Baroque on Music Theory Print

Abraham van den Kerckhoven

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Abraham van den Kerckhoven (c. 1618 – c. 1701) was a Flemish organist and composer. He was active in Brussels, working as organist at the local Saint Catherine’s Church and as court organist. He was held in high regard by his contemporaries. A single collection of his works survives, containing numerous short versets and several longer works for organ, displaying his mastery of counterpoint and revealing the influence of various other composers, particularly Peeter Cornet. Biography The exact date and place of van den Kerckhoven’s birth is unknown. It is likely that he was born around 1618. The van den Kerckhoven family, which was active in Brussels as early as the late 16th century, included many distinguished artists, singers, and organists. Several van den Kerckhovens served at the royal chapel, and many were organists at local churches. From about 1632 Abraham was working in Brussels as second organist at the Saint Catherine’s Church (Sint-Katharinakerk or Sint-Katerijnekerk), and in 1634 he became first organist of the same church, succeeding one François Cornet. Van den Kerckhoven held the position for almost 70 years, until his death in late 1701. He was apparently able to c

Adam Drese

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Adam Drese (December 1620 – 15 February 1701 in Arnstadt) was a German composer, kapellmeister, and bass viol player of the baroque period. Life Adam Drese was born in the German state of Thuringia. He became a musician at the court of Duke Wilhelm IV of Saxe-Weimar in Weimar before being sent by the duke to Warsaw to study with Marco Scacchi. He returned to Weimar and was appointed as the duke’s Kapellmeister in 1652. In 1662, after the death of Duke Wilhelm IV, the Hofkapelle was disbanded, the duke’s son, duke Bernhard took Drese to Jena, where he appointed him as his Kapellmeister, secretary and also the town mayor from 1672. Despite Duke Bernhards’s death in 1678, Drese remained in Jena until 1683, when he found another post as Kapellmeister, to the Count of Schwarzburg at Arnstadt. He remained in Arnstadt until his death in 1701. Works It is thought that most of Drese’s output has been lost. His surviving pieces include sacred and secular vocal works, as well as some instrumental Sonatas and Suites. Most notably, 3 sonatas by Drese were included in the 1662 manuscript collection Partiturbuch Ludwig. He became known in his time for the composition of several chorale melodies w

Adam Michna z Otradovic

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Adam Michna z Otradovic, or also Adam Václav Michna z Otradovic – literally Adam Michna of Otradovice (c. 1600 – 2 November 1676, Jindřichův Hradec), was a Czech Catholic poet, composer, hymn writer, organist and choir leader of the early Baroque era. He is also known in simplified form as Adam Michna and during his life as Adamus Wenceslaus Michna de Ottradowicz. He was the most important Czech composer and poet of the early Baroque who initiated the development of Czech art in that era and became a significant inspiration for Czech artists of future generations. Life Michna was descended from the noble and musical family of Michna z Otradovic in Jindřichův Hradec in South Bohemia, bearing the title of Knight. His father was the organist and trumpeter Michael Michna (many of his other relatives were also trumpeters). In the 1620s the literary fraternity in the town was restored by the highest Lord Chancellor of the Kingdom of Bohemia Vilém Slavata and that act, together with the activities of the Jesuit College, founded in 1594, contributed greatly to the development of cultural life in the town. Adam Michna became the first student at the Jesuit College, where he studied in 1611–

Agostino Agresta

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Agostino Agresta (fl. 1600–1617) was a Neapolitan composer working at the beginning of the 17th century, who can be seen as having been strongly influenced by Carlo Gesualdo. Agresta’s only known surviving works are unaccompanied madrigals, including a complete book of six-voice pieces. Biography Incredibly little is known about the life and career of Agresta, including neither the circumstances of his birth or death. Apart from his works (discussed below), there are only two contemporary or near-contemporary references to him. He and his elder brother Giovanni Antonio are listed together in the third book of Scipione Cerreto’s 1601 Della prattica musicale as excellent composers operating in Naples (‘Compositori eccellenti della Città di Napoli, che oggi vivono’); however, no works by Giovanni Antonio survive. And a 1664 work by the Neapolitan scholar Camillo Tutini lists him as a madrigalist in a section devoted to promoting the cultural claims of Naples against Rome. Madrigali a sei voci … Libro primo (1617) Agresta’s only surviving book of madrigals, Madrigali a sei voci … Libro primo, was published in Naples in 1617 by Costantino Vitale, and dedicated to Don Roderico di Sal

Agostino Steffani

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Agostino Steffani (25 July 165412 February 1728) was an Italian bishop, polymath, diplomat and composer. Education Steffani was born at Castelfranco Veneto on 25 July 1654. As a boy he was admitted as a chorister at San Marco, Venice. Steffani excelled as a choirboy and was asked to sing at important occasions. Aged 11 and 12 he sang opera in Venice. Aged 13 Steffani received patronage and he moved to Munich. Steffani’s education was completed at the expense of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria, who appointed him Churfürstlicher Kammer- und Hofmusikus and granted him a liberal salary. After receiving instruction from Johann Kaspar Kerll, in whose charge he lived, Steffani was sent in 1673 to study in Rome, where Ercole Bernabei was his master, and among other works he composed six motets, the original manuscripts of which are now in the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge. On his return to Munich with Bernabei in 1674, Steffani published his first work, Psalmodia vespertina, a part of which was reprinted in Giovanni Battista Martini’s Saggio di contrappunto in 1774. In 1675, Steffani was appointed court organist. Royal appointments The date when he was ordained priest, with the title

Agostino Tinazzoli

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Agostino Tinazzoli (Bologna, ca. 1660Sant’Angelo in Vado, 10 February 1725) In jail, he may have written the “In carcere penoso privo” cantata. After being released, he went back to his birthplace, Emilia-Romagna, and then moved to Recanati, Marche, where he was appointed Maestro di cappella and opera director in 1720. His compositions include cantatas, Drammi per musica, Keyboard works. In October 1718, Tinazzoli played at James Francis Edward Stuart’s court-in-exile in Urbino. David Nairne, Stuart’s Secretary of the Closet for private letters and dispatches, described Tinazzoli as “one of the best players on the harpsichord and ablest masters of music in Italy”. Recordings * Complete Keyboard Works, Simone Pierini Harpsichord & Organ, Brilliant Classics 96875, 2023 References General references * CD notes to Complete Keyboard Works, Simone Pierini Harpsichord & Organ, Brilliant Classics 96875, 2023 External links * Works by Agostino Tinazzoli in MLOL, Horizons Unlimited. * * *

Albertus Bryne

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Albertus Bryne (variants: Albert Bryan; Albert Brian) (ca. 1621 – 2 December 1668) was an English organist and composer. Biography His teacher was John Tomkins, organist of St Paul’s Cathedral, a role in which he succeeded his teacher in 1638. He was dismissed from the post by the Puritans and, during the Commonwealth, taught the harpsichord. He returned to St Paul’s at the Restoration but was not granted a request to be made organist of the Chapel Royal, Whitehall. He took up a post at Westminster Abbey after the Great Fire of London, and was succeeded by John Blow upon his death in 1668. He continued to receive a salary from St. Paul’s until his death. According to Anthony Wood, he was buried in the cloisters at Westminster Abbey, but his grave has not been found. He was respected in his time as ’that famously velvet fingered Organist’ (J. Batchiler, The Virgin’s Pattern, 1661) and ‘an excellent musician (Wood). He was one of the finest English harpsichord composers of the time and exerted a significant influence on later composers. His suites are among the earliest surviving English examples with four movements. Albertus Bryne II His son, also called Albertus, worked with him at

Alessandro Besozzi

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Alessandro Besozzi (born 22 July 1702 in Parma – died 26 July 1793 in Turin) was an Italian composer and virtuoso oboist. He was a member of the ducal Guardia Irlandese from 1714, a hautboy band created by Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma in 1702, where he worked with his father Cristoforo Besozzi and his brothers Giuseppe and Paolo Girolamo Besozzi. After leaving the company on 20 April 1731, he worked in Turin with his brother Paolo Girolamo at the court of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia. The uncle of Antonio Besozzi and Gaetano Besozzi, he played concerts in various European cities with his younger brother Paolo. They went to Paris to play in the Concert Spirituel from 30 March to 29 May 1735, taking part for a time in the musical chapel of Versailles. and had many students who became successful musicians themselves like Johann Christian Fischer and Georg Druschetzky. Works Alessandro Besozzi is the author of nearly two hundred chamber works composed for various groups of instruments, although only one of them was published in his lifetime. He wrote over a hundred sonatas, 65 trios, six oboe concertos, two for flute, and twelve trio sonatas. * 6 Trio sonatas for flute, viola wit

Alessandro Marcello

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Alessandro Ignazio Marcello (; 1 February 1673 – 19 June 1747 ) was an Italian nobleman and composer. Biography Born in Venice, Marcello was the son of a senator, and as a member of the noble Marcello family, enjoyed a comfortable life that gave him the freedom to pursue his interest in music. He held concerts in his hometown and composed and published several sets of concertos, including six under the title of La Cetra (The Lyre), as well as cantatas, arias, canzonetti, and violin sonatas. A contemporary of Tomaso Albinoni, and a slightly older contemporary of Antonio Vivaldi, Marcello often composed under the pseudonym Eterio Stinfalico, his name as a member of the celebrated Arcadian Academy (Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi). Marcello died in Venice in 1747 and was buried on his family’s countryside estate in Paviola near Padua. Rosanna Scalfi, a singer and composer, was the widow of Alessandro’s better-known brother Benedetto Marcello. As their 1728 marriage had not been sanctioned by the state due to her being of common birth, she was unable to inherit his estate, and in 1742 filed suit against Alessandro seeking financial support. Works Although most of Marcello’s works are

Alessandro Melani

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Alessandro Melani (4 February 1639 – 3 October 1703) was an Italian composer and the brother of composer Jacopo Melani, and castrato singer Atto Melani. Along with Bernardo Pasquini and Alessandro Scarlatti, he was one of the leading composers active in Rome during the 17th century. He is also ranked among the second school of Roman opera composers which began with his brother’s 1668 opera Il Girello. He is chiefly remembered today for his large output of liturgical music that he wrote while serving in various musical posts in Rome. Of particular interest is the large number of polychoral motets that he produced and his eight ascribed oratorios. Three published collections of his liturgical music survive today along with numerous solitary motets from other published volumes. A number of original manuscripts also survive. Biography Born in Pistoia, Melani began singing at the Pistoia Cathedral at the age of 11, remaining there for ten years until he became maestro di cappella in Orvieto in 1663 and Ferrara in 1665. He returned to Pistoia in December 1666 to replace his brother as maestro di cappella of the cathedral in June 1667. The following October, he was appointed maestro di ca

Alessandro Poglietti

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Alessandro Poglietti (early 17th century – July 1683) was a Baroque organist and composer of unknown origin. In the second half of the 17th century Poglietti settled in Vienna, where he attained an extremely high reputation, becoming one of Leopold I’s favorite composers. Poglietti held the post of court organist for 22 years from 1661 until his death during the Turkish siege that led into the Battle of Vienna. Poglietti is primarily important for his keyboard music, particularly Rossignolo (1677), a collection of diverse pieces for harpsichord that includes a large number of imitations of natural sounds, and a collection of 12 ricercares, which was widely copied during his lifetime. Life Nothing is known of Poglietti’s origins and early life. Tuscany and Bohemia have been suggested as his possible birthplace. He may have received musical training in Rome or Bologna. Towards the 1660s Poglietti settled in Vienna: in early 1661 he became organist and Kapellmeister at the Jesuit church Zu den neun Chören der Engel (Nine Choirs of Angels), and on 1 July 1661 he was appointed organist of the court Kapelle under Leopold I (a post previously held by none other than Johann Jakob Froberger

Alessandro Scarlatti

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Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was an Italian Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the Neapolitan School of opera. Nicknamed by his contemporaries “the Italian Orpheus”, he divided his career between Naples and Rome; a significant part of his works was composed for the papal city. He is often considered the founder of the Neapolitan School, although he has only been its most illustrious representative: his contribution, his originality and his influence were essential, as well as lasting, both in Italy and in Europe. Particularly known for his operas, he brought the Italian dramatic tradition to its maximum development, begun by Monteverdi at the beginning of 17th century and continued by Cesti, Cavalli, Carissimi, Legrenzi and Stradella, designing the final form of the da capo aria, imitated throughout Europe. He was also the inventor of the Italian overture in three movements (which was of the highest importance in the development of the symphony), of the four-part sonata (progenitor of the modern string quartet), and of the technique of motivic development

Alessandro Stradella

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Antonio Alessandro Boncompagno Stradella (Bologna, 3 July 1643 – Genoa, 25 February 1682) was an Italian composer of the middle Baroque period. He enjoyed a dazzling career as a freelance composer, writing on commission, and collaborating with distinguished poets, producing over three hundred works in a variety of genres. Life Stradella was born in Bologna on 3 July 1643 to the aristocrats Marc’Antonio Stradella (1579-1649) from Nepi (in the province of Viterbo), and his second wife, Vittoria Bartoli from Orvieto, and baptised Antonio Alessandro Boncompagno Stradella on 1 August 1643 in Bologna. His godfather in proxy was , who had appointed his father vice-marquis of Vignola on 7 June 1642. Although the family resided in Nepi, they were temporarily in Bologna, taking refuge from papal troops attacking Vignola. He was educated at Rome, and was already making a name for himself as a composer at the age of 24. In 1667 he composed a Latin oratorio (lost) for the Confraternity of Crocifisso di San Marcello and in the following year the serenata La Circe for the Princess of Rossano Olimpia Aldobrandini Pamphilj. In 1671–72 he collaborated in staging some operas, two by Francesco Cavalli

Alonso Xuárez

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Alonso Xuárez de la Fuente Fuensalida (Toledo), 14 de abril de 1640 - Cuenca, 26 de junio de 1696, renowned musician of the Spanish Baroque, and a disciple of Tomás Miciezes el mayor in the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales of Madrid. He worked as chapel master in the cathedrals of Cuenca and Seville. The historiographical ambiguity about the nature of this prominent polychoralist persisted until 2011, when Profesor of Music at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, José Luis de la Fuente Charfolé, managed to locate his birth certificate in the parish of San Juan Bautista in the town of Fuensalida (Toledo). En la parroquial de Fuensalida en veintiocho de abril de mil y seisçientos y cuarenta años yo el licenciado Alonso del Caño y Robles, cura propio de la dicha villa bauticé a Alonso, hijo de Juan Bautista y de Ana de la Fuente, su mujer, el cual nació a catorce de abril de este año, fueron sus padrinos el licenciado Francisco Díaz Romo, y comadre mayor doña Maria Romo y Aguilar, su hija, y se les advirtió el parentesco espiritual que contraían con este bautizado y con sus padres, y lo firmé, Juan Ximenez. His works are distributed among the cathedrals of Cuenca and Seville; individu

Alphonsus Liguori

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Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (27 September 1696 – 1 August 1787) was an Italian Catholic bishop and saint, as well as a spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philosopher, and theologian. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as the Redemptorists, in November 1732. In 1762, he was appointed Bishop of Sant’Agata de’ Goti. A prolific writer, he published nine editions of his Moral Theology in his lifetime, in addition to other devotional and ascetic works and letters. Among his best known works are The Glories of Mary and The Way of the Cross, the latter still used in parishes during Lenten devotions. He is also associated with the manualist tradition of moral theology and seminary education, which was highly influential in the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was canonised in 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1871. A frequently cited Catholic author, he is the patron saint of confessors. Early years He was born in Marianella, near Naples, then part of the Kingdom of Naples, on 27 September 1696. He was the eldest of seven children of Giuseppe Liguori, a naval officer and Captain of

André Campra

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André Campra (; baptized 4 December 1660 – 29 June 1744) was a French composer and conductor of the Baroque era. The leading French opera composer in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau, Campra wrote several tragédies en musique and opéra-ballets that were extremely well received. He also wrote three books of cantatas as well as religious music, including a requiem. Biography Campra was the son of Giovanni Francesco Campra, a surgeon and violinist from Graglia, Italy, and Louise Fabry, from Aix-en-Provence. His father was his first music teacher. He was baptised on 4 December 1660 in the Église de la Madeleine in Aix. He became a choirboy in the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur there in 1674 and commenced ecclesiastical studies four years later. He was reprimanded by his superiors in 1681 for having taken part in theatrical performances without permission, but was nevertheless made a chaplain on 27 May of that year. He served as maître de musique (music director) at the cathedrals of Arles and Toulouse and then, from 1694 to 1700, served in a similar capacity at the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. André Campra introduced violins into the performance of sacred

André Cardinal Destouches

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André Cardinal Destouches (sometimes called des Touches) (baptised 6 April 1672 – 7 February 1749) was a French composer best known for the opéra-ballet Les élémens. Biography Born in Paris, the son of Étienne Cardinal, a wealthy merchant, André Cardinal was educated by Jesuits. With the Jesuit Father Guy Tachard, he went on a mission to Siam for two years, leaving in January 1687, and spending some time at the Cape of Good Hope, arriving in Siam in September. Coming back to France, in September 1688, he spent several months at the academy in the Manège royal, rue de Tournon. In 1692 he joined the army and participated in the invasion of Namur, discovering his musical talent while not occupied by combat. When his father died in August 1694, André Cardinal added “Destouches” to his name in memory of his father’s title, Seigneur des Touches et de Guilleville. He quit the army in 1696 to pursue his musical aspirations. Destouches’ opera Issé was performed for Louis XIV at the Trianon in 1697. Louis was impressed and said that he enjoyed his music as much as that of Jean-Baptiste Lully. The opera was successfully repeated at the Opéra a few weeks later. The following year found him di

André Danican Philidor the Elder

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André Danican Philidor the elder French: l’aîné (c. 1652, Versailles – 11 August 1730, Dreux), a member of the Philidor family of French musicians and referred to as André Danican Philidor le père after 1709, was a music librarian, instrumentalist, and composer. He is chiefly known as the organizer and principal copyist of what is now known as the Philidor Collection of French Baroque manuscript scores. Career as a librarian and copyist He was appointed Garde de la Bibliothèque de la Musique du Roi (Keeper of the King’s Music Library) sometime before 1684, although in 1694 he claimed to have been working as music librarian for 30 years. Philidor Collection Philidor’s atelier prepared manuscript copies of much of the music performed at the Palace of Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV, as well as some dating back to the reign of Henri IV. The earliest known copy is dated 1681. and the . A large number of manuscripts that Philidor prepared for the Count of Toulouse were owned by St Michael’s College, Tenbury. When these were sold in 1978, a number of volumes returned to France (Paris and Versailles). ) after Lully’s death in 1687. He may have hoped to be appointed to Lully’s pos

André Raison

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André Raison (c. 1640 – 1719) was a French Baroque composer and organist. During his lifetime he was one of the most famous French organists and an important influence on French organ music. He published two collections of organ works, in 1688 and 1714. The first contains liturgical music intended for monasteries and a preface with information on contemporary performance practice. The second contains mostly noëls (variations on Christmas carols). Life The exact date and place of Raison’s birth are unknown. He was born in the 1640s, possibly in or near the town of Nanterre (today a suburb of Paris). He was educated there at the seminary of the Church of St. Geneviève (today a commune of Paris). Raison’s later life was evidently greatly influenced by the experiences at St. Geneviève. Writing in 1687 or 1688 (in the preface to his Premier livre d’orgue, published in 1688) the composer mentioned that he found the purpose of his life while studying at the seminary. Around 1665–66 Raison was appointed organist of the Abbey of St Genevieve in Paris, another place connected to St Genevieve and one that owned the land on which the Nanterre church stood. In Paris Raison first lived in a room

Andrea Zani

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Andrea Teodoro Zani (11 November 1696 – 28 September 1757) was an Italian violinist and composer. Life Zani was born at Casalmaggiore in the Province of Cremona. He received his first instruction in playing the violin from his father, an amateur violinist. Subsequently, he received instruction in composition from Giacomo Civeri, a local musician, and studied violin in Guastalla with the court violinist Carlo Ricci. Antonio Caldara, who was working as Capellmeister at the court of Archduke Ferdinand Charles in Mantua, not far from Casalmaggiore, heard Zani play and invited him to accompany him to Vienna. Between 1727 and 1729 Zani arrived in Vienna and was active there as a violinist in the service of the Habsburgs. Following the death of his sponsor Caldara in 1736, he returned to Casalmaggiore where he remained for the rest of his life, except for occasional concert appearances. He died in his home town as the result of an accident, when the carriage in which he was travelling to Mantua overturned. Style and significance Zani’s works show the influence of Antonio Vivaldi, but are somewhat less sweeping. His op. 2, published in 1729, is of great historical importance because it is

Andreas Hammerschmidt

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Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611 or 1612 – 29 October 1675) was a German Bohemian composer and organist of the early to middle Baroque era. He was one of the most significant and popular composers of sacred music in Germany in the middle 17th century. He was nicknamed the “Orpheus of Zittau”. Life He was born in Brüx to a Saxon father and a Bohemian mother. In 1626 the family had to flee Bohemia, during the Thirty Years’ War, after it had become Catholic; they settled in Freiberg, Saxony, where Andreas must have received his musical education. He probably did not study with composer Christoph Demantius, who was Kantor at Freiberg and the most significant musician in the city while Hammerschmidt was there; however he may have known him. Many famous musicians of the early Baroque spent time in Freiberg but it is uncertain which of them taught Hammerschmidt; at any rate he received a superb musical training while there. Hammerschmidt left Freiberg in 1633, through his mentor Stephan Otto, taking a post as organist for Count Rudolf von Bünau in Weesenstein, but returned to Freiberg the next year as an organist. He was married shortly after his return there, and of his six children three die

Andreas Hofer (composer)

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Andreas Hofer (ca. 1629 – 25 February 1684) was a German composer of the Baroque period. Hofer was born at Reichenhall. He was a contemporary of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, whose predecessor he was in Salzburg in his office of Inspector and Hofkapellmeister, i.e., director of the court orchestra. Like Biber, Hofer was noted for his large-scale polychoral sacred works. It has been suggested that Hofer was the composer of the famous Missa Salisburgensis à 53 voci, which earlier had been attributed to Orazio Benevoli, although it is now accepted that it was the work of Biber. Hofer died at Salzburg. His compositions contain significant roles for instruments like the cornetto, trombone or sackbut and trumpet. Little of his music has been performed or recorded in recent times; several scores, however, have been made available. Compositions *Missa Archi Episcopalis à 19: 8 Voci Concertati SSAA/TTBB, 2 Violini, 2 Viole, 2 Cornetti, 2 Trombettae (“Clarini”), 3 Tromboni, Organo con Violone (1668?) *Missa valete: SSATB, 2 Violini, 2 Viole, 2 Trombettae, 2 Cornetti, 3 Tromboni, Organo, Violone. *Dextera Domini à 17: SATB, SATB, 2 Cornetti, 3 Tromboni, 4 Viole da Braccia, Organo. *Fundata

Andreas Kneller

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Andreas Kneller (variants: Kniller, Knöller, Knüller) (23 April 1649 – 24 August 1724) was a German composer and organist of the North German school. Life Born in Lübeck, he was the younger brother of portrait painter Sir Godfrey Kneller. Nothing certain is known about his musical education, though he may have learnt from Franz Tunder (1614–1667), organist of St. Mary’s Church, Lübeck, or his own uncle Matthias Weckmann (ca. 1616–1674), organist of St. Jacob’s Church, Hamburg. In 1667, he became organist of the Marktkirche in Hanover, succeeding Melchior Schildt (1592–1667). In 1685, he moved to Hamburg, where he became organist of the Petrikirche. It was there that he made the acquaintance of Johann Adam Reincken; he went on to marry his daughter Margaretha Maria in 1686. Kneller’s son-in-law Johann Jacob Hencke became his assistant in 1717, and succeeded in him in 1723. Kneller was well respected as a musician, and often acted as an examiner of organs and organists. He was part of the group that examined the candidates for organist at the Jacobikirche, Hamburg, in 1720, which included J.S. Bach (though he did not appear for an audition, he was still chosen for the post but had to

Andreas Oswald

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Andreas Oswald (also: Johann Andreas Uswalt or Ußwaldt, baptised 9 December 1634 in Weimar – 1665 in Eisenach) was a German organist and composer of the baroque period. Life Born in Weimar, Andreas Oswald was the son of Andreas Oswald Sr., who was the court organist there. In 1643, it is presumed that he moved to Eisenach where his father had gained the position of town organist. At the age of 15, Andreas Jr. was hired as court organist in Weimar, the position which his father had once held. Thus, he was one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s predecessors. After the court orchestra was disbanded in 1662, forced to seek employment elsewhere, Oswald obtained the position as town organist in Eisenach, succeeding his father who had recently died. Although employed as an organist, he obtained a reputation in Eisenach as a virtuoso performer on the violin and other instruments. He remained in Eisenach until his death in 1665, aged 30. He was succeeded by Johann Christoph Bach, the uncle of Johann Sebastian Bach. We owe the survival of all but one of Oswald’s surviving works to the efforts of Jakob Ludwig, who in 1662, compiled the Partiturbuch Ludwig, a manuscript of 100 instrumental works as a

Andreas Werckmeister

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Andreas Werckmeister (November 30, 1645 – October 26, 1706) was a German organist, music theorist, and composer of the Baroque era. He was responsible for a temperament that resulted in all tonalities sounding acceptable on the keyboard. This important step toward equal temperament was highly influential to the harmonic basis underlying much of subsequent Western music. Life Born in Benneckenstein, Werckmeister attended schools in Nordhausen and Quedlinburg. He received his musical training from his uncles Heinrich Christian Werckmeister and Heinrich Victor Werckmeister. In 1664 he became an organist in Hasselfelde; ten years later in Elbingerode; and in 1696 of the Martinskirche in Halberstadt. He died in Halberstadt. Musical compositions Of his compositions only a booklet remains: pieces for violin with basso continuo, with the title Musikalische Privatlust (1689). Also some organ works remain: Canzon in a-minor, Canzona in d-minor, Praeludium ex G, Canzonetta in D-major. Theoretical works Werckmeister is best known today as a theorist, in particular through his writings Musicae mathematicae hodegus curiosus… (1687) and Musikalische Temperatur (1691), in which he described a sy

Angelo Berardi

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Angelo Berardi (c. 1636 in Sant’Agata Feltria – 9 April 1694 in Rome) was an Italian music theorist and composer. Berardi was born in Sant’Agata Feltria. From 1662 he was maestro di cappella in Montefiascone, in the province of Viterbo, Lazio. He studied under Marco Scacchi at Gallese at some time between 1650 and Scacchi’s death in 1662; he included two motets by Scacchi in Book 1 of his Documenti armonici of 1687, and also cites him frequently. By 1667, when his Salmi vespertini concertati, Op. 4, were published, Berardi was maestro di cappella at the cathedral in Viterbo. He was organist and maestro di cappella at Tivoli from 21 September 1673 to 1679, and maestro di cappella and “professor of music” at the cathedral in Spoleto in 1681 or from 1679–1683. He died in Rome in 1694. Berardi composed a significant body of work, mostly of a sacred nature, but he is better known for his writings on music theory and counterpoint. His first treatise, published in 1670 or in any case before 1681, has not survived, but is referred to in his Ragionamenti musicali (1681), which deals with the origins of music and the proliferation of musical styles. Both the Documenti armonici (1687) and the

Anna Magdalena Bach

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Anna Magdalena Bach (née Wilcke; 22 September 1701 – 27 February 1760) was a German professional singer and the second wife of Johann Sebastian Bach. Biography Anna Magdalena Wilcke was born at Zeitz, in the Duchy of Saxe-Zeitz. While little is known about her early musical education, the family was musical. Her father, Johann Caspar Wilcke (c. 1660–1733), was a trumpet player, who had a career at the courts of Zeitz and Weißenfels. Her mother, Margaretha Elisabeth Liebe, was the daughter of an organist. By 1721, Anna Magdalena was employed as a soprano singer at the princely court of Anhalt-Cöthen. Johann Sebastian Bach had been working there as Capellmeister (director of music) since December 1717. Johann Sebastian, 36, married the 20-year-old Anna Magdalena on 3 December of that year, seventeen months after the death of his first wife, Maria Barbara Bach. Later that month, the couple’s employer, Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen, married Frederica Henriette of Anhalt-Bernburg. Bach believed the princess’ lack of interest in music caused the musical life at the court to decline, although there is evidence that other factors were involved. There were budgetary constraints of which B

Anne Danican Philidor

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Anne Danican Philidor (11 April 1681 – 8 October 1728) was a French woodwind player and composer of the Philidor family. Born in Paris on 11 April 1681, his grandfather and father were also professional woodwind players in the king’s service. Anne was named for his godfather Anne Jules de Noailles. His composition “L’Amour vainqueur” was given a court performance in 1697, financially backed by his godfather. In addition to his playing duties he was the king’s musical librarian. He assembled several hundred portfolios of music, both instrumental and operatic, several of which are well-preserved in French libraries. Anne is best remembered today for having founded the Concert Spirituel, an important series of public concerts held in the palace of the Tuileries from 1725 to 1791. His compositions include a few religious pieces and two books for solo instrument and continuo which include a sonata in d-minor which has been recorded several times. Compositions Orchestral works * 1697 L’Amour vainqueur, pastorale * 1698 Diane et Endimion, pastorale heroïque * 1698 Air à boire * 1699 Bourrée et trio * 1700 Les Amazones, mascarade * 1700 Le Lendemain de la noce de village, mascarade * 1712

Annibal Gantez

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Annibal Gantez (24 December 1607 – 1668) was a French composer and singer from the Baroque era. He is undoubtedly one of the most striking examples of a “vicarious” chapel master, that is, moving from post to post to earn a living, as many of his 17th century colleagues did. His route can be traced from two types of sources: letters from L’Entretien des musiciens, which he published in 1643, and various archival documents. Biography Born in Marseille, Gantez was baptized at the Notre-Dame La Major Cathedral. He was the son of Jean Gantez Gantes, Gantès, Ganteze… (whose father was a tailor and a native of Cuers) and Marie Joly Jollie . His parents had married in Aix-en-Provence on 19 September 1599. He was a godchild of Annibal Pollalion and Marquise Visse. As is often the case at this time, his conditions for learning music are unknown. It is when he reached the age of almost twenty that we begin to be able to follow him on his journey. From Marseille to Marseille via Toulon, Grenoble, Rouen, Le Havre, La Châtre, Aurillac, Avignon, and Montauban He first appeared in Toulon (c. 1627–1628, after Lettre XXVIII), then was maître de chapelle at the collégiale Saint-André de Grenoble f

Anthony Young (musician)

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Anthony Young (January 1683 – 8 May 1747) was an English organist and composer. He was part of a well-known English family of musicians that included several professional singers and organists during the 17th and 18th centuries. Biography Anthony Young was born sometime during January 1683 in the Covent Garden area of London and was baptised on the following 11 February. Born into a musical family, his initial studies were with his father alongside his younger brother Charles Young, who would also become a successful organist and minor composer. As a boy he sang as a chorister at the Chapel Royal until March 1700. Music historian Charles Burney wrote that Anthony was organist at St Katherine Cree from 1702 to 1706, but modern scholarship makes this seem unlikely. He did, however, hold the post at St. Clement Danes from 1707 until his death in London in 1747. Anthony was by all accounts a fantastic organist and highly regarded among his peers. Along with Edward Purcell (eldest son of Henry Purcell), Thomas Arne, William Boyce, Johann Christoph Pepusch, and George Frideric Handel, he was a founder member of the Royal Society of Musicians in 1739. Several of Young’s nieces also had su

Antimo Liberati

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Antimo Liberati (3 April 1617 – 24 February 1692) was an Italian music theorist, composer, and contralto singer. Born in Foligno, Liberati began his musical training began in Rome in 1628 when he was admitted to the choir of San Giovanni in Laterano, at the time under the direction of Antonio Maria Abbatini. He also studied law and fine arts and for a time worked as a notary in Foligno. From 1637 to 1643 Liberati was a court musician in the service of Emperor Ferdinand III and Archduke Leopold in Vienna. He was appointed a member of the Sistine Chapel Choir in 1662, served as its secretary (puntatore) in 1670 and its maestro di cappella in 1674 and 1675. He composed numerous pieces of sacred music of which 22 survive. However, he was primarily known for his writings on music theory, especially Epitome della musica (1666) and Lettera scritta dal sig. Antimo Liberati in risposta ad una del sig. Ovidio Persapegi (1685). The diary which he produced in his year as puntatore of the Sistine Chapel Choir is considered an invaluable source of information on the singers of his day and the workings of the choir. Liberati died in Rome at the age of 74 and was buried in the tomb of the papal si

Antoine de Cousu

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Antoine de Cousu Du Cousu was a French cleric, Kapellmeister, composer and theorist, active in Picardy in the first half of the 17th century. Biography Noyon De Cousu was born in Amiens in the early 17th century. The first mention of him is of a singing post at the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris in 1632. Cousu was later a maître de chapelle at Noyon. Saint-Quentin In February 1635, Mersenne said he was a master of the music of the cathedral of Saint Quentin, and in 1636 mentions him twice as a canon of the collegiate church of the same city. Two notarial acts concerning him are known at Saint-Quentin: on 19 July 1637 he was witness to the marriage contract of Milan de Chauvenet with Catherine Le Sergent; he was also witness to the marriage of Georges de Chauvenet with Marie Le Sergent on 8 September 1641. He died in Saint-Quentin on 11 August 1658 and was buried in the Saint-Nicolas chapel (today Saint-Roch chapel) of the collegiate church of Saint-Quentin. Works Cousu is better known as a theorist than a composer, having left an important treatise on music and a single fantasy with four parts. The Système royal Around 1633, Cousu published a “Système Royal”, dedicated to Louis XIII, pro

Antoine Forqueray

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Antoine Forqueray (September 1672 – 28 June 1745) was a French composer and virtuoso of the viola da gamba. Forqueray, born in Paris, was the first in a line of composers which included his sons Jean-Baptiste (1699–1782) and Nicolas Gilles (1703–1761) as well as his brother Michel (1681–1757). Career at Versailles Forqueray’s exceptional talents as a player led to his performing before Louis XIV at the age of ten. The king was so pleased with him that he arranged for Forqueray to have music lessons at his own expense and then, seven years later, in 1689, named him musicien ordinaire of La chambre du Roy, a position Forqueray held until the end of his life. To supplement his official income he gave lucrative private lessons to members of the royal family and the aristocracy. In Louis XIV’s later years the normal routine of concerts at the court of Versailles was augmented by Mme de Maintenon. She arranged almost daily performances in her apartments by such musicians as Robert de Visée (guitar), René Descoteaux (flute), Jean-Baptise Buterne (harpsichord) as well as Forqueray. Distinctive style At the time of Forqueray’s appointment the most renowned viol player at court was Marin Mar

Antonia Bembo

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Antonia Padoani Bembo (c. 1640 – c. 1720) was a Venetian composer and singer. Life Antonia Padoani Bembo was born in Venice around 1640 as the only daughter of Giacomo Padoani (1603–1666), a doctor, and Diana Paresco (1609–1676). In 1659, she married the Venetian noble Lorenzo Bembo (1637–1703) with whom she had three children. Her husband left her and her children for five years on military duty without providing them any means to survive. She brought him to court over this and relocated to Paris in 1677, with the help of Francesco Corbetta. There she sang for Louis XIV. Louis granted her a pension and housing at the Petite Union Chrétienne des Dames de Saint Chaumont, a religious community. She died in Paris around 1720 She was a contemporary of Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre and Barbara Strozzi. Works Bembo was taught by Francesco Cavalli (who also taught Barbara Strozzi), and wrote in all the major genres of the time, including opera, secular and sacred cantatas, and petit and grand motets. Her work displays a combination of French and Italian styles, using Italian virtuoso elements alongside French dance forms. Much of her work is for soprano voice with continuo accompaniment.

Antonio Caldara

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Antonio Caldara ( – 28 December 1736) was an Italian Baroque composer. Life Caldara was born in Venice (exact date unknown), the son of a violinist. He became a chorister at St Mark’s in Venice, where he learned several instruments, probably under the instruction of Giovanni Legrenzi. In 1699 he relocated to Mantua, where he became maestro di cappella to the inept Charles IV, Duke of Mantua, a pensionary of France with a French wife, who took the French side in the War of the Spanish Succession. Caldara removed from Mantua in 1707, after the French were expelled from Italy, then moved on to Barcelona as chamber composer to Charles III, the pretender to the Spanish throne (following the death of Charles II of Spain in 1700 without any direct heir) and who kept a royal court at Barcelona. There, he wrote some operas that are the first Italian operas performed in Spain. He moved on to Rome, becoming maestro di cappella to Francesco Maria Marescotti Ruspoli, 1st Prince of Cerveteri. While there he wrote in 1710 La costanza in amor vince l’inganno (Faithfulness in Love Defeats Treachery) for the public theatre at Macerata. With the unexpected death of Emperor Joseph I from smallpox at t

Antonio Cesti

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Antonio Cesti (; baptised Pietro Cesti, 5 August 1623; died 14 October 1669), known today primarily as an Italian composer of the Baroque era, was also a singer (tenor) and organist. He was “the most celebrated Italian musician of his generation”. Biography He was baptised Pietro Cesti at Arezzo on 5 August 1623. Claims that he studied with Giacomo Carissimi “appear to be groundless”. After holding a post somewhere in Florence as maestro di cappella, he entered the papal chapel in 1660. In 1666 he became Vice-Kapellmeister at Vienna, and died at Florence in 1669. Music Cesti is known principally as a composer of operas. The most celebrated of these were La Dori (Innsbruck, 1657), Il pomo d’oro (Vienna, 1668) It includes a well-known soprano aria “Intorno all’idol mio” (“Around my idol”). Cesti was also a composer of chamber cantatas, and his operas are notable for the pure and delicate style of their airs, more suited to the chamber than to the stage. In 1655, Cesti’s opera L’Argia was premiered in Innsbruck on the visit of the Swedish Queen Christina to celebrate her conversion to Catholicism. As singer, Cesti performed roles in tenor and later also bass voice. The yearly competit

Antonio de Literes

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Antoni de Literes, also known as Antonio de Literes or Antoni Literes Carrión (18 June 1673 – 18 January 1747), was a Spanish composer of zarzuelas. As with other national forms of baroque opera, Literes’s stage works employ a wide variety of musical forms – arias, ariettas and recitative (accompanied and unaccompanied) as well as dance movements and choruses, though here mingled with spoken verse dialogue. His use of the orchestra follows French and Italian practice in including guitars, lutes, and harpsichords amongst the continuo instruments. Life Literes was born on 18 June 1673 in Mallorca. From 1693, after the exile of his predecessor Sebastián Durón, Literes became the Master of the Capilla Real de Madrid, playing the bass viol and soon being accounted the greatest Spanish court composer of his time. He died on 18 January 1747 in Madrid. Zarzuelas His most famous work was Acis y Galatea (1708), to a libretto by José de Canizares, which enjoyed frequent performances in Madrid’s Spanish court and public theatres until at least 1774. After 200 years of neglect it was recorded on CD in 2003 by Al Ayre Español, with an enthusiastic critical response. Another of his best zarzuelas

Antonio de Salazar (composer)

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Antonio de Salazar (or Zalazar) (c.1650–1715) was a Novohispano composer of the Baroque period. Life Salazar was born in Puebla de los Angeles, current Mexico. He was first given the role of maestro de capilla at Puebla Cathedral in July of 1679. This position included skills regarding composition, teaching, and performing. Salazar would give lessons in polyphonic music to the cathedral staff while providing copies of his compositions to the archive. During this time, Salazar was being paid for his composed villancicos and chanzonetas. Salazar composed Latin motes, hymns, and villancicos for special feasts. He also composed lighter pieces including Christmas villancicos, including several in the negrillo genre imitating the dialects and dances of African slaves. Salazar wrote sets for the Assumption (1676, 1679, 1685), Conception (1676), and St. Peter (1683). Motets Salazar’s use of counterpoint within his Latin works is thoroughly developed. For example, his piece O sacrum convivium uses imitation, antiphonal writing, and animated rhythm to create a desirable musical effect. In Quis Deus magnus, the use of contrasting major and minor modes along with initial upbeats form a distinc

Antonio Draghi

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Antonio Draghi (17 January 1634 – 16 January 1700) was a Baroque composer. He possibly was the brother of Giovanni Battista Draghi. Draghi was born at Rimini in Italy, and was one of the most prolific composers of his time. His contribution to the development of Italian opera was particularly significant. He began his musical career as a choirboy at Padua, but by 1657 he was appearing on stage, in the opera La fortuna di Rodope e di Damira which was produced in Venice. His first solo effort, the opera La Mascherata, appeared in 1666. In 1668, Draghi was appointed to the court of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, at Vienna, and he remained there until his death. List of operas This is the complete list of the operas of Antonio Draghi. References *The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, by John Warrack and Ewan West (1992), 782 pages, * Schnitzler, Rudolf; Seifert, Herbert (2001), “Draghi, Antonio”, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Second Edition London: Macmillan. . *Seifert, Herbert (1998), “Draghi, Antonio” in Stanley Sadie, (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. One, pp. 1237—1240. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. *

Antonio Gianettini

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Antonio Gianettini (also Giannettini, Zanettini, Zannettini; 1648 – 12 July 1721) was an Italian organist, concertmaster and composer. Biography Born in Fano, almost nothing is known about Gianettini’s musical training; in 1662, sources place him in Venice, where he probably studied under the guidance of Sebastiano Enno. On 14 January 1674 he was admitted as a bass singer in the choir of the chapel of the Basilica of San Marco. Subsequently, on 5 December 1676 he was appointed as an organist at the Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo with a salary of 40 ducats a year (a position he held until 1679). In this period he studied music with Carlo Grossi and perhaps also with Giovanni Legrenzi. On 25 January 1677 he was also an organist at San Marco (while being a choir singer). From 1676 he started to be active as a composer: in this period he wrote about ten works in Venice and Milan and various sacred music (including some motets for Ippolito Bentivoglio). During years 1685-1686 he was also active as a composer and a capella teacher for the Duke of Hannover Ernest Augustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg. While there, he stayed in a building overlooking the Grand Canal. On May 1, 1686, Gianettin

Antonio Lotti

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Antonio Lotti (5 January 1667 – 5 January 1740) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. Biography Lotti was born in Venice, although his father Matteo was Kapellmeister at Hanover at the time. Oral tradition says that in 1682, Lotti began studying with Lodovico Fuga and Giovanni Legrenzi, both of whom were employed at St Mark’s Basilica, Venice’s principal church, although there is no documentary evidence. Venice Lotti made his career at St Mark’s, first as an alto singer (from 1689), then as assistant to the second organist, then as second organist (from 1692), then (from 1704) as first organist, and finally (from 1736) as maestro di cappella, a position he held until his death. Because of the paucity of solid scholarship until recent decades, older reference books cite a good deal of misinformation regarding Lotti’s biography. Cicogna’s 1834 Delle inscrizioni Veneziane and Francesco Caffi’s 1854 Storia della Musica relied on oral tradition more than a century old to name works that Lotti supposedly composed for the Ospedale degl’ Incurabili. Later studies built upon that assertion to name Lotti as one of the supposed maestri of the Incurabili. The 2001 New Grove Dictionary of

Antonio Masini

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Antonio Masini (c. 1639 – 20 September 1678) was born in Florence. During the last years of his life in Rome he was the Kapellmeister of the Cappela Giulia in Rome and furthermore the chamber musician of the former Queen of Sweden Kristina during her stay in Rome. Biography During the years 1663 and 1664 his presence in Lucca and Ferrara is known. Furthermore a theatre performance in Ferrara in 1666 was mentioned. In 1674 he advanced to be the director of music of the Cappella Giulia in Rome, additionally he was the maestro of the ensemble at the Confraternita della S. Casa di Loreto dei Marchigiani and at the church of S. Salvatore in Lauro. He was succeeded by Francesco Beretta. According to Baini, his burial place is S. Maria in Posterola. Works His best known compositions are as follows: * Il giuditio delle stagioni concerto musicale rappresentato nella solennità della Ss.ma Annuntiata, (performed at: scuole di S. Maria Cortelandini, Libretto: B. Beverini; Lucca 1663) * L’Eumene (Oper, Libretto: A. Passarelli, performed in Ferrara at: teatro Bonacossi a S. Stefano, 1666) * Il Narciso (obviously performed in presence of the former Queen of Sweden in 1678) Furthermore there exist

Antonio Montanari

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Antonio Maria Montanari (29 November 1676 in Modena – 2 April 1737 in Rome) was an Italian violinist and composer of the Baroque period. Life Nothing is known of Antonio Maria Montanari’s childhood or his musical education but he was already in Rome as a young man, and between 1692 and 1737 documentation exists (albeit with interruptions) indicating his involvement as a violinist, often in important positions, in the orchestra of Cardinal Ottoboni. From 1712 onwards he appears to have held a permanent post in the Ottoboni household but he also served other families of the Roman nobility, and he is thus found among the musicians who performed in George Frederic Handel’s La Resurrezione in 1708 in the Palazzo Ruspoli. On this occasion, and on others documented from 1694 onwards, he is referred to as ‘Antonio del sig.r card.le Colonna’, which suggests that he had already been in the service of Cardinal Giovanni Paolo Colonna for some time. Between 1695 and 1708 he was in the service of Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili and of the Accademia del Disegno di S Luca. Montanari must have had considerable standing as a violinist, his name always appearing near the top of the lists of players. His

Antonio Orefice

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Antonio Orefice (floruit 1708–1734) was an Italian opera composer active in Naples. His Patrò Calienno de la Costa was the first opera buffa in Neapolitan dialect to be performed on a public stage. Life and career Virtually nothing is known about Orefice’s life. He was probably born around 1685, and some early sources have stated that he originally trained to be a lawyer. Records of his activity begin in Naples in 1708 with the production of his Il Maurizio, an opera seria which premiered in December of that year at the Teatro San Bartolomeo. He wrote several operas in this genre, including L’Engelberta co-composed with Francesco Mancini (1709), La pastorella al soglio (1710), and La Caligula delirante (1713), all of which premiered at the San Bartolomeo. Orefice’s last three works were La vecchia trammera (1732) and La Rosilla (1733), both co-composed with Leonardo Leo; and La Finta pellegrina (1734), co-composed with Domenico Sarro. All three were opere buffe, and all three premiered at the Teatro Nuovo. There is no further mention of Orefice after 1734, and he is presumed to have died shortly thereafter. Despite the popularity of his works during his lifetime, virtually all of h

Antonio Quintavalle

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Antonio Quintavalle (c. 1665) was an Italian opera composer. Biography He was probably born in Rome, where the beginning of his activity is documented starting from 1688; on 6 February of that year, in fact, his name appears among the members of the Congregation of Musicians of Rome, an association of musicians active in the city, which the following year commissioned him to play the organ on the occasion of the feast of Saint Cecilia and in December 1690 for the litanies sung monthly in the church of S. Carlo ai Catinari. In 1688 his oratorio Iefte (libretto by Pietro Giubilei), was performed at the Roman Seminary. He composed a cantata for three voices (Marte, Europa, Amore) in two parts (text by Carlo Sigismondo Capece), performed in September 1689 for a fencing academy of the master Francesco Antonio Marcelli. Later, his oratorio Sacri amoris triumphus in conversion S Augustini Hipponensis Episcopi was performed in Lent 1694 at the SS. Crocifisso di S. Marcello. He continued his musical activity away from Rome. He collaborated with Antonio Caldara and Carlo Francesco Pollarolo on the opera L’oracolo in sogno (libretto by Francesco Silvani), performed in Mantua in June 1699. In

Antonio Sartorio

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Antonio Sartorio (1630 – 30 December 1680) was a composer active mainly in the Republic of Venice and in the Principality of Calenberg. He was a leading composer of operas in his native Venice in the 1660s and 1670s and was also known for composing in other genres of vocal music. Between 1665 and 1675 he spent most of his time in Hanover, where he held the post of Kapellmeister to Duke Johann Friedrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg – returning frequently to Venice to compose operas for the Carnival. In 1676 he became vice maestro di capella at San Marco in Venice. Early work in Italy and work as Kapellmeister Sartorio was the brother of composer and organist Gasparo Sartorio and architect Girolamo Sartorio who also had connections with the theatre. Beyond birth records, the first known information about Sartorio relates to the mounting of his first opera, Gl’amori infruttuosi di Pirro, at the Teatro di San Giovanni Grisostomo in Venice on 4 January 1661. His second opera, Seleuco, did not come until five years later when it was produced at the Teatro San Luca on 16 January 1666. The year before, he had been appointed to the position of Kapellmeister to Duke Johann Friedrich of Brunswick-Lü

Antonio Vandini

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Antonio Vandini (1691 – 1778), a close friend of Giuseppe Tartini, was a cellist and composer. He was an eighteenth-century cellist and composer known for his performances in northern Italy. and spent most of his career as first violoncellist of the “Veneranda Arca” at the Basilica del Santo in Padua, where Tartini served as first violinist and concertmaster. Upon the death of Tartini, he returned to Bologna, the city of his birth, where he died in 1778. Career Vandini was born in 1691 in Bologna, though next to nothing is known about his early life or musical training. His first documented playing position is at the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo which he obtained in April of 1720. Concurrently he was also Maestro di violoncello at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice. During this period he was almost certainly performing extensively throughout northern Italy. In June of 1721 he obtained the solo cello position in Padua which he would hold, with a few short hiatuses, for the rest of his career. In Padua he worked with a number of other notable musicians in addition to Tartini, including the Oboist Matteo Bissoli and the organist and Maestro di capella Antonio Vallotti. Th

Antonio Vivaldi

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Birth and background#

Antonio Vivaldi was born on 4 March 1678 in Venice, then the capital of the Republic of Venice. He was the son of Giovanni Battista Vivaldi and Camilla Calicchio, as recorded in the register of San Giovanni in Bragora. He was baptized immediately after his birth at his home by the midwife, which has provoked speculation about the reason. Most likely, it was done because of poor health. There is a false rumor that an earthquake struck the city that day. This rumor may have originated from an earthquake that struck Venice on 17 April 1688. The baptismal ceremonies that had been omitted were supplied two months later. Vivaldi had five known siblings: Bonaventura Tomaso, Margarita Gabriela, Cecilia Maria, Francesco Gaetano, and Zanetta Anna. Vivaldi’s health was problematic. One of his symptoms, (“tightness of the chest”), has been interpreted as a form of asthma. This did not prevent him from learning to play the violin, composing, or taking part in musical activities, although it prevented him from playing wind instruments.

