Category Archives: Early Music

Armonia Celeste’s “Udite, amanti: Music from Seventeenth-Century Barberini Courts”

Armonia Celeste is a US-based Early music ensemble of three women’s voices and plucked-string period instruments. They specialise in Italian music of the late Renaissance and early Baroque – so as soon as I could I purchased their 2015 album Udite, amanti: Music from Seventeenth-Century Barberini Courts which contains eighteen tracks of excellent music. I knew about them from their Twitter page. (This social… Read on

Danielle de Niese: Beauty of the Baroque album

Australian-American lyric soprano Danielle de Niese is a name that has been cropping up for several years now on the Early Music scene. About a decade ago or so, Baroque music was quite a niche type of music, but I have noticed a growing trend that seems to indicate it is becoming more mainstream. Even though it was… Read on

Vermeer & Music: Guest Post by Christopher Bucknall of the Academy of Ancient Music

It is with great honour that I welcome our last Guest Post of the month – this by harpsichordist Christopher Bucknall of the Academy of Ancient Music. I have long been a fan of theirs, and I was more thrilled than I can say when they agreed to contribute. Please welcome Christopher and the AAM to The Seventeenth… Read on

Emilio de’ Cavalieri

Born in the beautiful city of Rome around 1550, Emilio de’ Cavalieri became a relatively popular composer of the Late Renaissance/Early Baroque genre. Cavalieri died on the 11th of March, 1602. I don’t have much more information about him, so…on to the music! Music Recommendations: I have the following album, which I enjoy listening to regularly: [amazon asin=B00005J7UX&template=image&chan=default][amazon asin=B0006FNF3I&template=image&chan=default]

John Dowland

John Dowland, popular composer of the Late Renaissance, was buried on this day 20th of February, 1620, at St Ann’s, Blackfriars, London (which was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, 1666, and never rebuilt). He was probably born in 1563, and historians are not very certain of his place of birth nor where his kin came from… Read on

Michel-Richard Delalande

Today’s Baroque Birthday Boy is Michel-Richard Delalande. Delalande has, over the years, become rather forgotten amongst his more popular contemporaries, which included the flamboyant Jean-Baptiste Lully and François Couperin. Delalande was famous in his day for writing exquisite grands motets (sacred music), popular with the Sun King, Louis XIV. Read more about him here. Here is Delalande’s “Confitebor tibi… Read on

The Suicide of Jeremiah Clarke

Today is a tragic day for lovers of the Baroque. Jeremiah Clarke, Baroque composer & organist at the Chapel Royal, committed suicide on this day 1 December, 1707, by shooting himself in the head. Born around 1674 and having been tutored under great Baroque composer John Blow and having obtained the distinguished role of being the first organist at… Read on

Claudio Monteverdi

Amazing Late Renaissance/Early Baroque composer, Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi, died on this day the 29th of November, 1643. Below is Monteverdi’s Magnificat: Born in 1567, Monteverdi was one of the major transitional composers to span the Renaissance to the Baroque, and in doing so, composed some of the most beautiful music of his time. Here is Monteverdi’s “Lamento… Read on

The Birth of François Couperin

François Couperin, also known as Couperin le Grand, French Baroque composer, was born on this day the 10th of November, 1668 (New Style), in Paris, France. I was first exposed to Couperin’s music when I was a little girl, listening to the radio programme, Sunday Baroque. Later, when I had moved out of America, I listened to Baroque… Read on

Heinrich Schütz’s Birthday

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

The Death of Antonio Cifra

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