Leeds Castle in Kent (NOT in Leeds!) is a picturesque castle surrounded by water from the River Len. When I visited the palace, it was an ugly, muddy, rainy day, so unfortunately only one of the outdoor shots is good enough to post. Before you look at the photos, please allow me to apologise for being in most… Read on
One of the giants of Italian Baroque, Arcangelo Corelli’s music is a masterful example of this musical style. Born a posthumous son on the 17th of February, 1653, in Fusignano, he is therefore today’s Baroque Birthday Boy! Corelli worked hard and was accepted into Bologna’s much-esteemed Accademica Filarmonica (Source: Tafelmusik) which had been founded in 1666. With his great dedication to… Read on
If you love periwigs as much as I do, you’ll love this film. Periwigs galore! Set during the late Seventeenth century, The King’s Whore (1990) also known as La putain du roi, or La puttana del re, is based on the true story of French-born Jeanne Baptiste d’Albert de Luynes, Countess of Verua who became the mistress of Vittorio Amedeo… Read on
Did my heart love ’til now? Forswear it, sight for I ne’er saw true beauty ’til this night! Quite possibly William Shakespeare’s most popular play, Romeo and Juliet was written between 1591-1595 and was first published in 1597: There are so many very memorable parts in the play – it’s all so endlessly quotable. At Rockledge High School, I… Read on
Happy Valentine’s Day! This is the perfect opportunity to use John Donne’s, “The Good Morrow,” which is my favourite poem by him: “My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears, And true plain hearts do in the faces rest; Where can we find two better hemispheres Without sharp north, without declining west? Whatever dies was not mixed… Read on
Johann Joseph Fux (pronounced “Fyooks” !) was an Austrian composer of Baroque music, born in the Austrian duchy of Styria, in 1660. Fux was employed by royal patrons including Holy Roman Emperors Leopold I, Joseph I, and Charles VI. Here is Fux’s Overture in D minor: Next are Sonata K.366, Sonata K.375, Sonata K.377: His “Missa Corporis Christi:” Fux was not… Read on
The King’s Stairs in William III’s State Apartments in the newer half of Hampton Court Palace is a stunning example of Baroque architecture and artwork. The walls were painted (circa 1700) by Italian Baroque painter Antonio Verrio and conjure up mythological and historical figures depicting the strength of William III. Note how many allusions to warfare and might… Read on
Hampton Court Palace in Surrey, England houses a number of beautiful, priceless historical objects, and the Triumphs of Caesar by Italian Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna are no exception… Housed in the former Orangery built in the late Seventeenth century during the reign of William and Mary to house Queen Mary II’s many exotic plants, these gorgeous works of… Read on