Arcangelo Corelli

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Arcangelo Corelli (, also , ; ; 17 February 1653 – 8 January 1713) Early life and education Childhood Baptismal records indicate that Corelli was born on 17 February 1653 in the small Romagna town of Fusignano, then in the diocese of Ferrara, in the Papal States. His ancestors had been in Fusignano and land-owners there since 1506, when a Corelli moved to the area from Rome. Although apparently prosperous, they were almost certainly not of the nobility, as several fanciful accounts of the composer’s genealogy subsequently claimed. Corelli’s father, from whom he took the name Arcangelo, died five weeks before the composer’s birth. Consequently, he was raised by his mother, Santa (née Ruffini, or Raffini), alongside four elder siblings, including Ippolito Corelli (1643–1727), Domenico Corelli (1647–1719) and Giacinto Corelli (1649–1719). The wealth of anecdotes and legends attached to Corelli contrast sharply with the paucity of reliable contemporary evidence documenting events in his life. This gap is especially pronounced for his formative years, including his musical education; traditional accounts of a highly idealized childhood have long been debunked. Musical education Corelli

Arthur Phillips (musician)

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Arthur Phillips (1605 – 27 March 1695) was an English musician and composer. He was organist of Magdalen College, Oxford, and Heather Professor of Music at the University of Oxford. He converted to Catholicism and resigned his positions in 1656 to travel to France to become organist to Queen Henrietta Maria, widow of the executed King Charles I. Life and career Arthur Phillips, from Winchester, Hampshire, was admitted to New College, Oxford, aged 17 in 1622. He was appointed organist of Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1639 (following an appointment as organist of Bristol Cathedral the previous year) and gained his Bachelor of Music degree in 1640. Phillips joined the Catholic Church and resigned from his Oxford positions in 1656. After the monarchy was restored in 1660, he returned to England to live in Harting, Sussex, where he owned some land; he died there on 27 March 1695. Compositions Phillips wrote instrumental and vocal music. His surviving instrumental music, held in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, consists of some variations for keyboard, and some ensemble pieces. References

Attilio Ariosti

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Attilio Malachia Ariosti (or Frate Ottavio) (5 November 1666 – 1729) was a Servite Friar and Italian composer in the Baroque style. He produced more than 30 operas and oratorios, numerous cantatas and instrumental works. Life Ariosti was born in Bologna into a middle-class family. He became a monk in 1688 at age 22, but he soon obtained permission to leave the order and become a composer in the court of the Duke of Mantua and Monferrato. He became a deacon in 1692, the same year he achieved the post of organist at Santa Maria dei Servi in Bologna. In 1697, he went to Berlin at the request of Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen of Prussia, a great-granddaughter of James I of England and daughter of the Electress Sophia of Hanover, an enlightened patroness of the arts with a keen interest in music. After enjoying the favor of the Queen, Ariosti wrote and collaborated in the writing of a number of stage works performed for the court in Berlin. He resided in Berlin as the court composer until 1703. A portrait painting of Ariosti, by Anthoni Schoonjans (1655–1726), is still present in Charlottenburg Palace. His first opera was performed in Venice in 1697. From 1703 to 1709 he was the Gen

Augustin Pfleger

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Augustin Pfleger (1635 – after 23 July 1686) was a German Bohemian composer. Life Pfleger was born at Schlackenwerth (now Ostrov) and became a court musician at Schlackenwerth. In 1662 he moved to the court of the Duke of Mecklenburg in Güstrow and in 1665 to Gottorf as Kapellmeister at the Schleswig-Holstein court. In 1686 he was again at Schlackenwerth, where he died. Works *Psalmi, dialogi et motettae, op.1 (Hamburg, 1661) *Odae concertantes (Kiel, 1666) German Motets *Ach, dass ich Wassers genug hätte, 5vv, 2 va, ed. in Cw, lii (1938); *Ach, die Menschen sind umgeben mit viel Krankheit, 5vv, 3 va; *Ach Herr, du Sohn Davids, 4vv, 2 va, S ii; *Ach, wenn Christus sich liess finden, 5vv, 3 va, S i; *Christen haben gleiche Freud, 5vv, 2 vn, S i; *Der Herr ist ein Heiland, 4vv, 3 va da braccio; *Der Herr ist gross von Wundertat, 5vv, 2 vn, S ii *Der Mensch ist nicht geschaffen zum Müssiggang, 4vv, 2 vn, 2 va da braccio; *Die Ernte ist gross, 5vv, 2 vn, va da gamba, S ii; *Erbarm dich mein, O Herre Gott, 5vv, 2 vn, 2 va da braccio; *Es wird das Szepter von Juda nicht entwendet werden, 5vv, 2 vn, 2 va, S i; *Friede sei mit euch, 4vv, vn, 2 va da gamba; *Fürchtet den Herrn, 5vv, 2 vn; *

Augustin Reinhard Stricker

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Augustin Reinhard Stricker (c. 1675 – between 1718 and 1723) was a German baroque composer, conductor and tenor singer. He was Johann Sebastian Bach’s predecessor as Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen and the dedicatee of Johann Mattheson’s 1717 treatise Das beschützte Orchestre. Life and career Little is known of Stricker’s youth and personal life. The fact that he published a volume of Italian cantatas might indicate that he, like most aspiring composers of the era, probably spent considerable time studying in Italy. His first documented employment began in February 1702 when he was appointed to the post of Cammer-Musicus in the newly founded Hofkapelle (royal orchestra) of king Frederick I of Prussia in Berlin. There, in 1705, he married the singer Catharina Elisabeth Müller, who would also be his professional partner for the remainder of his life; e.g., she also would be employed at the Köthen court. His first documented pasticcio, Sieg der Schönheit über die Helden (Triumph of Beauty over the Heroes), premiered at the Royal Prussian court in December 1706, celebrating the marriage of the Prussian crown prince, future king Frederick

Baldassare Galuppi

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Baldassare Galuppi (18 October 17063 January 1785) was a Venetian composer, born on the island of Burano in the Venetian Republic. He belonged to a generation of composers, including Johann Adolph Hasse, Giovanni Battista Sammartini, and C. P. E. Bach, whose works are emblematic of the prevailing galant music that developed in Europe throughout the 18th century. He achieved international success, spending periods of his career in Vienna, London and Saint Petersburg, but his main base remained Venice, where he held a succession of leading appointments. In his early career Galuppi made a modest success in opera seria, but from the 1740s, together with the playwright and librettist Carlo Goldoni, he became famous throughout Europe for his comic operas in the new dramma giocoso style. To the succeeding generation of composers, he was known as “the father of comic opera”. Some of his mature opere serie, for which his librettists included the poet and dramatist Metastasio, were also widely popular. Throughout his career Galuppi held official positions with charitable and religious institutions in Venice, the most prestigious of which was maestro di cappella at the Doge’s chapel, St Mark'

Barbara Kluntz

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Barbara Kluntz (born 5 February 1661 in Ulm; buried 22 May 1730 in Ulm) was a German composer and music teacher. On all of her book titles, she calls herself “Barbara Kluntz, Lover of the Noble Art of Music”, in order to explicitly emphasize her position: She did not consider herself a professional musician. Biography Barbara Kluntz, called “Schneiderbärbele”, was the daughter and third child of the tailor Peter Kluntz and his wife Katharina Kluntz, née Messerschmid. She joined the charitable Third Order of the Ulm Collection Women who were evangelicals after the Reformation. The monastery-like association also owned several villages around Ulm and was located on Ulmer Frauenstrasse at the corner of Sammlungsgasse. The building was destroyed in World War II. Since the women who entered the order did not have to take any vows, Barbara Kluntz was not a nun. Entry into the Ulm Collection Foundation When she entered the collection, Barbara Kluntz was widely known as a “piano virtuoso, organ player and poet”, according to older research. Excerpts from her will, which no longer exists, show that she had her own organ, a clavichord, many books, and music. How Barbara Kluntz came to her sk

Barbara Strozzi

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Barbara Strozzi (also called Barbara Valle; baptised 6 August 1619 – 11 November 1677) was a Venetian composer and singer of the middle Baroque Period. During her lifetime, Strozzi published eight volumes of her own music, and had more secular music in print than any other composer of the era. She was baptized in the church of Santa Sofia in the Cannaregio district of Venice. Although her birth certificate does not state her father’s identity, it is assumed that her biological father was Giulio Strozzi, a poet and librettist, and a very influential figure in seventeenth-century Venice. He was a member of the Accademia degli Incogniti, one of the largest and most prestigious intellectual academies in Europe and a major political and social force in the Republic of Venice and beyond. He wrote in many literary media, for example, poetry, operas, prose, plays and lyrics for songs. Little is known about Barbara’s mother, but historians suspect that Isabella was a servant of Giulio, as both Barbara and her mother lived in Giulio’s household and were listed in his will. Barbara grew up in a household frequented by the greatest literary and musical minds of the age. More detailed accounts

Bartłomiej Pękiel

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bartłomiej Pękiel (; b. ca. 1600; fl. from 1633; d. ca. 1670) was a Polish composer of baroque music. Biography The writer and composer Johann Mattheson claimed that the composer was German and his name is sometimes recorded as “Peckel”. Pękiel served the court in Warsaw from about 1633. After the Swedish invasion of Poland in 1655 he then moved to Wawel Cathedral Chapel in Kraków, where he was Kapellmeister after the death of Franciszek Lilius in 1657. After 1664 there are few references to him; the next Kapellmeister was appointed in 1670. 29 of Pękiel’s works survive, mostly in manuscript. The musicologist Bartłomiej Gembicki divides these into two stages; early baroque (Warsaw) and church music in the style of (Kraków). He wrote the only Polish church oratorio , on the topic of The Last Judgement. Works Choral * (CATB) * (ATTB) * (ATTB) * (CATB + CATB) * * (ATTB) * (ATTB) * (ATTB) * . Motet (ATTB) * . Motet (ATTB) * . Motet (ATTB) * . Motet (CATB) * . Motet (CATB) * . Motet (CATB) * . Motet, (ATTB) * . Motet, (ATTB) * , Motet, (ATTB) * . Motet (ATTB) Instrumental * (for 3 viole da gamba, six voices and basso continuo) * (“Three Polish Dances”): Uroczysty (moderato) - Dostojny (

Benedetto Ferrari

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Benedetto Ferrari (c. 1603 – 22 October 1681) was an Italian composer, particularly of opera, librettist, and theorbo player. Biography Benedetto Ferrari was born in Reggio nell’Emilia. He worked in Rome (1617–1618), Parma (1619–1623), and possibly in Modena at some time between 1623 and 1637. He created music and libretti in Venice and Bologna, 1637–1644. Ferrari’s Andromeda, with music by Francesco Manelli, was the first Venetian opera performed in a public theatre (in 1637). Subsequently, he provided both the text and the music for two operas, both presented in Venice: La maga fulminata (1638) and Il pastor regio (1640). The 1641 Bolognese staging of the latter included, as its final duet, the text “Pur ti miro, pur ti godo,” which was later reused, possibly with Ferrari’s music, for the final duet in the surviving manuscripts of Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea. Ferrari went to Vienna in 1651, serving the emperor Ferdinand III. Upon returning to Modena in 1653, he was appointed court choirmaster. His post was eliminated in 1662 but reinstated in 1674, after which he served until his death at Modena. Many sources recount his virtuosity as a theorbo player. None of his oper

Benedetto Marcello

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Benedetto Giacomo Marcello (; 31 July or 1 August 1686 – 24 July 1739) was an Italian composer, writer, advocate, magistrate, and teacher. Life Born in Venice, Benedetto Marcello was a member of the noble Marcello family and in his compositions, he is frequently referred to anonymously as Patrizio Veneto (Venetian patrician, i.e. aristocrat). Although he was a music student of Antonio Lotti and Francesco Gasparini, his father wanted Benedetto to devote himself to law. Benedetto managed to combine a life in law and public service with one in music. In 1711 he was appointed a member of the Council of Forty (in Venice’s central government), and in 1730 he went to Pola as Provveditore (district governor). Due to his health having been “impaired by the climate” of Istria, Marcello retired after eight years in the capacity of Camerlengo (chamberlain) to Brescia where he died of tuberculosis in 1739. Benedetto Marcello was the brother of Alessandro Marcello, also a notable composer. On 20 May 1728 Benedetto Marcello married his singing student Rosanna Scalfi in a secret ceremony. However, as a nobleman, his marriage to a commoner was unlawful; after his death, the marriage was declared nu

Benedictus Buns

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Benedictus Buns, Benedictus à Sancto Josepho (born Josephus Henricus Buns; also Buns Gelriensis in Latin; 1643 – 6 December 1716), was a Carmelite priest and composer. Biography Buns was born in Geldern (near Kevelaer), which is now a part of Germany, and died in Boxmeer, the Netherlands. In 1659 Buns entered the monastery of the Carmelites in Geldern. His first name is unknown. Work in Boxmeer Buns was professed in 1660 and was ordained in 1666. Sometime between 1666 and 1671 Buns moved to the monastery of the Carmelites in Boxmeer. He was appointed sub-prior in the periods 1671–1674; 1677–1683; 1692–1701; and 1704–1707. Hubertus à Sancto Joanne Vlaminck (1633–1679) a well known organist in Boxmeer (from 1668 to 1679). The Basilica at Boxmeer was part of an independent Catholic enclave. In 1688, Buns initiated the completion and expansion (under-Positive) of the Bremser organ in Boxmeer by Jan van Dijck. From 1699 onward, Buns worked as private composer, conductor and organist (“Aulae Bergis phonascus et organista”) - to the Count Oswaldo van den Bergh at Boxmeer and the family van den Bergh at ’s-Heerenbergh. Buns was also an organ-expert and an organ-advisor, and In 1703 he appr

Bernard Gates

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bernard Gates (23 April 1686 in The Hague – 15 November 1773 in North Aston) was an English composer, and a bass singer employed by Handel in his oratorios. He was director of the choir at Westminster Abbey from 1740 to 1757. Surviving music, in a conservative style, includes six anthems and a morning service. Life He was the second son of Bernard Gates, gentleman, of St. Margaret’s, Westminster. His name appears in the list of children of the Chapel Royal in 1702. At the end of 1708 he was sworn a gentleman of the Chapel Royal in the place of J. Howell, who died on 15 July in that year. He held the sinecure office of tuner of the regals at court, and was a member of the choir of Westminster Abbey. At some time before 1732 Gates was made master of the children of the Chapel Royal. On 23 February 1732 Handel’s Esther was performed at Gates’s house in James Street, Westminster, by the children of the chapel. The same singers sang the work at a subscription concert at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, and again at the room in Villiers Street, York Buildings. In 1734 Gates seceded from the Academy of Vocal Music, taking the children of the chapel with him. He had been a prominent member of

Bernardo Pasquini

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bernardo Pasquini (7 December 1637 – 21 November 1710) was an Italian composer of operas, oratorios, cantatas and keyboard music. A renowned virtuoso keyboard player, he was one of the most important Italian composers for harpsichord between Girolamo Frescobaldi and Domenico Scarlatti, having also made substantial contributions to opera and oratorio. Biography Pasquini was born in Massa in Valdinievole (today Massa e Cozzile, in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany). He was a pupil of Mariotto Bocciantini in Uzzano (Pistoia). When he was 13, he moved to Ferrara with his uncle Giovanni Pasquini, where, at the age of 16, he would become the organist of Accademia della Morte and serve from 1653 to 1655, a prestigious post that would later serve as a launching pad for his successors. He was quickly drawn to Rome, and, in 1657, he was appointed as the organist of Santa Maria in Vallicella (Chiesa nuova). In February 1664 he was appointed organist of the basilicas of Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Maria in Ara Coeli. Finally, after ten years in Rome, in November 1667 he entered into a long period of service of the Borghese family, enjoying the patronage of Prince Giovanni Battista Borghese,

Bernardo Storace

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bernardo Storace (fl. 1664) was an Italian composer. Almost nothing is known about his life; his only surviving collection of music contains numerous variation sets and represents a transitory stage between the time of Girolamo Frescobaldi and that of Bernardo Pasquini. Life Very little is known about his life, except that in 1664 he served as Vice-Maestro di cappella to the senate of Messina. *Three sets of variations on the Passo e mezzo: **Capriccio sopra il Passo e Mezzo **Passo e Mezzo **Altro Passo e Mezzo *Variations on the Romanesca *Variations on the Spagnoletta (Aria sopra la Spagnoletta) *Variations on the Monica *Variations on the Ruggiero (Capriccio sopra Ruggiero) *Variations on the Cinque passi (Partita sopra il Cinque passi) *Variations on the Folia (Follia) *Four passacaglias: **Passagagli sopra A la mi re **Passagagli sopra C sol fa ut **Passagagli sopra D sol re per ♯ **Passagagli sopra Fe fa ut per ♭ *Chaconne (Ciaccona) *Variations on the Balletto *Ballo della Battaglia *Two correntes *Two Toccata e canzon pairs *Two ricercars: **Ricercar **Ricercar di legature *Pastorale References Further reading *Apel, Willi. 1972. The History of Keyboard Music to 1700, pp.

Bianca Maria Meda

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bianca Maria Meda (c. 1661 – c. 1732) was an Italian nun and Baroque composer. Life Little is known about Bianca Maria Meda’s life, but she was a Benedictine nun at the convent of San Martino del Leano in Pavia. Although her profession is unknown, she first appears in convent records between August 1677 and February 1678, likely at the age of 16. Meda’s death is also undocumented, however, due to the omission of her name in a convent record dated September 1733, it can be assumed that she died before that date around the age of 70. Based on this knowledge, Meda was about 30 years old when her motet collection was published. Meda was among the final nun composers in 17th-century Italy to publish their music, only being followed by Isabella Leonarda. Given the rarity of female composers being published at the time, Meda’s work is a valuable contribution to early modern Italian convent music through its artistic and expressive qualities. Meda’s motet collection includes 12 pieces. There are two for solo voice, two duets, four trios, and four quartets. Meda’s music is presented in six partbooks: Canto, alto, Tenore, Basso, and two books labeled ‘Violone’ and ‘Organo." While Meda’s mote

Bohuslav Matěj Černohorský

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bohuslav Matěj Černohorský (16 February 1684 – 1 July 1742) was a Czech composer, organist and teacher of the Baroque era. He wrote among other works motets, other choral works (a fugue Laudetur Jesus Christus is cited by the Baroque Music Library as an excellent example of its kind) and organ solo works. Life Černohorský was born on 16 February 1684 in Nymburk, Bohemia. He was a son of a Nymburk cantor named Samuel Černohorský. From 1700 to 1702, he studied philosophy at the Prague University. In 1704, Černohorský became a member of the Conventual Franciscan; later, in 1708 he was ordained as a priest. Nevertheless, in 1710 he left for Assisi, Papal States to study music. Because he left without consent of his superiors he was expelled from Czech lands for ten years. From 1710 to 1715 he worked as an organist in the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi. He was called “Padre Boemo” in Italy. One of his students in Italy was Giuseppe Tartini. After the expiration of his punishment, he came back to Prague, where he devoted himself to teaching. Among the important pupils are Christoph Willibald Gluck, Josef Seger, František Tůma and others. In 1731 he came to Italy again, and worked as

Bonifazio Graziani

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bonifazio Graziani (1604/05 in Marino near Rome – 15 June 1664, in Rome) was an Italian organist, composer and clergyman in the Baroque period. Works Published in print: * Motetti a due, tre, quattro, cinque, e sei voci (Op. 1), Rom Vitale Mascardi, 1650 * Il secondo libro de motetti a due, tre, quattro, cinque e sei voci(Op. 2), Rom Vitale Mascardi, 1652 * Il primo libro de motetti a voce sola (Op. 3), Roma, Vitale Mascardi 1652; weitere Auflagen bei Maurizio Balmonti 1655, Ignazio de Lazzari 1661 * Psalmi vespertini quinque vocibus cum organo, et sine organo decantandi… lib. I, opus quartum (Op. 4), Rom Nicolo Germani/Vitale Mascardi 1652 * Psalmi vespertini quinque vocibus concinendi, opus quintum (Op. 5), Rom Vitale Mascardi, 1653 * Il secondo libro de motetti a voce sola. opera sesta (Op. 6), Rom Maurizio Balmonti, 1655 * Motetti a due, tre, e cinque voci… libro terzo, opera settima (Op. 7), Rom Maurizio Balmonti, 1656 * Il terzo libro de motetti a voce sola… opera ottava (Op. 8), Rom Giacomo Fei, 1658 * Responsoria hebdomadae sanctae, quatuor vocibus concinenda, una cum organo si placet (Op. 9), Rom Ignazio de Lazari, 1663 * Del quarto libro de motetti a voce sola… op

Carl August Thielo

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Carl August Thielo (February 7, 1707 – December 3, 1763) was a Danish composer. theatre entrepreneur, music teacher, organist from the Electorate of Saxony. He spent most of his life in Copenhagen from the 1720s onwards and founded the first opera house there in 1746. A student of Johann Gottfried Walther, he was the author of a Danish treatise, Tanker og Regler fra Grunden af om Musiken, published in 1746. Thielo was also the German court organist under Christian VI. He was the father of Caroline Thielo. Partial works * (1744) Der andere Zuschauer in Fabeln geschrieben und herausgegeben in Copenhagen * (1746) Tanker og Regler Fra Grunden af om Musiken, For dem som vil lære Musiken til Sindets Fornøyelse Saa og for dem Som vil gjøre Fait af Claveer, General-Bassen, og Synge-Kunsten * (1747) Spøgelset med klokken : een nach-comœdie i een act for den danske skue-plads * (1747) Fruentimmer huusholdning : forrestillet udi en comoedie af tre acter, for den danske skue-plads * (1751) Første Samling af de Oder, som paa den Danske Skueplads udi Kiøbenhavn ere blevne opførte * (1753) Grund-regeln wie man, beÿ weniger information, sich selbst die fundamenta der music und des claviers, lernen

Carl Heinrich Graun

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Carl Heinrich Graun (7 May 1704 – 8 August 1759) was a German composer and tenor. Along with Johann Adolph Hasse, he is considered to be the most important German composer of Italian opera of his time. Biography Graun was born in Wahrenbrück in the Electorate of Saxony. In 1714, he followed his brother, Johann Gottlieb Graun, to the school of the Kreuzkirche, Dresden, and sang in the Dresdner Kreuzchor and the chorus of the Opernhaus am Zwinger. He studied singing with Christian Petzold and composition with (1664–1728). In 1724, Graun moved to Braunschweig, singing at the opera house and writing six operas for the company. In 1735, Graun moved to Rheinsberg in Brandenburg, after he had written the opera Lo specchio della fedeltà for the marriage of the then crown prince Frederick (the Great) and Elisabeth Christine in Schloss Salzdahlum in 1733. He was Kapellmeister to Frederick the Great from his ascension to the throne in 1740 until Graun’s death nineteen years later in Berlin. Graun wrote a number of operas. His opera Cesare e Cleopatra inaugurated the opening of the Berlin State Opera (Königliche Hofoper) in 1742. Montezuma (1755) was written to a libretto by King Frederick. Hi

Carlo Agostino Badia

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Carlo Agostino Badia (1672 – 23 September 1738) was an Italian court composer best known for his operas and oratorios. Badia was born in Verona and around 1697 moved to Vienna, where many of his operas were premiered until his death. He was employed as chapel-master to emperor Leopold I for some time. Operas *La ninfa Apollo (1692, Rome and Milan) *Amor che vince lo sdegno, ovvero Olimpia placata (1692) *La Rosaura, ovvero Amore figlio della gratitudine (1692, Innsbruck) *L’amazone corsara, ovvero L’Alvilda, regina de’ Goti (1692) *Bacco, vincitore dell’India (1697, Vienna) *La pace tra i numi discordi nella rovina di Troia (1697, Vienna) *L’idea del felice governo (1698, Vienna) *Lo squittinio dell’eroe (1698, Neue Favorita) *Imeneo trionfante (1699, Vienna) *Il Narciso (1699, Laxenburg) *Il commun giubilo del mondo (1699, Neue Favorita) *Cupido fuggitivo da Venere e ritrovato a’ piedi della Sacra Reale Maestà d’Amalia (1700, Vienna) *Le gare dei beni (1700, Vienna) *Diana rappacificata con Venere e con Amore (1700, Vienna) *La costanza d’Ulisse (1700, Neue Favorita) *L’amore vuol somiglianza (1702, Vienna) *L’Arianna (1702, Vienna) *Il Telemaco, ovvero Il valore coronato (1702, V

Carlo Ambrogio Lonati

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Carlo Ambrogio Lonati, baptized Giovanni Ambrogio Leinati, also Lunati; (c.1645 – c.1712) was an Italian composer, violinist and singer. Francesco Maria Veracini described him in 1760 as one of the most virtuosic violinists of his century. Life Nothing is known so far about the family and the musical education of Lonati, but he is thought to have been born in Milan. Between 1665 and 1667 he figured as a violinist in the viceroy’s (Pedro Antonio de Aragón) chapel in Naples. Since 1673 he was in the service of Queen Christina of Sweden, and led her string orchestra, and from that time was also known as the “Queen’s Hunchback” (‘Il Gobbo della Regina’). He made friends with Alessandro Stradella, his companion in notoriety. Together with Carlo Mannelli and Lelio Colista he counted among the “più valorosi professori musici di Roma”. The majority of his compositions for several instruments probably dates from this period. The Teatro Tordinona, the first public theater for opera performances in Rome, opened in 1671 with music by Bernardo Pasquini. In 1673 he sang in Pasquini’s L’Amor per vendetta. Lonati played the comic character Vafrindo, singing and playing the violin on stage. The dua

Carlo Antonio Nagli

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Carlo Antonio Nagli (c. 16805 November 1756) was an Italian composer of Baroque music who was one of a number of Italian Baroque musicians to live in Croatia. He is considered a central figure of late Baroque music of the city of Split. Biography Born at the end of the 17th century in Rimini, Nagli completed religious and musical studies in Italy. He arrived in Dalmatia in 1707, and was named maestro di cappella of the Split Cathedral in November of the same year, which he remained until possibly 1726 and then again from 1738 to 1743. While in Dalmatia, he lived at the Franciscan monastery of the Church of St. Francis in Split, becoming guardian of the friary after 1710. He is known to have briefly been at the Franciscan monastery of Šibenik. In 1743, Nagli returned to Italy, having accepted the role of chapelmaster of the basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice. He died in Venice in 1756. Works Few of his works have been preserved. Among the preserved pieces are two masses, and four credos. The manuscripts of both masses are kept in the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, while three of the credos are in the archive of the Cathedral of Saint Domnius in Split. O

Carlo Arrigoni

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Carlo Arrigoni (6 December 1697 – 19 August 1744) was an Italian composer and musician who was active in several countries during the first half of the 18th century. Life and work Arrigoni was born in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Little is known of his early years or musical education. His first oratorio was performed in his native city in 1719 and was followed by Il Pentimento d’Accabo (Accabo’s repentance, 1722), a setting for five voices of a poem by his relative, Father Crisostomo Arrigoni. His opera La Vedova (The widow) was also performed that same year in Foligno. The next mention of Arrigoni is in Brussels, then part of the Austrian Netherlands, where Il Pentimento d’Accabo was performed in 1728. At the start of the 1730s he was working at the Dublin Academy of Music, then transferred to London in 1732. There he published chamber cantatas dedicated to the English queen, Caroline of Ansbach, and shared in the musical life of the capital until 1736. In April 1733 Arrigoni performed his own concerto for the lute and then became associated with the Opera of the Nobility, set up in opposition to George Frideric Handel. Performances there of his opera Fernando earned him inc

Carlo Caproli

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Carlo Caproli or Caprioli (c. 1614 – 1668), also called Carlo del Violino, was an Italian violinist, organist, and a leading composer of cantatas in mid-17th-century Italy. Life Early life and career Carlo Caproli was born in Rome. His father (originally from Poli) was a seller of green vegetables (erbarolo). He was recorded as Carlo del Violino in 1636, when he was engaged by the Barberini family for performances of Santa Teodora (with a text by Giulio Rospigliosi ). Caproli was considered to be a maestro di cappella beginning in 1638, and was in charge of the music for the festival of the patron saint of San Girolamo degli Schiavoni up to 1643. For his efforts, Caproli was made maître de la musique du cabinet du Roy, which suggests he may have directed the performances. ) * Non fuggir quando mi vedi (one voice, basso continuo; London, British Library) * Non si può dir di no (one voice, basso continuo; Paris, Geneviève Thibault, private collection in BnF) * Non si può più sperare (three voices; Bologna, Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale) * Non si tema il mar infido (one voice, basso continuo; , 1v, bc, Oxford, Christ Church Library) * Non ti fidar, mio core (two voices, basso co

Carlo Cecere

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Carlo Cecere (7 November 170615 February 1761) was an Italian composer of operas, concertos and instrumental duets including, for example, some mandolin duets and a concerto for mandolin. Cecere worked in the transitional period between the Baroque and Classical eras. Life Surprisingly little is known about his life, given that he lived in the 18th century. It is known that Cecere was born in Grottole (Basilicata) and died in Naples both then in the Kingdom of Naples; he is buried in the chapel of the Congregazione dei Musici di S. Maria la Nuova. But it is not even known which instrument(s) he played by preference. According to some sources, he was mainly a violinist—he was certainly a violinist in the monastery of the Carmine in Naples—whereas other sources believe he was primarily a flautist. Music Cecere set to music at least two librettos by Pietro Trinchera, including La tavernola abentorosa. Trinchera, not Cecere, was punished because La tavernola abentorosa ’ s satirical portrayal of monastic life was considered a buffoonish mockery. It was the first comic opera written specifically for a monastic audience. Selected discography *Italian Flute Concertos, performed by Jean-Pi

Carlo Farina

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Carlo Farina (ca. 1600 – July 1639) was an Italian composer, conductor and violinist of the Early Baroque era. Life Farina was born at Mantua. He presumably received his first lessons from his father, who was sonatore di viola at the court of the Gonzaga in that city. Later, he got further education, probably by Salomone Rossi and Giovanni Battista Buonamente. From 1626 to 1629, he worked as concertmaster in Dresden. In Dresden, he worked with Heinrich Schütz, who interested him in composing. From 1629 to 1631, he was a prominent member of the electoral court orchestra in Bonn, until he returned to Italy, where he worked in Parma and later in Lucca until 1635. In 1635, he helda position at the court of Carlo I Cybo-Malaspina, Prince of Massa, and between 1636 and 1637 in Gdańsk. From 1638, he lived in Vienna, where he died of the plague probably a year later. He is considered to be one of the earliest violin virtuosos, and he made many contributions to violin technique. For example, in his work Capriccio Stravagante (1627), he used the violin to imitate animal sounds like dogs barking or cats fighting. According to Cecil Forsyth’s Orchestration, he “is generally credited” with “the

Carlo Francesco Pollarolo

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Carlo Francesco Pollarolo (ca. 1653 – 7 February 1723) was an Italian composer, organist, and music director. Known chiefly for his operas, he wrote a total of 85 of them as well as 13 oratorios. His compositional style was initially indebted to the opera tradition of Giovanni Legrenzi and Carlo Pallavicino, but he moved beyond this style with innovations to the compositional structure of the aria characterized by expanded forms and orchestral elaborations. His early work used three part strings in the Legrenzi and Pallacino tradition of orchestration, but his mid and later works had developed into a richer orchestration of five strings parts and expanded instrumentation of brass and woodwinds. He was the first Venetian opera composer and one of the earliest Italian composers to use the oboe in his opera orchestrations. Life and career Born into the Pollarolo family of musicians in Brescia, Carlo Francesco Pollarolo was the son of musician Orazio Pollarolo. His father was the organist at the Santi Nazaro e Celso, Brescia from 1665–1669, and then at the Brescia Cathedral from 1669 through 1675. His younger brother Paolo Pollarolo (b. 1672) was also a professional musician in Brescia

Carlo Pallavicino

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Carlo Pallavicino (Pallavicini; c. 163029 January 1688) was an Italian composer. Pallavicino was born at Salò. From 1666 to 1673, he worked at the Dresden court; from 1674 to 1685, at the Ospedale degli Incurabili (a conservatory where orphaned children were musically trained) in Venice and further in Dresden. In August and September 1687, he was with the concert master Georg Gottfried Backstroh back in Venice. He asked for renewal of his leave because his wife expected to give birth, but he was rejected. He died in Dresden, and his grave is located in the Convent of the St. Mariestern. He wrote more than 20 operas premiered in Venice and Dresden, oratorios and sacred works. His son, Dresden court writer Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino, was a known librettist. Works Operas *Demetrio (dramma per musica, libretto by Giacomo dall’Angelo, 1666, Venice) *Aureliano (dramma per musica con prologo, libretto by Giacomo dall’Angelo, 1666, Venice) *Il tiranno humiliato d’amore, ovvero Il Meraspe (dramma per musica con prologo, libretto by Giovanni Faustini, revised by Nicolò Beregan, 1667, Venice) *Diocleziano (dramma per musica, libretto by Matteo Noris, 1674, Venice) *Enea in Italia (dramma p

Carlo Tessarini

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Carlo Tessarini (1690 – after 15 December 1766), was an Italian composer and violinist in the late Baroque era. Tessarini was born 1690 in Rimini and died in Amsterdam, Netherlands aged 76. Works The publications authorized by the composer are indicated in bold font: *op. 1 12 Concerti a cinque (London, 1724) *op. 1 12 Sonate a violino e basso (Venice, 1729) *op. 2 12 Sonate a flauto traversie e basso continuo (Amsterdam, 1732) (arrangement of the violin sonatas op. 1) *op. 2 Il Maestro e Discepolo, 6 Divertimenti da Camera a due violini (Urbino, 1734) *op. 3 10 Concerti a più strumenti con violino obbligato (Amsterdam, 1732) *op. 3 12 Sonate a Violino e Violone o Cembalo (Amsterdam, c.1736) *op. 3 6 Allettamenti da camera a violino solo e violoncello (Rome, c.1740) * Gramatica di musica. Insegna il modo facile e breve per bene impre di sonare il violino….. (Rome, 1741) *op. 4 La stravaganza, divisa in quattro parti, e composta d’overture, di concerti, ob, di partite… (Amsterdam, 1735) *op. 4 6 Trattimenti a violino e basso (Rome, 1742) *op. 5 5 Sonata a tre da camera con due violini e basso con Canone al fine (Paris, 1743) *op. 6 6 Trio a due violini e basso (Paris, 1744) *op.

