Two very talented Baroque composers were born on this day October 26th in the 17th century! The first one was Domenico Scarlatti, Italian Baroque composer, & son of Alessandro Scarlatti, was born on this day 26 October, 1685. 1685 was a big year for the birth of major Baroque composers, such as J.S. Bach and Handel, and this Scarlatti is no… Read on
One of the greatest architects of the Seventeenth century, Sir Christopher Michael #Wren, was born on this day 20 October, 1632. So, what were some of the structures Wren designed? Hampton Court Palace, Baroque side, for William & Mary Kensington Palace (it was converted from the smaller Nottingham House to Kensington House). Old Royal Naval College (then a Royal Hospital for… Read on
Heinrich Schütz was born on this day 8 October (O.S) 1585. Now, some of you may wonder why I’m celebrating the birth of someone in the 16th century, so the reason is this: Schütz was a very influential composer of the Baroque. I’m only sorry that I didn’t know about this composer until only in the past five years,… Read on
Antonio Cifra, Italian Baroque & Late Renaissance composer, died on this day the 2nd of October, 1629. Cifra is important in Early Music because he straddled the Late Renaissance and the Early Baroque movements and made beautiful music in both. So, in honour of Antonio Cifra, here is “Era la Notte:” Links about Antonio Cifra: http://www.hoasm.org/VG/Cifra.html http://www.last.fm/music/Antonio+Cifra http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Cifra (I normally don’t like to link… Read on
I received this beautiful, luscious album for my birthday recently and it has blown me away! “Lamenti” performed by many of today’s greatest opera singers and Le Concert d`Astrée under the direction of harpsichordist Emmanuelle Haim is a moving compilation of various works of Baroque. I have been a big fan of Philippe Jaroussky‘s albums since I heard him… Read on
This beautiful, and lesser-known work of Baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens, represents the marriage of Anne of Austria to Louis XIII of France and also the marriage of Phillip IV of Spain. Surrounded by deities and gods from classical mythology, one princess is being guided towards France, the other towards Spain, and thus do we have the exchange. Note… Read on
Hampton Court Palace recently had a Baroque Weekend event and I travelled down from my home in Balham to participate in the activities. At 11 o’clock, we were escorted by Sir Christopher Wren from the Clock Court in the Tudor portion of the palace through to the Baroque palace to await the arrival of King William III and… Read on
Last night at the Barbican Centre, my husband and I were entranced by the mesmerising beauty of Philippe Jaroussky’s voice and the talented ensemble of Concerto Koln (Cologne). What a great night for Baroque music it was! With an impressive opening with “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” by Handel, the evening went from strength to strength.… Read on
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) was a major, highly influential sculptor of the Baroque. His most famous work was involved with the Vatican as his patrons were rich and powerful members of the Roman Catholic Church. The passionate sculpture above tells the tale of Apollo and Daphne of Greek mythology. Daphne was a nymph who did not return Apollo’s… Read on