Handel and Telemann kept up a robust correspondence and, not surprisingly, Telemann’s friendship and correspondence resulted in numerous Conversations between the two composers. And perhaps uniquely, this was a true two-way Conversation, with each man influencing the other. Here is an example of how Telemann influenced Handel. Handel, a subscriber to Telemann’s Tafelmusik publication, took … Continue reading Telemann and Handel
Tag: The Conversation
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
Corelli and The Birth of the Orchestra
Corelli’s Opus 6 concerti grossi are his most significant achievement. Although he did not invent the concerto grosso form, Corelli certainly popularized it, paving the way for Vivaldi (The Four Seasons) and Bach (Brandenburg Concertos), two of the high points of Baroque music and among the best-known examples of the concerto grosso form. The Opus … Continue reading Corelli and The Birth of the Orchestra
A Gertus History of Music 