Carlo Zuccari

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Carlo Zuccari (November 10, 1703 – May 3, 1792) was an Italian composer and violinist. Active during the late Baroque and early Classical music periods, Zuccari worked mainly in Milan, Olomouc, and London. Personal life and career Zuccari was born in Casalmaggiore, Italy, a flourishing small town. He began studying the violin at a young age and demonstrated considerable talent. At the age of 19, he moved to Vienna to pursue his musical training. There, his skills garnered the attention of nobility. He eventually met the Milanese noblewoman Francesca Radaelli, an amateur singer, whom he married when he was 29. Immediately afterward, he spent years traveling Europe to build his fame as a virtuoso, serving for a time as a Kapellmeister before eventually settling in Milan. At age 43, he published his masterpiece Sonate a Violino, e Basso ò Cembalo, Opera Prima. He also served as the director of the Accademia Filarmonica Milanese and, in 1748, became a member of the Orchestra Ducale. In 1750, he was first violinist with the orchestra of G.B. Sammartini. In 1760, he ended up in London as a member of the Opera Italiana Orchestra. There, he published a method for violin in 1762 and, in 176

Carlos Seixas

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José António Carlos de Seixas (; 11 June 1704 – 25 August 1742) was a pre-eminent Portuguese composer of the 18th century. An accomplished virtuoso of both the organ and the harpsichord, Seixas succeeded his father as the organist for Coimbra Cathedral at the age of fourteen. In 1720, he departed for the capital, Lisbon, where he was to serve as the organist for the royal chapel, one of the highest offices for a musician in Portugal, a position which earned him a knighthood. Much of Seixas’ music rests in an ambiguous transitional period from the learned style of the 17th century to the galant style of the 18th century. Life Seixas was born in Coimbra to Francisco Vaz and Marcelina Nunes. From a young age, he was surrounded by musical activity; his father served as the cathedral organist, and the flurry of musical activity in the local monastery of Santa Cruz had an equally important role in his musical training. In 1718, a few days before his father’s death, Seixas succeeded his father as cathedral organist. Two years after, in 1720, he moved to Lisbon to take up his new position in the court of John V of Portugal as court organist and harpsichordist. Citing his elegance and agili

Carolus Hacquart

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Carolus Hacquart (the latinised form of his original name: Carel Hacquart) (c. 1640 - after 1686) was a Flemish composer and musician. He became one of the most important 17th-century composers in the Dutch Republic and possibly also worked in England. Life Hacquart was born in Bruges around 1640. He received his education, comprising Latin and composition as well as viola da gamba, lute and organ, most probably in his native town. Records referring to a ‘Charges Akkert’ who is accepted in September 1650 as a choirboy in the St. Salvator’s Church in Bruges suggest he may have been born later than 1640. His brother Philips is accepted the same year as a choirboy in another church in Bruges. At the end of the 1650s both brothers are recorded in Ghent where they are choirboys in different churches. Attracted by the growth of musical life of the rich citizens of the Dutch Republic, his brother Philips moved to Amsterdam around 1670 where he was joined by Carolus a few years later. It seems the brothers never held official positions and both gained a living as free-lance musicians. In Calvinist Holland there was little interest in church music and the aristocracy generally was not suppo

Cataldo Amodei

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Cataldo Vito Amodei (6 May 1649 13 July 1693) was an Italian composer of the mid-Baroque period who spent his career in Naples. His cantatas were important predecessors to the active cantata production of 18th-century Naples, and he stands with the elder Francesco Provenzale and younger Alessandro Scarlatti as among the principal Italian cantata composers. Other surviving works include a book of motets dedicated to Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor; a serenata; two pastorales; two psalms; and four oratorios, which were important contributions to their genre. Amodei held posts at various musical institutions, (choirmaster) at San Paolo Maggiore and two prestigious conservatories: the (1680/81–1688) and second choirmaster at (1687–1689). His virtuosic 1685 book of cantatas, Cantate, Op. 2, was the first book of cantatas published in Naples. Life and career Early life Cataldo Amodei was born in Sciacca, Sicily, near Agrigento; at the time, Sciacca had a reputation for producing important Sicilian musicians. In 2003, the musicologist Domenico Antonio D’Alessandro identified Amodei with a “Cathaldus Vitus” (“Cataldo Vito”), born in 6 May 1649 and baptized the same day at St. Mary Magdalene,

Charles Avison

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Charles Avison (; 16 February 1709 (baptised)9 or 10 May 1770) was an English composer during the Baroque and Classical periods. He was a church organist at St John The Baptist Church at St John the Baptist Church, in Newcastle. According to The New Grove Dictionary, he was also born in this city. while others claim that he was the seventh of ten children. Regardless, Avison was born into a family with a high rate of infant mortality, as many of his siblings died at a young age. His education may have included an apprenticeship with a local merchant named Ralph Jenison, a patron of the arts, and later a Member of Parliament, as well as further study of music. The local composer William Shield, who was born south of the River Tyne in Swalwell, County Durham, studied under Avison. Avison was married to Catherine Reynolds on 15 January 1737. The couple had nine children, of whom only three – Jane, Edward, and Charles – survived to adulthood. Edward succeeded his father as both the director of the Newcastle Musical Society and the St Nicholas’s organist after his father’s death. Charles was also an organist and composer. Compositions Description Avison’s best-known compositions are his

Charles Dieupart

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Charles Dieupart (16761751) was a French harpsichordist, violinist, and composer. Although he was known as Charles to his contemporaries according to some biographers, his real name was actually François. He was born in Paris, rue aux Ours, August 10th, 1676. His father was Nicolas Dieupart (? - 1700) an ordinary musician to Louis XIV’s Grande Ecurie. At some point, he befriended Elizabeth Wilmot of Rochester, countess of Sandwich, and Jacques Paisible who were visiting James II of England in his exile at Saint-germain-en-Laye near Paris. This is the main reason for his coming to London around 1700. A prominent member of the Drury Lane musical establishment, Dieupart was active both as composer and performer and actively participated in the musical life of the city. However, after about 1712 he earned his income mostly by teaching, and in his later years lived in poverty. He is best remembered today for a collection of six harpsichord suites which influenced Johann Sebastian Bach’s English Suites. Life Details of Dieupart’s early life and training are sketchy. The earliest document to refer to the composer is a parisian tax roll dated 1695 where he is said to have mastered the harp

Charles Hurel

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Charles Hurel was a French Baroque composer, lutenist and theorbist active between 1665 and 1692. Biography Charles Hurel was a musician and eminent professor from a prosperous family of Parisian luthiers which included some of the main instrumental factors of Paris in the 17th century. He was listed as “ordinary officer of the Academy of Music” in 1684 and as a professor of theorbo in Paris. He died in Paris c. 1692. who was a master painter and sculptor, active among others in the realization of ceilings painted “à la française”. Works * Tablature de luth et de théorbe (c. 1675 or 1680 ) * Theorbo pieces by Charles Hurel, together with lute and theorbo pieces by many other composers can be found in the (c. 1699) housed at the Bibliothèque municipale de Besançon. Discography * Christopher Wilke: Works for Theorbo - Centaur Records CRC 2875 See also * Lute * Theorbo References External links * Prélude - Charles Hurel on YouTube * Charles Hurel on Musicalics

Charles Theodore Pachelbel

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Charles Theodore Pachelbel (baptized Carl Theodorus, also spelled Karl Theodor, on 24 November 1690; buried 15 September 1750) was a German composer, organist and harpsichordist of the late Baroque era. He was the son of the more famous Johann Pachelbel, composer of the popular Canon in D. He was one of the first European composers to take up residence in the American colonies, and was the most famous musical figure in early Charleston, South Carolina. Life Early years (1690–1732) He was born in Stuttgart and baptized in the Evangelische Kirchengemeinde (Protestant parish) there on 24 November 1690, son of Johann Pachelbel and his second wife Judith Drommer. (his name appears in a 1732 list of subscribers to a volume of harpsichord music published in London ). The colonies (1733–50) The circumstances of his emigration to the colonies are unknown. Pachelbel was living in Boston, Massachusetts, by spring 1733, when he was asked to assist in the installation of the new organ of Trinity Church in Newport, Rhode Island. The instrument was donated to Trinity by George Berkeley, the famous philosopher. Pachelbel was subsequently hired as organist of the church and held the post until appr

Charles Young (musician)

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Charles Young (September 1686 – 12 December 1758) was an English organist and composer. He was part of a well-known English family of musicians that included several professional singers and organists during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Biography Charles Young was born sometime during September 1686 in the Covent Garden area of London and was baptised on 7 October of the same year. Born into a musical family, his initial studies were with his father alongside his elder brother Anthony Young, who would also become a successful organist and minor composer. He became a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral in the late 1690s where he sang for over a decade. In 1713, Young was appointed organist of All Hallows, Barking-by-the-Tower, where he remained until his death in 1758. His grandson, Charles John Frederick Lampe, replaced him as organist at All Hallows after his death. As a composer, Young wrote music mostly for the Church of England. He was not prolific, producing only a handful of anthems and some organ preludes. He also composed a few vocal art songs. His reputation lies more on his skills as an organist and he was regarded as one of the finest players in England during

Charles-Hubert Gervais

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Charles-Hubert Gervais (19 February 1671 – 14 January 1744) was a French composer of the Baroque era. The son of a valet to King Louis XIV’s brother, Monsieur, Gervais was born at the Palais Royal in Paris and probably educated by Monsieur’s musical intendants, Jean Granouillet de Sablières and Charles Lalouette. He worked as a musician for the Duc de Chartres, the future regent of France. In 1701, he married Françoise du Vivier (she died in 1723). In 1721 he was named sous-maître de musique at the Chapelle royale along with André Campra, Nicolas Bernier and Michel Richard Delalande (who had previously held the post alone). Gervais composed sacred music, 42 grand motets, 7 petits motets, cantatas, and operas, including two tragédies en musique. Works Operas *Idille sur le retour du duc de Chartres (1692) *Méduse (tragédie en musique, 1697) *Divertissement de Fontainebleau (1698, attributed to Gervais) *Hypermnestre (tragédie en musique, 1716) *Les amours de Protée (opéra-ballet, 1720) *Divertissement de Villers-Cotterêts (1722) Discography * Grand motet - Te Deum, Chorale des Jeunesses Musicales de France, Orchestre Des Jeunesses Musicales De France, conducted by Louis Martini. Vin

Chiara Margarita Cozzolani

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Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (27 November 1602 – ca. 1676–1678), was a Baroque music composer, singer and Benedictine nun. She spent her adult life cloistered in the convent of Santa Radegonda, Milan, where she served as prioress and abbess and stopped composing. She was one of more than a dozen cloistered women who published sacred music in seventeenth-century Italy. Life and career Margarita Cozzolani was the youngest daughter of a wealthy merchant family in Milan, Italy. She entered the convent and took her vows in 1620. She added “Chiara” as her religious name. She was a prolific composer, her style characterized by sequences and the switching of modes. The duets and solos in her 1642 Concerti Sacri followed the Lombard style. of St. Benedict, but they seem to any listener to be white and melodious swans, who fill hearts with wonder, and spirit away tongues in their praise. Among these sisters, Donna Chiara Margarita Cozzolani merits the highest praise, Chiara in name but even more so in merit, and Margarita for her unusual and excellent nobility of invention…". Donna Chiara Margarita Cozzolani disappears from the convent’s records after 1676. The first modern edition of her co

Christian Flor

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Christian Flor (162628 September 1697) was a German composer and organist. Working at churches in Rendsburg and Lüneburg, he was widely known for vocal and organ compositions. He composed one of the earliest Passion oratorios, in 1667. Life Born in Neukirchen, Ostholstein, He included chorales in the Passion. and may have been influenced by them. According to other sources, Bach is said to have known Flor personally and to have appreciated his compositions. Work Flor’s works include: * with Rist: Neues Musikalisches Seelenparadis (New Testament), 1662 * Das gläubige Senffkorn – 23 Lieder für Singstimme und Basso continuo nach Gedichten von Georg Heinrich Werbern, 1665 (Vocal works, vol. VIII), Edition Baroque Bremen. * Organ works: 2 Prealudia und eine Fuge in d, Choralprelude: Ein feste Burg “für 2 Claviere”, Auf Meinen Lieben Gott (With double inverted counterpoint) The title page of the collection of settings of Biblical verses from the Old Testament bears the title: Recordings * Nicolaus Bruhns: Complete Organ Works, including Christian Flor: Chorale preludes, Sven-Ingvart Mikkelsen at the Havgaard Rasmussen Organs in Eckernförde and Husum (Kontrapunkt 32198) * G. A. Pandolfi M

Christian Friedrich Witt

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Christian Friedrich Witt, or Witte (c. 1660 – 13 April 1716 ) was a German composer, music editor and teacher. Biography Christian Friedrich Witt was born in Altenburg, where his father, Johann Ernst Witt, was court organist; he had come from Denmark around 1650 when a Danish princess married into the house of Saxe-Altenburg. Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg probably gave Witt a scholarship in 1676 to study in Vienna and Salzburg, and then from 1685–1686 to study composition and counterpoint in Nuremberg with Georg Caspar Wecker, returning for a further period of study in 1688. He moved to Gotha to take up a post as chamber organist to the court in June 1686; he remained there for the rest of his life. He became a substitute for W.M. Mylius, the kapellmeister, in 1694, and succeeded him after his death in 1713; Duke Frederick II was one of his pupils. He is mentioned as a good keyboard player and kapellmeister in J.P. Treiber’s Der accurate Organist im General-Bass (1704) and Telemann’s Beschreibung der Augen-Orgel (1739). He was also valued by the courts of Ansbach-Bayreuth, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and Saxe-Weissenfels. While on Witt’s deathbed, Johann Sebastian Bach was

Christian Geist

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Christian Geist (c. 1650 – 27 September 1711) was a German composer and organist, who lived and worked mainly in Scandinavia. Biography He was born in Güstrow, where his father, Joachim Geist, was cantor at the cathedral school. From 1665–1666 and 1668–1669 he was a boy member of the court orchestra conducted by Daniel Danielis (1635-1696) of Duke Gustav Adolph of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. He was a bass singer at the Danish court music ensemble in Copenhagen in 1669 and in June 1670 moved to the Swedish court orchestra under Gustaf Düben the elder (ca. 1628-1690), a position he held until June 1679, having applied unsuccessfully for the position of choirmaster of St. John’s in Hamburg in 1674. He became organist of the German church in Gothenburg, and in November 1684 moved to Copenhagen, where he succeeded J.M. Radeck as organist of the Helligaandskirke, a post he held to his death, and also the Trinitatis Church, after marrying his widow Magdalena Sibylla in May 1685 (a practice by no means rare). He succeeded Johann Lorentz as organist of the Church of Holmen in Copenhagen in 1689. He died, with his third wife and all their children, of the bubonic plague. Music Sixty of his vocal wo

Christian Keymann

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Christian Keymann (also Christian Keimann; 27 February 1607 – 13 January 1662) was a German hymnwriter. He is known for writing the chorale “Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht” in 1658, which served as the base for Bach’s chorale cantata Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht, BWV 124, and other compositions. Career Keymann was born in Pankratz, Habsburg Bohemia, in 1607, the son of Zacharias Keimann, a Lutheran pastor. From 1627 to 1634, he studied at the University of Wittenberg. After graduation he worked at the gymnasium of Zittau, first as associate director, then as rector in 1638. He died of a stroke in 1662. Hymns Two of his most popular hymns were translated into English; “O rejoice, ye Christians, loudly” (“Freuet euch, ihr Christen alle”) found in Chorale Book, No. 33, and “Jesus will I never leave” (“Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht”) found in United Brethren’s Hymn Book, No. 464. Donald G. Bloesch in his book The struggle of prayer (1980) describes it as a “moving hymn”. His hymns in general have been described as “being of genuine poetic ring, fresh, strong, full of faith under manifold and heavy trials, and deeply spiritual”. Music Keymann collaborated with composer Andreas Hammerschmidt who

Christian Petzold (composer)

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Christian Petzold (1677 – 1733) was a German composer and organist. He was active primarily in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, and achieved a high reputation during his lifetime, but his surviving works are few. It was established in the 1970s that the famous Minuet in G major, previously attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach, was in fact the work of Petzold. The sprightly melody was used in the 1965 pop music hit “A Lover’s Concerto” by the American group The Toys. Life Petzold was born in Weißig near Königstein at some stage in 1677; his exact date of birth is unknown. From 1703, he worked as an organist at St. Sophia (Sophienkirche) in Dresden, and in 1709 he became court chamber composer and organist. He led an active musical life, giving concert tours that took him as far as Paris (1714) and Venice (1716). In 1720, he wrote a piece for the consecration of the new Silbermann organ at St. Sophia, and he performed a similar task at Rötha, near Leipzig, where another Silbermann organ was built. He was also active as a teacher. His pupils included Carl Heinrich Graun. Petzold died on 25 May 1733 and was buried three days later. His cause of death was recorded in the Dresden Kirchenwoc

Christian Ritter

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Christian Ritter (probably 1645 to 1650 – probably after 1725) was a composer and organist of the North German organ school. Biography Ritter, likely a pupil of Christoph Bernhard in Dresden. A notice on one of his works described him as Kammerorganist (chamber organist) in Halle in 1666, although this position does not appear in the records until 1672. In 1677 he was the Hoforganist (court organist). The composer David Pohle was Kapellmeister at Halle during these years. Ritter may have left Halle in 1677, as the role of Kammerorganist was filled by Johann Philipp Krieger that year. Some years later he went to Sweden. In 1681, he was mentioned on a record of the Stockholm court, a year later as deputy Kapellmeister. Ritter went back to Dresden in 1683, becoming Kammerorganist and deputy Kapellmeister under Christoph Bernhard. In 1688, he was evidently back in Stockholm as Kapellmeister, remaining there until 1699. According to a detail on a vocal work, Ritter was living in Hamburg in 1704. In 1717, he described himself in a letter to Johann Mattheson as “Emeritus, who did his part at the royal, electoral and princely courts for more than 30 years in re musica”. Works As well as mo

Christoph Bernhard

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Christoph Bernhard (; 1 January 1628 – 14 November 1692) was born in Kolberg, Pomerania, and died in Dresden. He was a German Baroque composer and musician. He studied with former Sweelinck-pupil Paul Siefert in Danzig (now Gdańsk) and in Warsaw. By the age of 20, he was singing at the electoral court in Dresden under Heinrich Schütz and composed some of the music for the Master’s funeral. He then spent a year in Copenhagen to study singing with Agostino Fontana. After his appointment as assistant kapellmeister in Dresden in 1655, Bernhard made two sojourns to Italy to further his musical education. When he was 35, he moved to Hamburg to work as the director of music for the Johanneum and for civic musical events. The next ten years were a golden age in the musical tradition of Hamburg: Bernhard and his good friend Matthias Weckmann performed together and directed the latest compositions from Italy and Vienna, as well as composing an important collection of music in finely-wrought counterpoint. The Elector of Saxony recalled Bernhard to Dresden in 1674, where he returned as assistant kapellmeister. Six years later, the large - and primarily Italian - musical establishment in the ci

Christoph Förster

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Christoph Förster (30 November 1693 – 6 December 1745) was a German composer of the baroque period. Life Christoph Förster (spelled Johann Christoph Friedrich in his death register) was born in Bibra, Thuringia as the son of council treasurer Christian Förster who gave him his first musical instruction in singing and playing on various instruments. External links *

Christoph Gottlieb Schröter

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Christoph Gottlieb Schröter (10 August 169920 May 1782 ), was a German composer and organist, who is best known for his contributions to the tangent piano, which in 1717 he invented a keyboard instrument whose strings were not plucked, but struck by hammers. Biography Born in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Schröter showed his musical ability as a choirboy in the Staatskapelle Dresden, becoming a student of Johann Christoph Schmidt. In 1717, at the age of 18, he went to the Kreuzschule in Dresden and studied theology. While studying, his mother died, to which he went back to the Staatskapelle to study music and was recommended as a amanuensis to composer Antonio Lotti, which to him was a great honour. Schröter was later employed as a secretary and musical associate to an unknown man, who he would travel with throughout Germany, Netherlands and England. Schröter would later in 1724 settle in Jena where he would teach open lectures about music theory at the University of Jena. In 1726, he became an Organist at the St. Martini Church in Minden, he was called “one of the bravest organists of our time” by Ernst Ludwig Gerber. He would reside in Minden until 1732 when he traveled to Nordhausen, wh

Christoph Graupner

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Christoph Graupner (23 January 168310 May 1760) was a German composer and harpsichordist of late Baroque music who was a contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann and George Frideric Handel. Life Born in Hartmannsdorf near Kirchberg in Saxony, Graupner received his first musical instruction from his uncle, an organist named Nicolaus Kuester. Graupner went to the University of Leipzig where he studied law (as did many composers of the time) and then completed his musical studies with Johann Kuhnau, the cantor of the Thomasschule (St. Thomas School). In 1705, Graupner left Leipzig to play the harpsichord in the orchestra of the Oper am Gänsemarkt in Hamburg under the direction of Reinhard Keiser, alongside George Frideric Handel, then a young violinist. In addition to playing the harpsichord, Graupner composed six operas in Hamburg, some of them in collaboration with Keiser, a popular composer of operas in Germany. In 1709, Graupner accepted a post at the court of Hesse-Darmstadt and in 1711 became the court orchestra’s Hofkapellmeister (court chapel master). Graupner spent the rest of his career at the court in Hesse-Darmstadt, where his primary responsibilities

Christoph Schaffrath

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Christoph Schaffrath (1709 in Hohnstein, Electorate of Saxony 7 February 1763 in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia) was a German musician and composer of the late Baroque to Classical transition era. Career Schaffrath was born in Hohnstein. He applied to be organist at the Sophienkirche in Dresden, but did not receive this position (Wilhelm Friedemann Bach was favoured for it). In June 1733, he sought the position of organist at St. Sophia’s Church in Dresden; however, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach won the audition (on June 22, 1733). For a time, he served as Kapellmeister to the Lithuanian Prince (1680–1750) in Zasław, then in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (today in Ukraine). He did serve in the court of the Crown Prince Frederick (Frederick the Great) as a harpsichordist in the orchestra. While still only Crown Prince, Frederick began assembling a private orchestra at his Neuruppin residence in 1732: Johann Gottlieb Graun was the first musician to enter his service that year , followed by Franz Benda in 1733, Johann Georg Benda in 1734, Carl Heinrich Graun in 1735, and then Christoph Schaffrath and Johann Gottlieb Janitsch in 1736. From 1741, however, Schaffrath was strictly the musician

Christophe Moyreau

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Christophe Moyreau (4 April 1700 – 11 May 1774) was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. Biography Moyreau was born and spent most of his life in Orléans into an old family of the city. He became organist at Orléans Collégiale Saint-Aignan in February 1719 and at Orléans Cathedral in January 1738 and occupied this position until around 1772. His music displayed a variety of stylistic innovations and was considerably different from his contemporaries’ works. A provincial composer, Moyreau did not achieve much fame during his lifetime and is almost completely forgotten today. His most known and most frequently performed piece is Les Cloches d’Orléans, an organ composition that imitates the bells of Orléans Cathedral. Works Moyreau’s surviving oeuvre consists of 6 livres of keyboard music. None of the pieces are dated, but it is known that Moyreau got a publication privilege on 30 January 1753 and that all six collections were published the same year, engraved by Marie-Charlotte Vendôme, one of the finest engravers of the era; who was also responsible for the first publication of Mozart’s music in 1764 (KV6 and KV7). Moyreau dedicated the pieces to Louis Philippe I,

Christopher Gibbons

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Christopher Gibbons (bapt. 22 August 1615 – 20 October 1676) was an English composer and organist of the Baroque period. He was the second son, and first surviving child of the composer Orlando Gibbons. Life and career Background Christopher Gibbons was born into an already very musical family, established by his grandfather, William, who was head of the town waits in Oxford and Cambridge. Christopher Gibbons’ uncles Edward, Ellis and Ferdinand furthered their family’s reputation as successful musicians themselves, with Ellis and Edward becoming composers and the latter receiving a Bachelor of Music from Cambridge and serving as the master of the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. The family’s legacy was cemented by Christopher’s father, Orlando, who became by far the most famous and successful composer and musician of the family. Early life Christopher Gibbons was born to Orlando and Elizabeth () in Westminster where he was baptized on 22 August 1615 at St Margaret’s. While his exact day of birth is unknown, although it was likely only a few days before his baptism as early baptisms were common practice. He was probably named after Orlando’s friend and patron Sir Christopher Hatt

Christopher Simpson (musician)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Christopher Simpson (1602/1606–1669) was an English musician and composer, particularly associated with music for the viola da gamba. Life Simpson was born between 1602 and 1606, probably at Egton, North Yorkshire. He was the eldest son of Christopher Sympson, a Yorkshireman, who is usually described as a cordwainer but who was also the manager of a theatre company patronised by wealthy Yorkshire Catholics. It is thought that Sympson senior may have preferred to portray himself at times as a simple craftsman, rather than a high-profile Catholic sympathiser, at a time when Catholics were harshly persecuted in England. There is a theory (put forward by Urquhart) that Christopher Simpson (junior), the musician, could have been the same Simpson (or Sampson) who was educated as a Jesuit in continental Europe and was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1629. However, Simpson’s death in 1669 is at odds with the evidence that the Jesuit Simpson lived until 1674. Simpson fought in the English Civil War, on the Royalist side and, in 1642, was a quarter-master in the army of the Earl (later Duke) of Newcastle. Following the siege of York, Simpson took refuge at the manor of Sir Robert Bolles (16

Claudio Casciolini

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Claudio Casciolini (9 November 1697 – 18 January 1760) was an Italian composer. Life The son of Agostino and Veronica Finocchiola, he was born in Rome on November. From April 1726 until his death he sang as a bass at the church of San Lorenzo in Damaso where he may have also been maestro di cappella. On 14 January 1724 he married Maria Teresa Mazza in the basilica of S. Lorenzo in Damaso; he had numerous children and lived in poverty in a small house near the . He was a member of the Congregation of S. Cecilia, for which he wrote various compositions. Work Casciolini wrote only church music. Although he lived during what’s usually regarded as the late baroque, he wrote exclusively in the stile antico. This consisted of a cappella counterpoint in the style of Palestrina. Compositions His compositions include a three-part Missa pro defunctis, and a Missa brevissima. Other works for four voices Venite comedite; Adiuva nos; Responsoria per il Mercoledi, Giovedi, Venerdi Santo; Benedictus; Christus factus est, Vexilla; Christe cum sit; Istorum est; Miserere; O vos omnes; Laude sagra ad honorem et gloriam Domini nostri Jesu Christi; Pange lingua; Stabat Mater; Viam mandatorum. Other work

Constantin Christian Dedekind

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Constantin Christian Dedekind (2 April 1628 – 1715) was a German poet, dramatist, librettist, composer and bass singer of the Baroque era. Biography Dedekind was born in Reinsdorf, Thuringia into a musical family, the son of musician Stefan Dedekind (1595–1636) and the grandson of composer Henning Dedekind (1562–1626). He was educated at Quedlinburg Abbey. From about 1647 he lived in Dresden. Early recognition of his poetic talent came in 1652 when Johann Rist, in his role of Imperial Count Palatine, awarded him the Dichterkrone (equivalent to making him Poet Laureate). A few years later Dedekind became a member of the (Order of Elbe Swans), Rist’s poetical society. He also pursued a musical career. From 1654 he was a bass singer in the Kapelle of Johann Georg II, Elector of Saxony in Dresden. From 1666 to 1675 he held the position of Konzertmeister there; however, he directed only the German singers within the Kapelle, a grouping referred to as the kleine deutsche Musik, as distinct from the Italian ones. He himself had requested this split in a letter of 1666 to Johann Georg II. His resignation of the position in 1675 seems to have been an eventual outcome of this rivalry. Howeve

Countess Amalia Katharina of Waldeck

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Countess Amalia Katharina of Waldeck (8 August 1640 – 4 January 1697), née Countess of , was a German noblewoman, poet and composer. Early life She was born in Arolsen to Count Philipp Theodor von Waldeck-Eisenberg and his wife, Countess Marie Magdalene of Nassau-Siegen (1622–1647, daughter of William, Count of Nassau-Siegen). In 1664, she married George Louis I, Count of Erbach-Erbach, the son of George Albert I, Count of Erbach-Schönberg. Poet and composer She published a number of Pietist poems and songs in Hildburghausen in 1692. They were meant for private household devotion. There were 67 poems, some of which had simple melodies and a figured bass. Issue She and her husband had sixteen children: * Henriette (27 September 1665 – 28 September 1665). * Henriette Juliane (15 October 1666 – 27 February 1684). * Philipp Louis, Count of Erbach-Erbach (10 June 1669 – 17 June 1720). * Charles Albert Louis (16 June 1670 – k.a. Dapfing a.d.Donau, 18 August 1704). * George Albert (born and died 1 July 1671). * Amalia Katharina (13 May 1672 – 18 June 1676). * Frederick Charles (19 April 1673 – 25 April 1673). * A son (born and died 16 September 1674). * Wilhelmine Sophie (16 February 1675

Damian Stachowicz

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Damian Stachowicz (June 23, 1658 in Sokołów Małopolski – November 27, 1699 in Łowicz) was a Polish composer. His baptismal name was Jan (Joannes). At the age of 17 he entered the monastic order of the Piarists in Rzeszów and took on the name Damian of the Most Holy Trinity (Damianus à SS. Trinitate). On 9 June 1675 he received the religious habit, and as early as 6 August of the same year he arrived at Podolinec, where he stayed until 1677 teaching the classes in poetry and rhetoric, as well as performing musical tasks. Since 1678 he had resided in the monastery in Prievidza, and studied philosophy and theology. Most probably he was still occupied with music (which we can surmise on the basis of a large number of compositions mentioned in the music inventory of that place). In the years 1681–1690 he worked in Warsaw where on 21 December 1685 he was ordained to the priesthood. We may also find more detailed information about his musical responsibilities (“mgr chori et Musices”), which included education of the youth. Since 1691 Stachowicz had dwelled in Łowicz and his duties were to conduct the choir, to teach rhetoric and theology, to head the school (at least since 1696) and final

Daniel Croner

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Daniel Croner (1656–1740) was a Transylvanian composer and organist of Saxon descent. He is best known for his four manuscript collections of organ music, his ‘Tabulaturae’, that include some of the earliest surviving organ compositions from this region. Early life Daniel Croner was born in Kronstadt (now Brașov) to master tailor Daniel Croner and his wife Katharina at their home in Purzengasse. His musical talent was recognized early and encouraged. Education From 1671 to 1678 he attended Kronstadt’s Honterus-Gymnasium. In 1675 he began to make copies of music for his own use. He then moved to Weissenburg (now Alba Iulia) to perfect his knowledge of Hungarian and moved to Breslau (now Wrocław) in 1680 to study at the Maria Magdalena High School. * Wittenberg, May 1682 (Tabulatura Num: 12 Praeambulorum mit einem Capriccio von eben 12 Variationen; durch alle Claves und Tonos auff Clavichordien und Spinetten zu gebrauchen, gesetzt von Johann George Kittelen, Weitberiihmbten Churf. Hoff-Organisten in Dresden. * Kronstadt, 1685 In his collection Croner not only displays his grasp of traditional styles - not least by including alongside his own compositions the works of older contempora

Daniel Danielis

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Daniel Danielis (Visé near Liège 1635- Vannes 1696) was a Belgian composer. He studied at Maastricht and was organist at Saint Lambert’s Church. Between 1661 and 1681 he served as Kapellmeister at the court of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. In 1684 he became maître de musique at Vannes Cathedral. Works, editions and recordings Surviving works include 72 petits motets, several of them preserved by composer and collector Sébastien de Brossard, another 12 in a collection by Philidor. 54 of these motets are for 1 or 2 voices. A full catalogue of his works was published by Catherine Cessac, of the CMBV, in 2003. Recordings * Motets for one or two voices - including Caelo rores. Adjuro vos. Cognoscam. O Dulcissime. Jesu dulcissime. Quid reminiscimini Adoro te meo salus. Dic mihi o bone Jesu. Jesu mi. O alme vindex criminum. Mellon, Collot, Terakado, Malgoire, Uemura. dir. Christophe Rousset 1993 (Koch Schwann 3–1031) * Motets d’Uppsala - 11 motets, including Paratum cor meum. Inter flammas amoris. Françoise Masset, Stephanie Revidat, Jean-François Novelli, Jérôme Corréas. Rousset 1997 (Cypres Records) * Caeleste convivium - motets including Propter nimiam charitatem. Ornate aras. O bonitas, o amor

Daniel Purcell

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Daniel Purcell (c. 1664 – buried 26 November 1717) was an English Baroque composer, the younger brother or cousin of Henry Purcell. Biography Like Henry Purcell before him, Daniel Purcell joined the choir of the Chapel Royal at about the age of 14. In his mid-twenties he was appointed organist of Magdalen College, Oxford where he began to compose. In 1695 he moved to London to compose for the theatre providing incidental music for more than 40 plays. One of his first engagements was to complete the concluding Masque for Act V of the semi-opera The Indian Queen, the preceding music for which had been written by Henry Purcell during the early months of 1695. It is unclear whether Daniel Purcell had been engaged because of pressure to complete the score in time for the first performance or as a result of Henry Purcell’s failing health and subsequent death. The performance history of the piece is uncertain, and the first performance may have gone ahead without Daniel Purcell’s contribution. In 1696 he composed the score for the semi-opera Brutus of Alba to a libretto by George Powell. In 1701, he came third in a competition for the best musical setting of William Congreve’s masque, The

Daniel Roseingrave

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Daniel Roseingrave (c.1655 – May 1727) was an English-born organist and composer mainly active in Dublin, Ireland. Roseingrave probably hailed from the area of Gloucester, where he was organist at Gloucester Cathedral (1679–1681) and where he later sent his sons for education. He subsequently became organist at Winchester Cathedral (1682–1692) and Salisbury Cathedral (1692–1698), and finally from 1698 at both Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin and St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, which “marked the beginning of a period of half a century when the Roseingrave family dominated the musical scene at the Dublin cathedrals.” He remained organist at Christ Church until his death in Dublin in 1727; at St Patrick’s his son Ralph joined him from 1719. He composed some church music including a verse anthem Lord, thou art become gracious. His works are often confused with that of his sons; a disentangling of the works of the various Roseingraves in Ireland was in preparation in 2014. His sons Thomas Roseingrave and Ralph Roseingrave were likewise composers and organists. Bibliography *Barra Boydell: Music at Christ Church before 1800: Documents and Selected Anthems (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1999)

Daniel Speer

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Georg Daniel Speer (2 July 1636 – 5 October 1707) was a German composer and writer of the Baroque. Speer was born in Breslau (today Wrocław, Poland) and died in Göppingen, Germany. Writing As a writer he wrote a musical treatise, political tracts, and fiction. In 1687 he published a treatise on music that is considered useful in understanding Middle Baroque music. His writing on music would influence German Baroque trombone works for over a century. In non-musical writing his political tracts led to his being imprisoned for a year and a half. In literature he is known for three or four autobiographical novels that give a feel of the musical scene of his era and make use of humor. In them the narrator is referred to as Daniel Simplex. His novels had largely become obscure until rediscovery in the 1930s. Composing As a composer, Speer for example produced music for trombones. Keyboard miniatures have also survived. He might be best known for his Sonata No. 29 from Die Bänkelsängerlieder for brass quintet, which is often played at weddings and formal occasions. Works *1683 – Türkischer Vagant *1683 – Ungarischer oder Dacianischer Simplicissimus *1684 - Die Bänkelsängerlieder *1685 – R

Daniel Vetter

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Daniel Vetter (1657/58 – 7 February 1721) was an organist and composer of the German Baroque era. Life Born in Breslau, Vetter became a pupil of Werner Fabricius in Leipzig. When Fabricius died in 1679, Vetter succeeded him as organist of the St. Nicholas Church. Some time before 1695 he wrote a melody for , who at the time was cantor in Breslau, and to whom he was befriended. That hymn tune, Zahn No. 6634, was sung at the cantor’s funeral in Breslau, in 1695. Vetter published the first volume of his in 1709. From 1710 to 1716 he supervised the construction of the new organ built by in the church of the university of Leipzig, an organ that was tested in 1717 over a three-day period by Johann Sebastian Bach in Vetter’s presence. Meanwhile, the second volume of his Musicalische Kirch- und Hauß-Ergötzlichkeit was published in 1713. It contained a four-part setting of the Zahn 6634 melody, to the text of Caspar Neumann’s “Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben” hymn. Vetter remained organist of St. Nicholas in Leipzig until his death in 1721. * The second volume, containing 91 more settings of chorale melodies, was published in 1713. The collection contains settings of 117 hymn tunes: mo

Dario Castello

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Dario Castello (bapt. 19 October 1602, Venice – 2 July 1631, Venice) was an Italian composer and violinist from the early Baroque period who worked and published in Venice. As a composer, he was a late member of the Venetian School and had a role in the transformation of the instrumental canzona into the sonata. Biographical details Dario Domenico Castello was born in Venice, where he was baptised on 19 October 1602. The title page of the 1621 edition of the first volume of the Sonate Concertate in stil moderno records him as Capo di Compagnia de Musichi d’Instrumenti da fiato in Venetia, indicating that he led a Venetian company of piffari, a band that could include sackbuts, cornetts, shawms, but also violins and viols. On 19 November 1624, he was appointed «sonador di violin» (violin player) of the St. Mark’s music chapel, at the time headed by Claudio Monteverdi. The title page of the second volume (1629) of the “Sonate concertate in Stil moderno” lists him as Musico Della Serenissima Signoria di Venetia in S. Marco, & Capo di Compagnia de Instrumenti, indicating that he worked at the great Basilica of St. Mark’s where Claudio Monteverdi was maestro di capella. Castello’s use o

David Petersen (composer)

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David Petersen (born Lübeck ca. 1650 or 1651 – died Amsterdam, before 5 May 1737) was a violinist and composer of north German origin active in the Dutch Republic. His last name is also spelled Pietersen. In the 1670s he travelled to Lund, Sweden where he was an employee of the newly founded University. By 1680, however, he had moved to Amsterdam where he remained for the rest of his career. He is notable for a collection of twelve sonatas for violin and basso continuo published in 1683 entitled Speelstukken. It is the only Dutch publication of its type in this period. There are similar collections of pieces for violin and bass by German composers such as Westhoff and Biber; however the sonatas are closest in style to Johann Jakob Walther’s Scherzi da Violino solo con il basso continuo published in 1676. It is possible that Walther had connections to Amsterdam and may have taught Petersen. Petersen’s other compositions include a large number of song settings with continuo in Dutch. They were published in Amsterdam in collaboration with the Dutch poets Abraham Alewijn and Cornelis Sweerts. Petersen is also closely associated with a number of composers such as Servaes de Koninck and

David Pohle

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David Pohle (1624 – 20 December 1695) was a German composer of the Baroque era. His surname is also spelled Pohl, Pohlen, Pole, Pol or Bohle. Biography Pohle was born in Marienberg into a family of civic musicians. He was a pupil of Heinrich Schütz in Dresden. He and his brother Samuel joined the Kapelle of Christian I, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg as instrumentalists. From 1650 to 1652 his presence at Kassel is documented. From 1653 he was at the Holstein-Gottorp court in Schleswig. In a baptismal record of 1660 he is named as “Concertmeister to the prince of Magdeburg”, namely Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels. Pohle became the Kapellmeister for the Duke’s court at Halle that same year, succeeding Philipp Stolle. The poet and dramatist David Elias Heidenreich worked in the Saxon courts as an official, and provided the libretti for a number of the Singspiel operas that Pohle composed. From 1674 to 1677 Pohle also worked at the secundogeniture courts at Saxe-Weissenfels and Saxe-Zeitz. When the court at Halle moved to Weissenfels in 1680, Krieger, who had already become deputy Kapellmeister at the court, replaced Pohle as Kapellmeister. Violinist Christian Heinrich Aschenbrenner was als

Denis Gaultier

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Denis Gaultier (Gautier, Gaulthier; also known as Gaultier le jeune and Gaultier de Paris) (1597 or 1602/3 – 1672) was a French lutenist and composer. He was a cousin of Ennemond Gaultier. Life Gaultier was born in Paris; two conflicting sources point to either 1597 or 1603 as the year of birth. The former can be deduced from an account by Thorian, who claimed that Gaultier died in 1672 at the age of seventy-five. However, an archival document from the Hôtel-Dieu de Paris hospital states that Gaultier was twenty-three at the time of his convalescence in the hospital, which was from 24 October 1626 to 12 December 1626. Very little is known about Gaultier’s career. He may have studied under Charles Racquet, since he commemorated the lutenist’s death with a tombeau. Until at least 1631 Denis’s career was closely linked to that of his older cousin, Ennemond; so much that contemporary writers referred to either composer by surname only, making no attempt to distinguish between them. Both lutenists had connections with Blancrocher and Henri de L’Enclos, and both secured a high reputation comparable to that of François Dufaut, Jacques Gallot, or Charles Mouton. In 1635 Denis married Franç

Dieterich Buxtehude

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Dieterich Buxtehude (; born Diderich Hansen Buxtehude, ; – 9 May 1707) His parents were Johannes (Hans Jensen) Buxtehude and Helle Jespersdatter. His father originated from Oldesloe in the Duchy of Holstein, which at that time was a part of the Danish realms in Northern Germany. Scholars dispute both the year and country of Dieterich’s birth, although most now accept that he was born in 1637 in Helsingborg in the province of Scania/Skåne, which was part of Denmark at the time (but it is now part of Sweden). His obituary stated that “he recognized Denmark as his native country, whence he came to our region; he lived about 70 years”. Others, however, claim that he was born at Oldesloe. Later in his life he Germanized his name and began signing documents Dieterich Buxtehude. Lübeck: Marienkirche Buxtehude’s last post, from 1668, was at the Marienkirche, Lübeck which had two organs, a large one for big services and a small one for devotionals and funerals. There he succeeded Franz Tunder and followed in many of the footsteps of his predecessor. He married Tunder’s daughter Anna Margarethe in 1668 – it was not uncommon practice that a man marry the daughter of his predecessor in his occ

Domenico Dall'Oglio

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Domenico dall’Oglio (c. 1700 – 1764) was an Italian violinist and composer. Biography Domenico dall’Oglio was born in Padua, Republic of Venice. He was probably a pupil of Giuseppe Tartini, either after 1721 when Tartini was appointed Maestro di Cappella at the Basilica di Sant’Antonio in Padua, or perhaps after 1726 when Tartini founded his violin school. In 1732, dall’Oglio was appointed violinist at the Basilica di Sant’Antonio, but in 1735 he left Padua to go to the Russian Empire with his brother Giuseppe, a cellist. Both brothers remained in St Petersburg for nearly 29 years in the service of the imperial court. Court records make frequent reference to Domenico’s activities as a virtuoso violinist and composer, and as a participant in the intrigues of the court. For relaxation he liked to build musical instruments – violins and lutes. He died in Narva, then part of the Russian Empire (today in Estonia), on his return journey to Italy. Musical style Most of dall’Oglio’s works are instrumental compositions, but at the imperial court of St Petersburg, in the absence of the maestro di cappella Francesco Araja, dall’Oglio was several times called on to produce music for the theatr

Domenico Freschi

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Giovanni Domenico Freschi (26 March 1634 – 2 July 1710) was an Italian composer and Roman Catholic priest. From the age of 22 until his death he worked as a church musician and composer in Vincenza. He was also active as an opera composer from 1671 to 1685. Life and career Born in Bassano del Grappa, Freschi was appointed the maestro di cappella at the Cathedral of Vicenza on 14 December 1656; just a few years after his ordination. He remained in that post until his death in Vincenza 53 and a half years later. His sacred music compositions were frequently performed at the cathedral and at other major churches in Vincenza during his lifetime. In addition to his work as a church musician and composer, Freschi also had an active career as an opera composer. Of his 16 known operas, 11 of them premiered at theatres in Venice and 5 of them at the opera house in Villa Contarini, Piazzola sul Brenta. His first opera, Ifide greca (libretto by Nicolò Minato), premiered in Venice in 1671. His second opera, Helena rapita da Paride was performed for the inauguration of the Teatro Sant’Angelo in Venice in 1677. His last opera to premiere, Gl’amori d’Alidaura, was performed in Piazzola sul Brenta

Domenico Sarro

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Domenico Natale Sarro, also Sarri (24 December 1679 – 25 January 1744) was an Italian composer. Born in Trani, Apulia, Kingdom of Naples, he studied at the Neapolitan conservatory of S. Onofrio. He composed extensively in the early 18th century. His opera Didone abbandonata, premiered on 1 February 1724 at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples, was the first setting of a major libretto by Pietro Metastasio. He is best remembered today as the composer of Achille in Sciro, the opera that was chosen to open the new Teatro di San Carlo in 1737. Of his many intermezzi, ‘Dorina e Nibbio’ or L’impresario delle Isole Canarie (1724) has had an extensive performance history. With a libretto by Pietro Metastasio (his only comic libretto), it was performed often and imitated internationally (with versions by Albinoni, Gasparini, Leo, Martini and others). In recent years it was performed in the State Theatre of Stuttgart, the Bochum Symphony as well as the Semperoper Dresden. In addition to his Operas and other large scale works, Sarro has written a considerable number of vocal cantatas which show great charm and inventiveness. ‘Coronatemi il crin’ for Alto, two violins and continuo, is perhaps h

Domenico Scarlatti

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Italy#

Scarlatti was born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples, then belonging to the Spanish Empire. He was born in 1685, the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. Although his early musical education is unclear, he may have studied under Gaetano Greco, Francesco Gasparini, and Bernardo Pasquini. Scarlatti was appointed as a composer and organist at the Chapel Royal of Naples in 1701 and briefly worked under his father, who was then the chapel’s maestro di cappella. Domenico’s first two operas were produced in Naples in 1703: Ottavia Restituita al Trono and Il GiustIno. In 1703 he revised Carlo Francesco Pollarolo’s opera Irene for performance at Naples. Soon after Alessandro sent Domenico to Venice by way of Florence and gave him a letter for Fernando de’ Medici in the hope that there would be appointments from the Prince for Domenico and for himself. He thought that Venice would offer more opportunities for his son than Rome, even if no royal appointments were bestowed and they were not. After this, nothing is certain of his life until 1709, when he went to Rome and entered the service of the exiled Polish queen Marie Casimire. Some of these works, including Tolomeo e Alessandro (1711) and Amor d’un’ombra e gelosia d’un’aura (1714), were composed especially for Queen Casimir’s private theatre. He also composed religious works like a Stabat Mater for ten voices. When the exiled queen ran out of money and left Italy, Scarlatti became a musical director at the Julian Chapel at St. Peter’s from 1714 to 1719. While in Rome he met Thomas Roseingrave, who would later describe his harpsichord skills to Charles Burney. Scarlatti was already an accomplished harpsichordist; there is a story of a trial of skill with George Frideric Handel at the palace of Cardinal Ottoboni in Rome, where Scarlatti was judged possibly superior to Handel on the harpsichord, although inferior on the organ. Later in life, he was known to cross himself in veneration when speaking of Handel’s skill. In Lisbon he became musical director to King John V of Portugal, as well as music master to the king’s younger brother Don Antonio and Princess Maria Magdalena Barbara. He also knew of and probably met the 16-year-old Carlos Seixas, who was also at the court of John V.

