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: The Conversation
The Scarlatti Conversations
Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas seem curiously out of time. But did they influence subsequent composers? Although some are quick to dismiss Scarlatti as a historical aberration, the facts are quite to the contrary. A collection of the first 30 sonatas were compiled and published in London as Essercizi per gravicembalo. Handel, who Scarlatti had met when … Continue reading The Scarlatti Conversations
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
Interlude: A bit of fun
Several weeks ago, I linked to a great album from the Icelandic pianist Vikingur Olafsson, which contrasts the music of Rameau with Debussy. That Conversation is well-known, since Debussy composed a work entitled Hommage a Rameau. It is an ironic Conversation, since Debussy, more than any other composer, was responsible for undermining Rameau's theory of … Continue reading Interlude: A bit of fun
A Gertus History of Christmas Music
I love Christmas music; for me, it is the best thing about the holiday season. Unsurprisingly, composers love Christmas music too and have been churning out carols, oratorios, motets, quartets, and nearly every other form of music to celebrate the birth of Jesus. In that spirit, I have compiled a playlist, starting (as this blog … Continue reading A Gertus History of Christmas Music
A Gertus History of Music 