My friend Anna de Bakker is working on a fantastic project to trace what happened to medieval chant books - check it out!
Ave Maria
Sang this glorious Ave Maria setting by Victoria yesterday and had to find a good recording to share (thanks to The Marian Consort!) What a nice change from the four-voice one!
Lo, how a Rose
After a week with True Concord singing "Lo, how a Rose" in 5 beautiful concerts, I had to share my favorite instrumental version from Praetorius' Dances from Terpsichore by Voices of Music!
CPE Bach - Heilig
Last weekend's phenomenal concerts with the Handel and Haydn Society included this fantastic piece by CPE Bach (sung by the Rheinische Kantorei in this recording)
Ornamentation in Monteverdi
Ornamentation - one of the most discussed topics in Early Music. How much? What type? Where? Here's an interesting discussion of those issues as they apply to Monteverdi!
Messiah: Fact or Fiction?
In honor of the return of Messiah Season, check out this fantastic article by the Handel and Haydn Society and come join us this coming weekend if you're in the Boston area!
Asciugate
My take on Gesualdo? He wrote in the same style as other composers of his day. The combo of privilege and scandal are part of why we know his work, but the other part is that it's just really cool. Here's my favorite of his madrigals! This was the first one I learned and the one that prompted Tramontana’s first program of Monteverdi, Marenzio, and Gesualdo!
Who's afraid of Carlo Gesualdo?
So let's talk about Gesualdo. Standing at the crossroads of privilege, scandal, and chromaticism, is he worth the hype? Was he really that much of an oddity? Early Music Sources has some answers!
Women Composers by Time Period
Want to include more women on your concert programs? Check out this listing by time period!
Mille Regretz
Regrets? We all have them. Check out this awesome video from Early Music Sources about how Josquin worked through his!