Domenico Zipoli

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Domenico Zipoli (1688–1726) was an Italian composer from the Baroque period who worked in Córdoba, in the Viceroyalty of Peru, Spanish Empire (in modern Argentina). He became a Jesuit in order to work in the Reductions of Paraguay where he taught music among the Guaraní people. He is remembered as the most accomplished musician among Jesuit missionaries. Early training and career Zipoli was born in Prato, where he received elementary musical training. However, there are no records of him having entered the cathedral choir. In 1707, and with the patronage of Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, he was a pupil of the organist Giovani Maria Casini in Florence. In 1708 he briefly studied under Alessandro Scarlatti in Naples, then Bologna and finally in Rome under Bernardo Pasquini. Two of his oratorios date to this early period: San Antonio di Padova (1712) and Santa Caterina, Virgine e martire (1714). Around 1715 he was made the organist of the Church of the Gesù (the mother church for the Society of Jesus), in Rome, a prestigious post. At the very beginning of the following year, he finished his best-known work, a collection of keyboard pieces titled Sonate d’intavolatura per organo e

Duchess Elisabeth Sophie of Mecklenburg

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Elisabeth Sophie of Mecklenburg, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (20 August 1613 – 12 July 1676) was a German poet, composer and impresario. Life She began studying music at the court of her father, Duke John Albert II of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, where was an orchestra known for its use of fine English musicians, such as William Brade. with whom she had two children: * Ferdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg * Marie Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Elisabeth Sophie was charged with organizing the court orchestra, and at times worked closely with Heinrich Schütz, who was appointed absentes Kapellmeister in 1655. She may have collaborated with him on arias in his Theatralische neue Vorstellung von der Maria Magdalena. She also played a major role in establishing large court entertainments, including masquerades, plays, and ballets, to which she at times wrote librettos and music. Her additional involvement in these entertainments is unclear. Two of her dramatic works survive: Friedens Sieg (1642, Brunswick) and Glückwünschende Freudensdarstellung (Lüneburg, 1652). Footnotes References * (similar text in Grove Opera article by same author) *

Edward Harwood (of Darwen)

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Edward Harwood (of Darwen) (1707–1787) was an English composer of hymns, anthems and songs. His setting of Alexander Pope’s revolutionary The Dying Christian (Vital spark of heav’nly flame) was enormously popular at one time and was widely performed at funerals, of nobility and commoners alike. Biography Edward Harwood was born at Hoddlesden, near Darwen, Lancashire, in 1707. His early training was as a hand-loom weaver, but he subsequently became a professional musician in Liverpool. His first collection of psalmody, A set of hymns and psalm tunes, was published in London in 1781, and a second collection, entitled A Second Set of Hymns and Psalm Tunes was published at Chester in 1786. Both collections were widely well-received. He died a year after publishing his second collection, in 1787. Vital Spark Harwood’s setting of Pope’s ode Vital spark of heav’nly flame was first published in Harwood’s A set of hymns and psalm tunes: it is written in the style of a glee, and in the original publication is written for the most part for three voices (two trebles and bass), with a fourth (tenor) part being added for the last few bars only. It was, however, often arranged for the more usual

Edward Purcell (musician)

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Edward Purcell (1689–1740) was an English organist and composer. Purcell was born in Westminster, London, the only surviving son of English Baroque master Henry Purcell, who died in 1695 when Edward was a small child. When his mother Frances died in February 1706, she stated in her will, and apparently in accordance with her husband’s wishes, that she had given him a good education. She also bequeathed to him music and instruments: “the organ, the double spinnet, the single spinnet”; possibly the instruments her husband had used. Edward became organist of St Clement Eastcheap, in London at the end of 1711, a position he retained for the rest of his life. He was unsuccessful in his attempts to succeed his uncle Daniel Purcell as organist of St Andrew’s, Holborn, on 19 February 1718 and again on 3 April 1719. He eventually became organist at St. Margaret’s, Westminster, on 8 July 1726, concurrent with his post at Eastcheap. He was buried in St Clement Eastcheap near the organ gallery door, and was succeeded as organist there by his son Edward Henry Purcell (d. 1765). Edward Purcell published two songs, though the psalm chants often attributed to him seem to be by an earlier namesake,

Egidio Duni

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Egidio Romualdo Duni (or Egide Romuald Duny; 11 February 1708 – 11 June 1775) was an Italian composer who studied in Naples and worked in Italy, France and London, writing both Italian and French operas. Biography Born in Matera, Duni was taught music by his father, Francesco Duni, and two sisters. At the age of nine, he was accepted at the Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto, near Naples. There he worked with Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Giovanni Paisiello, and other masters of Italian opera. His first success was with the opera Nerone presented at the Rome Carnival in 1735. Thereafter, he was in London (Demofoonte, 1737), returning to Italy where he eventually became maestro di cappella in Parma in 1749. The latter part of his career was spent in France, where he played a key role in the development of the comédie mêlée d’ariettes (an early form of opéra comique), with such works as Le peintre amoureux de son modèle (Paris, 1757), La fée Urgèle (Fontainebleau, 1765), and L’école de la jeunesse (Paris, 1765). He died in Paris. Works Italian operas *Nerone (Rome, 1735) *Adriano in Siria on a libretto by Metastasio (1735–1736) *Giuseppe riconosciuto (1736) *La tirannide debellata

Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre

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Élisabeth Claude Jacquet de La Guerre (, née Jacquet, 17 March 1665 – 27 June 1729) was a French musician, harpsichordist and composer. Jacquet de La Guerre was a significant figure in French Baroque music, particularly in the development of cantata and keyboard traditions. She was one of the earliest women in France to achieve recognition as a composer and to have her works widely performed and published. She was among the first French composers to write cantatas , helping establish the genre in France. She was closely associated with the court of Louis XIV, where her career was shaped by royal patronage and the musical culture of Versailles. Her music blends French stylistic traditions with elements of Italian influence, particularly in her vocal and instrumental works. Life and works Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet was born on March 17, 1665, into a family of musicians and master instrument-makers in the parish of Saint-Louis-en-l’Île, Paris. Her grandfather, Jehan Jacquet, and her father, Claude Jacquet, were harpsichord makers. Claude taught his sons and daughters how to survive and thrive in the world. Élisabeth received her initial musical education from her father. When she was fi

Emanuele d'Astorga

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Emanuele Gioacchino Cesare Rincon, baron of Astorga (20 March 16801757, by one report) was an Italian composer known mainly for his Stabat Mater. Biography He was born on 20 March 1680 in Augusta, Sicily. No authentic account of Astorga’s life can be successfully constructed from the obscure and confusing evidence that has been until now handed down, although historians have not failed to indulge many pleasant conjectures. According to Volkmann his father, a baron of Sicily, took an active part in the attempt to throw off the Spanish yoke, but was betrayed by his own soldiers and publicly executed. His wife and son were compelled to be spectators of his fate; and such was the effect upon them that his mother died on the spot, and Emanuele fell into a state of gloomy despondency, which threatened to deprive him of reason. By the kindness of the Princess of Ursini, the unfortunate young man was placed in a convent at Astorga, in León, where he completed a musical education which is said to have been begun in Palermo under Francesco Scarlatti. Here he recovered his health, and his admirable musical talents were cultivated under the best masters. On the details of this account no relia

Ernst Christian Hesse

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Ernst Christian Hesse (14 April 167616 May 1762) was a German gambist and composer. Biography Born at Großengottern, which was then in the Electorate of Saxony, he attended school in Langensalza and Eisenach. He studied law at Giesen, then viola da gamba in Darmstadt. In 1692, aged 16, he performed for the Landgrave Ernst Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, who engaged him for his court. The landgrave then sent him for further study in Paris, under the two leading composer-performers of the day, Marin Marais and Antoine Forqueray. But Marais and Forqueray were bitter rivals, and Hesse could not study under both – at least, not under the same name. So, he called himself by his real name Hesse for one of the teachers, and “Sachs” for the other. The plan foundered when the two rival teachers chose to show off their star pupils in a public competition, not realising they were the same pupil. Hesse was able to please both masters by playing in their styles in turn, and this led to a rapprochement between them. He returned to Darmstadt, where he died in 1762, aged 86. Most of his compositions (operas, sonatas, church music) are lost, but an opera and some gamba pieces are extant, and there are so

Ernst Gottlieb Baron

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Ernst Gottlieb Baron or Ernst Theofil Baron (17 February 1696 – 12 April 1760), was a German lutenist, composer and writer on music. Baron was born in Breslau into the family of Michael Baron, a maker of gold lace who expected his son to follow in his footsteps. Baron showed an inclination to music from an early age, and later made it his profession. He studied lute from about 1710 with a Bohemian named Kohott. He attended the Elisabeth Gymnasium in Breslau, and from 1715 the University of Leipzig, where he studied philosophy and law. He spent the period from 1719 to 1728 in travels from one small court to another. He visited Halle, Köthen, Schleiz, Saalfeld and Rudolstadt, arriving in Jena in 1720 and remaining for two years. Later he travelled to Kassel, Fulda, Würzburg, Nuremberg and Regensburg, returning in 1727 to Nuremberg where he published his “Historisch-theoretische und practische Untersuchung des Instruments der Lauten”, the work for which he is principally remembered. In 1728 he replaced the lutenist Meusel, who had recently died in a horseback riding accident, at the court of Gotha. He held that post for four years. After the death of the Duke of Gotha he moved on to E

Étienne Richard

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Étienne Richard (c. 1621 – 1669) was a French composer, organist and harpsichordist. Very little is known about his life and work. He was born in Paris and came from a family of organists; apparently he lived and worked in Paris all his life. From 1645 he and his brother Charles were organists to Chancellor Séguier. In 1651 he succeeded his father as organist of the Church of Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs in Paris, working together with Nicolas Gigault. In 1652 Etienne lost both his brother and his father. The same year he succeeded the former as organist of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, and three years later, in 1655, he took his father’s position at Saint-Martin-des-Champs. His career soared by the end of the 1650s, and in 1657 he was employed as harpsichordist and teacher to the King. He also played viola and served as violist to the King’s brother. Richard died in Paris in 1669, possibly in May. Although he was exceptionally well regarded at the court, only a few works by Richard survive (and some could be attributed to Charles, Pierre, or another member of either of the two Richard families of musicians that were active in Paris at the time The organ preludes successfully combine

Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco

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Evaristo Felice Dall’Abaco (12 July 1675, Verona, Republic of Venice — 12 July 1742, Munich, Bavaria) was an Italian composer, violinist, and cellist. Life Dall’Abaco was born in Verona to renowned guitarist Damiano dall’Abaco. He is thought to have been a pupil of Torelli’s, from whom he would have learned violin and cello. He became a violinist with Tommaso Antonio Vitali in Modena, and in 1704 joined the court of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria in Munich as Kammermusiker. After only a few months, he fled with the court to Brussels following Maximilian’s defeat at the Battle of Blenheim. When he went into exile with the court, he spent time in France and absorbed some of the influences there. On Maximilian’s restoration and return to Munich in 1715, Dall’Abaco was appointed Concert-meister. He continued to compose chamber music at the French and Dutch courts until 1740, when he retired. Dall’Abaco’s music is especially indebted to Vivaldi and Corelli. Dall’Abaco died on his 67th birthday. While in Brussels, Dall’Abaco fathered Joseph Abaco (1710–1805). Published works * Opus 1: 12 Sonate da Camera, for violin and violoncello with accompaniment * Opus 2: 12 Concerti a qu

Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor

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Ferdinand III (Ferdinand Ernest; 13 July 1608 – 2 April 1657) was Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1625, King of Bohemia from 1627 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1637 to his death. Ferdinand ascended the throne at the beginning of the last decade of the Thirty Years’ War and introduced lenient policies to depart from the old ideas of divine right held by his father, as he wished to end the war quickly. After military defeats and against a background of declining power, Ferdinand was compelled to abandon the political stances of his Habsburg predecessors in many respects to open the long road towards the much-delayed Peace of Westphalia. Although his authority as emperor was weakened after the war, his position in Bohemia, Hungary and Austria was stronger than that of his predecessors before 1618. Ferdinand was the first Habsburg monarch to be recognised as a musical composer. Early life Ferdinand was born in Graz as the third son of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor of Habsburg and his first wife, Maria Anna of Bavaria, and was baptised as Ferdinand Ernst. He grew up in Carinthia with loving care from his parents and developed great affection for his siblings and h

Filipe da Madre de Deus

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Frei Filipe da Madre de Deus (Lisbon, c. 1630 – Seville, c. 1688 or 1690) was a Portuguese Baroque composer. Life Filipe da Madre de Deus was born in Lisbon, about 1630. Although he lacked a deep knowledge of music theory, he was a skilled composer and vihuelist at the court of Philip IV of Spain (Philip III of Portugal until 1640). In 1654, John IV of Portugal heard about the notoriety of Madre de Deus and hired him for the Portuguese court. Two years later, John IV died and was succeeded by Afonso VI. Sometime between April 1660 and August 1661, Afonso VI nominated Madre de Deus as mestre da câmara de música real (“master of the royal chamber music”). In 1668, Peter II was appointed regent for Afonso VI, his insane brother, and all his former employees were taken off the royal payroll. Thus, Filipe da Madre de Deus had to return to Spain in 1668. He was succeeded by the renowned António Marques Lésbio as master of the royal chamber music of Portugal. Madre de Deus retired to the monastery of the barefooted Mercedarians of San Laureano in Seville. He continued as chapel master of this monastery until at least 1688, the year of his last known work. He probably died there about 1688

Filippo Acciaiuoli

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Filippo Acciaiuoli (1637 – 8 February 1700) was an Italian composer, librettist, theater manager, machine designer, and poet. Acciaiuoli spent much of his youth and early adulthood traveling throughout Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa. After returning to Rome in his early twenties, he initially studied mathematics at a seminary in Rome but ultimately became interested in theater. He is best known for his work as a librettist for operas such as Jacopo Melani’s Girello, which premiered in Rome in 1668, and as the inventor of numerous sophisticated machines that were used in theatrical productions of the day. He also composed one opera, Chi è cagion del suo mal pianga se stesso, which premiered in Rome in 1682. Acciaiuoli was the first business manager of the Teatro Tordinona in Rome and later the manager of the Teatro Capranica. He was also a member of l’Academia degli Immobili when Ferdinando Tacca developed its Teatro della Pergola. He had a close association with the court of Médicis. In 1689, Ferdinando II hired him to create theatrical machinery for the opera Greco in Troia. Contracts for other theatrical productions followed. Acciaiuoli would also occasionally perfor

Fortunato Chelleri

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Fortunato Chelleri (originally: Keller, also: Kelleri, Kellery, Cheler) (May or June 1690 in Parma – 11 December 1757 in Kassel) was a Baroque Kapellmeister and composer. Biography Chelleri’s father had emigrated from Germany to Italy; his mother was from the Italian family of musicians Bazzani (or Bassani, see also Giovanni Battista Bassani). After the early death of his parents, he grew up with his uncle Francesco Maria Bazzani in Piacenza, who trained him as a musician. Chelleri started to compose operas for different opera companies in Northern Italy in 1708. He served in noble families in Barcelona, Florence and Venice, among others, including a post as maestro di capella of Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici. In 1722 Fürstbischof Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn engaged him as Hofkapellmeister in Würzburg, together with Giovanni Benedetto Platti. After the death of the Fürstbischof in 1724, Chelleri was in Kassel Hofkapellmeister of the Landgraf Karl von Hessen-Kassel. Between 1732 and 1734, he followed Karl’s son and successor Frederick of Sweden to the royal court of Stockholm. He returned to Germany with the title and fund of Hofrat (Court Councillor) and directed the private o

Francesco Antonio Bonporti

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Francesco Antonio Bonporti (11 June 1672 – 19 December 1749) was an Italian priest and amateur composer. Born in Trento, he was admitted in 1691 to the Collegium Germanicum in Rome, where he studied theology. While in Rome, he also studied composition under the guidance of Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni and possibly (since this is unconfirmed) violin with Arcangelo Corelli. Moving back to Trento, he was ordained in 1695. Bonporti’s musical work consists of twelve opera, published between 1696 and 1736. He influenced Johann Sebastian Bach in the development of the invention, and several of his works were mistakenly included in a set of Bach’s inventions. In reality, Bach had transcribed for harpsichord four violin pieces from Bonporti’s op. X (1712). He lived in Padua from 1740 until his death in 1749. Works This is a listing of his twelve opera, first the Italian original, generally by Giuseppe Sala in Venice, then the French edition as published by Estienne Roger in Amsterdam, and finally the English edition, by John Walsh in London. Not every opus seem to have survived in all three languages, as listed in an article published by Studi Trentini in 1973 by Clemente Lunelli. His sources on

Francesco Antonio Urio

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Francesco Antonio Urio (1631/32 – c. 1719) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. Life Urio was born in Milan in 1631 or 1632, and died there in (or after) 1719. Urio held maestro di cappella posts in: Spoleto’s Cathedral (1679), Urbino (1681–83), Assisi, Genoa, Santi Apostoli in Rome (1690), Frari in Venice (1697), and at S. Francesco in Milan (1715–19). Urio was a member of the Franciscan order. Legacy George Frideric Handel reused Urio’s work, including parts of the Te Deum, in works such as Saul, Israel in Egypt, L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, and the Dettingen Te Deum. Works Urio’s works include: *Motetti di concerto a 2, 3, e 4 voci con violini e senza (Op. 1) (Rome, 1690) *Salmi concertati a 3 voci con violini (Op. 2) (Bologna, 1697). *Te Deum (c. 1700). Friedrich Chrysander published the work in Denkmäler der Tonkunst (Volume V, Bergedorf, near Hamburg, 1871), and later as Supplement 2 of the Händel-Gesellschaft. *Tantum ergo for soprano and bass continuo (Abschrift in der Bibliothek des Royal College of Music London) *Oratorium Gilard ed Eliada, Milan, Biblioteca Estense, mus.f.1200 References Citations Sources * * * * * External links * * *

Francesco Antonio Vallotti

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Francesco Antonio Vallotti (11 June 1697 – 10 January 1780) was an Italian composer, music theorist, and organist. Life He was born in Vercelli. He studied with G. A. Bissone at the church of St. Eusebius. Noticed by the Padre Beccaria of Vercelli, he was sent to complete the novitiate in Chamberry circa 1715. He returned to Savoy and joined the Franciscan order in 1716. He studied philosophy in Cuneo and theology in Padua. He was ordained as a priest in 1720. In 1722 he became an organist at the Basilica di Sant’Antonio in Padua, and eventually become maestro there in 1730, succeeding maestro Calegari, and held that position for the next fifty years. Here he met and worked with another theorist and composer named Giuseppe Tartini. Vallotti died in Padua on 10 January 1780. Theory Vallotti spent a great deal of thought on the theory of harmony and counterpoint. His theoretical endeavours would culminate in 1779 with the publishing of his 167-page, four-volume work, Della scienza teorica e pratica della moderna musica (On the scientific theory and practice of modern music), just before the end of his life. One of his most frequently cited contributions to theory was his development

Francesco Araja

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Francesco Domenico Araja (or Araia; ; June 25, 1709 in Naples, Kingdom of Sicily – between 1762 and 1770 in Bologna, States of the Church) was an Italian composer who spent 25 years in Russia and wrote at least 14 operas for the Russian imperial court, including Tsefal i Prokris, the first opera in Russian. Biography He was born and received his musical education in Naples and began to compose operas at the age of 20. His early operas were produced in the theatres of Naples, Florence, Rome, Milan, and Venice. In 1735 he was invited to St. Petersburg together with a big Italian opera troupe, and became the maestro di cappella (Kapellmeister) to Empress Anne Ioanovna and later Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. In the winter operas were usually given in a wing of the Zimniy Dvorets (the Winter Palace), and in the summer time in the Theatre of Letniy Sad in the Summer Garden. His La forza dell’amore e dell’odio was the first Italian opera performed in Russia. It was staged in 1736 as Сила любви и ненависти (Sila lyubvi i nenavisti - The Power of Love and Hatred) with a supplement to the Russian translation by Vasily Trediakovsky printed as a booklet. This was the first opera libretto printed

Francesco Barsanti

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Francesco Barsanti (1690–1775) was an Italian flautist, oboist and composer. He was born in 1690 in the Tuscan city of Lucca, but spent most of his life in London and Edinburgh. Biography Very little is known about Barsanti’s background. His father may or may not have been the opera librettist Giovanni Nicolao Barsanti (Il Temistocle ) but this has never been proven. He studied law in Padua as a young man, but abandoned it to pursue a career in music. In 1714 Barsanti emigrated to London with Francesco Geminiani, another musician from Lucca who was several years his senior. He played oboe and recorder, and soon obtained a post in the opera orchestra at the Haymarket where Handel’s operas were being produced. Nerici reports that he returned briefly to Lucca in 1717 and again in 1718 to play in the Festival of the Holy Cross, ‘for a very high salary.’ According to Hawkins and other authorities, in 1735 Barsanti left London for Edinburgh in Scotland where he obtained a post as a ‘Master’ with the Edinburgh Musical Society. He stayed in Scotland for eight years, during which time he benefitted from the support (moral if not financial) of the young Lady Erskine (Charlotte Hope) (1720-17

Francesco Bartolomeo Conti

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Francesco Bartolomeo Conti (20 January 168219 July 1732) was an Italian composer and player of the mandolin and theorbo. Little is known about the biography of Conti. He was born in Florence, Italy. By 1700 he was already known as a theorbist not only in his native Florence, but also in other cities such as Ferrara and Milan. The fame he enjoyed by 1701 enabled him to obtain appointment as an auxiliary theorbist at the Habsburg court in Vienna with the same salary as the main theorbist, Orazio Clementi. At the 1706 carnival he made his debut as an opera composer with Cleotide, and in 1713 was appointed as a court composer. In 1708, with the death of Clementi, Conti was promoted senior theorbist, a position he held until 1726. In the same year he was elected a member of the Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna and in 1711 he was appointed vice-Kapellmeister (vice-maestro di cappella) in Vienna. In April of that year, after the death of his first wife, Theresia Kugler, Conti remarried to the prima donna Maria Landini, at that time the highest-paid singer in Vienna. She sang the main soprano roles in Conti’s operas from 1714 and 1721, but died in 1722. After her death Anna Maria Lorenzani

Francesco Beretta

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Francesco Beretta (born 1640 in Rome; died 6 July 1694 in Rome) was an Italian organist, composer and Kapellmeister and a predecessor of Paolo Lorenzani - a pupil of Orazio Benevoli - at the Cappella Giulia of St. Peter. Biography Beretta’s first teacher of music had been Stefano Fabri jr., who was the son of Stefano Fabri. Both of the Fabris worked at the Cappella Giulia, whereas Fabri jr.’s father was a director of music there. Intermediately during the years of 1657 until 1664 Beretta was the musical maestro of the cathedral of Tivoli. Beginning with the year 1664 he advanced to be the director of music at the Chiesa Santo Spirito in Sassia in Rome. Later on at the 21st of September 1678 he was made the director of music of the Cappella Giulia in Rome. He stayed there until his death in 1694. In 1675 he is mentioned as “Don Franc. Beretti”. In the libretto of the Oratory „San Ermenegildo" he is titled as „Canonico regolare di S. Spirito e Maestro di capella della Basilica Vaticano di Roma" – this is a canon regular at St. Peter. Selected works There is a copy of a mass for 4 choirs and 16 voices - the so-called Missa mirabiles elationes maris, The mass Dies iste celebratur is cl

Francesco Cavalli

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Francesco Cavalli (born Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni; 14 February 1602 – 14 January 1676) was a Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverdi as the dominant and leading opera composer of the mid 17th-century. A central figure of Venetian musical life, Cavalli wrote more than thirty operas, almost all of which premiered in the city’s theaters. His best known works include Ormindo (1644), Giasone (1649) and La Calisto (1651). Life Cavalli was born at Crema, then an inland province of the Venetian Republic. He became a singer (boy soprano) at St Mark’s Basilica in Venice in 1616, where he had the opportunity to work under the tutorship of Claudio Monteverdi. He became second organist in 1639, first organist in 1665, and in 1668 maestro di cappella. He took the name “Cavalli” from his patron, Venetian nobleman Federico Cavalli. Though he wrote prolifically for the church, he is chiefly remembered for his operas. He began to write for the stage in 1639 (Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo) soon after the first public opera house opened in Venice, the Teatro San Cassiano. He established so great a reputation that he was summone

Francesco Corbetta

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Francesco Corbetta (ca. 1615 – 1681, in French also Francisque Corbette) was an Italian guitar virtuoso, teacher and composer. Along with his compatriots Giovanni Paolo Foscarini and Angelo Michele Bartolotti, he was a pioneer and exponent of the combination of strummed and plucked textures referred to today as “mixed” style. Biography Early life and education Corbetta’s obituary, probably written by his fellow guitarist Rémy Médard, says that he showed a strong inclination for the guitar at an early age, and pursued it over the strong objections of his parents. In the Italian preface to his 1671 La Guitarre Royalle, he claims that he was self-taught on the guitar, and also that he had never played the lute (unlike most celebrated guitarists of his day). Professional career Corbetta spent his early career in Italy. He seems to have worked as a teacher in Bologna where the guitarist and composer Giovanni Battista Granata was one of his pupils. 2 He was then attached to the Court of Carlo II, Duke of Mantua in various capacities. He was however frequently granted leave of absence and traveled abroad to Spain probably between 1644-1647 where he amazed the Court in Madrid with his virt

Francesco Corselli

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Francesco Corselli, sometimes given in the French spelling François Courcelle, (Piacenza, 19 April 1705 - 3 April 1778 in Madrid) was an Italian composer of the pre-classical period born to French parents in Italy. Biography Francesco Corselli (Courcelle) was born on 19 April 1705 in Piacenza, Italy from French parents. He was the director of music for the funerals of Francesco Farnese in Parma in 1724, and Antonio Farnese in 1731, and Kapellmeister at the Church of Santa Maria della Steccata, 1727-1731, and simultaneously at the court of Parma, 1727-33. From this period date his first works: the operas La Venere placata (1731, at the Teatro San Samuele in Venice) and Nino (1732, at the Reggio Theatre ) and various compositions of religious music, Including the oratorio Santa Clotilde (1733 in Parma). In 1734 he decided to move to Madrid, Spain where he was active as a tenor, harpsichordist and violinist and music teacher of the Royal Infants. In 1737/38 he joined the “Colegio de cantorcillos” until his death. In 1747, he was appointed director of the Theatre at the Buen Retiro, along with two other Italian composers Francesco Corradini and Giovanni Battista Mele. In Madrid, Corsel

Francesco Durante

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Francesco Durante (31 March 1684 – 30 September 1755) was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan School. Best known for his church music, he was also an important teacher, instructing Niccolò Jommelli, Giovanni Paisiello, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Niccolò Piccinni and Leonardo Vinci, among others. Life and work He was born at Frattamaggiore, in the Kingdom of Naples, and at an early age he entered the Conservatorio dei poveri di Gesù Cristo, in Naples, where he received lessons from Gaetano Greco. Later he became a pupil of Alessandro Scarlatti at the Conservatorio di Sant’Onofrio. He is also supposed to have studied under Bernardo Pasquini and Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni in Rome, but there is no documentary evidence. He is said to have succeeded Scarlatti in 1725 at Sant’ Onofrio, and to have remained there until 1742, when he succeeded Porpora as head of the Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto, also in Naples. This post he held for thirteen years, till his death in Naples. He was married three times. His fame as a teacher was considerable, and Niccolò Jommelli, Giovanni Paisiello, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Niccolò Piccinni and Leonardo Vinci were amongst his pupils. As a teac

Francesco Feo

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Francesco Feo (1691 – 28 January 1761) was an Italian composer, known chiefly for his operas. He was born and died in Naples, where most of his operas were premièred. Life Feo studied music at the Conservatorio di Santa Maria della Pietà in Naples, starting on 3 September 1704. Among the other composers he met there were Leonardo Leo, Giuseppe de Majo (who would later marry his niece), and Niccolò Jommelli. His first teacher was Andrea Basso, and after 1705 Nicola Fago, who had only just been appointed. Feo remained at the conservatory until some time around 1712. In 1713 he presented his first opera, L’amor tirannico, ossia Zenobia (Tyrannical Love, or Zenobia), and for carnival 1714 Il martirio di Santa Caterina (The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Egypt), an oratorio. His fame began to increase with sacred works for local churches, such as his Missa defunctorum (Requiem Mass) in 1718, and with his recitatives, arias and comic scenes for performances of operas by other composers when they were staged in Naples. In 1719 Feo wrote La forza della virtù (The Power of Virtue), and then his opera seria Teuzzone in 1720. Real fame only came with his opera seria Siface, re di Numidia (Sy

Francesco Foggia

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Francesco Foggia (baptized 17 November 1603 – 8 January 1688) was an Italian Baroque composer. Biography Foggia was a boy soprano at the Collegium Germanicum of the Jesuits in Rome, and was a student of Antonio Cifra, and Paolo Agostini. His family may have been in contact with Giovanni Bernardino Nanino, maestro di capella at San Luigi dei Francesi. Later, he was probably employed at the court of the Bavarian Elector Maximilian I in Munich and then again in Vienna. He served in various churches in Rome as maestro di capella and infrequently as an organist. From October 1634 he served for two years at the chapel of St. Mary in Trastevere; from December 1646 to 1661 he was Kapellmeister of the Patriarchal Basilica of St. John Lateran. In 1667, while music director of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Damaso, he published a collection, Psalmodia Vespertina, containing psalms, Magnificats, and Marian antiphons. From 1677 until his death, he was chapel master at the papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, and while there published his valedictory Offertoria (1681). That publication has been linked to Palestrina’s of about a century before. His son Antonio succeeded him in the same

Francesco Gasparini

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Francesco Gasparini (19 March 1661 – 22 March 1727) was an Italian Baroque composer and teacher whose works were performed throughout Italy, and also on occasion in the Holy Roman Empire and England. Biography Born in Camaiore, near Lucca, he studied in Rome with Corelli and Pasquini. His first important opera, Roderico (1694), was produced there. In 1702, he went to Venice and became one of the leading composers in the city. In 1720, he returned to Rome for his last important work, Tigrane (1724). He wrote the first opera using the story of Hamlet (Ambleto, 1705) though this was not based on Shakespeare’s play. Gasparini was also a teacher, the instructor of Marcello, Quantz and Domenico Scarlatti. He was musical director of the Ospedale della Pietà, where he employed Antonio Vivaldi as a violin master. He wrote a treatise on the harpsichord (1708). At one time, Metastasio was betrothed to his daughter. He died in Rome in 1727. Works Operas See List of operas by Francesco Gasparini. Other * Missa canonica for four voices and basso continuo (Venice, 1705) Reception Gasparini’s works were performed throughout Italy, and also on occasion in Germany and England. Missa canonica Gaspari

Francesco Geminiani

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Francesco Xaverio Geminiani (baptised 5 December 1687 – 17 September 1762) was an Italian violinist, composer, and music theorist. BBC Radio 3 once described him as “now largely forgotten, but in his time considered almost a musical god, deemed to be the equal of Handel and Corelli”. Life Born in Lucca, he received lessons in music from Alessandro Scarlatti, and studied the violin under Carlo Ambrogio Lonati in Milan and afterwards under Arcangelo Corelli. From 1707 he took the place of his father in the Cappella Palatina of Lucca. From 1711, he led the opera orchestra at Naples, as Leader of the Opera Orchestra and concertmaster, which gave him many opportunities for contact with Alessandro Scarlatti. After a brief return to Lucca, in 1714, he set off for London in the company of Francesco Barsanti, where he arrived with the reputation of a virtuoso violinist, and soon attracted attention and patrons, including William Capel, 3rd Earl of Essex, who remained a consistent patron. In 1715 Geminiani played his violin concerti for the court of George I, with Handel at the keyboard. In the mid-1720s he became a freemason in London, notably as a leading member of the short-lived lodge Ph

Francesco Mancini (composer)

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Francesco Mancini (16 January 1672 – 22 September 1737) was a Neapolitan composer of considerable notoriety during his time as a prolific member of the Neapolitan School, and aided in the establishment of a local practice there. His contribution to the development of Italian opera, a particularly intrinsic aspect of the Neapolitan School as a whole, is especially lauded, as well as his writings of sacred works and cantatas. His name can be found in historical sources being lauded with other members like Nicola Porpora, Alessandro Scarlatti, and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. Career He was an important teacher and managed to obtain his greatest duty during Alessandro Scarlatti’s absence from the Neapolitan court, between 1702 and 1708. In this period, he was Director of the Conservatorio di S Maria di Loreto from his predecessor Giuliano Perugino, composing the opera, Il zelo animato there (1733), as well as being first organist and maestro of the Capella Reale. This time has been segmented by scholars into two parts: his opera phase (1707-1713) and his sacred music phase (1716-1720). His assistant while as Reale was Giuseppe Porsile. In 1735, Mancini was forced to conclude his partic

Francesco Manfredini

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Francesco Onofrio Manfredini (22 June 1684 – 6 October 1762) was an Italian Baroque composer, violinist, and church musician. He was born in Pistoia to a trombonist. In Bologna, then a part of the Papal States, he studied violin with Giuseppe Torelli, a leading figure in the development of the concerto grosso. Manfredini also took instruction in composition from Giacomo Antonio Perti, maestro di cappella of the Basilica of San Petronio from 1696 when the orchestra was temporarily disbanded. Much of his music is presumed to have been destroyed after his death; only 43 published works and a handful of manuscripts are known. To quote his Naxos biography, “His groups of Concerti Grossi and Sinfonias show a highly accomplished composer, well versed in the mainstream Italian school of composition”. A contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonio Vivaldi, his extant work shows the influence of the latter. He became a violinist, c. 1700, in the orchestra of the Chiesa di Santo Spirito in Ferrara. In 1704, however, he returned to Bologna, employed again in the re-formed orchestra of San Petronio. He became a member of the Accademia Filarmonica in the same year that he published his firs

Francesco Maria Veracini

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Francesco Maria Veracini (1 February 1690 – 31 October 1768) was an Italian composer and violinist, perhaps best known for his sets of violin sonatas. As a composer, according to Manfred Bukofzer, “His individual, if not subjective, style has no precedent in baroque music and clearly heralds the end of the entire era”, while Luigi Torchi maintained that “he rescued the imperiled music of the eighteenth century”, His contemporary, Charles Burney, held that “he had certainly a great share of whim and caprice, but he built his freaks on a good foundation, being an excellent contrapuntist”. The asteroid 10875 Veracini was named after him. Life Francesco Maria Veracini was born on 1 February 1690 in the family house on the via Palazzuolo, parish of San Salvatore, Ognissanti, Florence. The second and only surviving son of Agostino Veracini, a pharmacist and undertaker (and ironically one of the few Veracinis who was not a violinist, even as an amateur), he was taught the violin by his uncle, Antonio Veracini, with whom he later often appeared in concert, as well as by Giovanni Maria Casini and his assistant Francesco Feroci. His grandfather, Francesco (di Niccolò) Veracini, had been one

Francesco Paolo Supriani

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Francesco Paolo Tomaso Supriani (Conversano, 11 July 1678 – Naples, 28 August 1753) was an Italian cellist and composer of the Neapolitan school. Biography He was a student of Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini from 1693, where he became a cello virtuoso. He was the author of a manuscript didactic collection of toccatas for the instrument, with an explanatory introduction, entitled: Principij da imparare à suonare il violoncello e con 12 Toccate à solo, found and published by the musicologist and cellist Luigi Silva (1903–1961). A copy of the manuscript is kept in the Biblioteca Conservatorio San Pietro a Majella, Naples. In this work Supriani already uses the fifth position, as well as the bass and tenor clefs. As a virtuoso cellist, he helped the cello to emerge from its traditional rank of continuo and reach the elevated status of a solo instrument. Supriani is considered one of the teachers of Francesco Alborea, commonly known as “Franciscello”. Compositions Principij da imparare à suonare il violoncello e con 12 Toccate à solo (1720) 12 Toccatas for cello solo: * Toccata prima in G major * Toccata seconda in A minor * Toccata terza in B flat major * Toccata quarta in C maj

Francesco Passarini

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Francesco Passarini (November 10, 1636 - September 23, 1694) was an Italian composer and organist. His last name is given variously as Pasarini, Passarino, and Passerini. A native of Bologna, Passarini was the son of Antonio and Angela Cuppini; his name at birth was Camillo. He took holy orders as a Franciscan on January 28, 1652 in the same city. His musical training is unknown, though it has been posited that he studied under Agostino Filippucci. His career was peripatetic, typical of friar-musicians, and can be traced largely through his own hand; he indicated the place and date of composition on his manuscripts, and just before his death compiled an inventory of music items in his collection. where he was a maestro di cappella for a decade. His first works to see publication were issued in Bologna in 1671 and 1672; References External links

Francesco Provenzale

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Francesco Provenzale (25 September 1632 – 6 September 1704) was an Italian Baroque composer and teacher. He is considered the founder of the Neapolitan school of opera. Notably Provenzale was the teacher of famed castrato ‘il cavaliere Nicolo Grimaldi (detto Nicolini)’. Biography Before the year 1658, there is virtually no record of Provenzale’s existence, although it is thought that he studied at the Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini in Naples. The year of his entry into history is 1654, the year his opera Teseo was performed in Naples. In his life, he mainly focused his energies on teaching, but he has a place in history as the first Neapolitan composer to embrace opera. Before Teseo, he seems to have composed at least two other operas. That same year, an opera called Il Ciro, no doubt by Provenzale, was performed in Venice at the Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo. What was remarkable about the opera was that part of the music was by Francesco Cavalli; no other collaborative opera is known of in Venice before this date and Provenzale’s Xerse and Artemisia may both have been arrangements of original works by Cavalli. Between composing opera and teaching, Provenzale managed to liv

Francesco Scarlatti

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Francesco Scarlatti (5 December 1666 – c.1741) was an Italian Baroque composer and musician and the younger brother of the better known Alessandro Scarlatti. Francesco was ever to live under the shadow of his better known relatives, Alessandro Scarlatti (his elder brother) and his nephew, Domenico. However, Francesco himself was an accomplished musician and held a number of appointments. Biography Scarlatti was born in Palermo, Sicily. Due to the island being under the control of the Kingdom of Naples, Francesco went to study at the well-known Conservatorio in the city. His first appointment, following his studies, was as a violinist at the Chapel Royal in Naples. His appointment was controversial: a number of Neapolitan musicians resented the young provincial’s influence at court. In 1690, he married Rosalina Albano who died in 1706 after having given birth to five children. At some point between 1724 and 1733 Francesco Scarlatti moved to Dublin, where he may have married a woman by the first name of Jane. A notice in Faulkner’s Dublin Journal of 11 August 1733 disclaims debts incurred by her: “Jane Scarlatti, wife of Francis Scarlatti, Master of Musick, hath eloped from her said

Francis Forcer the Elder

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Francis Forcer the elder (c.1650–c.1705) was an English composer. Life Forcer is mentioned by Hawkins as the writer of many songs, five of which may be found in Playford’s Choyce Ayres and Dialogues, (bk. ii. 1679, one in the edition of 1681, and two in that of 1683). Some of his music is in the Fitzwilliam Collection, Cambridge, an overture and eight tunes are in the Christ Church Library, Oxford, and a set of instrumental trios, with a jig and gavotte for organ, among the British Museum manuscripts. He was one of four stewards for the celebration of St. Cecilia’s day of 1684. Towards the end of the seventeenth century Forcer became the lessee of Sadler’s Wells music house, garden, and water at Clerkenwell, with one James Miles (about 1697) as his partner. To Miles was assigned the control of the good cheer, the building or “boarded house” becoming known as “Miles’s Music House”, while the waters were advertised as “Sadler’s Wells”. The musical entertainment at such places of resort at that period was said by Hawkins to be hardly deserving the name of concert, i.e., concerted music, for the instruments were limited to violins, hautboys, and trumpets playing in unison, and when a b

Francis Pigott (composer)

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Francis Pigott ( 1665 – 15 May 1704) was an English Baroque composer and organist. Career He was a choirboy at the Chapel Royal in London from at least August 1678 to Michaelmas 1683. A record at St John’s College, Oxford shows a “Mr Pygott, the organist at St John’s” and although there is no other evidence that he was employed there, he may have replaced Bartholemew Isaack who left the college for Dublin in late 1684. Pigott was appointed organist at Magdalen College, Oxford in January 1686 and returned to London to play the Father Smith organ at the Temple Church in 1688. On the death of Henry Purcell in 1695, Pigott received an “extraordinary” appointment as organist at the Chapel Royal, and was finally sworn in as the First Organist on 24 March 1697, after the death of William Child. Works Pigott has been tentatively identified as the manuscript copyist known as “London A” by his handwriting and by his known association with Henry Purcell and other notable composers of the time. Pigott also collaborated with John Blow, William Croft and Jeremiah Clarke in the production of A Choice Collection of Ayres for the Harpsicorde (London, 1700). Pigott’s setting of the anthem, I was gla

Francisco António de Almeida

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Francisco António de Almeida (c. 1702–1754) was a Portuguese composer and organist, standing as one of the greatest names in portuguese Baroque music. From 1722 to 1726 he was a royal scholar in Rome. In 1724, Pier Leone Ghezzi drew his caricature, describing him as “a young but excellent composer of concertos and church music who sang with extreme taste”. He returned to Portugal in 1726, where he became organist of the Royal and Patriarchal Chapel. In 1728, the first of his serenatas, Il trionfo della virtù, was performed in Lisbon at the palace of Cardinal João da Mota e Silva. The serenata for six voices, Il Trionfo d’Amore, was first performed at the Ribeira Palace on 27th December 1729, the feast of St. John the Baptist, with King John V in attendance. His comic opera, La pazienza di Socrate, was performed at the royal palace in 1733 and it was the first Italian opera in Portugal. He was hired by the King to teach the harpsichord to the young Infanta Barbara of Portugal. A contemporary diarist states that Almeida composed music for the popular performances of presépios (Nativity scenes) in the Mouraria quarter of Lisbon. Despite claims of him dying in the Lisbon earthquake of

Francisco López Capillas

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Francisco López Capillas (1608–1674), known also as “López of the Chapels,” was a Mexican composer and theologian born in Mexico City. He is considered one of the most prolific composers of sacred music in Mexico during the Baroque era. Biography He was born Francisco López, the son of Bartolome López, potentially a royal notary, and María de la Trinidad. He was admitted into the Mexico City Cathedral choir in 1625, where he studied early European Gregorian chant and organum under organist and choirmaster Antonio Rodriguez Mata. During this time, it is likely that he enrolled at the University of Mexico and received a bachelor’s degree in theology in 1626. The period of his life between 1626 through 1641 is not well understood, however by 1641 he had found employment as an organist, dulcianist, and cantor at La Catedral de la Puebla de los Angeles, under the directorship of Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla. Puebla at this time was overseen by the Archbishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, who greatly supported the city’s emergence as a cultural and intellectual haven through various development and infrastructure projects, including the construction of new chapels and cathedrals in the village

Francisco Valls

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Francisco Valls or Francesc Valls (Barcelona 1665/1671 – 2 February 1747) was a Spanish composer, theorist and mestre de capella. Among his most known works are the mass Missa Scala Aretina and tract Mapa Armónico Práctico. Life In 1696 Francisco Valls left the Church of Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona, and took up the post of Mestre de capella at Barcelona Cathedral. He wrote 10 masses, 17 psalm settings, 30 motets, several other sacred items and 141 secular compositions. Many of these are manuscripts lodged in the Biblioteca de Catalunya in Barcelona. Composition of the Missa Scala Aretina The Missa Scala Aretina, so called in reference to Guido Aretinus’ scale that appears in the cantus firmus (prominently audible in the Kyrie), caused a major musical controversy between 1715 and 1720, initiated by a pamphlet against Valls by the organist and theatre composer Joaquín Martínez de la Roca. Pro and anti groups were roughly equal, the famous composer Alessandro Scarlatti had given an opinion, mildly opposed to Valls’ ideas. In the Qui tollis at bar 120 (López-Calo edition) the second soprano enters on an unprepared 9th chord causing a gratuitous semitonal dissonance with a b flat, a,

François Cappus

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François Cappus (16?? – Dijon, November 1716) was a French composer. Early life François Cappus was the son of legal counselor, Maitre Blaise Cappus, Bailiff for Parlement at Aix en Provence. He married Anne Hervelin (16?? - Dijon, March 1692). They were buried together in Saint-Etienne church of Dijon. The couple had three sons, among them the composer Jean Cappus, and three daughters. Career Shortly after his death, Cappus was referred to as a ‘good organist who had a healthy appetite, he died at a ripe old age’. He was also a singer at Dijon Cathedral, and was appointed to an official post in 1683 to ‘sing at all the important events’. Works A dozen of his vocal compositions have survived, sometimes erroneously attributed to his son Jean Cappus. 1693 Air for 1 singer and continuo Printemps, gardez-vous bien. 1694 Six airs for 1 singer and continuo Vous estes insensible au tourment, Je meurs (bis) tous les jours, Quand, pressé par l’excès, Amour, avant que ma constance, Taisez-vous (bis) tendres mouvements, Que ces vastes forests solitaires. Two airs Que l’amour est charmant, for three voices, Quand le feu fait sentir, for one singer with a recitative for bass “air à boire”. 1699

François Couperin

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Life#

Couperin was born in Paris, into a prominent musical family. His father Charles was organist at the Church of Saint-Gervais in the city, a position previously held by Charles’s brother Louis Couperin, the esteemed keyboard virtuoso and composer whose career was cut short by an early death. As a boy François must have received his first music lessons from his father, but Charles died in 1679 leaving the position at Saint-Gervais to his son, a common practice known as survivance that few churches ignored. With their hands tied, the churchwardens at Saint-Gervais hired Michel Richard Delalande to serve as new organist on the understanding that François would replace him at age 18. However, it is likely Couperin began these duties much earlier: a stipend of 100 livres per year, which had been provided to Couperin on Charles’s death slowly increased to 400 livres, suggesting that Couperin had gradually begun to take on the mantle as his studies progressed. The 11-year-old was taken care of and taught, meanwhile, by organist Jacques-Denis Thomelin, who served both at court and at the church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie. Biographer Évrard Titon du Tillet wrote that Thomelin treated the boy extremely well, becoming a second father to him. François’ talent must have shown itself early on because by 1685 the church council began providing him a salary, although he had no contract. At twenty-one Couperin also lost his mother, Marie (née Guérin), but otherwise his life and career were accompanied by good fortune. In 1689 he married Marie-Anne Ansault, daughter of a prosperous family. The next year saw the publication of his Pièces d’orgue, a collection of organ masses praised by Delalande, who may have assisted with the project. In three more years Couperin succeeded Thomelin at Louis XIV’s court. The appointment brought him in touch with some of the finest composers of the day as well as the aristocracy. His earliest chamber music dates from this time. Couperin met his court duties in tandem with those he now had as organist at Saint-Gervais, while also composing.

