What happens when your need for control goes wrong? A conducting injury led to Jean-Baptiste Lully’s death from gangrene. After climbing to the highest heights in the musical establishment of the French court and being forgiven by the king multiple times for his “scandalous” behavior, he was essentially brought down by his own success (while celebrating the recovery of the king, no less).
Read more here! Jean-Baptiste Lully: the Baroque composer who died of gangrene
And what was my earworm last week? This fun movement from Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3!
Trying to identify a (still unidentified) earworm this past weekend led me back to Handel's Water Music - and how could I resist sharing one of my favorite movements? Enjoy the Bouree and Hornpipe!
One of my favorite pieces by Henry Purcell is perfect for the liturgical season of Lent (which we're in right now), and also for reflecting on the day the freelance musician world crashed to a halt 3 years ago. It's amazing to hear what he can create with two melodic ideas and a simple bit of text!
Every article about Charles Ignatius Sancho provides a little more info - this time it’s about his use of horns in his compositions and the legacy of horn players at the time!
Ash Wednesday is this week, known to many fellow sopranos as "Allegri day". But there are so many fantastic settings of Psalm 51 that could be used instead... Like this gorgeous one!
Here's another fantastic recording from I Fagiolini - this time it's one of my favorite madrigals by John Wilbye! No fa la la's, no nymphs and shepherds, and no romping through the forests - this one is all about the pains of love.
2023 is the 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd, so what better Nunc dimittis to share than his? This fantastic piece is taken from his collection “Gradualia” and is one of my favorite settings of possibly my favorite text!
Ever wondered what it would be like if early music was a movie? I Fagiolini did exactly this with Giovanni Croce’s “Il gioca dell’oca” from 1595! Have a watch/listen and enjoy!
Castrati... Not music history’s finest hour. Here’s a good survey of WHY this was a thing, courtesy of Early Music Sources!