Confronting the past can be uncomfortable but it's SO important not only to inform our present but also to keep from losing contributions of forgotten musicians like Sawney Freeman. What an important effort from the Episcopal church, library, and musician communities in Connecticut! Make sure to watch the video as well to hear his music!
Anonymous lute piece
How much of our opinion of a piece of music is based on the music, and how much comes from the reputation of the composer? Works by the prolific composer Anonymous remove one element of that equation!
Beethoven's 9th Symphony
Have you ever seen the manuscript of Beethoven's 9th Symphony? Wonder what edits Beethoven made to the score? Check out this post from Bärenreiter-Verlag!
The magic table
Remember writing all of your notes for a test on a notecard in the tiniest handwriting you could manage? This chart is kind of like that. Early Music Sources explains it all, with some bonus shoutouts to Thomas Morley!
He gave them hailstones for rain
I love the way Handel depicted the rain, fire, and hailstones in this movement from "Israel in Egypt", even if it does sound like a pretty happy weather event!
The 3Bs
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!