François d'Agincourt

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François d’Agincourt (also d’Agincour, Dagincourt, Dagincour) (1684 – 30 April 1758) was a French harpsichordist, organist, and composer. He spent most of his life in Rouen, his native city, where he worked as organist of the Rouen Cathedral and of three smaller churches. Highly regarded during his lifetime, d’Agincourt was one of the organists of the royal chapel. The single surviving book of harpsichord music by him contains masterful pieces inspired by François Couperin; also extant are some 40 organ works that survive in manuscript copies. Biography D’Agincourt was born in Rouen and received his early musical training there. He soon left for Paris where he probably studied under Nicolas Lebègue. Between 1701 and 1706 he worked as organist of Sainte-Madeleine-en-la-Cité in Paris, and in 1706 he went back to Rouen and became organist of the Rouen Cathedral, succeeding Jacques Boyvin. He kept the post until his death some 52 years later. Later he also took jobs at St. Herbland, the Abbey of Saint-Ouen (he would hold both of these until his death as well), and at St. Jean, all in Rouen. By 1714 he was sufficiently well-known and respected to be appointed one of the four organists o

François Dufault

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François Dufault (or Dufaut) (before 1604 (?)ca. 1672?) was a French lutenist and composer. Dufault was born in Bourges, France. As a student of Denis Gaultier, he enjoyed an excellent reputation as an instrumentalist, which is demonstrated in many contemporary sources where he was described as one of the greatest lutenists of his time. Almost no information is preserved about his life. He died, probably during the end of the 1660s or early 1670s, in England. From his works has survived a collection of twelve lute compositions in tablature besides a few individual works in manuscript or other compilations. His works are written with a lot of harmonic freedom and nearly in an improvisatory style. Life * François Dufaut composed music for the lute. His rhythmic sensitivity is remarkable. He left: * twelve pieces of tablature in the collection entitled Tablature de luth de différents autheurs sur des accords nouveaux , published by P. Ballard in 1631, * a certain number of other pieces which remained in manuscript, scattered in the libraries of Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Rostock or Besançon, borrowing the form of dances with subtitles, which made the fortune of French harpsichordists, * b

François Francoeur

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François Francœur (21 September 1698 – 5 August 1787) was a French composer and violinist from the late Baroque era and the Classical era. Biography François Francœur was born in Paris, the son of Joseph Francœur, a basse de violon player and member of the 24 violons du roy. Francœur was instructed in music by his father and joined the Académie Royale de Musique as a violinist at age 15. After travel and performances in the principal European culture centres, he returned to Paris as a member of the Concert Spirituel. Francœur was appointed to the 24 violons du roy in 1730 and Maître de musique (music instructor) to the Opera in 1739. In 1744, he and François Rebel, his lifelong colleague and friend, were appointed inspecteurs musicaux (music directors) of the Paris Opéra—centre of the French music world—becoming responsible for all phases of its management in 1757. Rebel and Francœur faced numerous challenges in their joint roles, including a large financial deficit, lack of discipline, as well as handling contentious disagreements between traditionalists who favored French operatic tragedies and its mythological themes versus partisans of Italian opera’s simpler lyricism and conte

François Roberday

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François Roberday (21 March 1624 – 13 October 1680) was a French Baroque organist and composer. One of the last exponents of the French polyphonic music tradition established by Jean Titelouze and Louis Couperin, Roberday is best remembered today for his Fugues et caprices, a collection of four-part contrapuntal organ pieces. Life He was born in Paris in March, 1624. His family was one of goldsmiths and musicians: his father, a renowned goldsmith, owned a pipe organ and François himself was the brother-in-law of Jean-Henri d’Anglebert, one of the most famous French composers and harpsichordist to the King of France. After his father’s death, Roberday was appointed King’s goldsmith, and in 1659, he bought the job of the official manservant to the Queen. Unfortunately, Roberday’s business gradually declined and by the time of his death, he was quite poor. He died in 1680 in Auffargis, a village south of Paris, during an epidemic. Roberday was organist of several churches in Paris, most notably the Notre-Dame des Victoires church and the Petits-Pères church. He was also known as a teacher and Jean-Baptiste Lully may have been one of his pupils. Works Roberday’s only extant work is Fug

František Jiránek

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František Jiránek (24 July 1698 – 1778) was a Czech Baroque composer and violinist. He was very likely a student of Antonio Vivaldi. Life Jiránek was born on 24 July 1698 in Lomnice nad Popelkou (Northern Bohemia, present-day Czech Republic). His parents were servants of the Counts of Morzin; František also started to work for them as a musician. Count Václav Morzin () sent him to Venice in 1724 to improve his musical abilities. His teacher was probably Antonio Vivaldi himself. Count Václav Morzin was a very important supporter of Vivaldi (Vivaldi dedicated his famous Four Seasons to him). In 1726 Jiránek came back to Prague and worked as a violinist in the Prague ensemble of Václav Morzin. Antonín Reichenauer and Johann Friedrich Fasch also worked in this ensemble. After the death of Václav Morzin in 1737 Jiránek left Prague and was employed by the Prime Minister of Saxony, Heinrich von Brühl in Dresden. In Dresden his work was informed by the rise of Classical music. After the death of Brühl in 1763 he retired and died in Dresden in 1778. Works Only Jiránek’s instrumental works have been preserved (e.g. violin concertos, symphonies or concertos). His work was strongly influenced

František Tůma

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František Ignác Antonín Tůma (2 October 1704 – 3 February 1774) was a Czech composer of the Baroque era. He lived the greater part of his life in Vienna, first as director of music for Franz Joseph, Count Kinsky, later filling a similar office for the widow of Emperor Charles VI. He was an important late-baroque composer, organist, gambist and theorbist. Life Tůma was born on 2 October 1704 in Kostelec nad Orlicí, Kingdom of Bohemia. received his early musical training from his father, parish organist at Kostelec, and probably studied at the Clementinum, an important Jesuit seminary in Prague. He likely sang as a tenor chorister under Bohuslav Matěj Černohorský (an important composer and organist) at the Minorite Church of St. James the Great, and he is believed to have received musical instruction from him. Tůma then went to Vienna, where he was active as a church musician; according to Marpurg he became a vice-Kapellmeister at Vienna in 1722. Tůma’s name first appears in Viennese records in April 1727, when he got married. In 1731 he became Compositor und Capellen-Meister to Count Franz Ferdinand Kinsky, who was the High Chancellor of Bohemia. Kinsky’s patronage made it possible

Franz Anton Maichelbeck

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Franz Anton Maichelbeck (6 July 1702 – 14 June 1750) was a German organist and composer. Life Born in Reichenau Island, Maichelbeck grew up there with twelve siblings and attended the . He studied theology in Freiburg from 1721 and was sent to Rome on 27 September 1725 to study church music. In 1727/1728 he was appointed organist and cathedral kapellmeister at the Freiburg Cathedral. Later he was appointed by prince bishop Johann Franz Schenk von Stauffenberg as HofKapellmeister in Augsburg. Anton died in Freiburg im Breisgau at age 47. Publications and works *1734: Messe zu Ehren der Hl. Scholastika (Missa Sanctissimae Matris Scholasticae) *1738: Die auf dem Clavier lehrende Caecilia, welche guten Unterricht ertheilet *1740: Requiem für Kaiser Karl VI. Further reading * Christoph Schmider: Franz Anton Maichelbeck (1702–1750) und die Kirchenmusik in Freiburg. I: Freiburger Diözesan-Archiv. 124. year 2004, . * Manfred Schuler, Christoph Schmider: Der Freiburger Münsterorganist Franz Anton Maichelbeck (1702–1750) und sein Requiem für Kaiser Karl VI. In Christoph Schmider (publisher): Musik am Freiburger Münster. Rombach, Freiburg im Breisgau 2002, , External links * References

Franz Benda

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Franz Benda (; c. 22 November 1709 – 7 March 1786) was a Czech violinist and composer. He was active in the Kingdom of Prussia and worked for much of his life at the court of Frederick the Great. Life Benda was baptised on 22 November 1709. He was born in Benátky nad Jizerou in Bohemia, the son of Jan Jiří Benda. His brother was the composer Georg Benda. Many of Benda’s offspring (Maria Carolina Wolf (1742–1820), Friedrich Benda (1745–1814), Karl Hermann Heinrich Benda (1748–1836), Juliane Reichardt (1752–1783)) and his granddaughter (Louise Reichardt (1779–1826)) were also composers. Benda wrote his autobiography in 1763: it not only gives a detailed account of his own life, but also a valuable record of the lives of other musicians whom he encountered during his career. In his youth Benda was a chorister in Prague and afterward in the Chapel Royal at Dresden. At the same time he began to study the violin, and soon joined a company of strolling musicians who attended fetes, fairs, etc. At eighteen years of age Benda abandoned this wandering life and returned to Prague, going to Vienna, where he pursued his study of the violin under Johann Gottlieb Graun, a pupil of Tartini. After

Franz Johann Habermann

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Franz Johann (or Wenzel) Habermann (20 September 17067 April 1783), also known by his Czech name František Václav Habermann, was a Czech composer and musician. Biography Habermann was born in Königswart (Lázně Kynžvart) in 1706. His Christian name cannot be verified, but his Op. 1 gives Franciscus. He had two brothers (Anton and Karl) and received his education in Klattau (Klatovy). He studied music in Italy and was active in Spain and France. Habermann was made maître de chapelle to the Prince of Condé in Paris in 1731, then became maestro di cappella in service of the Grand Duke of Tuscany in Florence in 1740. Returning to Bohemia on the occasion of the coronation of Maria Theresa in Prague, the composer was commissioned to write an opera for her. Conducting for two churches in Prague, he also had many pupils, including Josef Mysliveček, František Xaver Dušek, and Kajetán Vogl. His son, Franz Johann II, was born in 1750 and received music education from him. Another collection of six masses titled Philomela pia was published in 1747, being known outside of Bohemia. Most of his compositions, which include his early music before Habermann’s return and other sacred works, have not s

Franz Tunder

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Franz Tunder (1614 – November 5, 1667) was a German composer and organist of the early to middle Baroque era. He was an important link between the early German Baroque style which was based on Venetian models, and the later Baroque style which culminated in the music of J.S. Bach; in addition he was formative in the development of the chorale cantata. Life According to recent research, Tunder was born in Lübeck, not in Bannesdorf or Burg on the island of Fehmarn as was believed by earlier scholars. Little is known about his early life other than that his talent was sufficient to allow him to be appointed as court organist to Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp in Gottorf at the age of 18. A few years earlier, he had gone to Italy in the company of Johann Heckelauer, and it is likely that he studied with Girolamo Frescobaldi while he was in Florence. (Johann Mattheson asserted that he did, but this has been disputed by later scholars). Between 1632 and 1641, Tunder worked in Gottorf as “Hoforganist”. In 1641 he was appointed as the main organist at Lübeck’s main church, the Marienkirche, succeeding Peter Hasse. In 1647 he became administrator and treasurer there also. He held th

Franz Xaver Murschhauser

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Franz Xaver Anton Murschhauser (1 July 1663 – 6 January 1738) was a German composer and theorist. He was born in Saverne (then under the Holy Roman Empire) but he is first mentioned as a singer and instrumentalist at St Peter’s School in Munich, in 1676. He studied music with the Kantor, Siegmund Auer and, from 1683 to his death in 1693, Johann Caspar Kerll. Murchhauser was appointed music director of the Munich Frauenkirche in 1691, where he remained until his death. Works He published two collections of organ music in the tradition of the South German school, intended for use with the Catholic liturgy; these consist of short toccatas, fantasies and fugues written using the psalm tones and plainchant melodies. The first collection is entitled Octi-tonium novum organicum, octo tonis ecclesiasticis, ad Psalmos, & magnificat (Augsburg, 1696), and contains 89 pieces. The second collection is in two parts of 34 pieces each, entitled Prototypon longo-breve organicum; (part I, Nuremberg, 1703; part II, Nuremberg, 1707). Both may be found in Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Bayern XXX, Jg.xviii (1917). There are other keyboard works in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna, and the Sing

Franz Xaver Richter

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Franz (Czech: František) Xaver Richter, known as François Xavier Richter in France (December 1, 1709 – September 12, 1789) was an Austro-Moravian singer, violinist, composer, conductor and music theoretician who spent most of his life first in Austria and later in Mannheim and in Strasbourg, where he was music director of the cathedral. From 1783 on, Haydn’s favourite pupil, Ignaz Pleyel, was his deputy director. The most traditional of the first-generation composers of the so-called Mannheim school, he was highly regarded in his day as a contrapuntist. As a composer he was equally at home in the concerto and the “strict church style”. Mozart heard a mass by Richter on his journey back from Paris to Salzburg in 1778 and called it “charmingly written”. Richter, as a contemporary engraving clearly shows, must have been one of the first conductors to actually have conducted with a music sheet roll in his hand. Richter wrote chiefly symphonies, concertos for woodwinds as well as trumpet, and chamber and church music, his masses receiving special praise. He was a man of a transitional period, and his symphonies in a way constitute one of the missing links between the generation of Bach

Friedrich Erhard Niedt

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Friedrich Erhard Niedt (31 May 1674 – 1717) was a German jurist, music theorist, and composer. Niedt was born in Jena, and enrolled at the University of Jena in 1694, where he is thought to have studied law. Around 1700, he moved to Copenhagen, staying in Hamburg along the way. He died in Copenhagen. The first part of his Musical Guide might be a record of musical techniques similar to what Johann Sebastian Bach used. Works in music theory The Musical Guide, 1700-1710 Niedt’s Musical Guide consists of three parts, each of which are concerned with figured bass. In the first part, Niedt discusses the basics of figured bass, and gives the following definition: Niedt’s suggestion that figured bass is “the most complete foundation of music” might be misinterpreted if it is read out of context, for later in this same quote, he clarifies that by “complete” he simply means that the keyboard can play many notes at once, whereas other instruments are limited to one note at a time. The second part of the Musical Guide describes how variation may be introduced in figured bass. Many examples are presented that demonstrate how simple musical materials may be made more complex. Niedt justifies de

Friedrich Nicolaus Bruhns

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Friedrich Nicolaus Bruhns or Brauns (11 February 1637 in Lollfuß – 13 March 1718 in Hamburg) was a German composer and music director in Hamburg. Bruhns was born in Lollfuß, Schleswig. In 1682 he succeeded Nicolaus Adam Strungk in charge of the Hamburger Ratsmusik, later also taking on the charge of St. Mary’s Cathedral. He was in practice succeeded by Johann Mattheson in 1715, but still formally held the positions till his death in Hamburg in 1718. Handel joined the opera orchestra during Brauns’ time. Both the Johannes-Passion (1702) and Markus-Passion (1705) were for a long time attributed to Reinhard Keiser. The Markus-Passion is also attributed to Gottfried Keiser, Reinhard’s father. Bach performed the Markus-Passion in Weimar and in Leipzig. Several pasticcio versions of the Markus-Passion survive, The earliest attribution to Keiser can be found in Bach’s copy. Works *Johannes-Passion 1702, formerly attributed to Reinhard Keiser. *Markus-Passion composed 1705, first performed at the Cathedral in 1707. Formerly attributed to Reinhard Keiser, then to Bruhns, this passion is also attributed to Gottfried Keiser, Reinhard’s father. *11 solo cantatas References External links * The

Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow

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Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow or Zachau (14 November 1663 – 7 August 1712) was a German musician and composer of vocal and keyboard music. Life Zachow was born in Leipzig. He probably received his training from his father, the piper Heinrich Zachow, one of Leipzig’s town musicians in the Alta capella, and maybe from Johann Schelle, a leading German composer, when the family moved to Eilenburg. As Kantor and organist of Halle’s Market Church in 1684 he succeeded Samuel Ebart. During his time at Halle he became particularly renowned as a composer of dramatic cantatas. In 1695 he was criticized by the pietists because of his excessive long and elaborate music, that could be only appreciated by cantors and organists. Zachow was influenced by Johann Theile in Merseburg and the poetry of Erdmann Neumeister, pastor in the nearby Weissenfels, and his criticism on pietism. Zachow was the teacher of Gottfried Kirchhoff, Johann Philipp Krieger and Johann Gotthilf Ziegler, In 1713 J.S. Bach was invited as Zachow’s successor. Handel continued to use Zachow’s compositions in his own works, not simply quoting, but also in terms of instrumental colour; for example the cantata Herr, wenn ich nur dich ha

Gaspar Sanz

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Francisco Bartolomé Sanz Celma (April 4, 1640 (baptized) – 1710), better known as Gaspar Sanz, was a Spanish composer, guitarist, and priest born to a wealthy family in Calanda in the comarca of Bajo Aragón, Spain. He studied music, theology and philosophy at the University of Salamanca, where he was later appointed Professor of Music. He wrote three volumes of pedagogical works for the baroque guitar that form an important part of today’s classical guitar repertory and have informed modern scholars in the techniques of baroque guitar playing. Biography His birth date is unknown but he was baptized as Francisco Bartolomé Sanz Celma in the church of Calanda de Ebro, Aragon on 4 April 1640, later adopting the first name “Gaspar”. After gaining his Bachelor of Theology at the University of Salamanca, Gaspar Sanz traveled to Naples, Rome and perhaps Venice to further his music education. He is thought to have studied under Orazio Benevoli, choirmaster at the Vatican and Cristofaro Caresana, organist at the Royal Chapel of Naples. Sanz learned to play guitar while studying under Lelio Colista and was influenced by the music of the Italian guitarists Foscarini, Granata, and Corbetta. Whe

Gaspard Le Roux

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Gaspard Le Roux (c. 1670) was a French harpsichordist active in Paris at the beginning of the 18th century. Little is known of his life, which is exacerbated by the commonality of his name among musicians and dance instructors in Paris. A Le Roux is mentioned as the contributor of an in Mercure galant (March 1690), but whether this refers to Gaspard in unclear. The name is also found in Nicolas de Blégny’s , although no address is included; in a tax document, ; two records of Gaspard Le Roux receiving annuities through the notaire publique Alexandre Lebèvre are dated 8 May 1702 and 5 August 1706 this is the last known reference to Le Roux ; and the record of his being granted a dated 9 April 1705. A previously discovered reference by French musicologist Pierre Hardouin that claimed the receipt of an inventory of Le Roux’s chattels on 7 June 1707 has been proved incorrect. Hardouin mistook the name Gaspard Roux as Gaspard Leroux: Roux has been traced as far back as 1 February 1694; subsequent entries describe him as (14 June 1696) and (7 September 1696), suggesting the subject Hardouin mistook as Gaspard Le Roux was someone other, possibly a who lived off annuities from the town of

Geminiano Giacomelli

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Geminiano Giacomelli (sometimes Jacomelli) (28 May 1692 – 25 January 1740) was an Italian composer. Biography Giacomelli was born in Piacenza. In 1724 he was named to the post of Kapellmeister to the Duke of Parma. Beginning with the first performance of his opera Ipermestra, in 1724, he became one of the most popular opera composers of his era. Between 1724 and 1740 he composed 19 operas. His best known opera is Cesare in Egitto of 1735. He also wrote a deal of sacred music, including eight psalm settings for tenor and bass, and some concertos with continuo. In 1738 Giacomelli again became Kapellmeister, this time at the Basilica della Santa Casa in Loreto; he died in Loreto in 1740. List of works Operas *Ipermestra (Venice, 1724) *Catone in Utica (Vienna 1727; Teatro Ducale, Milan, 1736) *Scipione in Cartagine (Venice, 1728) *Zidiana (Milan, 1728) *Astianatte (Alessandria, 1729) *Gianguir (Venice, 1729) *Lucio Papirio dittatore (Parma, 1729) *Scipione in Cartagine nuova (Parma, 1730) *Semiramide riconosciuta (Milan, 1730) *Annibale (Rome, 1731) *Epaminonda (Venice, 1732) *Rosbale (Rome, 1732) *Alessandro Severo (Piacenza, 1732) *Adriano in Siria (Venice, 1733) *Il Tigrane (Piacen

Georg Böhm

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Georg Böhm (2 September 1661 – 18 May 1733) was a German Baroque organist and composer. He is notable for his development of the chorale partita and for his influence on the young J. S. Bach. Life Böhm was born in 1661 in Hohenkirchen. He received his first music lessons from his father, a schoolmaster and organist who died in 1675. He may also have received lessons from Johann Heinrich Hildebrand, Kantor at Ohrdruf, who was a pupil of Heinrich Bach and Johann Christian Bach. After his father’s death, Böhm studied at the Lateinschule at Goldbach, and later at the Gymnasium at Gotha, graduating in 1684. Both cities had Kantors taught by the same members of the Bach family who may have influenced Böhm. On 28 August 1684 Böhm entered the University of Jena. Little is known about Böhm’s university years or his life after graduation. He resurfaces again only in 1693, in Hamburg. We know nothing of how Böhm lived there, but presumably he was influenced by the musical life of the city and the surrounding area. French and Italian operas were regularly performed in Hamburg, while in the area of sacred music, Johann Adam Reincken of St. Katharine’s Church (Katharinenkirche) was one of the le

Georg Caspar Schürmann

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Georg Caspar Schürmann (1672 (or early 1673), in Idensen bei Neustadt am Rübenberge – 25 February 1751, in Wolfenbüttel) was a German Baroque composer. His name also appears as Schurmann and in Hochdeutsch as Scheuermann. Life Schürmann studied music, including voice, in his native Lower Saxony. By 1693, he was singing at the Oper am Gänsemarkt as a young alto. In 1694 he composed a cantata for the inauguration of the Castle Salzdahlum in Wolfenbüttel. In 1697, he went to Lüneburg (about 50 km southeast of Hamburg) for a guest performance. His singing there so impressed Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel that the Duke hired him on the spot. From 1702 to 1707 he was principal conductor and composer for the Meiningen Court Orchestra. In 1707 Schürmann officially succeeded Reinhard Keiser as Cammer-Componist (court composer). He served the court of Brunswick, with but a few brief interruptions, for 54 years until he died at the age of 79. Work Schürmann wrote over thirty operas, many of which have not survived. His music was characterized by harmonic richness, careful contrapuntal elaboration, flexible handling of form and theatrically effective delineation of characters. Amo

Georg Christoph Strattner

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Georg Christoph Strattner (c. 1645 – April 1704) was a German church musician, composer, and hymn writer. Strattner was born in Gols, then in the Hungarian Burgenland. He received his first musical training from his cousin Samuel Capricornus who was the music director at the in Preßburg. He composed melodies for hymns by Joachim Neander for a new 1691 publication. Selected works * (ed): Joachimi Neandri Vermehrte Glaub- und Liebes-Ubung : Auffgemuntert durch einfältige Bundes-Lieder/ Und Danck-Psalmen; Gegründet auff den zwischen Gott und dem Sünder im Blut Jesu befestigten Friedens-Schluß/ Zu lesen und zu singen auff Reisen/ Zu Hauß/ oder bey Christ-Ergetzungen im Grünen/ Durch ein geheiligtes Hertzens-Halleluja. Franckfurt: Andreä, 1691 References Literature * * Hermann Schemmel: Strattner, Georg Christoph. In: Wolfgang Herbst (ed.): Komponisten und Liederdichter des evangelischen Gesangbuchs. (= Handbuch zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch; vol. 2). Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, Göttingen 1999, , p. 316 External links *

Georg Friedrich Kauffmann

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Georg Friedrich Kauffmann (14 February 1679 – 24 March 1735) was a Baroque composer and organist from northern-central Germany who composed primarily sacred works for the organ and voice. Biography Early life and career Georg Friedrich Kauffmann was born in Ostramondra, Thuringia. Little is known of his early life; however, he did have early keyboard training with J.H. Buttstett in Erfurt. His latter years of education were under J.F. Alberti in Merseburg with whom he studied organ and composition. In 1698, Alberti suffered an injury to his right hand, inhibiting his ability to play the organ at the cathedral. Kauffmann replaced Alberti permanently as teacher in Merseburg as well as court and cathedral organist upon Alberti’s death in 1710. Kauffmann is also attributed to have secured during this period the position of Director of Church Music for the Duke of Saxe-Merseburg, and might have also served as Kapellmeister. However, these positions are only speculative at best due to an absence of archival investigations. (Note: Kauffmann signed many of his published works as Court Organist and Director of Church Music for the Duke of Saxe-Merseburg, so it is quite likely that he did se

Georg Muffat

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Georg Muffat (1 June 1653 – 23 February 1704) was a Baroque composer and organist. He is best known for the remarkably articulate and informative performance directions printed along with his collections of string pieces Florilegium Primum and Florilegium Secundum (First and Second Bouquets) in 1695 and 1698. Life Georg Muffat was born in Megève, Duchy of Savoy (now in France), of André Muffat (of Scottish descent) and Marguerite Orsyand. He studied in Paris between 1663 and 1669, where his teacher is often assumed to have been Jean Baptiste Lully. This assumption is largely based on the statement “For six years … I avidly pursued this style which was flowering in Paris at the time under the most famous Jean Baptiste Lully.” This is ambiguous (in all of the languages in which it was printed) as to whether the style was flourishing under Lully, or that Muffat studied under Lully. In any case, the style which the young Muffat learned was unequivocally Lullian and it remains likely, though unevidenced, that he had at least some contact with the man himself. After leaving Paris, he became an organist in Molsheim and Sélestat. Later, he studied law in Ingolstadt, afterwards settling i

Georg Österreich

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Georg Österreich (baptized on 17 March 1664 – 6 June 1735) was a German Baroque composer and collector. He is regarded as the founder of the so-called Bokemeyer collection (German: Sammlung Bokemeyer) which is now housed in the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin and is considered one of the most important music collections of the late 17th and early 18th century. Life Youth (1664–1686) Österreich was born in March 1664, the son of brewer Johann (or Hans) Österreich and Elisabeth Österreich and was baptized on March 17 in the Johanniskirche in Magdeburg. The Österreich family came originally from Augsburg and belonged to a very distinguished patrician family. In 1552, they fell out of favor with the Emperor when they tried to reinstate the guild government which had been in place prior to 1547. As a result, they lost many of the rights associated with their position and were forced to leave Augsburg. A majority of the family settled in Central Germany. Österreich received his first musical education from his godfather, the Magdeburg cantor Johann Scheffler, who also instructed Johann Theile and was one of the most respected musicians of his time. However, little is known of Scheffler’s life

Georg Philipp Telemann

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Georg Philipp Telemann (; 24 March 1681 – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to be one of the leading German composers of the time, and he was compared favourably both to his friend Johann Sebastian Bach, who made Telemann the godfather and namesake of his son Carl Philipp Emanuel, and to George Frideric Handel, whom Telemann also knew personally. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family’s wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually settled on a career in music. He held important positions in Leipzig, Sorau, Eisenach, and Frankfurt before settling in Hamburg in 1721, where he became musical director of that city’s five main churches. While Telemann’s career prospered, his personal life was always troubled: his first wife died less than two years after their marriage, and his second wife had extramarital affairs and accumulated a large gambling debt before leaving him. As part of his

Georg Riedel (Altstadt Kantor)

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Georg Riedel (6 June 1676 – 5 February 1738, in Königsberg) was a German composer and cantor. He has been referred to as the “East Prussian Bach”. Riedel was a native of Sensburg (Mrągowo), in the Duchy of Prussia. In 1694 Riedel entered the University of Königsberg to study theology. He wrote a serenade, since lost, for the celebrations of the coronation of Frederick I of Prussia in 1701 as well as other occasional works for inaugurations, weddings, birthdays and funerals. In 1709 he was appointed cantor at Altstadt Church, one of Königsberg’s three key musical positions, which he occupied until his death. Riedel’s unique monumental settings of the entire Gospel of Matthew, the entire Book of Psalms, and the entire Book of Revelation, were preserved in the Königsberg Public Library. His compositions are probably lost due to the destruction of Königsberg in 1944 and 1945 during World War II. There is, however, still hope that Riedel’s works may be recovered in the future, as parts of the various archives of Kaliningrad, post-war Königsberg, were distributed among Polish and Soviet institutions. It is not clear if he is related to another Georg Riedel, born 1715 in Neidenburg (Nidzi

Georg von Bertouch

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Georg von Bertouch (also Bertuch; 19 June 1668 – 14 September 1743) was a German-born Baroque composer and military officer who dwelt during most of his adult life in Norway. Biography Bertouch was born at Helmershausen in Franconia as Georg Bertuch. At age fifteen he began studying violin and composition in Eisenach. According to a letter he sent to Johann Mattheson, his first teacher was Daniel Eberlin (1647–1715). From 1691 to 1693 Bertouch lived in Kiel. In 1693 he took his doctorate in law with a dissertation entitled De eo quod justum est circa ludos scenicos operasque modernas. He entered military service in July 1693 and was to remain an officer of the Dano-Norwegian army for the rest of his life. He fought twenty-two battles and survived severe injuries. In 1719 he was appointed commander of Akershus Fortress in Christiania (now Oslo), where he continued to live until his death. Bertouch corresponded with several composers in Germany and elsewhere, e.g., Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonio Lotti. Mattheson dedicated his Das beschützte Orchestre to Bertouch and twelve other celebrities, including George Frideric Handel. Bertouch is remembered today for his collection of twent

George Frideric Handel

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Family#

Handel was born in 1685 (the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti) in Halle, in the Duchy of Magdeburg, then part of Brandenburg–Prussia. His parents were Georg Händel, aged 63, and Dorothea Taust, daughter of Georg Taust, a pastor, and Dorothea Cuno, the niece of Johann Olearius. His father was an eminent barber-surgeon who served the court of Saxe-Weissenfels and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Halle was a relatively prosperous city, home of a salt-mining industry, a centre of trade, and a member of the Hanseatic League. The Margrave of Brandenburg became the administrator of the archepiscopal territories of Mainz, including Magdeburg when they converted, and by the early 17th century held his court in Halle, which attracted renowned musicians. Even the smaller churches all had “able organists and fair choirs”, and humanities and the letters thrived (Shakespeare was performed in the theatres early in the 17th century). The Thirty Years’ War brought extensive destruction to Halle, and by the 1680s it was impoverished. However, since the middle of the war the city had been under the administration of the Duke of Saxony, and soon after the end of the war he would bring musicians trained in Dresden to his court in Weissenfels. The arts and music, however, flourished only among the higher strata, of which Handel’s family was not a part. Georg Händel (senior) was born at the beginning of the war and was apprenticed to a barber in Halle at the age of 14 after his father died. When he was 20, he married the widow of the official barber-surgeon of a suburb of Halle, inheriting his practice. With this, Georg determinedly began the process of becoming self-made; by dint of his “conservative, steady, thrifty, unadventurous” lifestyle, he guided the five children he had with Anna who reached adulthood into the medical profession (except his youngest daughter, who married a government official). Anna died in 1682. Within a year Georg married again, this time to the daughter of a Lutheran minister, Pastor Georg Taust of the Church of St Bartholomew in Giebichenstein, who himself came from a long line of Lutheran pastors. George Frideric was the second child of this marriage; the first son was stillborn. Two younger sisters arrived afterwards: Dorothea Sophia, born on 6 October 1687, and Johanna Christiana, born on 10 January 1690.

George Hudson (composer)

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George Hudson ( 1615 – 1672) was an English violinist, lutenist, singer, and composer of Baroque music. In collaboration with Charles Coleman, Hudson composed the instrumental score for The Siege of Rhodes, considered by music historians to be the first English opera. Life According to his contemporary Anthony Wood, Hudson may have begun his career as a dancing master. Though Hudson ultimately lost his position during the power struggles of the Civil War, he maintained a professional presence in London as an instructor of viol and voice. In May 1656, Hudson and several of his colleagues, including Cooke and Lawes, were commissioned by the impresario William Davenant to compose music for First Day’s Entertainment at Rutland House, a moral disputation consisting of music, dance, and declamation. Later that year, Hudson joined the creative team for Davenant’s subsequent work The Siege of Rhodes, for which Hudson co-wrote the instrumental music with Charles Coleman. After the Restoration, Hudson was appointed master of the King’s violins, one of the positions of leadership over which the Master of the King’s Music, Nicholas Lanier, was granted nominal control. Hudson directed the violi

Giacobbe Cervetto

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Giacobbe Basevi, known as Giacobbe Cervetto (1682 – 14 January 1783) was an Anglo-Italian Jewish musician, who was a leading cellist and composer for cello in 18th century England. Life According to the Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, little is known about his early life but he is thought to have been born in northern Italy. Burney referred to him as “a Venetian”. He first arrived in England in 1728, originally as a vendor of fine stringed instruments including violins of Stradivarius. In 1739/40, he settled in England and became solo cellist at the Drury Lane Theatre, where the musician and music historian Charles Burney met him when he joined the theatre’s orchestra in the season of 1744/45. He reported that Cervetto had “brought the violoncello into favour, and made us nice judges of that instrument.” Burney further wrote of Cervetto “He was an honest Hebrew, had the largest nose, and wore the finest diamond ring on the forefinger of his bow hand”, but considered him an indifferent performer. He played solos at the eight-year-old Mozart’s first public concerts in London. He also participated in the Bach-Abel concerts from 1765-1782. Cervetto maintained links with others of

Giacomo Antonio Perti

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Giacomo Antonio Perti (6 June 1661 – 10 April 1756) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. He was mainly active at Bologna, where he was Maestro di Cappella for sixty years. He was the teacher of Giuseppe Torelli and Giovanni Battista Martini. Life He was born in Bologna, then part of the Papal States, and began studying music early, learning harpsichord and violin there; later he studied counterpoint. By the age of 17, he had already written a mass, a motet, and a setting of the Magnificat; and in 1678 he wrote his first opera and oratorio. During a stay in Parma, where he studied with Giuseppe Corsi da Celano, he formed his sacred music style; most of his psalm settings of the 1680s and 1690s show the influence of Corsi. Later he went to Venice, most likely for a production of one of his operas. In 1690 he was appointed to the post of Maestro di Cappella at S Pietro, replacing his uncle Lorenzo Perti. In 1696 he became Maestro di Cappella in another Bolognese church, S. Petronio, after the death of Giovanni Paolo Colonna the year before. He remained in charge for exactly sixty years, until his death at age 95. Perti was a prolific composer of operas and sacred music, and was

Giacomo Carissimi

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(Gian) Giacomo Carissimi (; baptized 18 April 160512 January 1674) was an Italian composer and music teacher. He is one of the most celebrated masters of the early Baroque or, more accurately, the Roman School of music. Carissimi established the characteristic features of the Latin oratorio and was a prolific composer of masses, motets, and cantatas. He was highly influential in musical developments in northern European countries through his pupils, like Kerll in Germany and Charpentier in France, and the wide dissemination of his music. Biography Carissimi’s exact birthdate is not known, but it was probably in 1604 or 1605 in Marino near Rome, Italy. Of his early life almost nothing is known. Giacomo’s parents, Amico (1548–1633, a cooper by trade) and Livia (1565–1622), were married on 14 May 1595 and had four daughters and two sons; Giacomo was the youngest. Nothing is known of his early musical training. His first known appointments were at Tivoli Cathedral, under the maestri di cappella Aurelio Briganti Colonna, Alessandro Capece and Francesco Manelli; from October 1623 he sang in the choir, and from October 1624 to October 1627 he was the organist. In 1628 Carissimi moved nort

Giacomo Facco

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Giacomo Facco (4 February 1676 – 16 February 1753) was an Italian Baroque violinist, conductor and composer. One of the most famous Italian composers of his day, he was completely forgotten until 1962, when his work was discovered by composer, conductor, and musicologist Uberto Zanolli. Biography Facco was born in Marsango, a small settlement near Padua and Venice in the Republic of Venice. For many years, he was a conductor in Italy. In 1705, he was employed in Palermo as choirmaster, teacher, and violin virtuoso to Carlo Antonio Spinola, Marquis of Los Balbases (the Viceroy of Sicily). In 1708, the viceroy transferred his residence to Messina, and Facco followed him. In Messina, he composed The Fight between Mercy and Incredulity. In 1710, he presented in Messina Cathedral his work The Augury of Victories, dedicated to King Felipe V. In a report dated 22 January 1720, the Patriarch of the West Indies, Cardinal Carlos de Borja de Centelles and Ponce of León, Archbishop of Trebisonda, wrote that Facco had an excellent pay in the court of the king of Spain (having rejected an offer, of equal pay, by the Portuguese court, where Spinola served as Spanish ambassador). On 9 February, Fa

Gian Domenico Partenio

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Gian Domenico Partenio () In 1672, he composed the music for Cristoforo Ivanovich’s La costanza trionfante, which premiered at Venice’s San Moisè church. Partenio collaborated frequently with the librettist Matteo Noris. In November 1681, their opera Flavio Cuniberto was performed for the first time in the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo. It premiered in 1669 at the Santi Giovanni e Paolo church, and has music also attributed to Antonio Cesti. Compositions *Il Genserico, libretto by Nicolò Beregan (premiered 1669; attributed) *La costanza trionfante, libretto by Cristoforo Ivanovich (premiered 1672) *Flavio Cuniberto, libretto by Matteo Noris (premiered 1681; revised in 1687) *Dionisio, libretto by Matteo Noris (premiered 1681; acts 2 & 3) *La bugia regnante, libretto by Nicolò Minato (premiered 1682; act 1) References

Gilles Jullien

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Gilles Jullien (c. 1651/165314 September 1703) was a French Baroque composer and organist. He is credited with bringing the style of French organ music then current in Paris to Chartres. Almost nothing is known about Jullien’s life or training. His burial certificate indicates he was 50 or slightly younger when he died, so he must have been born between 1651 and 1653. It is assumed that he became organist of the Chartres Cathedral on 6 December 1667. The date is questionable, but the fact that Jullien was appointed organist of the cathedral while still very young is indisputable. He occupied this position until his death in Chartres in 1703. He was succeeded at the cathedral by his eldest son, Jean-François Jullien. All of Jullien’s surviving music is contained in his Premier Livre d’orgue (Paris, 1690). It consists of around 80 pieces (most influenced by Nicolas Lebègue’s work), organized into eight organ suites in the eight church modes. According to the preface, these works were intended for liturgical use, but the only link to the liturgy is a fugue on Ave maris stella. The suites also contain several four- and five-voice fugues that reflect Jullien’s studies of counterpoint, b

Giorgio Antoniotto

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Giorgio Antoniotto (Giorgio Antoniotto d’Adurni; 1680–1766), was an Italian musician, who is noted as the author of a musical treatise, L’arte armonica, and as an early composer of music for violoncello. Birth, ancestry, and early life A descendant of a Milanese branch of the noble Genoese Adorno family, Giorgio Antoniotto was born in Milan in 1680 to Bernardo Antoniotto and Maria Teresa Pavitte. His baptism, reported in the records of the church of S. Matthia della Moneta, took place on May 10, 1681. He was well educated and became highly accomplished in the arts, languages, mathematics, and music. A Spanish sympathizer against the Austrians in the War of the Spanish Succession, he was forced to flee Italy and entered the Spanish service where he was engaged many times but not wounded. Leaving the Spanish service, he taught in the arts at Geneva, frequenting the courts of Europe at Vienna, Paris, Madrid, and Lisbon. Marriage and family In Paris, he married a lady named Percival and they had several children, all of whom died in their infancy. His wife also died, leaving him a widower. The given name of his wife and details of the children’s lives have not been found. Later life At

Giovan Gualberto Brunetti

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Giovan Gualberto Brunetti (Pistoia, 24 April 1706 – Pisa, 20 May 1787) was an Italian composer. Biographical Information Giovan Gualberto Brunetti studied violin with Atto Gherardeschi in Pistoia, and beginning in 1723 was the student of Giovan Carlo Maria Clari in Pisa. In 1728, Brunetti left in order to study violin at the Pietà dei Turchini Conservatory in Naples, where he was instead forced to study voice performance as a tenor. In 1733, he composed a comic opera, but his operatic career did not take off. Brunetti earned a living as a singer in Neapolitan churches until he was hired as the Chapel Master for the Duke of Monte Nero, who brought him to Sicily for 6 months, where he composed a serenata for the arrival of Charles of Bourbon in Messina (1735), as well as at least two comic operas on Pietro Trinchera’s librettos. and also worked for the Cavalieri of Santo Stefano; he resume his career in theater, using librettos by Gennaro Antonio Federico and Pietro Metastasio, achieving success in Lucca as well. At least three of the five children of Giovan Gualberto were musicians (among them became famous Antonio and Giuseppe, himself father of another Antonio) ) and the Palatina

Giovanni Alberto Ristori

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Giovanni Alberto Ristori (1692 – 7 February 1753) was an Italian opera composer and conductor. Born in Bologna (the son of another musician, Tommaso Ristori), he joined an opera troupe, led by his father, in Dresden. This troupe was responsible to August II the Strong, who was both King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. August II lent his opera troupe to the Russian Empress Anna for her coronation (1731). The younger Ristori remained in Dresden for two decades after August’s demise, and he himself died there. Calandro, his opera in three acts to a libretto by Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino, was the work which Empress Anna heard at her coronation. It is both the first opera buffa written in Germany and also the first Italian opera performed on Russian soil. Both the elder and the younger Ristori directed the staging, which involved thirteen actors and nine singers including Ludovica Seyfried, Margherita Ermini and Rosalia Fantasia. In 1916 the German musicologist Curt Rudolf Mengelberg published the first study on Ristori and his music: Curt Rudolf Mengelberg, Giovanni Alberto Ristori: ein Beitrag zur Geschichte italienischer Kunstherrschaft in Deutschland im 18. Jahrhundert (Leipzig:

Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi (musician)

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Domenico Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli (1624 – c. 1687) was an Italian composer and violinist. Life and works Pandolfi was born in Montepulciano in 1624, where he was baptised on 27 November, the second son of Giovanni Battista Pandolfi and the fourth son of his father’s second wife, Verginia Bartalini, the widow of Mario Mealli. His name at baptism was Domenico; it would appear that he adopted the names Giovanni Antonio on entering religious orders at some stage of his life. His father was the servant of a lawyer. Pandolfi’s stepbrother Lorenzo, at the age of around 8, had become a castrato singer at the court of Kraków. Another stepbrother, Giovan Battista Mealli, became a singer in Venice, where Domenico and the rest of the family joined him around 1630 following the death of old Pandolfi. The annals of the court of Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria in Innsbruck record that Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli was employed at the court in 1660. He is believed to have trained as a musician in Perugia. He moved to Innsbruck in 1652, and his sonatas Opp. 2 and 3 are dedicated to other court musicians there, many of whom were Italian. He left Innsbruck in 1662, and then took a p

Giovanni Battista Agneletti

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Giovanni Battista Agneletti (fl. 1656–1673) was an Italian composer. Biography Little is known about the life of Giovanni Battista Agneletti, though it is certain that he was born before 1656. Based on baptismal records and other documents, he was born in Spilimbergo. and a Gloria, published in 1673 in the collection of motets Sacri Canti et Hinni (also published in Venice). The collection was dedicated to the Roveri brothers, two aristocrats from Treviso. ;Recordings In May 1999, Agneletti’s Gloria patri et filio et spiritui sancto (Gloria) was recorded as a part of Canta La Maddalena, sung by Maria Cristina Kiehr and played by the Concerto Soave ensemble. The recording was released in 2000. References

Giovanni Battista Bassani

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Giovanni Battista Bassani (c. 1650 – 1 October 1716) was an Italian composer, violinist, and organist. Biography Bassani was born in Padua. It is thought that he studied in Venice under Daniele Castrovillari and in Ferrara under Giovanni Legrenzi. Charles Burney and John Hawkins claimed he taught Arcangelo Corelli, but there is no solid evidence for this assertion. He was an organist at the Accademia della Morte in Ferrara from 1667, but had probably left by 1675. He published his first music in 1677; the title page calls him maestro of music at the Confraternità della Morte in Finale Emilia, not far from Modena. He was maestro di cappella at Duke Alessandro II della Mirandola’s court in 1680, and was elected principe at the Accademica Filarmonica in Bologna. He became maestro di cappella at the Accademia della Morte in Ferrara in 1683, and then maestro di cappella at Ferrara Cathedral in 1686. For his contributions to the musical life of Ferrara, he was often called “Bassani of Ferrara”. He wrote 76 liturgically ordered services for use at Ferrara Cathedral between 1710 and 1712. He became director of music at Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo in 1712, and also taught at the Congreg

Giovanni Battista Ferrandini

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Giovanni Battista Ferrandini (c. 1710 – 25 October 1791), an Italian composer of the Baroque and Classical eras, was born in Venice, Italy and died in Munich, at the age of about 81. He was a child prodigy and entered the service of Duke Ferdinand Maria Innocenz of Bavaria at the age of 12 as an oboist. The newly constructed Bavarian Court Theatre (the Old Residenztheater, now known as the Cuvilliés Theatre after the architect) in Munich opened on 12 October 1753 with Ferrandini’s opera Catone in Utica. A recording of the opera made 250 years later in the same theatre is available (Oehms Classics OC 901). In 1755, Ferrandini retired to Padua, where in 1771, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his father Leopold Mozart visited him in retirement. Works, editions and recordings ;Operas * Giordo, 1727 * Il Sacrifico Invalido, 1729 * Adriano in Siria, 1737 * Catone in Utica, 1753 * Music for the coronation of Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor in Frankfurt 1742 ;Cantatas * Cantata Il pianto di Maria, 1739 (long misattributed to Handel as HWV 234: Il pianto di Maria or Giunta l’ora fatal) (Full recording.) * Cantatas for Holy Week: O spettacolo pur troppo funesto. Ecco quel tronco (recordings: Elis

Giovanni Battista Granata

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Giovanni Battista Granata (1620/16211687) was an Italian Baroque guitar player and composer. He is generally known as the most prolific guitarist of the 17th century, publishing seven books during his lifetime. Biography Granata was born in Turin, but moved to Bologna sometime around 1646 where remained for the majority of his life. From 1651 to 1653, he was employed as liutista sopranumerario in the Concerto Palatino. Although he maintained his teaching and composing career throughout his life, his main employment was as a barber-surgeon for which he became licensed in 1659. Works Granata’s seven books, all published in Bologna, Italy: However, the similarity was not evidence that Page and Plant plagiarised Granata. References 6. Hall, Monica The chitarra atiorbata and the guittare theorbee: a reappraisal. In Early Music Vol. XXXIX no. 1 p. 25-34. External links *

