I've joked about my spring season including Bach (B minor mass), Beethoven (Symphony No. 9) and Brahms (Requiem), but how were those composers linked together? Here's your trivia fact for the week!
Frescobaldi on Kantele
I'm not usually a fan of pieces being performed on instruments for which they weren't intended, but this Frescobaldi on Finnish kantele was too beautiful to keep to myself!
He sent a thick darkness...
Handel's "Israel in Egypt" doesn't explicitly talk about an eclipse, but there is a mention of darkness over all the land. Here's a soundtrack for the eclipse watching today!
Regina coeli - Agricola
How about a sublime Regina coeli setting for Easter Monday? I came across this version by Agricola this week and it was the 3 minutes of beauty that my weekend needed!
Period Composition
Is imitation the highest form of flattery? What about forgery? Early Music Sources takes on period composition with some GREAT stories of scandal and deliberate misattribution, as well as previews of some current composers worth exploring!
Christiane Eberhardine
Step 1: refuse to convert to Catholicism (which was required to be crowned Queen of Poland)
Step 2: die
Step 3: Bach writes you a cantata
…read more on Wikipedia
Scarlatti Stabat Mater
Domenico Scarlatti's keyboard music gets more attention but he also wrote vocal music, including this beautiful 10-voice setting of the "Stabat Mater" which I learned for the first time this past week!
Editions
Why sing from an edition when you could sing from a source? What makes a good edition? Thanks to Early Music Sources for explaining why editions matter in this fantastic video!
P.S. One exception: if there were neumes, sing from neumes. Otherwise I'm all for using a good edition!
Bayard Rustin
Many people recognize the name "Bayard Rustin" in connection with the Civil Rights movement. But what do you know about Bayard Rustin, the musician?
Israel in Egypt
Did you miss Handel and Haydn Society's "Israel in Egypt" this past October? You can listen to the performance here!