-Philippe Rameau had the greatest influence. Not Bach. Not Handel. Not Vivaldi. In fact, the term “baroque” was derived from a pejorative comment made about Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie: Jean-Baptiste Rousseau … Continue reading Baroque Music IX: Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
Christmas and the Baroque Oratorio
As I said, I love Christmas music. And while I love all forms of Christmas music (see yesterday's playlist), it is no coincidence that my favorite form of music--Baroque oratorio--features prominently in the genre. The first half of the 1700s were awash in Christmas music, likely ignited by Corelli's Christmas Concerto. Vivaldi followed suit with … Continue reading Christmas and the Baroque Oratorio
Telemann and the Orchestra
Telemann’s contributions to the development of the modern orchestra should be noted. He wrote a ton of “overtures”—not necessarily for operas, but rather as proto-symphonies. These multi-movement works are the bridge from the concerto grosso form to the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart. Georg Philipp Telemann, Overture in B Minor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08r6oV9jCS0&list=RD08r6oV9jCS0&index=1 Telemann's favorite instrument may … Continue reading Telemann and the Orchestra
Interlude: At the side of the road
This morning, I was listening to Jakub Jozef Orlinski's remarkable new album, Anima Aeterna, which not surprisingly for this gifted young countertenor, features a wealth of Baroque masterpieces. On this album, however, Jakub has drawn from the music of Baroque composers who, for lack of a better phrase, have been left by the side of … Continue reading Interlude: At the side of the road
A Gertus History of Music 