Giovanni Battista Maccioni

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Giovanni Battista Maccioni (floruit 1651 – 1674) was an Italian composer, librettist, and musician. His L’arpa festante (The Festive Harp), first performed in 1653, inaugurated what was to become the Bavarian State Opera and is often described as the first opera to be wholly written and produced in Germany. Life Nothing is known about Maccioni’s early life nor the date and place of his birth. The first record of him was in 1651 when he was hired as the court chaplain, poet and musician to Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria. When Ferdinand married Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy in 1652, Maccioni, who was considered an outstanding harpist, became her harp teacher. It was she who encouraged him to write and compose a work to celebrate the visit of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor to Munich in August 1653. The result was L’arpa festante, often referred to as the first opera to be wholly written and produced in Germany, although it was closer in its form and length to a dramatic cantata. Nevertheless, it differed from previous court entertainments which had been plays with musical interludes. L’arpa festante was an integrated musical drama with recitatives, solo arias, duets and

Giovanni Battista Martini

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Giovanni Battista or Giambattista Martini, (24 April 1706 – 3 August 1784), also known as Padre Martini, was an Italian Conventual Franciscan friar, who was a leading musician, composer, and music historian of the period and a mentor to Mozart. Biography Giovanni Battista Martini was born in Bologna, in that era part of the Papal States. His father, Antonio Maria Martini, a violinist, taught him the elements of music and the violin, and he later learned singing and harpsichord playing from Padre Pradieri, and counterpoint from Antonio Riccieri and Giacomo Antonio Perti. Having received his education in classics from the priests of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, he afterwards entered the novitiate of the Conventual Franciscans at their friary in Lago, at the close of which he professed religious vows and received the religious habit of the Order on 11 September 1722. In 1725, though only nineteen years old, he received the appointment of chapel-master at the Basilica of San Francesco in Bologna, where his compositions attracted attention. He established a composition school at the invitation of amateur and professional friends, where a number of well-known musicians received thei

Giovanni Battista Pescetti

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Giovanni Battista Pescetti (c. 170420 March 1766) was an organist, harpsichordist, and composer known primarily for his operas and keyboard sonatas. Musicologist and University of California, Santa Barbara professor John E. Gillespie wrote that Pescetti “stylistically stands as a bridge between Alberti and Domenico Scarlatti”. Life Born in Venice, Pescetti was the son of organ builder Giacinto Pescetti. His mother, Giulia Pescetti (née Pollarolo), was the daughter of opera composer and organist Carlo Francesco Pollarolo and the sister of composer and organist Antonio Pollarolo. He developed a friendship with Baldassare Galuppi, a fellow pupil of Lotti’s, with whom he collaborated in creating and revising operas. In 1739 he published a set of ten keyboard sonatas entitled Sonate per gravicembalo in London. This work included arrangements of the overture and arias in his opera La conquista del velo d’oro. References Further reading *Degrada, Francesco. 1966. “Le sonate per cembalo e per organo di Giovanni Battista Pescetti”. Chigiana (new series) 3:89–108. * *Taylor, Carole M. 1987. “From Losses to Lawsuit: Patronage of the Italian Opera in London by Lord Middlesex, 1739–45”. Music &

Giovanni Battista Sammartini

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Giovanni Battista Sammartini (c. 1700 – 15 January 1775) was an Italian composer, violinist, organist, choirmaster and teacher. He counted Gluck among his students, and was highly regarded by younger composers including Johann Christian Bach. It has also been noted that many stylizations in Joseph Haydn’s compositions are similar to those of Sammartini, although Haydn denied any such influence. Sammartini is especially associated with the formation of the concert symphony through both the shift from a brief opera-overture style and the introduction of a new seriousness and use of thematic development that prefigure Haydn and Mozart. Some of his works are described as galant, a style associated with Enlightenment ideals, while “the prevailing impression left by Sammartini’s work… is that he contributed greatly to the development of a Classical style that achieved its moment of greatest clarity precisely when his long, active life was approaching its end”. Sammartini quickly became famous as a church composer and obtained fame abroad. Over the years he joined many churches for work (eight or more by his death ) and wrote music to be performed at state occasions and in the houses of

Giovanni Battista Somis

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Giovanni Battista Somis (December 25, 1686 – August 14, 1763) was an Italian violinist and composer of the Baroque music era. He studied under Arcangelo Corelli between 1703 and 1706 or 1707. He published eight opus numbers in all: *Opus 1 - 12 sonatas for violin and figured bass (1717 Amsterdam, published by J. Roger) *Opus 2 - 12 sonatas for violin and figured bass (1723 Turin) *Opus 3 - 12 sonatas for violin and figured bass (1725 Turin) *Opus 4 - 12 sonatas for violin and figured bass (1726 Paris) *Opus 5 - 6 trio sonatas for two violins and figured bass (1733 Paris, published by Boisvin) Felice Giardini, Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, and Chabran, as well as Gaetano Pugnani, and he forms a connecting link between the classical schools of Italy and France. He died in Turin. References External links *

Giovanni Battista Vitali

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Giovanni Battista Vitali (18 February 1632 – 12 October 1692) was an Italian composer and violone player. Life and career Vitali was born in Bologna and spent all of his life in the Emilian region, moving to Modena in 1674. His teacher in his early years was probably Maurizio Cazzati (1616–1678), maestro di cappella at the main church in Bologna, San Petronio Basilica from 1657 to 1671. The first documented evidence of Vitali’s musical activities appears in the records of the San Petronio orchestra for 1658, when he is listed under the title ‘Violoni’, referring to the cello/bass instrument that he played. Vitali remained in the orchestra until 1673, when he took up an appointment as maestro di cappella at the chapel of the Confraternità del Rosario, Bologna. His first publication, Opus 1 (1666), tells us that he was a member of the Accademia dei Filaschisi. This musical institution, which had been established in 1633, disbanded in 1666 when most of its members joined the Accademia Filarmonica. Vitali is also listed as a member of the Accademia Filarmonica in 1666, the year of its founding. The academy archives record various details of its members, including where they came from (

Giovanni Battista Volpe

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Giovanni Battista Volpe (–1691) was a Venetian composer for operas during the Baroque period. He was also known as Rovetta and Rovettino. His uncle was Giovanni Rovetta, a composer and former maestro di capella. which premiered in the same theatre in 1663. He composed at least one more opera for the theatre. Volpe was the preferred choice of composers in absentia when changes had to be made to their work. Compositions *La costanza di Rosmonda, libretto by Aurelio Aureli (premiered 1659) *Gl’amori d’Apollo e di Leucotoe, libretto by Aurelio Aureli (premiered 1663) References

Giovanni Benedetto Platti

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Giovanni Benedetto Platti was born possibly 9 July 1697 (according to other sources 1690, 1692, 1700) in Padua, then belonging to Venice. He was an Italian Baroque composer and oboist. He died 11 January 1763 in Würzburg. Life Platti studied music in Italy (mostly singing, the oboe and the violin). While in Italy, where he stayed until 1722, he probably saw the recently invented fortepiano; a few of his keyboard solo sonatas and concertos might have been composed for it instead of the harpsichord, but this point is debatable. In his chamber works (duets and trios), the harpsichord is clearly the instrument required. No “piano” or “forte” indications are on Platti’s keyboard parts in his concertos for harpsichord and strings, though. Also, the extension of at least one of these concertos asks for a D that is beyond Cristofori’s instrument’s compass (4 octaves CC to c4). In 1722, he was called to Würzburg to work for the prince-bishop of Bamberg and Würzburg, Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn. There he married Theresia Langprückner, a soprano singer with whom he had at least two children. Platti spent the rest of his life in the town, working as a singer, instrument virtuoso, compos

Giovanni Bononcini

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Giovanni Bononcini (or Buononcini) In 1685, at the age of 15, he published three collections of instrumental works (in two of which he gave his age as 13). Final years After leaving London in 1733, Bononcini travelled to France in the company of an adventurer, Count Ughi, who swindled him out of most of his property. In Paris, Bononcini gave concerts of his religious music at the Concert Spirituel and then moved on to Lisbon to become the cello teacher to the Portuguese king. In 1736 he returned to Vienna, where his opera Alessandro in Sidone and his oratorio Ezechia were performed in 1737. In dire financial straits by 1742, he petitioned Maria Theresa of Austria for help. In October of that year, she granted him a pension of 50 florins a month in recognition of his past service to the court. Bononcini died on 9 July 1747, allegedly in Vienna, impoverished and largely forgotten. After his death, his last major composition, a Te Deum which he had composed in 1741 for Francis I, was performed in celebration of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. Compositions His earliest works for the cello are two Sinfonie included in a manuscript in the abbey of Montecassino. His other works include a n

Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani

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Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani (15 July 1638 Florence –about 1693 Pistoia) was an Italian composer and violinist. He worked in the court at Innsbruck as a violinist at least between 1656 and 1660. Between 1672 and 1676 he was director of the court music at Innsbruck, which, after the extinction of the Tyrolean Habsburgs, had come under the control of the emperor. Although in publications of 1678 Viviani still described himself as holding this position, it seems more likely that he was in fact in Venice working on his arrangement of Francesco Cavalli’s Scipione affricano and his own opera Astiage, which were both performed in Venice that year. Also that year, Viviani directed an oratorio at the Oratorio di San Marcello in Rome with Arcangelo Corelli and Bernardo Pasquini. He was probably elevated to the nobility in the same year, since he subsequently designated himself ‘Nobile del Sacro Romano Imperio’. Between 1678 and 1679 and 1681 and 1682 he was in Naples as director of a troupe of opera singers, and while he was there he performed some of his own operas and oratorios. In 1686 he was maestro di cappella to the Prince of Bisignano. From January 1687 to December 1692 he was maestr

Giovanni Cesare Netti

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Giovanni Cesare Netti (4 September 1649, in Putignano – Naples, before 31 July 1686) was an Italian composer and maestro di cappella. Works They have been cataloged by Giovanni Tribuzio (siglum TN): Cantatas * TN I.1a: Addio cara libertà *TN I.1b: Addio cara libertà * TN I.2: L’innamorato Aminta * TN I.3: Nel bel regno d’amore * TN I.4: Nella stagione appunto * TN I.5a: Occhi belli, s’io v’adoro *TN I.5b: Occhi belli s’io v’adoro * TN I.6: Più non vanti la speranza * TN I.7: Semiviva e dolente (spurious) * TN II.1: Seguane pur che può, scoprirmi io voglio Serenatas * TN III.1: Nella notte più fosca * TN III.2: Risvegliatevi, o luci mie belle Antiprologues * TN IV.1: Acquaviva laureata (Acquaviva delle Fonti, 1682) * TN IV.2: Gara degli elementi in dotare li due misti (Acquaviva delle Fonti, 1682) * TN IV.3: Le perdite di Nereo e Dori al paragone delle glorie (Acquaviva delle Fonti, 1682) Operas * TN V.1a: Adamiro (Naples, 1681) *TN V.1b: Adamiro (Palermo, 1682) * TN V.2: La Filli La moglie del fratello (Naples, 1682) Bibliography *Dinko Fabris, Netti, Giovanni Cesare, in Dizionario biografico degli italiani, vol. 78, Roma, Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana, 2013. *Giovanni Cesare

Giovanni Felice Sances

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Giovanni Felice Sances (also Sancies, Sanci, Sanes, Sanchez, c. 160024 November 1679) was an Italian singer and a Baroque composer. He was renowned in Europe during his time. Sances studied at the Collegio Germanico in Rome from 1609 to 1614. He appeared in the opera Amor pudico in Rome in 1614. His career then took him to Bologna and Venice. His first opera Ermiona was staged in Padua in 1636, in which he also sang. In 1636 he moved to Vienna, where he was initially employed at the imperial court chapel as a tenor. In 1649, during the reign of Ferdinand III he was appointed vice-Kapellmeister under Antonio Bertali. He collaborated with Bertali to stage regular performances of Italian opera. He also composed sepolcri, sacred works and chamber music. In 1669 he succeeded to the post of Imperial Kapellmeister upon Bertali’s death. From 1673, due to poor health, many of his duties were undertaken by his deputy Johann Heinrich Schmelzer. He died in Vienna in 1679. Works Sacred works Published motet collections *Motetti a una, due, tre, e quattro voci (1638) *Motetti a 2, 3, 4, a cinque voci con Litania della BVM (1642) dedicated to Guglielmo Slavata chancellor *Salmi a 8 voci (1643) de

Giovanni Giorgi (composer)

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Giovanni Giorgi (late 17th or early 18th century – June 1762 ) (Latin: Joannis de Georgiis) was a priest and an Italian composer. His style of polychoral church compositions are influenced by earlier Roman School composers such as Orazio Benevoli, but also incorporate later Roman Baroque features and (after about 1758) some elements of early Classical style. Life Giorgi is reputed to have originated from Venice, but few details of his life are known. In 1719 he was appointed maestro di cappella at the papal Basilica of St. John Lateran, Rome, and was the successor of Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni. Many of Giorgi’s early compositions were written during his time in Rome. By January 1725 he was in Lisbon where he took up the post of court mestre de capela. He died in Lisbon in 1762. Works Many Portuguese records were lost in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, but in Giorgi’s case around 600 compositions have been preserved both in the Lateran archives in Rome and at Lisbon Cathedral. His extant works include: * 162 motets, some for 2 to 4 voices; also some for 8 or 16 voices * 33 mass settings for 2, 4, 8 and 16 voices; some with instrumental parts * 145 gradual settings for 2, 4 and 8 voices; so

Giovanni Henrico Albicastro

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Johann Heinrich von Weissenburg (c. 1660 – 26 January 1730), known as Giovanni Henrico Albicastro, was an amateur musician and composer of the Baroque era. Biography Albicastro came from Klosterneuburg near Vienna, or the village of Bieswangen, near Pappenheim in central Bavaria, not far from the village of Weissenburg (“White Castle”, thus “Albicastro” in Latin or Italian). Johann Gottfried Walther included Albicastro in his Musicalisches Lexicon (1732) under the mistaken supposition that Albicastro came from Switzerland; consequently he has often been included in lists of Swiss musicians. In 1686, Albicastro moved to Leiden, in the Netherlands, where he registered at the University of Leiden as a Musicus Academiae, but his name does not appear in the university’s archives. In 1696, a collection of twelve of his trio sonatas appeared, entitled Il giardino armonico sacro-profano (“The sacred-profane harmonic garden”), Op. 3. Edited by François Barbry, it was published in Bruges by François van Heurck; no copies of the last six, or of Albicastro’s opus 1 or opus 2 from Bruges seem to have survived. In Amsterdam a separate set of opus numbers were published by Estienne Roger: collect

Giovanni Legrenzi

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Giovanni Legrenzi (baptized August 12, 1626 – May 27, 1690) was an Italian composer of opera, vocal and instrumental music, and organist, of the Baroque era. He was one of the most prominent composers in Venice in the late 17th century, and extremely influential in the development of late Baroque idioms across northern Italy. He was a massive influence on Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi. Life Legrenzi was born at Clusone, near Bergamo, then part of the Republic of Venice. His father, Giovanni Maria Legrenzi, was a professional violinist and, to some extent, a composer. We know Legrenzi had two brothers and two sisters, though one of the brothers, Marco, apparently a talented musician who performed with his father and brother in the 1660s, is not mentioned in Legrenzi’s will: it is presumed that he died young. His remaining brother and sisters are both mentioned in his will. Legrenzi was probably taught largely at home, and his performance skills developed at the local church, and it can also be assumed there was music-making in the house. Legrenzi received his first appointment in Bergamo, as Organist at Santa Maria Maggiore, a magnificent church with a celebrated musical his

Giovanni Maria Ruggieri

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Giovanni Maria Ruggieri or Ruggeri was a Baroque composer from Italy. His dates of birth and death are uncertain, but he may have been born about 1665 in Verona and died around 1725. He is known to have flourished from 1689–1720. Life His major works were apparently composed in Venice. His first work, La Clotilde, is extant, and on its title page he described himself as an amateur; the librettist for the same work described him as being distinguished among amateurs and the peer of the most celebrated scholars of music. Other than these fragments, very little is known about his personal life. Archives in the Museo Correr in Venice indicate that he owned several properties and he may have been in the service of the noble Contarini family, to whom he wrote a letter in 1695. His early musical career comprises four collections of trio sonatas, both da camera and da chiesa, published at some time between 1689 and 1697, but these have since been lost. His surviving sonatas display considerable invention and ability with counterpoint. In 1696 Ruggieri began working full-time as a composer and presumably encountered considerable success, because his operas were often revived: Armida abbando

Giovanni Paolo Colonna

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Giovanni Paolo Colonna (16 June 1637 – 28 November 1695) was an Italian composer, teacher, organist and organ builder. In addition to being chapel-master and organist of San Petronio Basilica in Bologna, he served prominent members of the courts of Ferrara, Parma, Modena and Florence. He was a founder-member and president of the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna. Emperor Leopold I collected manuscripts of his sacred music, which reflects the Roman church cantata style of Giacomo Carissimi and looks forward to the manner of George Frideric Handel. Biography Colonna was born on 16 June 1637 in Bologna (at the time, the second largest city of the Papal States after Rome), the third of four brothers in a family of five children, son of Antonio Colonna (c. 1600–1666), a well-known organ builder, and his wife, Francesca Dinarelli. Colonna’s father, nicknamed Dal Corno, was the adopted son of Stefano Colonna, a member of a large and successful family of organ-builders which had been active in central-northern Italy since the previous century. He was a pupil of Agostino Filippuzzi in Bologna, and of Antonio Maria Abbatini and Orazio Benevoli in Rome, where for a time he held the post of org

Giovanni Paolo Foscarini

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Giovanni Paolo Foscarini (fl. 1600 – 1647) was an Italian guitarist, lutenist, theorist and composer. A note at the end of the list of contents in his earliest surviving guitar book Intavolatura di chitarra spagnola. Libro secondo (1629) refers to him a Musico, e Sonatore, di Liuto e Tiorba, della Venerabile Compagnia del Saatissimo sic Sacramento d’Ancona. He was also a member of the Accademia dei Caliginosi in Ancona, identifying himself in his earlier books only by the name of the society together with his own academic name Il Furioso. In the introduction to his third book printed in about 1630 he claims to be well known as a lutenist both in Italy and abroad, especially at the court of Archduke Alberto in the Spanish Netherlands. Archduke Albert, a nephew of Philip II of Spain, was governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1595 until his death in 1621. Foscarini must have been in the Netherlands sometime before that date. He was active in Rome, Venice, Brussels, and Paris. Letters which he wrote to the Dutch scholar Constantijn Huygens from Paris at the beginning of 1649 give some information about his later years. He was planning to travel to Italy, but was ill in bed and witho

Giovanni Stefano Carbonelli

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Giovanni Stefano Carbonelli (c. 9 March 1690/1691, Livorno, Grand Duchy of Tuscany – 1772, London), after 1734 Anglicised to John Stephen Carbonell, was an Italian-born British composer and violinist, who later abandoned his musical career to become a vintner under royal patronage. Life Giovanni Stefano Carbonelli was born in the Italian port city of Livorno to Pietro Carboneu (alternatively Carboneo or Carbonell) and Teresa Cocchi. His year of birth is uncertain, with dates varying from 1690/1691 to 1699/1700. His father was a Frenchman who had immigrated from Aix-en-Provence, Province of Provence, while his mother was a local Leghorner. Not much is known of his early musical education; he was reputedly a pupil of Arcangelo Corelli, although there is little documentary evidence to support this. In 1711 and 1712, he was one of the violinists in the local ensemble during the celebrations of the Feast of Santa Croce in Lucca (13–14 September); on these occasions his name was recorded as “Gio: Stefano Carbonèo”. In 1716–1717 he lived in Venice, where he became acquainted with Antonio Vivaldi. Carbonelli participated in Vivaldi’s operatic productions, playing in the accompanying orches

Gisbert Steenwick

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Gisbert Steenwick (also Gijsbert) (baptized 6 January 1642 – buried 20 August 1679) was a Dutch composer, organist, and carillonneur. He was born in Arnhem, where already at 21 he was a member of the local collegium musicum Caecilia. In January 1665 Steenwick was appointed organist of St Eusebiuskerk in Arnhem, and on 22 October that year he was made municipal organist. He left Arnhem in 1674 and went to Kampen, where on 6 June 1674 he was appointed organist and carillonneur at the Bovenkerk. He died some five years later in Kampen, at the age of 37. Today Steenwick is known for a few keyboard pieces contained in a manuscript he compiled before 1674 for a pupil, Anna Maria van Eyl, daughter of an Arnhem patrician. The manuscript contains 33 pieces of music, including dances and arrangements of, and variations on, folksongs. Only nine compositions are signed by Steenwick, but more can be attributed to him on stylistic grounds. Among the securely attributed works are arrangements of popular songs such as More Palatino, Puer natus in Bethleem, and Heiligh saligh Bethlehem, and dances (sarabandes, allemandes) with variations. Opinions differ on the quality of Steenwick’s writing: while

Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello

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Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello (also Bressonelli; ca. 1690, Bologna, Papal States – 4 October 1758, Stuttgart, Duchy of Württemberg) was an Italian Baroque composer and violinist. Brescianello’s name is mentioned for the first time in a document from 1715 in which Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria conferred on him an appointment as violinist in the court orchestra in Munich. Soon after, in 1716, following the death of Johann Christoph Pez, he was given a post at the court in Stuttgart of Eberhard Ludwig, Duke of Württemberg, as director of music and maître des concerts de la chambre. In 1717, he was appointed Hofkapellmeister. Around 1718, he composed the pastorale opera La Tisbe, which he dedicated to the Archduke in the vain hope that it would be programmed at the Stuttgart theatre. Between 1719 and 1721, Brescianello came into conflict with the composer Reinhard Keiser, who launched repeated attempts to seize his post. He held out and in 1731 was even granted the more senior title of Oberkapellmeister. He temporarily lost the post in 1737, when the court opera was disbanded due to financial troubles. In the following years, he concentrated on composition and produced his

Giuseppe Corsi

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Giuseppe Corsi Evangelisti (Vangelisti) (1631/1632 in County of Celano – after 10 March 1691 in Ancona or Modena) better known as Gioseppe Corso Celani or Giuseppe Corsi da Celano, was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. He was mainly active at Rome, where he was Maestro di cappella. He was the teacher of Giacomo Antonio Perti and Petronio Franceschini. Biography A student in Rome at the Jesuit fathers under the guidance of Giacomo Carissimi, he was active as an outstanding Maestro in Gallese (Altemps family), Città di Castello (Cattedrale di S. Florido), Naples (Montalto family), Rome (Basilica di S. Maria Maggiore, Basilica di S. Giovanni in Laterano, Chiesa di S. Maria Maddalena, Chiesa Nuova), Loreto (Basilica della S. Casa: where he was ordained priest), Ancona (Cattedrale di S. Ciriaco) and Parma (Basilica di S. Maria della Steccata and Farnese family). he was tortured and imprisoned in Rome for a few years on the orders of Pope Innocent XI in the Albornoz fortress of Narni. cataloged by Giovanni Tribuzio in 2014, are 83: * TriCo 1-3 (Masses); * TriCo 4-12 (Parts of mass); * TriCo 13 (Canticles); * TriCo 14-20 (Psalms); * TriCo 21-23 (Antiphons); * TriCo 24 (Hymns); * Tri

Giuseppe Ferdinando Brivio

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Giuseppe Ferdinando Brivio (c. 1700, Milan – c. 1758, Milan) was an Italian composer, conductor, violinist, and singing teacher who is chiefly known for his operas. His work displays a natural expression and uses figurations similar to that of Antonio Vivaldi. At the Teatro Ducale his first known opera, Ipermestra, premiered on 6 December 1727. Two of his notable pupils were sopranos Giulia Frasi and Caterina Visconti. Brivio went on to write five more operas: L’Olimpiade (premiere 5 March 1737, Teatro Regio di Torino), Artaserse (premiere 2 June 1738, Teatro degli Obizzi di Padova), Merope (premiere 26 December 1738, Teatro Ducale di Milano), La Germania trionfante in Arminio (premiere 2 May 1739, Teatro Ducale di Milano) and Alessandro nell’Indie (premiere carnival 1742, Teatro Ducale di Milano). His music was also used in three Pasticcio mounted at the King’s Theatre, Haymarket, London during the 1740s, Gianguir (premiere 2 November 1742), Mandane (premiere 12 December 1742), and L’incostanza delusa (premiere 9 February 1745). The final stage work to use his music was another pasticcio, L’Olimpiade, which premiered at the Teatro Marsigli-Rossi di Bologna on 10 May 1755. Besides

Giuseppe Maria Orlandini

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Giuseppe Maria Orlandini (4 April 167624 October 1760) was an Italian baroque composer particularly known for his more than 40 operas and intermezzos. Highly regarded by music historians of his day like Francesco Saverio Quadrio, Jean-Benjamin de La Borde and Charles Burney, Orlandini, along with Vivaldi, is considered one of the major creators of the new style of opera that dominated the second decade of the 18th century. Life Born in Florence, Orlandini began working as an opera composer in his late twenties for Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici. His first opera, Artaserse, premiered in Livorno in 1706. A moderate success, the work was revived in Naples in 1708. Beginning in 1711, he was the maestro di cappella to Prince Gian Gastone (later the Duke of Tuscany). In 1717 he moved to Bologna, where he met and married opera singer Maria Maddalena Buonavia. He continued to live and work in that city for the next fifteen years. Orlandini’s first major critical success was the opera Antigona which premiered in Venice during carnival of 1718. The work was highly popular and enjoyed performances throughout Europe. In 1719 he became a member of the Accademia Filarmonica. That same year his int

Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni

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Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni (Rieti, 18 March 1657 – Rome, Papal States, 1 February 1743) was an Italian organist and composer. He became one of the leading musicians in Rome during the late Baroque era, the first half of the 18th century. Life Born in Rieti, his family moved to Rome when he was an infant. He began vocal study with Pompeo Natali at the age of five and sang in the choir of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini from age eight. At Santi Apostoli he sang and studied counterpoint with Francesco Foggia, where his early compositions were performed. By age sixteen he was maestro di cappella at Santa Maria Maggiore, Monterotondo, a historic church near Rome. In 1673 as maestro for the cathedral at Assisi he began intensive study of the works of Palestrina, and in 1676 moved to the cathedral at Rieti. In 1677 he returned to Rome for a lifelong appointment as maestro di cappella at the Basilica of San Marco. In addition he held a series of prestigious positions as maestro for Basilica dei Santi Apostoli, Rome (from 1686), at St. John Lateran (from 1708, where Palestrina had served from 1555 to 1560), and for the Cappella Giulia at St. Peter’s (from 1719, immediately following Domenico Scarl

Giuseppe Sammartini

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Giuseppe Francesco Gaspare Melchiorre Baldassare Sammartini (also Gioseffo, S Martini, St Martini, San Martini, San Martino, Martini, Martino; 6 January 1695 – between 17 and 23 November 1750) was an Italian composer and oboist during the late Baroque and early Classical era. Although he was from Milan, most of his professional life was spent in London and with Frederick, the Prince of Wales. He also had a younger brother, Giovanni Battista Sammartini, who likewise became a renowned composer. Personal life Giuseppe Sammartini was born in Milan, Italy. Giuseppe took oboe lessons from his French father Alexis Saint-Martin. Although born in Milan, Giuseppe found his success in other parts of Europe. His first trip was to Brussels, and from there he made his way to London where he would go on to spend the rest of his life. Giuseppe did return to Milan for his sister Madalena’s marriage on 13 February 1728. In July 1728 Giuseppe also travelled to Brussels with his pupil Gaetano Parenti. Performer Sammartini was an exceptionally skilled oboist. He could play the flute and recorder, as was customary at the time. Before moving to London, he was the oboist at in Milan around 1717. He then b

Giuseppe Tartini

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Giuseppe Tartini (8 April 1692 – 26 February 1770) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era born in Pirano in the Republic of Venice (now Piran, Slovenia). Tartini was a prolific composer, composing over a hundred pieces for the violin, the majority of them violin concertos. He is best remembered for his Violin Sonata in G Minor (the Devil’s Trill Sonata). Early life Tartini was born on 8 April 1692 in Pirano (today Piran in Slovenia), a town on the peninsula of Istria, in the Republic of Venice to Gianantonio – native of Florence – and Caterina Zangrando, a descendant of one of the oldest aristocratic Piranese families. It appears Tartini’s parents intended him to become a Franciscan friar and, in this way, he received basic musical training. Tartini studied violin first at the collegio delle Scuole Pie in Capodistria (today Koper). Tartini’s skill improved tremendously and, in 1721, he was appointed Maestro di Cappella at the Basilica di Sant’Antonio in Padua, with a contract that allowed him to play for other institutions if he wished. In Padua, he met and befriended fellow composer and theorist Francesco Antonio Vallotti. Between 1723 and 1725 he was in Prague,

Giuseppe Torelli

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Giuseppe Torelli (22 April 1658 Verona – 8 February 1709) was an Italian violinist, teacher and composer of the middle Baroque era. Brother of the painter Felice Torelli, he is most remembered for contributing to the development of the concerto, especially the solo concerto, and for his music for string instruments and trumpet. Life Torelli was born in Verona. It is not known with whom he studied violin, although it has been speculated that he was a pupil of Leonardo Brugnoli or Bartolomeo Laurenti, but it is certain that he studied composition with Giacomo Antonio Perti. On 27 June 1684, at the age of 26, he became a member of the Accademia Filarmonica as suonatore di violino. He was employed as a viola player at the San Petronio basilica beginning in 1686, where he stayed until 1695 or January 1696, when the orchestra was discontinued because of financial constraints. In 1687 Giuseppe Corsi da Celano played Torelli’s music, from Op. 3, in Parma at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata. By 1698 Torelli was maestro di concerto at the court of Georg Friedrich II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, where he conducted the orchestra for Le pazzie d’amore e dell’interesse, an idea d

Giuseppe Valentini

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Giuseppe Valentini (14 December 1681 – November 1753), nicknamed Straccioncino (Little Ragamuffin), was an Italian violinist, painter, poet, and composer, though he is known chiefly as a composer of inventive instrumental music. He studied under Giovanni Bononcini in Rome between 1692 and 1697. From 1710 to 1727 he served as ‘Suonator di Violino, e Componitore di Musica’ to Prince Michelangelo Caetani. He also succeeded Arcangelo Corelli as director of the concertino at San Luigi dei Francesi, from 1710 to 1741. Though during his lifetime overshadowed by the likes of Corelli, Vivaldi, and Locatelli, his contribution to Italian baroque music is noteworthy, and many of his works were published throughout Europe. Selected works Instrumental Music *op. 1: 12 Sinfonie (with Sinfonia a tre per il santissimo Natale Nr. 12) (1701 Rome) *op. 2: 7 Bizzarie per camera for 2 Violins, Viola and Basso continuo (1703 Rome) *op. 3: 12 Fantasie musicali for 2 Violins and Bass (1706 Rome) *op. 4: 7 Idee per camera for Violin and Basso continuo (1706 Rome) *op. 5: 12 Sonate a tre (Villeggiature armoniche) (1707 Rome) *op. 6: 6 Poesie: Concerti a 4 violini, violoncello e basso continuo (unpublished) *

Gottfried Finger

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Gottfried Finger (c. 1655-56 – 31 August 1730), also Godfrey Finger, was a Moravian-German Baroque Kapellmeister and composer. He was also a virtuoso on the viol, and many of his compositions were for the instrument. He also wrote operas. Finger was born in Olomouc, modern-day Czech Republic, and worked for the court of James II of England before becoming a freelance composer. The fact that Finger owned a copy of the musical score of the work Chelys by the Flemish composer Carolus Hacquart suggests that the two composers may have worked together in England. After a contest in London to set William Congreve’s The Judgement of Paris as an opera, in which Finger came in fourth place, he left England and moved to Germany. He died in Mannheim. Life After musical training in his native town, Gottfried Finger came to the court of the Prince-Bishop of Olomouc, Karl II von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn, and to Kroměříž, where his oldest known compositions are preserved. After working as a musician in Munich since 1682, he traveled to England, where he was accepted into the court chapel of King James II in 1685 and was known as Geoffrey Finger. In 1687, he here dedicated his op. 1 to the English

Gottfried Grünewald

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Gottfried Grünewald (also Grunewald; baptised 15 October 1673 – 19 December 1739) was a German operatic bass, harpsichordist, pantaleon virtuoso and composer. Life Grünewald was baptised in Seifhennersdorf near Zittau, on 15 October 1673. He studied music under his father, a school teacher, and attended the Zittau Gymnasium as a student. In 1696 he began studying at Leipzig University. During his studies, he performed as a bass singer at the Thomaskirche and in various operas. From 1703 he was a bass singer and composer at the Oper am Gänsemarkt in Hamburg. Two of his operas were performed there with him in the title roles: Der ungetreue Schäfer Cardillo in 1704 and Germanicus in 1705 which had received its world premiere in Leipzig the previous year. From 1709, he worked as vice kapellmeister at the court of Johann Georg, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, where he married Johanna Rosina Krieger, the daughter of Johann Philipp Krieger. Together, they had ten children. From 1711 until his death in 1739, Grunewald served in Dermstadt as vice kapellmeister under Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. His good friend Christoph Graupner served at the same court as kapellmeister and the two

Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel

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Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel (13 January 1690 – 27 November 1749) was a German composer of the Baroque era. Biography Early life Stölzel was born in Grünstädtel in the Electorate of Saxony on 13 January 1690. His father, organist in Grünstädtel, gave him his first music education. When he was thirteen, he was sent to study in Schneeberg, where he was taught music, including thoroughbass, by cantor Christian Umlaufft, a former student of Johann Kuhnau. A few years later he was admitted to the gymnasium in Gera, where he further practiced music under Emanuel Kegel, the director of the court chapel. Some of his educators took a dim view of music, and tried to divert his attention from it: apart from engaging in poetry and oratory, Stölzel nonetheless continued to develop his interest in music. In 1707 he became a student of theology in Leipzig. The city had a lot to offer from a musical point of view: its opera had been reopened shortly before, which Stölzel liked to visit. He became acquainted with Melchior Hoffmann, at the time music director of the Neukirche and conductor of the Collegium Musicum, both in succession of Georg Philipp Telemann, who had left Leipzig in 1705. Perfecting

Gottfried Pestel

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Gottfried Ernst Pestel originally Bestel (Berka 1654-1732) was a German composer and organist at Weida, Thuringia and Altenburg south of Leipzig. He was princely organist in the castle church from 1686-1732, after which he was succeeded by Christian Lorenz. Works, editions and recordings *17 organ preludes in the Mylauer-Tabulaturbuch * Ciaconna (in Schneeberger Orgelbuch um 1705) *Cantata Komm du schoene Freudenkrone (recording on collection by Sächsisches Vocalensemble, Batzdorfer Hofkapelle, directed Matthias Jung CPO 2009) References

Gottfried Reiche

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Gottfried Reiche (; 5 February 1667 6 October 1734) was a German trumpet player and composer of the Baroque era. Reiche is best known for having been Johann Sebastian Bach’s chief trumpeter at Leipzig from Bach’s arrival there in 1723 until Reiche’s death. Biography Reiche was steeped in trumpet playing from an early age – he was born in the town of Weissenfels, Germany which had a long tradition of trumpet music at its court. He went to Leipzig in 1688, eventually succeeding trumpeter Johann C. Genzmer there as Senior Stadtmusicus in 1719. Reiche was a musician of great skill, if one can judge from the trumpet parts written for him by Bach. They are among the most florid, creative, and difficult trumpet parts of the Baroque era, quite clearly intended for a player of great virtuosity. He is the subject of a famous painting of the era, which was made by Leipzig artist E.G. Haussmann for the occasion of Reiche’s 60th birthday in 1727. In the portrait, Reiche holds a coiled natural trumpet (Ger. Jägertrompete, trans. hunting trumpet) in his right hand. In his left hand, he holds a sheet of manuscript music on which is written a short Abblasen or fanfare. The musical notes are depicte

Gottlieb Muffat

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Gottlieb Muffat (25 April 1690 – 9 December 1770), son of Georg Muffat, served as Hofscholar under Johann Fux in Vienna from 1711 and was appointed to the position of third court organist at the Hofkapelle in 1717. He acquired additional duties over time including the instruction of members of the Imperial family, among them the future Empress Maria Theresa. He was promoted to second organist in 1729 and first organist upon the accession of Maria Theresa to the throne in 1741. He retired from official duties at the court in 1763. Compositions Muffat’s compositional output is primarily limited to keyboard music. He shows considerable skill as a contrapuntist in the short liturgical fugues published in his first collection 72 Versetl sammt 12 Toccaten (Vienna, 1726). These pieces reflect a conservative approach to liturgical music in that they are organized in the order of the church tones with an introductory toccata and a regular number of versets for each tone. His second publication, Componimenti musicali per il cembalo (Augsburg, ca. 1736), is more progressive in its outlook. This collection of six suites, while maintaining the traditional Allemande, Courante and Saraband format

Gottlob Harrer

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Johann Gottlob Harrer, more commonly known as Gottlob Harrer, (8 May 1703 – 9 July 1755) was a German composer and choir leader. From 1731-1750 he worked as private musician to Count Heinrich von Brühl. In 1750 he succeeded Johann Sebastian Bach as Thomaskantor at the St. Thomas School, Leipzig; a post he maintained until his death in 1755. Life Johann Gottlob Harrer was born in Görlitz on May 8, 1703. He originally intended to become a lawyer, and studied the law at the University of Leipzig from 1722-1725. Through the patronage of Count Heinrich von Brühl, he trained as a musician in Italy. Upon completing his education he returned to Germany where he served the count as his private musician in Dresden from 1731-1750. but deputies had had to fulfill his duties on occasion, because of his declining health. He composed much instrumental music, including 27 symphonies, 24 orchestral suites, 51 flute duets and a number of harpsichord sonatas. He also wrote two masses for choir and orchestra, one mass for unaccompanied voices, 47 cantatas and a number of oratorios, passions, psalms, and motets. References Citations Bibliography * A. Schering: Der Thomaskantor Johann Gottlob Harrer. In

Gregor Werner

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Gregor Joseph Werner (28 January 1693 – 3 March 1766 ) was an Austrian composer of the Baroque period, best known as the predecessor of Joseph Haydn as the Kapellmeister of the Hungarian Esterházy family. Few of Werner’s works survive to the present day, and he is mostly remembered for his troubled relationship with Haydn. Career Werner was born in Ybbs an der Donau. at the court; previously, there had been seven years of relative inactivity following the death of Prince Joseph in 1721; his widow Maria Octavia, serving as co-regent for her young son Paul Anton, had instituted economies in the musical establishment. Robbins Landon and Jones suggest that Werner was hired at the then 17-year-old prince’s instigation. Jones discerns a bifurcated style, with most of the work taking the form of severe, “weighty” contrapuntal pieces, but a minority (written for lighter occasions such as Advent and the Nativity) that “employ a distinctly homespun idiom, invoking elements of Austrian and indeed Eastern European folk music”. which appeared in Augsburg in 1748. and the Esterházy organist Johann Novotný (1718–1765), father of Franz Nikolaus Novotny (1743–1773). Autograph scores and parts by Gr

Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki

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Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki (ca. 1665 to 1667 – 30 April 1734) was a Polish Baroque composer. Considered one of the greatest composers of Polish Baroque music, during his lifetime he was called the “Polish Handel”. Life Born in near Bytom in Silesia, then Habsburg-ruled Kingdom of Bohemia around 1665, little is known of his early life. Similarly little is known about his musical education; however, it is known that he attended the University of Prague, where he graduated from the department of Liberal Arts and Philosophy, and then attended the University of Vienna, where he gained a bachelor’s degree in theology. He arrived in Kraków in 1689 or 1690, where he then attended the Catholic Seminary. He was ordained on 22 March 1692. Following his ordination, he was appointed to the academy for missionary priests in Chełmno in Pomerania, where he lectured in rhetoric and poetry, as well as conducting the local orchestra. After two years, he returned to Kraków, where he was appointed curate of the cathedral, and performed in the cathedral orchestra. He was appointed conductor on 10 January 1698, and remained in this position until his death on 30 April 1734. The earliest recorded informat

Guillaume Minoret

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Guillaume Minoret (ca. April 1650 – 1717 or December 1720) was a French baroque composer. He was of the generation of Marc-Antoine Charpentier, but unlike him only a small part of his œuvre survives. Minoret famously won one of the four rotating annual positions for sous-maîtres at the Chapelle royale in 1683, organised by Louis XIV following the retirement of Henry Du Mont and Pierre Robert. Unfortunately compared to both de Lalande, who won the most prestigious Christmas turn of the four positions, and Pascal Collasse who in most opinions came second, Minoret and his colleague Nicolas Goupillet have been consigned by music historians to the roles of musical mediocrities. Prior to the competition he had been maître de chapelle at Orléans Cathedral since 1679. Life Minoret was born in Paris. He was possibly trained by the school of Notre-Dame de Paris, under the composer Pierre Robert. At the age of about twenty, he became master of music (maître de chapelle) at the cathédrale de Rodez, then at Saint-Sernin de Toulouse, succeeding the composer Étienne Moulinié. On 26 April 1679 he was made master of the music at the cathédrale Sainte-Croix d’Orléans, but did not stay there long and

Guillaume Poitevin

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Guillaume Poitevin (2 October 1646 – 26 January 1706) was a French Roman Catholic priest, church vocalist, serpent player, conductor, music educator, and composer. He was trained as a singer in his youth at the Church of St. Trophime, Arles in his native city where he worked as a boy soprano. His gifts as serpent player earned him a position at the Aix Cathedral in 1663. He remained at the Aix Cathedral until his death nearly forty years later. There he became an ordained priest in 1672, and served in a variety of roles both musical and non-musical. He is best remembered for being an outstanding music teacher and director of the cathedral’s choir through his role as maître de chapelle; a post he held intermittently from 1667 until his sudden death in 1706 at the age of 59. Poitevin was also a wind instrument player who was gifted at playing the serpent, an early instrument in the brass family. His skills on this instrument earned his a position at the Aix Cathedral where he began working on November 17, 1663. He devoted himself to religious life, receiving the tonsure on March 8, 1665. He was ordained as a priest on April 2, 1672 and was made a prebendary at the Aix Cathedral on Ma

Guillaume-Antoine Calvière

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Guillaume-Antoine Calvière (1695 - 18 April 1755) was a virtuoso French musician and composer who was for many years organist of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. Early years Guillaume-Antoine Calvière was born in Paris around 1695, the son of Rodolphe Calvière and Jeanne Boundin. He was a pupil of Philippe Isoré de La Fontaine, who spent his whole career until his death in 1733 as organist of Saint-Denis. Calvière was gifted and precocious, and made his first public performance at the age of eleven. Calvière’s younger sister Cécile Louise Calvière, born in 1703, was also an organist. Celebrity Calvière became organist of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in 1722, and in 1730 succeeded Maderic Corneille as organist at Notre Dame. He became a national celebrity, and the Mercure published verses in his praise. He held the prestigious posts of organist of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris from 1730 until his death 1755, and of the Royal Chapel from 1738. Calvière was appointed organist of Sainte-Chapelle in succession to Pierre Février, holding this position from 1739 until his death. He was also organist at Sainte-Marguerite. For six months in 1754 he trained Jean-Baptiste Nôtre, who the

Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers

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Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers (c. 1632, Paris – 13 November 1714) was a French organist, composer and theorist. His first livre d’orgue is the earliest surviving published collection with traditional French organ school forms (a collection by Louis Couperin that is in manuscript does not seem to have been published. See Guy Oldham, “Louis Couperin: A New Source of French Keyboard Music of the Mid-17th Century”, Recherches sur la musique française classique, Vol. I (1960), pp. 51–59). Nivers’s other music is less known; however, his treatises on Gregorian chant and basso continuo are still considered important sources on 17th century liturgical music and performance practice. Life Nivers was born into a prosperous Parisian family: his father was a fermier générale (tax collector) for the bishop. Little is known of his early years or his musical training; only that he may have received a degree from the University of Paris. In the early 1650s, Nivers became organist of Saint-Sulpice, a post he retained until 1702. In 1668 the composer married; he had one son. Nivers’s subsequent career was illustrious. On 19 June 1678 he was appointed one of the four organists of the Chapelle Royale—an en

Gustaf Düben

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Gustaf Düben (; 1624/1628 – December 19, 1690) was a Swedish organist and composer. Düben is best known for his contributions to the Düben collection, a collection of baroque music manuscripts. Early life Gustaf Düben was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in the 1620s, into the Düben family. He was the son of the German-born organist Andreas Düben and Anna Maria Gabrielen (1609–1690). His mother served as a lady’s maid to Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg and was the daughter of Peter Gabriel, a court musician at the Berlin royal court. Career In 1647 Gustav became part of the Swedish royal court orchestra, the Kungliga Hovkapellet, where he would succeed as Hofkapellmeister. He succeeded to the role in 1663, following his father’s death the previous year. Both of his sons would follow in their father’s footsteps, Gustaf holding the office from 1690 to 1698 and Anders von Düben the Younger from 1698 to 1726. In addition to his court duties, he was organist at the German Church in Stockholm, and he also taught Hedwig Eleonora how to play instruments. Düben composed a few works in the North German style prevalent in his time, including both vocal and instrumental music. He also composed the hymn "

Heinrich Albert (composer)

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Heinrich Albert (also Heinrich Alberti) (28 June 1604 – 6 October 1651) was a German composer and poet of the 17th century. He was a member of the Königsberg Poetic Society (Königsberger Dichterkreis). As a song composer, he was strongly influenced by Heinrich Schütz. Biography Albert was born in Lobenstein, Principality of Reuss in Thuringia. He attended grammar school in Gera from 1619 to 1621 and studied music in 1622 with his cousin Heinrich Schütz in Dresden. Schütz introduced him to the basics of composition. Complying with his parents wishes, Albert enrolled in law at the University of Leipzig in 1623. There, he also continued his studies in music, probably with Johann Hermann Schein, a friend of Schütz, who worked as in Leipzig. In 1626, Albert tried to dodge the Thirty Years’ War, going to Königsberg. In the following year, he traveled from Königsberg to Warsaw as a member of a Dutch parley delegation, but was taken captive by Swedish troops. He was released in 1628 and returned to Königsberg where he took up studies in defensive fortification. By 1630 he had returned to being a musician in Königsberg, and was appointed organist of the cathedral, where he served from 1 Apr

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber

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Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (correctly Biber von Bibern; bapt. 12 August 1644 – 3 May 1704) was a Czech-Austrian composer and violinist of the middle Baroque era. Biber worked in Graz and Kroměříž before he illegally left his employer, Prince-Bishop Karl Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn, and settled in Salzburg. Among other pieces, Biber wrote operas, sacred music and music for chamber ensemble. He also wrote one of the earliest known pieces for solo violin, the monumental passacaglia of the Mystery Sonatas. During Biber’s lifetime, his music was known and imitated throughout Europe. In the late 18th century he was named the best violin composer of the 17th century by music historian Charles Burney. In the late 20th century Biber’s music, especially the Mystery Sonatas, enjoyed a renaissance. Today, it is widely performed and recorded. Biber never reached Stainer, however, and instead entered the employ of the Archbishop of Salzburg, Maximilian Gandolph von Kuenburg. The composer was married on 30 May 1672 at the bishop’s summer residence, Hellbrunn Palace, just outside Salzburg. His wife Maria Weiss was a daughter of a Salzburg merchant, citizen and tradesman, Peter Weiss. Together the

Henri Desmarets

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Henri Desmarets (; February 1661 – 7 September 1741) was a French composer of the Baroque period primarily known for his stage works, although he also composed sacred music as well as secular cantatas, songs and instrumental works. Biography Early years and first successes Henri Desmarets was born into a modest Paris household in February 1661. His mother, Madeleine née Frottier, came from a bourgeois Parisian family. His father, Hugues Desmarets was a huissier in the cavalry at the Grand Châtelet. Desmarets’ childhood was marked by his father’s death when he was eight years old, his mother’s subsequent remarriage in 1670, and the death of his two siblings. In 1674, he entered into the service of King Louis XIV as a page and choir singer in the Chapelle Royale (Chapel Royal). According to Duron and Ferraton, he may have also previously sung as a choir boy in Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois which was the parish church of the kings of France. While in the service of the king, he received a general education as well as music training from Pierre Robert and Henry Du Mont. He is also thought to have received training from the court composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, who used the chapel pages as pe

Henri Dumont

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Henri Dumont (; also Henry Du Mont, originally Henry de Thier) (1610 – 8 May 1684) was a baroque composer of the French school, born in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. Life Dumont was born to Henry de Thier and Elisabeth Orban in Looz (Borgloon). The family moved to Maastricht in 1613, where Henri and his brother Lambert were choirboys at the church of Notre-Dame (i.e., the Basilica of Our Lady). In 1630 he was named organist and given a leave of two months to complete his education. In the principality of Liège (where he spent much of his time) he studied with Léonard de Hodémont (1575–1639), absorbing trends from Italy. On 1 December 1632, he resigned in favor of his brother. In 1639 he went to Paris to become organist at the important parish church of Saint-Paul. From this time he used the name Dumont or Du Mont in place of De Thier. From 1652 he was harpsichordist at the court of the Duke of Anjou (Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the only brother of Louis XIV), and in 1660 he obtained that post on the household of Louis’s young wife Marie-Thérése. In 1663 he became “maitre” of the Chapelle Royale in Versailles, in 1672 “Sous-maître de la musique du Roy” (with Pierre Robert) and in

Henri-Guillaume Hamal

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Henri-Guillaume Hamal (also Hamalle or Amael; 1685, Liège, nowadays in Belgium3 December 1752 (aged 67), Liège) was a Walloon (i.e. a French-speaking native of the Low Countries) musician, musical director and composer. He is the first of the Hamal family of musicians, who were pre-eminent in 18th Century Liège, of whom we have knowledge. He spent his whole life in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. The Prince-Bishop was a man of consequence: he was a member of the Imperial Diet. The principality was a strategically-important frontier state. When Hamal was born, it was part of the Spanish Netherlands. Between 1688 and 1704, it was much fought over between the French and the Dutch-British allies (themselves allies of the Empire, as part of the Grand Alliance). In 1714, at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, it became part of the Austrian Netherlands; but the Dutch troops left only in 1718. Hamal received his early musical education from (1613-1696), maître de chapelle at Saint Lambert’s Cathedral, Liège. He was known as an excellent singer, graceful, tasteful, and expressive. In 1708 or 1709, he married Catherine Corbusi

Henri-Jacques de Croes

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Henricus Jacobus de Croes, Hendrik Jacob de Croes, known as Henri-Jacques de Croes (baptised 19 September 1705 in Antwerp, died 16 August 1786 in Brussels) was a Flemish composer and violinist. He was Kapellmeister of Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, governor of the Austrian Netherlands whose court was based in Brussels. He composed various violin concertos, masses, motets, chamber music and an opéra comique. He received a solid education in prose, languages, composition and so on. He studied music with Josephus Guillielmus Soussé at the St. Andrew’s Church in Antwerp. Soussé was a tenor and a singing master at various Antwerp churches including the St. James’ Church. De Croes was appointed as the first violinist in the latter church in 1723 when he was only 18 years old and held this position until 1729. In 1729 he left Antwerp for Frankfurt on Main (Germany) where he worked in the service of the Thurn und Taxis family. Prins Anselm Franz von Thurn und Taxis had discovered de Croes’ talent and wished to include him in the new orchestra which he planned to set up in Frankfurt. De Croes joined the orchestra and eventually became its Kapellmeister. He toured with the orchestra a

Henry Carey (writer)

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Henry Carey (c. 26 August 1687 – 5 October 1743) was an English poet, dramatist and composer. He is remembered as an anti-Walpolean satirist and also as a patriot. Several of his melodies continue to be sung today, and he was widely praised in the generation after his death. Because he worked in anonymity, selling his own compositions to others to pass off as their own, contemporary scholarship can only be certain of some of his poetry, and a great deal of the music he composed was written for theatrical incidental music. However, under his own name and hand, he was a prolific songwriter and balladeer, and he wrote the lyrics for almost all of these songs. Further, he wrote numerous operas and plays. His life is illustrative of the professional author in the early 18th century. Without inheritance or title or governmental position, he wrote for all of the remunerative venues, and yet he also kept his own political point of view and was able to score significant points against the ministry of the day. Further, he was one of the leading lights of the new “Patriotic” movement in drama. Carey is famous for his satirical play Chrononhotonthologos. Early life Henry Carey was born in Lond

Henry Madin

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Henry Madin (7 October 1698 – 3 February 1748) was a French composer at the Chapelle royale and music theorist. Biography Madin was born in Verdun, Three Bishoprics of a French mother and an Irish father born in Galway who had left Ireland in the early 1690s with the Wild Geese. His first music studies took place in Verdun, among the children singing in the cathedral school. After having directed church choirs at the cathedrals of Meaux, Verdun, Tours, and Rouen), Madin moved to Versailles in 1736, where he was first active for the King’s service, relieving the duties of Charles-Hubert Gervais and André Campra. In 1738, after having ensured membership in the royal chapel, he became “Sous-maître de la Musique de la Chapelle du Roi” – the highest position for a musician at the French court – alongside Esprit Antoine Blanchard. From 1742, protected by Louis XV, Madin was appointed Governor of the Pages. He died in Versailles aged 49. In 1742 Madin published a treatise on counterpoint, Traité de contrepoint simple, which was inspired by Louis-Joseph Marchand’s earlier 1739 publication Traité du contrepoint simple, ou Chant sur le livre. Editions * Henry Madin, Les Messes. Edited by Jea

Henry Purcell

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Early life#

Purcell was born in St Ann’s Lane, Old Pye Street, Westminster, in 1659. From that year onwards the family lived just a few hundred yards west of Westminster Abbey. The father, also Henry Purcell, had an older brother Thomas who was a musician, a gentleman of the Chapel Royal who sang at the coronation of King Charles II of England. The elder Henry had three sons: Edward, Henry and Daniel. The latter, the youngest, also became a prolific composer and after his brother Henry’s death was to write the music for much of the final act of The Indian Queen. After their father’s death in 1664, the infant Henry was placed under the guardianship of his uncle Thomas, who showed him great affection and kindness. Thomas arranged for Henry to be admitted as a chorister and to study first under the composer Captain Henry Cooke, Master of the Children, and afterwards under Cooke’s successor Pelham Humfrey, who had been a pupil of Lully. The composer Matthew Locke was a family friend and, particularly with his semi-operas, probably also had a musical influence on the young Henry. When Henry’s voice broke in 1673, he left his post as a chorister in the Chapel Royal and became an assistant to the organ-builder John Hingston, who held the post of keeper of wind instruments to the King.

Hieronymus Florentinus Quehl

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Hieronymus Florentinus Quehl (May 11, 1694 – March 27, 1739) was a German composer and organist. Life and career Quehl was born in Zella, Holy Roman Empire, the son of a parish clerk. He was a gifted musician who by the age of ten was performing in Northern European cities, including Hamburg, Amsterdam, Leyden and The Hague. His primary organ teacher at the time was Kapellmeister Christian Friedrich Witt of Gotha. In 1714 Quehl assumed the position of organist at St. Marien Cathedral in Suhl. Four years later, he married into the family of St. Marien’s head pastor. His marriage produced eight children, six of whom did not survive infancy. Johann Sebastian Bach, then the Kapellmeister at the Court in Köthen, was godfather to Quehl’s third son. In 1730, Quehl was appointed organist and cantor at St. Nicolai in Marktbreit am Main. From 1732 to 1733, he taught organ and composition to Johann Peter Kellner, who later wrote: " Quehl’s skill and other musical abilities inspired me to give it a try. The man promised to teach me and it was here my foundations of composition were made." Quehl was an organist in Nurnberg in 1734. In 1735, he joined the church school service as a cantor, organ

Ignacio de Jerusalem

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Ignacio de Jerusalem (3 June 1707 - 15 December 1769) was a composer of Novohispanic Baroque music. Jerusalem was born Ignazio Gerusalemme on June 3, 1707 in Lecce, Italy. His father was Matteo Gerusalemme, a Neapolitan who had moved to Lecce in 1689 to become chapel master. One of eleven children, Jerusalem studied the violin extensively in Italy before moving in 1732 to the Spanish port city of Cádiz. Establishing himself as a virtuoso of the instrument, he performed regularly at the Coliseo de Cádiz, the city’s preeminent theatre. Jerusalem was soon known as the “musical marvel” for his uncanny musical talents. In 1742, Josef Cárdenas, the administrator of the Royal Hospital of Indigenous Citizens in Mexico City, arrived in Cádiz to recruit talent for the Coliseo de México, a theatre whose proceeds supported the hospital. Cárdenas reasoned that better talent would lead to bigger theatre audiences and more funds for the hospital. He persuaded a number of music and dance talents, including Jerusalem, to return to Mexico City with him to perform at the theatre. Jerusalem began directing the musical activities at the Coliseo de México soon after he arrived. By 1746, he was earning c

Ignazio Albertini

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Ignazio Albertini (Albertino) (c. 1644 – 22 September 1685) was an Italian Middle Baroque violinist and composer. Very little is known about Albertini’s life. He may have been born in Milan, but first surfaces in Vienna, in a letter exchange between the famous violinist Johann Heinrich Schmelzer of the Viennese court and Karl II von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn, Prince-Bishop of Olomouc. Apparently, Albertini was guilty of some sort of misconduct, but both Schmelzer and the Prince-Bishop express their high opinion of him as a musician. The letter exchange dates from September 1671, so by that time Albertini was in Vienna; how he got there and what positions he occupied is unknown. That he was introduced to the Prince-Bishop, a well-known collector of music, and knew Schmelzer, one of the most important musicians at the court, seems to indicate that Albertini was much respected in Vienna. Nothing is known about his career, except that at some point he entered the service of Eleanor Gonzaga, widow of Ferdinand III, as chamber musician, and held that position until his death, which occurred in Vienna on 22 September 1685 when Albertini was murdered. The circumstances of the murder (Albert

Isabella Leonarda

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Isabella Leonarda (6 September 1620 – 25 February 1704) was an Italian composer from Novara. At the age of 16, she entered the Collegio di Sant’Orsola, an Ursuline convent, where she stayed for the remainder of her life. Leonarda is most renowned for the numerous compositions that she wrote during her time at the convent, making her one of the most productive female composers of her time. Biography Isabella Leonarda was born on 6 September 1620, the daughter of Giannantonio Leonardi and his wife, Apollonia. The Leonardi were an old and prominent Novarese family whose members included important church and civic officials and knights palatine. Isabella’s father, who held the title of count, was a doctor of laws. Leonarda was a highly regarded composer in her home city, but her music was apparently little known in other parts of Italy. Lazzaro Agostino Cotta called her “la Musa novarese” (the muse of Novara) when he published a sonnet by A. Saminiati Lucchese which praised her musical talent, comparing it to the military prowess of Emperor Leopold I. Her published compositions span a period of 60 years, beginning with the dialogues of 1640 and concluding with the Motetti a voce sola o

Jacob Hochbrucker

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Jacob Hochbrucker (also spelled Jakob Hochprugger; 1673 – 28 May 1763) was an eighteenth-century harp maker and musician credited with the invention of the single-action pedal harp popularized in Europe between 1729 and 1750 by his descendants, and particularly by the Dauphine, Marie Antoinette, who performed on it after her arrival in Paris in 1770. Life and work Hochbrucker was probably born in Mindelheim. From 1699 he lived and worked in Donauwörth, where he also built lutes and violas. Around 1720 Hochbrucker invented the pedal mechanism to play the harp, adding to the instrument five (later increased to seven) pedals and connecting them to the hooks for the C, D, F, G, and B strings, thus allowing the player to alter the strings sound of a semitone and greatly extend the range of the instrument for the extraction of sounds. This ingenious chromatic system later became the subject matter of studies and extended considerations. In the second half of the 18th century, the Hochbrucker mechanism was largely popularized by the efforts of his nephews, Christian and Celestine Hochbrucker, and mainly by his son Simon, who toured around Europe playing in Vienna in 1729, Leipzig, Brussel

Jacques Aubert

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Jacques Aubert (30 September 1689 – 19 May 1753), also known as Jacques Aubert le Vieux (Jacques Aubert the Elder), was a French composer and violinist of the Baroque period. From 1727 to 1746, he was a member of the Vingt-quatre Violons du Roy; from 1728 to 1752, he was the first violinist with the Paris Opera orchestra; and from 1729 to 1740, he frequently and successfully appeared as a soloist with the Concert Spirituel, performing, among other works, concertos for violin and orchestra of his own composition. Biography Aubert was born in Paris and was probably the son of Jean Aubert, a member of the 24 Violins du Roi until his death in 1710. In 1727, Aubert replaced Noel Converset, a well-respected violinist in the Violons du Roi, and remained a member until 1746. Within a year he joined orchestra of the Paris Opera, at the time known as the Académie Royale de Musique, becoming first violinist and remaining there for the next 24 years. He made his debut with the Concert Spirituel in 1729. His son, Louis Aubert (painter) (1720-c.1800), was also a violinist and composer. Another son, Jean-Louis Aubert (1731–1814) was a dramatist, poet and journalist, also known as the Abbé Aubert.

Jacques Champion de Chambonnières

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Jacques Champion de Chambonnières (Jacques Champion, commonly referred to as Chambonnières) (c. 1601/2 – 1672) was a French harpsichordist, dancer and composer. Born into a musical family, Chambonnières made an illustrious career as court harpsichordist in Paris and was considered by many of his contemporaries to be one of the greatest musicians in Europe. However, late in life Chambonnières gradually fell out of favor at the court and lost his position. He died in poverty, but at an advanced age, and not before publishing a number of his works. Today Chambonnières is considered one of the greatest representatives of the early French harpsichord school. Life 1601–1631: Early years Chambonnières was born in Paris, most probably in 1601 or 1602. Very little information survives concerning his childhood and early youth. The Champion family included many musicians, most notably Thomas Champion (also known as Mithou; not to be confused with his English namesake), Chambonnières’s grandfather, whom Marin Mersenne described as “the greatest contrapuntist of his time.” Chambonnières’s father, also named Jacques, was also a keyboard player and a composer. Although he was not as highly regard

Jacques de Saint-Luc

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Jacques (Lucas)de Saint-Luc (baptized 19 September 1616ca. 1710) was a Walloon lutenist and composer. Saint-Luc was born in Ath in 1616; nothing is known about his early years. In 1639 he was invited to become a musician at the court in Brussels, and two years later he had his portrait painted by Gerard Seghers. He moved to Paris in the mid- or late 1640s, but returned to Brussels in October 1647. He evidently spent the next few decades in Brussels, marrying in 1658. An important correspondent of Saint-Luc’s from these years was Constantijn Huygens. In August 1684 Saint-Luc was still living in Brussels, but nothing is known of his whereabouts during the next 16 years: the next mention of him is from 1700, when he visited Berlin on the occasion of the marriage of Prince Frederick of Hesse-Cassel and Princess Louise Dorothea of Prussia. He apparently traveled to Berlin from Vienna, where, according to contemporary sources, he was employed by Prince Eugene of Savoy. Saint-Luc was still alive in 1707 and 1708, when he published some of his compositions in Amsterdam; his date of death is unknown. The long lifetime of at least 94 years aroused suspicions. And indeed, the booklet to a CD

Jacques Gaultier

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Jacques Gaultier (or Gauterius, Gouterus, Goutier, Gautier, Gautier d’Angleterre, also James Gwaltier ) (born ca. 1600, fl. 1617 – 1652) was a French Baroque lutenist and composer. He was not related to the composers and lutenists Denis Gaultier and Ennemond Gaultier. Not much is known about his early life. In 1617, he had to leave France due to a duel and he escaped to England. He enjoyed the patronage of George Villiers, the favourite of James I of England. In 1622, Gaultier met Dutch poet and composer Constantijn Huygens, with whom he engaged in an exchange of letters. He joined the household of Prince Charles and went to Spain in 1623 with Charles and Buckingham during the “Spanish Match”. From 1625, he was a musician at the English royal court under Charles I of England. He remained there at least until 1640 as he appears as an employee in the court records for that year. In 1627, he was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London for a while. There were rumours that he was involved in a plot to assassinate the Duke of Buckingham or had seduced a young lady. In 1630, he travelled to the Netherlands. From there he went to Madrid to play at the Spanish court. In the early 163

Jacques Thomelin

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Jacques Thomelin (; c. 1635 – 28 October 1693), also named Jacques-Denis or Alexandre-Jacques-Denis, was a 17th-century French composer and organist. Family Jacques Thomelin was born in Paris. His father, named Jacques, was in Paris, a but of probably briard ancestry like the Couperin family. Until 1650 he lived in the Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois parish, rue de la vieille Harengerie, then moved to the rue des Postes in the Saint-Étienne-du-Mont parish. Married to Marie Balestel, he had four children; the second one was named Jacques-Denis and became an organist. His older brother was Guillaume; the other two were Martin and Marie. Jacques-Denis married 10 November 1653 with Hélène Dumelin, daughter of a Parisian goldsmith, who brought him 2400 lt dowry. In 1655 he settled down with his wife in the rue du Fouarre, in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés parish. After 1669, he moved to rue de la Verrerie. On 8 November 1684, Thomelin, as the executor of Pierre Méliton’s will, organist of St. Jean Church, signed the inventory after the death of his deceased colleague (and probably friend). Jacques-Denis Thomelin died on 28 October 1693, four days after writing his will and was buried in Saint-Jac

Jacques-Martin Hotteterre

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Jacques-Martin Hotteterre (29 September 167416 July 1763), also known as Jacques Martin or Jacques Hotteterre, was a French composer and flautist, instrument maker and teacher, who was the most celebrated of a family of wind instrument makers and wind performers. Biography Hotteterre was born in Paris, France, the son of Martin Hotteterre (d. 1712) and Marie Crespy. In about 1704, Jacques-Martin Hotteterre succeeded his cousin Jacques in the post of basse de hautbois et taille de violon at the royal court. Hotteterre lived and studied in Rome early in his career, and his nickname le Romain (the Roman) came from this period. He spent two years (1698–1700) employed by Prince Francesco Ruspoli in Rome, before adopting the nickname of “Le Romain” at some point between 1705 and 1707. By 1708, he became a musician to the King of France, in the king’s Grande Écurie, and in 1717, he inherited René Pignon Descoteaux’s post as Jouëur de Fluste de la musique de chambre. Jacques-Martin Hotteterre was the most prominent member of the Hotteterre family, a dynasty of woodwind players and instrument makers. His father, Martin Hotteterre, trained him in performance and instrument making, and his el

Jakob Adlung

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Jakob Adlung, or Adelung, (14 January 1699 – 5 July 1762) was a German organist, teacher, instrument maker, music historian, composer and music theorist. Biography He was born in Bindersleben, near Erfurt, to David Adlung, an organist and his first teacher, and the former Dorothea Elisabetha Meuerin, from Tondorf. He attended the St. Andreas lower school in Erfurt from 1711, moving on to the Erfurt Gymnasium in 1713, during which time he lived in the household of Christian Reichardt, who also taught him organ. He studied philosophy, philology, and theology at the University of Jena from 1723 to 1726, where he studied the organ further with Johann Nikolaus Bach. At this time, he became friends with Johann Gottfried Walther in Weimar, and borrowed his works on music theory; he later wrote some books on the subject, most of which were destroyed, along with his house, in a fire in 1736. He returned to Erfurt in 1737 where he succeeded Johann Heinrich Buttstedt as organist of the Prediger church after the former’s death, a post he retained for the rest of his life. He was also professor of languages at the Erfurt Gymnasium and taught, by his own estimate, 218 organ students and 284 lang

Jakob Greber

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Johann Jakob Greber ( He is presumed to have studied in Italy and arrived in London from there in 1702, accompanied by his mistress, the opera singer Margherita de L’Epine. He was to remain in London for the next three years composing incidental music for plays and arias for L’Epine, including that for the 1702 premiere of Nicholas Rowe’s play The Fair Penitent, including four arias sung by L’Epine during the interlude. It was during this time that Rowe dubbed L’Epine “Greber’s Peg”, a name by which she was known for several years. Although L’Epine left Greber in 1703 to live with Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, she returned to him in 1704, and they took up residence on Suffolk Street in London. He continued composing arias for her and accompanying her in concerts and theatrical interludes at Lincoln’s Inn Fields and other venues. The London newspaper The Post Man noted their appearance together at the spa town of Tunbridge Wells in August 1703: They write from Tunbridge Wells that there is arrived there that famous Italian Lady, Signiora Francesca Margaretta de L’Epine that gives every week entertainments of musick, all compos’d by that great Master Signior Jacomo Greber, pe

Jan Antonín Losy

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Jan Antonín Losy, Count of Losinthal (German: Johann Anton Losy von Losinthal); also known as Comte d’Logy (Losi or Lozi), (c. 1650 – 22 August 1721 ) was a Bohemian aristocrat, Baroque lute player and composer from Prague. His lute works combine the French style brisé with a more Italian cantabile style. He was probably the most significant lutenist-composer in Bohemia at the height of the lute’s popularity there. Life Count Losy’s family were of Swiss origin (Poschiavo in the canton of Graubünden). His father, Johann Anton Losy senior (c. 1600–1682), was perhaps born in Purz in the Swiss canton of Grisons. By 1627 he had moved to Bohemia and purchased a house in Prague. Losy senior had a number of business interests and was appointed a Councillor of the Exchequer and Deputy of the Salt, Beer and Wine Council by the Bohemian Court Chamber. As a result of helping to defend Prague against the assault of Swedish troops in 1648, Losy senior was ennobled, becoming a baronet in 1648 and Count von Losinthal in 1655. He also acquired the estate and castle at Steken (Strakonitz District, southern Bohemia) in 1638. Johann Anton Losy was born at Steken around 1650. He had a younger twin brot

Jan Dismas Zelenka

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Jan Dismas Zelenka (16 October 1679 – 23 December 1745) was a Czech composer and musician of the Baroque period. His music is admired for its harmonic inventiveness and mastery of counterpoint. Zelenka was raised in Central Bohemia, educated in Prague and Vienna, and spent his professional life in Dresden. The greatest success during his career was the performance of the extensive composition Sub olea pacis et palma virtutis in the presence of the Emperor Charles VI, shortly after his coronation as king of Bohemia in 1723. Life Early life Zelenka, baptised Jan Lukáš Zelenka, was born in Louňovice pod Blaníkem in Bohemia, a market town southeast of Prague. He was the eldest of eight children born to Marie Magdalena (née Hájek) and Jiří Zelenka. The middle name Dismas is probably his confirmation name. Zelenka’s father Jiří was a schoolmaster and organist in Louňovice, and was likely his first music teacher. Nothing more is known with certainty about Zelenka’s early years, except that he received his musical training at the Jesuit college Clementinum in Prague and that his instrument was the violone (bass viol). His earliest known work is the school drama Via laureta (ZWV 245), compo

Jan Josef Ignác Brentner

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Jan Josef Ignác Brentner (, surname also spelled Brenntner, Brendtner; 3 November 1689 – 28 June 1742) was a Czech composer of the Baroque era. Biography Jan Josef Ignác Brentner was born into the family of the mayor of the town of Dobřany in the Kingdom of Bohemia. He seems to have preferred his middle name Josef/Joseph. Known information about his life comes mostly from time he spent in Prague, from 1717 to about 1720, where he published four collections of music. Brentner’s opuses 1 and 3 are collections of sacred arias for voice, strings, and continuo, Harmonica duodecatomeria ecclesiastica (1716) and Hymnodia divina (1718 or 1719). In addition, Brentner published a collection of six offertories for chorus, strings, and continuo entitled Offertoria solenniora (1717) as his opus 2 and a collection of six chamber concertos, Horae pomeridianae seu Concertus cammerales (1720) as his opus 4. Brentner’s patron was Raymond Wilfert, abbot of the Premonstratensian (Norbertine) monastery in Teplá, to whom the Op. 2 was dedicated. Brentner’s funeral motets were written specifically for the Brotherhood of St. Nicholas Church in Prague. Brentner died in his birth town Dobřany under unclear

Jean Baptiste Loeillet of Ghent

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Jean Baptiste Loeillet (6 July 1688 – c. 1720), who later styled himself Loeillet de Gant, was a Flemish composer, born in Ghent. He spent the largest part of his life in France in service to the archbishop of Lyon, Paul-François de Neufville de Villeroy. He wrote many works for recorder, including trio sonatas, unaccompanied sonatas for 2 recorders, and solo sonatas. He died in Lyon around 1720. Jean Baptiste Loeillet was a member of the large and musical Loeillet family, and the son of Pieter Loeillet and his first wife Marte (née Nortier). Loeillet added “de Ghent” to his surname to avoid confusion with his cousin, Jean-Baptiste Loeillet of London (1680–1730), who was a well-known musician and composer in London. The similar names have often caused confusion and mis-attribution of works, such as Alexandre Beón’s arrangement of the C minor Piano trio for recorder, oboe, and basso continuo for modern instruments (the Piano Trio in B minor, now reprinted by International) incorrectly attributed to Loeillet de Ghent. Forty-eight sonatas for recorder and continuo were printed in Amsterdam in 1710 and 1717 and, “clearly popular” per musician, composer and historian John W. Duarte, *Lo

Jean Cappus

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Jean (Baptiste) Cappus (Dijon, 6 October 1689 – 10 March 1751) was a French composer. The second name ‘Baptiste’ is attested only on his 1730 book of viol music. Biography Youngest son of François Cappus, organist, singer and composer in Dijon, Province of Burgundy, and Anne Hervelin, Jean Cappus married Marie-Michelle Dotée on 17 October 1729. The couple had two sons, Louis and Nicolas. Career In 1734 Jean Cappus become director of the theatre in Dijon. He was ‘Pensionnaire de la Ville de Dijon’ (resident (artist) for the city of Dijon), ‘Maître Ordinaire de la Ville de Dijon’ (Ordinary Master for the city of Dijon), and musician for Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, prince of Condé (dit Louis IV, ou M. le Duc), governor of Burgundy (1710-1740). He also worked regularly as a composer for the Jesuit College in Dijon for whom he composed music for plays; only the text has survived, not the music. Jean Cappus rented the Hôtel de Barres in Dijon in 1734, which nowadays is the square Carrelet de Loizy. Here he directed many productions up to his death. An account of his conducting was given by Lantin Damerey in 1838 : ‘Rameau played the harpsichord, and Cappus directed the orchestra with s

Jean de Cambefort

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Jean de Cambefort (c. 1605 – 4 May 1661) was a French Baroque singer and composer of ballets and liturgical music. He died in Paris, France. He is now mostly remembered for composing six airs (recits) for the Ballet de la Nuit, performed in 1653. Works * Ballet de la Nuit, 1653; * Récit du temps et des quatre saisons, v Ballet du Temps (LWV 1), 1654; * Airs de cour, Parigi, 1651; * II. livre d’airs, Parigi, 1655; * 17 arias, from 1651 and 1655. Notes Bibliography * Burden, Michael; Thorp, Jennifer (2009; revised 2010). Ballet de la Nuit: Rothschild B1/16/6. Hillsdale, New York: Pendragon Press. . Product page for the revised edition at Pendragon. * McGowan, Margaret M. (2001). “Cambefort, Jean de” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd edition, edited by Stanley Sadie. London: Macmillan. (hardcover). (eBook). * Prunières, Henry (1912). “Jean de Cambefort, surintendant de la musique du roi, d’après des documents inédits”, L’Année musicale, pp. 205–226. External links *

Jean Gilles (composer)

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Jean Gilles (8 January 1668 – 5 February 1705) was a French composer, born at Tarascon. Biography After receiving his musical training as a choirboy at the Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur at Aix-en-Provence, he succeeded his teacher Guillaume Poitevin as music master there. After moving on several times, he became music master at the Cathedral of St Etienne at Toulouse in 1697, as the successor of André Campra. His musical style was influenced by Campra, as were most musicians of his day. He composed motets and a famous requiem, which was performed for the first time at his own funeral (because the original commissioner thought it too expensive to perform) but was later sung at the funeral services for Jean-Philippe Rameau in 1764, Stanisław Leszczyński, King of Poland in 1766, and Louis XV in 1774. His motets were played frequently from 1728 to 1771 at the Concert Spirituel. His choral works often alternate passages sung by the soloists with those sung by the chorus. In 1752, in Lettres sur les hommes célèbres du règne de Louis XIV, Pierre-Louis d’Aquin said that Gilles would doubtless have replaced Lalande if he had lived long enough. Gilles died suddenly at the age of 37 in Toulouse.

Jean-Adam Guilain

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Jean-Adam Guilain Freinsberg (born Johann Adam Wilhelm Freinsberg; c. 1680 – after 1739) was a German-French organist and harpsichordist who was mostly active in Paris during the first half of the eighteenth century. Biography Little is known about his life. He was born in Germany, possibly around 1680 (the exact dates of birth and death are unknown). For an unknown reason he moved to France some time before 1702, and almost certainly became one of Louis Marchand’s pupils - Guilain’s organ collection is dedicated to Marchand, by then a prominent organ teacher. He was a Catholic, though it is unknown whether he was baptised Catholic or converted later. Guilain died some time after 1739, the year when he published a collection of harpsichord pieces. Compositions Although of German origin, Guilain’s musical style appears to be in the pure French tradition. Harpsichord The sole surviving copy of Guilain’s only known collection of harpsichord works may be found in the collection of the British Library. The volume is entitled “PIÈCES DE CLAVECIN / D’UN GOUT NOUVEAU / PAR Mr. GUILAIN./ Gravées par De Gland Graveur du Roy./ Prix 3l./ A PARIS.” and has twenty-six pieces: * Fanfare * Je veux

Jean-Baptiste Barrière

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Jean-Baptiste Barrière (2 May 1707 – 6 June 1747) was a French cellist and composer. He was born in Bordeaux, Gascony and died in Paris, at 40 years of age. Musical career Barrière first studied the viol, and published a set of viol sonatas. In due course however he became a skilled cellist during a period when the cello was gaining popularity over the viol in France, and later came to completely replace it, as indeed had already happened in Italy some 40 years prior. He became one of the best known virtuoso cellists of his time. In 1731 he went to Paris, and entered the Académie Royale de Musique (also known as the Opera), with an annual salary of 445 livres. He was accorded special privileges by King Louis XV at Fontainebleau, on 22 October 1733 for six years, to compose and publish several sonatas and other instrumental works. One of his most famous pupils was the Count of Guergorlay, Seigneur of Trousily. After his first book Livre I - Sonates pour violoncelle et basse continue was a success, in November 1733, he published a second edition of it in 1740. His second book, Livre II, was published around 1735. He went to Italy in 1736 to study with the well-known Italian cellist F

Jean-Baptiste Forqueray

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NOTOC Jean-Baptiste Forqueray (3 April 1699 – 28 June 1782), the son of Antoine Forqueray, was a player of the viol and a composer. Forqueray was born in Paris. He is most famous today for his 1747 publication of twenty-nine pieces for viol and continuo which he attributed to his father (except for three, for which he himself took credit). In the avertissement he states that he was responsible for the bass line (thus the figures as well) and the viol fingerings. Stylistically, they are very much influenced by Italian music and belong to the generation of Jean-Marie Leclair (1697–1764) and Jean-Pierre Guignon (1702–1774). Modern violists regard these Pieces de viole as the most virtuosic music for the instrument. Paolo Pandolfo and Lorenz Duftschmid have both recorded the complete publication. Forqueray published the same pieces for harpsichord, possibly in arrangements made by his wife Marie-Rose, in 1749 (ed. Colin Tilney, Paris, 1970) but remarkably did not transpose any of the music, so the melodies lie relatively low in the range of the harpsichord. Forqueray’s pupils included Louis XV’s daughter Princesse Henriette-Anne and the future King Frederick William II of Prussia.

Jean-Baptiste Loeillet of London

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Jean-Baptiste Loeillet of London (18 November 1680 – 19 July 1730), was a Flemish composer and musician of the Baroque period. He is called the London Loeillet to distinguish him from another famous composer, his cousin Jean-Baptiste Loeillet of Ghent. Life and career Jean-Baptiste Loeillet was born in Ghent, then in the Spanish Netherlands. He had a younger brother, Jacques Loeillet, who was also a composer. He had a cousin, also named Jean-Baptiste Loeillet. The distinction between the London Loeillet and the Ghent Loeillet was made to differentiate the cousins. In 1705, after his studies in Ghent and Paris, he moved to London and became known as John. His works were published by John Walsh in London under the name of John Loeillet. He published trio and solo sonatas, as well as two collections of harpsichord lessons. Loeillet was able to play the recorder, flute, oboe, and harpsichord. He was successful as a teacher of the harpsichord. He played woodwind in the Queen’s Theatre in the Haymarket and held musical gatherings every week at his home. His performances were well received in London, and he was responsible for introducing Arcangelo Corelli’s 12 Concerti Grossi to Londoner

Jean-Baptiste Lully

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Biography#

Lully was born on November 28 or 29, 1632, in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, to Lorenzo Lulli and Caterina Del Sera, a Tuscan family of millers. His general education and his musical training during his youth in Florence remain uncertain, but his adult handwriting suggests that he manipulated a quill pen with ease. He used to say that a Franciscan friar gave him his first music lessons and taught him guitar. He also learned to play the violin. In 1646, dressed as Harlequin during Mardi Gras and amusing bystanders with his clowning and his violin, the boy attracted the attention of Roger de Lorraine, chevalier de Guise, son of Charles, Duke of Guise, who was returning to France and was looking for someone to converse in Italian with his niece, Mademoiselle de Montpensier (la Grande Mademoiselle). Guise took the boy to Paris, where the fourteen-year-old entered Mademoiselle’s service; from 1647 to 1652 he served as her “chamber boy” (garçon de chambre). He probably honed his musical skills by working with Mademoiselle’s household musicians and with composers Nicolas Métru, François Roberday and Nicolas Gigault. The teenager’s talents as a guitarist, violinist, and dancer quickly won him the nicknames “Baptiste”, and “le grand baladin” (great street-artist). When Mademoiselle was exiled to the provinces in 1652 after the rebellion known as the Fronde, Lully “begged his leave … because he did not want to live in the country.” The princess granted his request. By February 1653, Lully had attracted the attention of young Louis XIV, dancing with him in the Ballet royal de la nuit. By March 16, 1653, Lully had been made royal composer for instrumental music. His vocal and instrumental music for court ballets gradually made him indispensable. In 1660 and 1662 he collaborated on court performances of Francesco Cavalli’s Xerse and Ercole amante. When Louis XIV took over the reins of government in 1661, he named Lully superintendent of the royal music and music master of the royal family. In December 1661, the Florentine was granted letters of naturalization. Thus, when he married Madeleine Lambert (1643–1720), the daughter of the renowned singer and composer Michel Lambert in 1662, Giovanni Battista Lulli declared himself to be “Jean-Baptiste Lully, escuyer squire , son of Laurent de Lully, gentilhomme Florentin Florentine gentleman “. The latter assertion of high birth was an untruth. The couple had six children who survived past childhood: Catherine-Madeleine, Louis, Jean-Baptiste, Gabrielle-Hilarie, Jean-Louis and Louis-Marie. From 1661 on, the trios and dances he wrote for the court were promptly published. As early as 1653, Louis XIV made him director of his personal violin orchestra, known as the Petits Violons (“Little Violins”), which was proving to be open to Lully’s innovations, as contrasted with the Twenty-Four Violins or Grands Violons (“Great Violins”), who only slowly were abandoning the polyphony and divisions of past decades. When he became surintendant de la musique de la chambre du roi in 1661, the Great Violins also came under Lully’s control. He relied mainly on the Little Violins for court ballets. Lully’s collaboration with the playwright Molière began with in 1661, when Lully provided a single sung courante, added after the work’s premiere at Nicolas Fouquet’s sumptuous chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte. Their collaboration began in earnest in 1664 with Le Mariage forcé. More collaborations followed, some of them conceived for fetes at the royal court, and others taking the form of incidental music (intermèdes) for plays performed at command performances at court and also in Molière’s Parisian theater. In 1672, Lully broke with Molière, who turned to Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Having acquired Pierre Perrin’s opera privilege, Lully became the director of the Académie Royale de Musique, that is, the royal opera, which performed in the Palais-Royal. Between 1673 and 1687, he produced a new opera almost yearly and fiercely protected his monopoly over that new genre. After Queen Marie-Thérèse’s death in 1683 and the king’s secret marriage to Mme de Maintenon, devotion came to the fore at court. The king’s enthusiasm for opera dissipated; he was annoyed by Lully’s dissolute life and homosexual encounters. Lully had avoided getting too close to the secret homosexual grouping that had gathered in the court around the Duc de Vendôme, the Comte de Tallard and the Duc de Gramont. But in 1685 he was accused of improper relations with a page boy living in his household called Brunet. Brunet was removed after a police raid, and Lully escaped punishment. However, to show his general displeasure, Louis XIV made a point of not inviting Lully to perform Armide at Versailles the following year. Lully died from gangrene, having struck his foot with his long conducting staff during a performance of his Te Deum to celebrate Louis XIV’s recovery from surgery. He refused to have his toe amputated. This resulted in gangrene propagating through his body and ultimately infecting the greater part of his brain, causing his death. He died in Paris and was buried in the church of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, where his tomb with its marble bust can still be seen. All three of his sons (Louis Lully, Jean-Baptiste Lully fils, and Jean-Louis Lully) had musical careers as successive surintendants of the King’s Music. Lully himself was posthumously given a conspicuous place on Titon du Tillet’s Parnasse François (“the French Mount Parnassus”). In the engraving, he stands to the left, on the lowest level, his right arm extended and holding a scroll of paper with which to beat time. (The bronze ensemble has survived and is part of the collections of the Museum of Versailles.) Titon honored Lully as:

Jean-Baptiste Morin (composer)

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Jean-Baptiste Morin (2 February 1677 – 27 April 1745) was a French composer and the Ordinaire de la Musique to Philippe, Duke of Orléans before and perhaps during his regency. From 1719 to 1731 Morin was Maître de musique of Louise Adélaïde d’Orléans, daughter of the Duke, at the royal abbey of Chelles, near Paris. Career Morin was born in Orléans, Orléanais. He penned numerous works, including most famously a set of cantatas (published between 1706 and 1712). These provided a fusion of a French with the Italian style then popular at the Regent’s court. Morin noted in the preface to the 1706 edition his efforts “to retain the sweetness of the French style of melody, but with greater variety in the accompaniments, and employing those tempos and modulations characteristic of the Italian cantata.” Morin dedicated the volume to his royal sponsor. He also published two famous books of (petits) Motets (1704, 2nd edition 1748; 1709) and a Processional for Chelles (1726). His divertissement La Chasse du cerf (October 1707; libretto of his friend and protector, Jean de Serré de Rieux (at the time: François-Joseph de Seré, seigneur de Rieux, near Beauvais), Parisian parliamentary, poet and "

Jean-Baptiste Senaillé

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Jean Baptiste Senaillé (23 November 1687 – 15 October 1730) was a French Baroque composer and violin virtuoso. Biography His father Jean Senaillé was a member of Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi from September 1, 1687 to 1713. According to Fetis., Senaillé first studied under two members of the Les Vingt-Quatre Violons, a Queversin (or Querversin) and a Bonnefons (probably François Marillet de Bonnefons) and then Jean-Baptiste Anet and (known in France as Jean-Antoine Desplanes), who stayed in Paris from 1704, where he was in the service of Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon. Senaillé soon started composing, and published his first book of sonatas in 1710, dedicated to Paul Étienne Brunet (1653-1717), treasurer general of the King’s household. In 1716 or 1717, Jean-Baptiste Senaillé went to Italy to perfect his art. He made a name for himself in Modena, and was invited, perhaps by Tomaso Antonio Vitali, to play in his orchestra for a season. He was probably also noticed by Charlotte Aglaé d’Orléans, Duchess of Modena, and on his return to Paris in 1719 he was attached to the private service of the Duke of Orléans, regent of the kingdom and father of Charlotte Aglaé d’Orléans. He was heard a

Jean-Baptiste Stuck

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Jean-Baptiste Stuck (also known by the single moniker “Baptistin,” “Batistin” or “Battistin”) (6 May 16808 December 1755) was an Italian-French composer and cellist of the Baroque era. Little is known of Stuck’s early years. He was born at Livorno on the coast of Tuscany, came from a merchant family, and was the son of Giovanni-Giacomo Stuck and Barbera Hellerbeck. From 1702 he was in the service of Countess Lemos in Naples. Stuck wrote arias for the performance of the opera L’innocente inganno of Tomaso Albinoni, which was performed under the new title Rodrigo in Algieri on 10 December 1702 in Naples at the Teatro San Bartolimeo. Shortly thereafter Stuck moved to Paris. In 1705, he published the collection Für das Jahr 1701 through the Ballard publishing house. In Paris, he was a member of the Chapelle royale and a cellist in the service of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans. In 1722, he led the cello in the opera orchestra, displacing the bass viol. In 1733 he was naturalized French. He died in Paris. Works Operas He composed numerous operas, including: * Méléagre (Paris, 1709) (Libretto by François-Antoine Jolly) * Manto la fée (Paris, 1710) (Libretto by Mennesson) * Il Gran Cid (Livo

Jean-Féry Rebel

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Jean-Féry Rebel (18 April 1666 – 2 January 1747) was an innovative French Baroque composer and violinist. Biography Rebel, a child violin prodigy, was the most famous offspring of Jean Rebel, a tenor in Louis XIV’s private chapel. He later became a student of the great violinist, singer, conductor, and composer Jean-Baptiste Lully. By 1699, at age 33, Rebel became first violinist of the Académie royale de musique (also known as the Opéra). He travelled to Spain in 1700. Upon his return to France in 1705, he was given a place in the prestigious ensemble known as the Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi. He was chosen Maître de Musique in 1716. His most important position at court was Chamber Composer, receiving the title in 1726. Rebel served as court composer to Louis XIV and maître de musique at the Académie, and directed the Concert Spirituel (during the 1734–1735 season). Rebel was one of the first French musicians to compose sonatas in the Italian style. Many of his compositions are marked by striking originality that include complex counter-rhythms and audacious harmonies that were not fully appreciated by listeners of his time. His opus Les caractères de la danse combined music wi

Jean-François Dandrieu

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Jean-François Dandrieu, also spelled D’Andrieu (c. 168217 January 1738) was a French Baroque composer, harpsichordist and organist. Biography Dandrieu was born in Paris into a family of artists and musicians. A gifted and precocious child, he gave his first public performances when he was 5 years old, playing the harpsichord for King Louis XIV, and his court. These concerts marked the beginning of Dandrieu’s very successful career as harpsichordist and organist. He was a student of Jean-Baptiste Moreau. In 1700, aged 18, he started playing the organ at the Saint-Merri church in Paris (a post previously occupied by Nicolas Lebègue) and became its titular organist in 1705. At some point in 1706 he was a member of the panel of judges who examined Jean-Philippe Rameau’s skills to appoint him organist of the Sainte-Madeleine en la Cité church (incidentally, a post Rameau declined). In 1721 he was appointed one of the four organists of the Chapelle royale of France. In 1733, he succeeded his uncle, the organist and priest Pierre Dandrieu (1664–1733) to become the organist of the (now destroyed) church of St Barthélémy in the Île de la Cité, a post he combined with duties at Saint-Merri (

Jean-François Lalouette

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Jean-François Lalouette (1651-1728) was a French composer of the Baroque period (ca. 1600–1750). Early life Lalouette (also spelled “Lallouette”) had his first musical education in the school choir of St. Eustache in Paris. He studied violin with Guy Leclerc and composition with Jean-Baptiste de Lully. Lalouette was appointed as Lully’s assistant. It is known that Lalouette was asked by Lully to complete the internal parts of some of the latter’s works. But, after having been heard claiming credit for writing the better part of Lully’s opera, Isis (1677), not surprisingly he was fired by Lully from his job as assistant. Between Italy and France In April 1678, he appeared at the Court of Savoy in Turin, where he was appointed as “French composer of music” and placed to guide the group of violinists in the orchestra. But, by July 1679 he was fired again. He returned to Paris. During that time, he apparently wrote an opera, since there is a letter from a royal official in 1681 forbidding any further performance of his work on the grounds that it violated the privilege conferred by King Louis XIV of France on Lully. News of activities for the period 1683 to 1693 is rather sparse. In Ap

Jean-Henri d'Anglebert

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Jean-Henri d’Anglebert (baptized 1 April 1629 – 23 April 1691) was a French composer, harpsichordist and organist. He was one of the foremost keyboard composers of his day. Life D’Anglebert’s father Claude Henry known as Anglebert was an affluent shoemaker in Bar-le-Duc, Duchy of Bar. Nothing is known about the composer’s early years and musical education. It is not clear when he immigrated to France. Since he at one time composed a tombeau for Jacques Champion de Chambonnières, it is possible that Chambonnières was his teacher—or at any rate a friend for whom D’Anglebert had much respect. The earliest surviving manuscript with D’Anglebert’s music dates from 1650–1659. It also contains music by Louis Couperin and Chambonnières, and possibly originated in their immediate circle; thus already by the mid-1650s D’Anglebert must have been closely associated with the most prominent French harpsichordists of the time. The earliest reference to D’Anglebert survives in his marriage contract from 11 October 1659. D’Anglebert married Magdelaine Champagne, sister-in-law of the organist François Roberday. In the contract, he is described as bourgeois de Paris, suggesting that by 1659 he was alr

Jean-Joseph Mouret

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Jean-Joseph Mouret (11 April 1682 in Avignon, Papal States – 10 December 1738 in Charenton-le-Pont) was a French composer whose dramatic works made him one of the leading exponents of Baroque music in his country. Even though most of his works are rarely performed, Mouret’s name survives today thanks to the popularity of the Fanfare-Rondeau from his first Suite de symphonies, which has been adopted as the signature tune of the PBS program Masterpiece and is a popular musical choice in many modern weddings. Life Jean-Joseph was the son of Jean Bertrand Mouret, a silk merchant, who gave his son a good education and, noting his early gifts for music, supported his musical studies. Mouret sang and composed with success and, around the age of twenty-five, settled in Paris. Talented and agreeable, he became well-known there, and in 1708 he was introduced to Anne, Duchess of Maine, whose salon at Sceaux was a center of courtly society in the declining years of the reign of Louis XIV. He was able to secure the Duchess’s patronage, and she made him her Surintendant de la musique at Sceaux shortly thereafter. At Sceaux Mouret produced operas and was in charge of the sixteen bi-weekly Grandes

Jean-Marie Leclair

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Jean-Marie Leclair l’aîné (Jean-Marie Leclair the Elder) (10 May 1697 – 22 October 1764) was a French Baroque violinist and composer. He is considered to have founded the French violin school. His brothers, the lesser-known Jean-Marie Leclair the younger (1703–77) as well as Pierre Leclair (1709–84) and Jean-Benoît Leclair (1714–after 1759), were also musicians. Biography Leclair was born in Lyon, but left to study dance and the violin in Turin. In 1716, he married Marie-Rose Casthanie, a dancer, who died about 1728. Leclair had returned to Paris in 1723, where he played at the Concert Spirituel, the main semi-public music series. His works included several sonatas for flute and basso continuo. In 1730, Leclair married for the second time. His new wife was the engraver Louise Roussel, who prepared for printing all his works from Opus 2 onward. He was named ordinaire de la musique (Director of Music of the Chapel and the Apartments) by Louis XV in 1733, Leclair dedicated his third book of violin sonatas to the king. Leclair resigned in 1736 after a clash with Jean-Pierre Guignon over control of the musique du Roi. Leclair was renowned as a violinist and as a composer. He successfull

Jean-Philippe Rameau

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Life#

The details of Rameau’s life are generally obscure, especially concerning his first forty years, before he moved to Paris for good. He was a secretive man, and neither his wife nor his four children knew anything of his early life, which explains the scarcity of biographical information available.

Early years, 1683–1732#

Rameau’s early years are particularly obscure. He was born on 25 September 1683 in Dijon, and baptised the same day. His father, Jean, worked as an organist in several churches around Dijon, and his mother, Claudine Demartinécourt, was the daughter of a notary. The couple had eleven children, five girls and six boys, of whom Jean-Philippe was the seventh. Rameau was taught music before he could read or write. He was educated at the Jesuit college at Godrans in Dijon, but he was not a good pupil and disrupted classes with his singing, later claiming that his passion for opera had begun at the age of twelve. Initially intended for the law, Rameau decided he wanted to be a musician, and his father sent him to Italy, where he stayed for a short while in Milan. On his return, he worked as a violinist in travelling companies, and then as an organist in provincial cathedrals, before moving to Paris for the first time. There, in 1706, he published his earliest-known compositions: the harpsichord works that make up his first book of Pièces de Clavecin, which show the influence of his friend Louis Marchand. In 1709, he moved back to Dijon to take over his father’s job as organist in the main church. The contract was for six years, but Rameau left before then and took up similar posts in Lyon and Clermont-Ferrand. During that period, he composed motets for church performance as well as secular cantatas. In 1722, he returned to Paris for good, and there he published his most important work of music theory, Traité de l’harmonie (Treatise on Harmony). That soon won him a great reputation, and it was followed in 1726 by his Nouveau système de musique théorique. In 1724 and 1729 (or 1730), he also published two more collections of harpsichord pieces. Rameau took his first tentative steps into composing stage music when the writer Alexis Piron asked him to provide songs for his popular comic plays written for the Paris Fairs. Four collaborations followed, beginning with L’endriague in 1723, but none of the music has survived. On 25 February 1726, Rameau married the 19-year-old Marie-Louise Mangot, who came from a musical family from Lyon, and was a good singer and instrumentalist. The couple had four children, two boys and two girls, and the marriage is said to have been a happy one. In spite of his fame as a music theorist, Rameau had trouble finding a post as an organist in Paris.

Jeremiah Clarke

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Jeremiah Clarke (c. 1674 – 1 December 1707) was an English baroque composer and organist, best known for his Trumpet Voluntary, a popular piece often played at wedding ceremonies or commencement ceremonies. Biography The exact date of Clarke’s birth has been debated. The Dictionary of National Biography states that Clarke “is said to have been born in 1669 (though probably the date should be earlier).” Most sources say that he is thought to have been born in London around 1674. Clarke was one of the pupils of John Blow at St Paul’s Cathedral and a chorister in 1685 at the Chapel Royal. Between 1692 and 1695 he was an organist at Winchester College, then between 1699 and 1704 he was an organist at St Paul’s Cathedral. He later became an organist and ‘Gentleman extraordinary’ at the Chapel Royal, his friend. the Prince of Denmark’s March, which is commonly called the Trumpet Voluntary, written in about 1700. From c. 1878 until the 1940s the work was attributed to Henry Purcell, and was published as Trumpet Voluntary by Henry Purcell in William Spark’s Short Pieces for the Organ, Book VII, No. 1 (London, Ashdown and Parry). This version came to the attention of Sir Henry J. Wood, who

Jiří Čart

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Jiří Čart (German: Georg Czarth, Zarth, Czard, Szarth, Tzarth, or Zardt; 8 April 1708 – c. 1780) was a Bohemian composer, violinist and flautist of the late baroque period. Life Georg Czarth was born in Vysoká. He received his first musical instruction from his father, Lukas Lorenz, cantor in Havlíčkův Brod and teacher of Johann Stamitz. After attending school in Vysoká, Czarth furthered his musical education in Prague and then, at the age of 17, in Vienna. In Vienna he received violin instruction from the Royal Court musicians Franz Josef Timmer and Johann Otto Rosetter (1690–1752); and from Biarelli he learned the flute. In Vienna he also met the violinist Franz Benda and in 1729 the two musicians left Vienna. After being joined in Breslau (today Wrocław) by the violinist Carl Höckh and the hornist Wilhelm Weidner they searched for better employment opportunities in Poland. In Warsaw, Czarth and the three other musicians were taken into the employment of the Starosta Jan Suchorzewski and formed part of a small orchestra of around nine musicians. After the departure of Benda in 1732, Czarth became the concertmaster of Suchorzewski’s orchestra, but later that year followed Benda in

Joachim Neander

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Joachim Neander (165031 May 1680) was a German Calvinist teacher, theologian and hymnwriter whose most famous hymn is Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation (). The hymn has been described by John Julian in his A Dictionary of Hymnology as “a magnificent hymn of praise to God, perhaps the finest creation of its author, and of the first rank in its class.” Due to its popularity it has been translated several times into English – Catherine Winkworth being one of the translators in the 19th century – and the hymn has appeared in most major hymnals. He regarded as the first hymnwriter in German of the Reformed Church as well as the most notable. The family had changed the family name from the original German Neumann (‘New man’ in English) to the Graeco-Roman form Neander, following the fashion of the time. After the death of his father, he could not afford to study at a famous university. He therefore studied theology in his hometown from 1666 to 1670. At first, his heart was not in it. It was only when he heard a sermon of Theodor Undereyk (shortly before the end of his course) that his beliefs became serious. In 1671 he became a private tutor in Heidelberg, and in 167

Joannes Baptista Dolar

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Joannes Baptista Dolar ( or Janez Kersnik Dolar, , also Tollar or Thollary; 1620, Kamnik – February 13, 1673, Vienna) was a composer and contemporary of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Andreas Hofer and Pavel Josef Vejvanovský. Education Dolar attended a Jesuit college in Ljubljana until 1639, when he began studying philosophy and later theology at the University of Vienna. He may have studied music at the time, as well, with local musicians like Antonio Bertali. He also began the process of joining the Jesuit order in 1639, and was ordained a priest in 1652. Career Janez Krstnik Dolar was employed to oversee musical performance at the Jesuit college in Ljubljana from 1656 to 1658. Around 1661 or 162, he returned to Vienna, where he spent the rest of his life. He became the head of St. Ignatius and St. Pancratius Jesuit college, and also served as the musical director for a convent church. Dolar’s compositions are characteristic of European music from the middle of the Baroque period, including use of stile concertato. Works Dolar composed a number of large-scale instrumental and vocal works, many of them as part of his official duties. Only 14 of his wor

João Lourenço Rebelo

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João Lourenço Rebelo, or João Soares Rebelo (1610 – 16 November 1661) was the only Portuguese composer to adopt the Venetian polychoral style. Despite his closeness to King John IV of Portugal (1603–1656), and despite what is traditionally said, Rebelo never held any office in the royal household. Life Rebelo was born in Caminha in 1610, the son of João Soares Pereira and Maria Lourenço Rebelo. In 1624, he became a choir boy at the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa, the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Braganza, while his older brother, Father Marcos Soares Pereira (?-1655) was admitted as chaplain-singer. In keeping with the aristocratic patterns of behavior of the 17th century, and as a sign of pre-eminence, Teodósio II, the 7th Duke of Braganza (1568-1630) had created an academy for court musicians, the Colégio dos Santos Reis Magos (College of the Three Wise Kings), where Rebelo studied under Robert Turner (c.1578-1629), an Irish musician who himself had been a student of the Flemish composer Géry de Ghersem, and mestre de capela of the ducal chapel from 1616, and possibly also under Friar Manuel Cardoso, In 1646 Rebelo was made a nobleman, Fidalgo de juro e herdade, of the Royal House

Johan Helmich Roman

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Johan Helmich Roman (26 October 1694 – 20 November 1758) was a Swedish Baroque composer. He has been called “the father of Swedish music” or “the Swedish Handel.” He was the leader of the Swedish Royal Orchestra during the first decades of Sweden’s Age of Liberty. Life Roman was born in Stockholm into the family of Johan Roman, a member of the Swedish royal chapel. The boy probably received his first music lessons from his father. He joined the royal chapel in 1711 as violinist and oboist. Around 1715 King Charles XII of Sweden granted Roman permission to study abroad, and the young composer spent some six years in London. He almost certainly studied under Johann Christoph Pepusch, met Francesco Geminiani, Giovanni Bononcini, and, most importantly, George Frideric Handel, whose music made a lasting impression on Roman. Roman returned to Sweden in 1721. He was soon appointed deputy master of the royal chapel, and six years later he became Chief Master of the Swedish Royal Orchestra. Roman’s life during the 1720s was full of organisational activity which led to much improved standards at the chapel, and, in 1731, the first public concerts in Sweden. Roman’s only work published during

Johann Adam (composer)

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Johann Adam (c. 1705 – 13 November 1779) was a German violist and composer of the Baroque era. Life Little is known about Johann Adam’s early years and his birth year is an estimate. In 1733, he was listed as a Jagdpfeiffer at the Royal court in Dresden. External links *

Johann Adam Reincken

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Johann Adam Reincken (also Jan Adams, Jean Adam, Reinken, Reinkinck, Reincke, Reinicke, Reinike; baptized 10 December 1643 – 24 November 1722) was a Dutch/German organist and composer. He was one of the most important composers of the 17th century, a friend of Dieterich Buxtehude and a major influence on Johann Sebastian Bach; however, very few of his works survive to this day. Life The widespread claims about Reincken’s exceptional longevity stem from Johann Mattheson, who, writing in 1722, gave his date of birth as 27 April 1623. However, Reincken himself stated (on the title page of Hortus musicus) that his birthplace was Deventer, and no records were found there to support Mattheson’s claim. A “Jan Reinse” was baptized in Deventer on 10 December 1643; this is the date currently accepted by most scholars, although it is in many ways as problematic as that given by Mattheson. Reincken received primary music education in Deventer in 1650–1654, from Lucas van Lennick, organist of the Grote kerk (Lebuinuskerk). In 1654 he departed for Hamburg to study under Heinrich Scheidemann, a pupil of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, organist of St. Katharine’s Church (Katharinenkirche). In 1657 he r

Johann Adolf Scheibe

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Johann Adolph Scheibe (5 May 1708 – 22 April 1776) was a German-Danish composer and significant critic and theorist of music. Though much of his theoretical work survives, most of his compositions are lost, though the extant ones demonstrate a style between the Baroque and Classical periods. Life Johann Adolf Scheibe was born in Leipzig as the son of Johann Scheibe (c. 1675 – 1748), an organ builder, and started keyboard lessons at the age of six. In 1725, he began studying law and philosophy at Leipzig University, and in the course of his studies he encountered the professor of rhetoric and poetry Johann Christoph Gottsched, whose aesthetic theories deeply influenced Scheibe. Gottsched’s writings, which were primarily targeted toward the reform of German poetry and drama, greatly informed Scheibe’s formulation of his philosophy of music. Due to financial difficulties, Scheibe was unable to finish his university studies, and devoted himself instead to a largely self-taught career in music. In 1729 he applied unsuccessfully for the post of organist at St. Thomas Church, Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach was the cantor. Scheibe was active in the musical scene of Leipzig until 1735

Johann Adolph Hasse

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Johann Adolph Hasse (baptised 25 March 1699 – 16 December 1783) was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a considerable quantity of sacred music. Married to soprano Faustina Bordoni and a friend of librettist Pietro Metastasio, whose libretti he frequently set, Hasse was a pivotal figure in the development of opera seria and 18th-century music. Early career Hasse was baptised in Bergedorf near Hamburg where his family had been church organists for three generations. His career began in singing when he joined the Hamburg Oper am Gänsemarkt in 1718 as a tenor. In 1719 he obtained a singing post at the court of Brunswick, where in 1721 his first opera, Antioco, was performed; Hasse himself sang in the production. He is thought to have left Germany during 1722. During the 1720s he lived mostly in Naples, dwelling there for six or seven years. In 1725 his serenata Antonio e Cleopatra, was performed at Naples; the principal roles were sung by Carlo Broschi, better known as Farinelli, and Vittoria Tesi. The success of this work not only earned Hasse many c

Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen

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Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen (2 December 1670, Bad Gandersheim — 12 February 1739, Halle an der Saale) was a German Lutheran theologian associated with the Pietist Halle School and a scholar and follower of August Hermann Francke. He was the second director of the Franckeschen Stiftungen, a collection of schools for orphans. Biography Freylinghausen was born on 2 December 1670. He studied theology in Jena and in 1695 was his assistant in ministry at St. Ulrich’s Church in Halle. At his death in 1739, he was priest of St. Ulrich and director of the orphanages and boarding schools. Freylinghausen’s significance lies with his administrative accomplishment for all of the districts of hymnology. He himself wrote 44 hymns and published hymnals. His Geistreiches Gesangsbuch (Spiritual Songbook), a hymnal with 1500 old and new songs was known as “Freylinghausen’s Songbook” abroad. His hymns include Durch Adams Fall und Missetat and Mein Herz, gib dich zufrieden, und bleibe ganz geschieden. Family He married Johanna Sophia Anastasia Francke, daughter of theologian August Hermann Francke. Legacy A melody from his main hymnal was combined with a modern text, when it appeared in the common

Johann Balthasar Christian Freißlich

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Johann Balthasar Christian Freislich (also Freißlich, Fraißlich, baptised 30 March 1687 - 17 April 1764) was a German composer and organist. Life Johann Balthasar Christian Freißlich was born in Immelborn near Bad Salzungen, the son of a clergy man. He probably received his earliest musical education at the Court of Saxe-Meiningen, where the Hofkapelle at the time was under the direction of Georg Caspar Schürmann. From 1709, Freißlich studied in Jena. In 1714, he received an appointment as court organist to the Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen in Sondershausen, where he also had to teach. In 1716, he was promoted to the position of court Kapellmeister.

Johann Balthasar König

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Johann Balthasar König (baptised 28 January 1691 – buried 2 April 1758) was a German Baroque composer, especially of hymn melodies, having published a hymnal with 1,913 melodies. He was the church musician at Frankfurt’s main Protestant church, the Katharinenkirche, and the town’s Kapellmeister. He was also closely associated with Georg Philipp Telemann. Early life and career Born in Waltershausen, König was a son of Johann Jakob König. He was in Frankfurt a chorister of the municipal gymnasium. Sources * * Further reading * Peter Cahn: Kirchenmusik an St. Katharinen. In: Joachim Proescholdt (ed.): St. Katharinen zu Frankfurt am Main. Verlag Waldemar Kramer, Frankfurt am Main, 1981. External links * * “Johann Balthasar König (Composer)”, Bach Cantatas website 2006 * Johann “Balthasar König”, hymnary.org * “Harmonischer Lieder-Schatz”, reader.digitale-sammlungen.de * “Johann Balthasar König / Komponist, Musikdirektor”, Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek *

Johann Bernhard Bach

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Johann Bernhard Bach (23 May 1676 – 11 June 1749) was a German composer, and second cousin of J. S. Bach. Life Johann Bernhard Bach was born in Erfurt, Electorate of Mainz, in 1676, in the house named “Zu den drei Rosen” (The Three Roses) on Junkersand Street, and was baptized on 25 November 1676 in Erfurt’s Kaufmannskirche (Merchant’s Church). He (like his younger brother Johann Christoph, born in 1685) received his early musical tuition from his father, Johann Aegidius Bach. After attending the Schola Mercatorum at Erfurt, he entered Erfurt’s major secondary school at that time, the Ratsgymnasium. As early as 1695, at the age of 18, he became the organist at the Kaufmannskirche. In 1699, he moved to Magdeburg where he was appointed organist for St Catharine’s Church. In 1703, John William III, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach called him to Eisenach to serve as harpsichordist at the ducal court. In Eisenach, he also became the organist at St George’s Church, succeeding his uncle Johann Christoph Bach. From 1708 to 1712, Johann Bernhard Bach worked together with Georg Philipp Telemann who held, first, the position of the leader of the violin section, and, from August 1709, that of a conductor

Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer

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Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer (some authorities use the spelling Johann Kaspar Ferdinand Fischer) (1656 27 August 1746) was a German Baroque composer. Johann Nikolaus Forkel ranked Fischer as one of the best composers for keyboard of his day; however, partly due to the rarity of surviving copies of his music, his music is rarely heard today. Life Fischer seems to have been of Bohemian origin, possibly born at Schönfeld, but details about his life are sketchy. Fischer was baptized and spent his youth in Schlackenwerth, north-west Bohemia. The first record of his existence is found in the mid-1690s: by 1695 he was Kapellmeister to Ludwig Wilhelm of Baden, and he may have remained with the court until his death in Rastatt. Works Much of Fischer’s music shows the influence of the French Baroque style, exemplified by Jean Baptiste Lully, and he was responsible for bringing the French influence to German music. Fischer’s harpsichord suites updated the standard Froberger model (Allemande - Courante - Sarabande - Gigue); he was also one of the first composers to apply the principles of the orchestral suite to the harpsichord, replacing the standard French ouverture with an unmeasured pre

Johann Caspar Kerll

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Johann Caspar Kerll (9 April 1627 – 13 February 1693) was a German Baroque composer and organist. He is also known as Kerl, Gherl, Giovanni Gasparo Cherll and Gaspard Kerle. Born in Adorf in the Electorate of Saxony as the son of an organist, Kerll showed outstanding musical abilities at an early age, and was taught by Giovanni Valentini, court Kapellmeister at Vienna. Kerll became one of the most acclaimed composers of his time, known both as a gifted composer and an outstanding teacher. He worked at Vienna, Munich and Brussels, and also travelled widely. His pupils included Agostino Steffani, Franz Xaver Murschhauser, and possibly Johann Pachelbel, and his influence is seen in works by Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach: Handel frequently borrowed themes and fragments of music from Kerll’s works, and Bach arranged the Sanctus movement from Kerll’s Missa superba as BWV 241, Sanctus in D major. Although Kerll was a well-known and influential composer, many of his works are currently lost. The losses are particularly striking in vocal music, with all 11 known operas and 24 offertories missing. The surviving oeuvre shows Kerll’s mastery of the Italian concerted style, employed in almos

Johann Caspar Vogler

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Johann Caspar Vogler (23 May 1696 – 3 June 1763) was a German organist and composer taught by Johann Sebastian Bach. Biography He was born in Hausen, near Arnstadt; from 1706 he studied with Johann Sebastian Bach, who was organist there between 1703 and 1707. He also taught, in Rudolstadt, by P. H. Erlebach and Nicolaus Vetter. He moved to Weimar to study further with Bach from 1710 to 1715, during which time he copied Jacques Boyvin’s two livres d’orgue. He was appointed organist at Stadtilm in 1715, leaving in May 1721 to take up Bach’s former post of organist to the Weimar court. He failed in two applications in 1729 for organ posts at the Nikolaikirche, Leipzig, and Sts Peter und Paul, Görlitz, which were filled by Bach pupils Johann Schneider and David Nicolai. The Leipzig judges remarked that he ‘played too fast and confused the congregation’; this did not deter him from boasting of his ‘swiftness of hand and feet’ in the second application. He was selected for the post of organist of the Marktkirche in Hanover in 1735, but forbidden from leaving Weimar by Duke Ernst August, the same prohibition that Duke Wilhelm Ernst had imposed years before on Bach. Nevertheless, he became

Johann Christian Schickhardt

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Johann Christian Schickhardt (or Schikardt; c. 1682c. 25 March 1762) was a German composer and woodwind player. Biography Schickhardt was born in Braunschweig, Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and received his musical education at the Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel court under the patronage of Augustus William, third son and heir of Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. In the first decade of the 18th century, he was employed in the Netherlands and associated with Friedrich of Hesse-Cassel, Henriëtte Amalia van Anhalt-Dessau (daughter of John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau and widow of Henry Casimir II, Prince of Nassau-Dietz) and her son John William Friso, Prince of Orange. List of works Source: Lasocki Published works * Opus 1: Seven sonatas for alto recorder and basso continuo * Opus 2: Seven sonatas for oboe or violin and basso continuo * Opus 3: Seven sonatas for alto recorder and basso continuo * Opus 4: Six? sonatas for 2 alto recorders and basso continuo * Opus 5: Six sonatas for alto recorder, 2 oboes or violins, viola da gamba and basso continuo * Opus 6: Six sonatas for 2 alto recorders and basso continuo * Opus 7: Twelve sonatas for 2 oboes or violins an

Johann Christoph Bach

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Johann Christoph Bach (baptised 18 December 1642 – 31 March 1703) was a German composer and organist of the Baroque period. Johann Christoph was an older cousin of Johann Sebastian Bach who would later describe him in his Genealogy (, 1735) as “the profound composer”, suggesting a solid reputation not only within the family but also in wider musical society. He is not to be confused with Johann Sebastian Bach’s son, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach. Biography Early life and family connections Johann Christoph was born at Arnstadt, the son of Heinrich Bach and a first cousin of J.S. Bach’s father Johann Ambrosius Bach. This made Johann Christoph J.S. Bach’s first cousin once removed. Furthermore, Johann Christoph was the uncle of Maria Barbara Bach, J. S. Bach’s second cousin and first wife. Johann Nicolaus (10 October 1669 – 4 November 1753), Johann Christoph Jr. (29 August 1676 – ca.1730), Johann Friedrich (1682–1730), and Johann Michael (1685–unknown). Only Johann Christoph Jr. had sons who immigrated to America (in 1740), which has been documented in several books including, The Bach (Back) Family from Southeastern Kentucky by Dr. Mary Back Simpson. Career Johann Christoph Bach w

Johann Christoph Bach (organist at Ohrdruf)

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Johann Christoph Bach (16 June 1671 – 22 February 1721) was a musician of the Bach family. He was the eldest of the brothers of Johann Sebastian Bach who survived childhood. Life Christoph was born in Erfurt, on 16 June 1671, a few months before the family moved to Eisenach, where Johann Sebastian was born fourteen years later as the last child. In 1686, Johann Christoph was sent to Erfurt to study under Johann Pachelbel for the next three years. By the end of his apprenticeship he was organist in the St. Thomas church in that town for a short time, followed by some months at Arnstadt where several Bach relatives lived. His mother Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt had died earlier that year, and his father Johann Ambrosius Bach died in March the next year. Two younger brothers, Johann Jacob and Johann Sebastian, who up till then had been living with their father in Eisenach, came to live with Johann Christoph’s family in Ohrdruf. At the time, Johann Jacob was thirteen, and Johann Sebastian not even ten. Johann Christoph’s five sons were born between 1695 and 1713. Johann Christoph became his youngest brother’s keyboard teacher, or, at least, Johann Sebastian “laid the foundations of his o

Johann Christoph Pepusch

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Johann Christoph Pepusch (; 1667 1752), also known as John Christopher Pepusch () and Dr Pepusch, was a German-born Baroque composer who spent most of his working life in England. Early life Pepusch was born in Berlin, son of a Protestant minister. He studied music theory under Martin Klingenberg, cantor of the Marienkirche in Berlin. At the age of 14, he was appointed to the Prussian court where he gave music lessons to the future Frederick William I of Prussia. He resigned this position in 1698 after witnessing the execution of an officer without trial. He then first went to Amsterdam. In 1704, he settled in England, but continued to publish in Amsterdam until 1718. Career At first, Pepusch earned a living playing the viola, then as a theatre director, music theoretician, teacher and organist. In 1726, Pepusch founded The Academy of Vocal Music with others; in around 1730–1, it was renamed The Academy of Ancient Music. In Joseph Doane’s Musical directory for the year 1794, the founding of the academy is discussed. On page 76, Doane states: He also founded the Madrigal Society. Both were devoted to researching the history of music but specifically music of the Elizabethan period.

Johann Christoph Pez

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Johann Christoph Pez, also Petz, (9 September 1664 – 25 September 1716) was a German Baroque musician, Kapellmeister, and composer who worked in the courts of the Electorate of Bavaria and Duchy of Württemberg. Life Pez was born in Munich. From 1676, he was the tower watchman and later the choir director at the Church of Saint Peter in Munich. In 1688, he became a musician at the court of prince Maximilian Emmanuel, Elector of Bavaria who offered him the opportunity to study music under the leading Italian composer Arcangelo Corelli in Rome. In 1694, Pez joined the court of Joseph Clemens, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne at his residence in Bonn, working to improve the prince’s chapel orchestra. In 1695, he became Kapellmeister and advisor to the prince. Returning to Munich in 1701, he remained for five years at the court’s chapel for five years, before Max Emmanuel sent him to study composition and violin in Rome in the 1690s. He also taught the Wittelsbach children music. While in Munich, Pez was notice by the Duke of Württemberg, Eberhard Louis in the winter of 1705–06. This meant that when Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor dismissed the entire Bavarian Hofkapelle by Imperial fiat in

Johann David Heinichen

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Johann David Heinichen (17 April 1683 – 16 July 1729) was a German Baroque composer and music theorist who brought the musical genius of Venice to the court of Augustus II the Strong in Dresden. After he died, Heinichen’s music attracted little attention for many years. As a music theorist, he is credited as one of the inventors of the circle of fifths. Biography Johann David Heinichen was born in 1683 in the small village of Krössuln (currently part of the town of Teuchern, in Saxony-Anhalt) near Weissenfels. His father, Michael Heinichen, had studied music at the celebrated Thomasschule Leipzig associated with the Thomaskirche, served as cantor in Pegau and was pastor of the village church in Krössuln. Johann David also attended the Thomasschule Leipzig. There he studied music with Johann Schelle and later received organ and harpsichord lessons with Johann Kuhnau. The future composer Christoph Graupner was also a student of Kuhnau at the time. Heinichen enrolled in 1702 to study law at the University of Leipzig and in 1705–1706 qualified as a lawyer (in the early 18th century law was a favored field of study for composers; Kuhnau, Graupner and Georg Philipp Telemann were also law

Johann Erasmus Kindermann

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Johann Erasmus Kindermann (29 March 1616 – 14 April 1655) was a German Baroque organist and composer. He was the most important composer of the Nuremberg school in the first half of the 17th century. Life Kindermann was born in Nuremberg and studied music from an early age; at 15 he already had a job performing at Sunday afternoon concerts at the Frauenkirche (he sang bass and played violin). His main teacher was Johann Staden. In 1634/35 the city officials granted Kindermann permission and money to travel to Italy to study new music. Nothing is known about his stay in Italy; he may have visited Venice like several other Nuremberg composers (Hans Leo Hassler, Johann Philipp Krieger). In January 1636 the city council ordered Kindermann back to take the position of second organist of the Frauenkirche. In 1640 he was employed as organist at Schwäbisch-Hall, but quit the same year to become organist of the Egidienkirche, the third most important position of its kind in Nuremberg after St. Sebald and St. Lorenz. Kindermann stayed in Nuremberg for the rest of his life, and became one of the most famous musicians of the city and its most acclaimed teacher. His pupils included Augustin Pfl

Johann Ernst Eberlin

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Johann Ernst Eberlin (27 March 1702 – 19 June 1762) was a German composer and organist whose works bridge the baroque and classical eras. He was a composer of church organ and choral music. Marpurg claims he wrote as much and as rapidly as Alessandro Scarlatti and Georg Philipp Telemann, a claim also repeated by Leopold Mozart - though Eberlin did not live nearly as long as either of those two composers. Biography Eberlin’s first musical training began in 1712 at the Jesuit Gymnasium of St. Salvator in Augsburg. His teachers there were Georg Egger and Balthasar Siberer, who taught him how to play the organ. He began his university education in 1721 at the Benedictine University in Salzburg where he studied law, but from 1723 turned to music. His first breakthrough was in 1727 when he became the organist for Count Leopold von Firmian (then Archbishop of Salzburg). He reached the peak of his career when he was the organist for Archbishop Andreas Jakob von Dietrichstein. By 1749 he held the posts of Hof- und Domkapellmeister (Court and Cathedral chapel master) simultaneously, an achievement which his successors Michael Haydn, Leopold Mozart, and Mozart himself were not to match. Despi

Johann Ernst Galliard

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Johann Ernst Galliard (?1666/?1687–1747 ) was a composer from the Holy Roman Empire. Galliard was born in Celle, Holy Roman Empire to a French wig-maker. His first composition instruction began at age 15. Galliard studied composition under Jean-Baptiste Farinel, the director of music at the Court of Hanover, and Abbate Steffani. In addition to his compositional ability, he was also a capable oboe and recorder player. Galliard made a step forward in his musical career when he performed one of his original compositions. This Sonata for oboe and two bassoons debuted at one of Farinel’s concerts. Galliard earned an esteemed seat in the chamber music of George, Prince of Denmark. Later, he moved to England where he became chapel-master of Somerset House. Galliard became a familiar face in high society due to his proximity to and frequenting of the royal residence. In response to war victories, Galliard composed a Te Deum, Jubilate, and three additional anthems. Bigger and better things seemed promising following his participation in the founding of the Academy of Ancient Music. However, in the kingdom-wide competition for directorial status, Galliard could not match Handel and Bononcini

Johann Fischer (composer)

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Johann Fischer (1646–1716) was a German violinist, keyboardist and composer of the baroque era. His name is not to be confused with another composer named Johann Fischer, born in Lübeck and listed by Johannes Moller in Cimbria literata (v. I, p. 176). He is mentioned as a good clavier and violin player, who is said to have especially loved the return of the strings and, in this way, he mainly composed for the violin and also the viola, which he sought to write for in his overtures. In any case, his works are of historical interest since they are likely to betray the influence of the then French instrumental music. Biography Johann Fischer was born in Augsburg, in Swabia, as the son of town piper Jonas Fischer and Maria, née Mayr. He had music lessons with his father as well as with cantor Tobias Kriegsdorfer (1608–1686). After Capricornus’ death in 1665, Fischer worked for five years in Paris where he was a scribe for Jean-Baptiste Lully, the Kapellmeister of Louis XIV. *Vier Suiten für Blockflöte (Violin, Flute, Oboe, Viola) with Bass (Cembalo with Gamba, Cello, Lute, also Cembalo bzw. Cembalo only or Gamba, Cello and Lute) *Balletto a 4 in C minor (1690): **Sonatina **Allemanda *

Johann Friedrich Fasch

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Johann Friedrich Fasch (15 April 1688 – 5 December 1758) was a German violinist and composer. Much of his music is in the Baroque-Classical transitional style known as galant. Life Fasch was born in the town of Buttelstedt, 11 km north of Weimar, the eldest child of schoolmaster Friedrich Georg Fasch and his wife Sophie Wegerig, from Leißling near Weißenfels. After his father’s death in 1700, Fasch lived with his maternal uncle, the clergyman Gottfried Wegerig in Göthewitz, and it was presumably in this way that he made the acquaintance of the Opera composer Reinhard Keiser. Fasch was a choirboy in Weissenfels and studied under Johann Kuhnau at the St. Thomas School in Leipzig. It was in Leipzig in 1708 that he founded a Collegium Musicum. In 1711 he wrote an opera to be performed at the Peter-Paul Festival in Naumburg, and a second one for the festival in 1712. In 1714, unable to procure aristocratic patronage for a journey to Italy, Fasch instead travelled to Darmstadt to study composition for three months under his former Leipzig prefect Christoph Graupner and Gottfried Grünewald. He then traveled extensively in the Holy Roman Empire, becoming a violinist in the orchestra in Bay

Johann Georg Albinus

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Johann Georg Albinus (6 March 1624 – 25 May 1679) was a German Protestant pastor and hymnwriter. He studied at the University of Leipzig and served as a rector at the Naumburg Cathedral School and the pastor of St. Othmar’s Church, both in Naumburg. His hymns have been set by various composers, for instance by Johann Rosenmüller who set his hymn “Welt, ade! Ich bin dein müde” for SSATB voices (published 1652), a setting which was adopted by Johann Sebastian Bach as last movement of his cantata Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende? BWV 27 (1726). Also Bach’s cantata Der Friede sei mit dir, BWV 158 contains a stanza of this hymn, set to Rosenmüller’s hymn tune (Zahn No. 6531). References

Johann Georg Pisendel

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Johann Georg Pisendel ( – 25 November 1755) was a German Baroque violinist and composer who, for many years, led the Court Orchestra in Dresden as concertmaster, then the finest instrumental ensemble in Europe. He was the leading violinist of his time, and composers such as Tomaso Albinoni, Georg Philipp Telemann and Antonio Vivaldi all dedicated violin compositions to him. Life Pisendel was born in Cadolzburg, a small town near Nuremberg, where his father Simon Pisendel was the cantor and organist. At the age of nine, Johann Georg became a choirboy at the court chapel of Ansbach, where the singer Francesco Antonio Pistocchi was music director, and violinist and composer Giuseppe Torelli was concert master. It is thought that Pisendel studied voice with Pistocchi and the violin with Torelli. After his voice broke, Pisendel went on to play the violin in the Court Orchestra in 1704. In 1709, he left Dresden for Leipzig to further his musical studies. On the way to Leipzig, he met Johann Sebastian Bach at Weimar. Pisendel was a member of the Collegium Musicum founded by Georg Philipp Telemann, and conducted it in 1710/11, while Melchior Hoffmann went on a concert tour. In 1711, after

Johann Georg Reutter

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Johann Adam Joseph Karl Georg Reutter, during his life known as Georg Reutter the Younger (6 April 1708 – 11 March 1772) was an Austrian composer. According to David Wyn Jones, in his prime he was “the single most influential musician in Vienna”. Early life Reutter was born and died in Vienna. His father Georg Reutter (the Elder) was also a notable composer. He was the 11th of 14 children and received his early musical training from his father, assisting him as court organist. A period of more formal instruction from Antonio Caldara ensued, leading to the composition of an oratorio in 1726 and, in 1727, his first opera for the imperial court, Archidamia. On three separate occasions during this period, Reutter applied for a position as court organist and was each time rejected by Johann Joseph Fux. At his own expense he travelled to Italy in 1730 (possibly in 1729); in February 1730 he was in Venice and in April 1730 in Rome. He returned to Vienna in autumn 1730, and early in the following year he successfully applied for a post as court composer, the formal beginning of a lifetime of service at the Habsburg court. After his father’s death he became Kapellmeister of St. Stephen’s Ca

Johann Gottfried Walther

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Johann Gottfried Walther (18 September 1684 – 23 March 1748) was a German music theorist, organist, composer, and lexicographer of the Baroque era. Life and work Walther was born at Erfurt, Electorate of Mainz and cousin of Johann Sebastian Bach. Walther was most well known as the compiler of the Musicalisches Lexicon (Leipzig, 1732), an enormous dictionary of music and musicians. Not only was it the first dictionary of musical terms written in the German language, it was the first to contain both terms and biographical information about composers and performers up to the early 18th century. In all, the Musicalisches Lexicon defines more than 3,000 musical terms; Walther evidently drew on more than 250 separate sources in compiling it, including theoretical treatises of the early Baroque and Renaissance. The single most important source for the work was the writings of Johann Mattheson, who is referenced more than 200 times. Some further information on Walther can be found in the book Musica Poetica by Dietrich Bartel. On page 22, Bartel quotes Walther’s definition of musica poetica, or musical rhetoric, as: :“Musica Poetica or musical composition is a mathematical science through

Johann Gotthilf Ziegler

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Johann Gotthilf Ziegler (25 March 1688 in Leubnitz, Electorate of Saxony – 15 September 1747 in Halle an der Saale) was a German baroque composer and organist. He is a descendant of a musical family, not unlike that of J.S. Bach, though on a somewhat smaller scale, and belongs, together with Gottfried Kirchhoff and Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow to the group of composers of the so-called Hallischen Spätbarock. His father was the schoolhead and organist Daniel Ziegler (born 1630), son of the Saxon schoolteacher Johann Ziegler. Life Ziegler had already caused a stir as a child prodigy at the Dresdener court of August the Strong, as his contemporary Johann Gottfried Walther, a distant cousin of Bach, wrote in his Musicalischem Lexicon that he could sing at the age four, play the keyboard a couple of years later, and as a 10-year-old play the organ at religious services. Gotthilf became a pupil of Christian Petzold, organist of the Sophienkirche. He also studied three years in the Collegium musicum des Paedagogium regium of August Francke, in Halle, where he also studied law and theology for 3 years. In 1710 he became a pupil of Friedrich Zachow (who was also the teacher of Johann Philipp Kr

Johann Gottlieb Graun

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Johann Gottlieb Graun (1702/1703 – 27 October 1771) was a German Baroque/Classical era composer and violinist, born in Wahrenbrück. His brother Carl Heinrich was a singer and also a composer, and is the better known of the two. Johann Gottlieb studied with J.G. Pisendel in Dresden and Giuseppe Tartini in Padua. Appointed Konzertmeister in Merseburg in 1726, he taught the violin to J.S. Bach’s son Wilhelm Friedemann. He joined the court of the Prussian crown prince (the future Frederick the Great) in 1732. Graun was later made Konzertmeister of the Berlin Opera in 1740. He composed over 50 songs and compositions. Graun’s compositions were highly respected, and continued to be performed after his death: “The concert-master, John Gottlib Graun, brother to the opera-composer, his admirers say, ‘was one of the greatest performers on the violin of his time, and most assuredly, a composer of the first rank’,” wrote Charles Burney. He was primarily known for his instrumental works, though he also wrote vocal music and operas. He wrote a large number of violin concertos, trio sonatas, and solo sonatas for violin with cembalo, as well as two string quartets — among the earliest attempts in t

Johann Gottlieb Janitsch

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Johann Gottlieb Janitsch (19 June 1708 – c. 1763) There are also many other manuscripts in libraries across Europe. Works Vocal * Cantata “Che debbo rimirar” for soprano, strings and basso continuo * Beati Omnes performed at the coronation of Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden, 1751 * Several Lieder for voice and keyboard * Serenata, performed in Frankfurt an der Oder by the students of the University, 14. November 1729 when his Royal Majesty, Frederick William I of Prussia visited Mass. (Lost) External links *

Johann Heinrich Buttstett

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Johann Heinrich Buttstett (also Buttstedt, Buttstädt) (25 April 1666 – December 1, 1727) was a German Baroque organist and composer. Although he was Johann Pachelbel’s most important pupil and one of the last major exponents of the south German organ tradition, Buttstett is best remembered for a dispute with Johann Mattheson. Life Buttstett was born in Bindersleben (now part of Erfurt) into the family of Johann Henricus Buttstett, a well-educated local pastor who had studied at the University of Erfurt. He began studying music at an early age, becoming a pupil of Johann Pachelbel, then organist of Erfurt’s Predigerkirche, in 1678. His professional career began in 1684 at the Reglerkirche and continued at the Kaufmannskirche, where he was working in 1687. In both cases, he was not only the church organist but also teaching in church schools. In 1691, Buttstett succeeded Nicolaus Vetter at the Predigerkirche (Pachelbel quit in 1690 and Vetter, who succeeded him, moved to Rudolstadt in 1691); he remained there until his death 36 years later. Buttstett married Martha Lämmerhirt (a distant cousin of Johann Sebastian Bach’s mother) in 1687 and had ten children with her. In 1716, Buttstet

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer

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Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c. 1620–1623between 29 February and 20 March 1680) was an Austrian composer and violinist of the middle Baroque era. Almost nothing is known about his early years, but he seems to have arrived in Vienna during the 1630s, and remained composer and musician at the Habsburg court for the rest of his life. He enjoyed a close relationship with Emperor Leopold I, was ennobled by him, and rose to the rank of Kapellmeister in 1679. He died during a plague epidemic only months after getting the position. Schmelzer was one of the most important violinists of the period, and an important influence on later German and Austrian composers for violin. He made substantial contributions to the development of violin technique and promoted the use and development of sonata and suite forms in Austria and South Germany. He was the leading Austrian composer of his generation, and an influence on Heinrich Ignaz Biber. Biography Schmelzer was born in Scheibbs, Lower Austria. Nothing is known about his early years, and most of the surviving information about his background was recounted by the composer himself in his petition for ennoblement of 1673. He described his father as a

Johann Hugo von Wilderer

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Johann Hugo von Wilderer (1670 or 1671 – buried 7 June 1724) was a German Baroque composer. He was born in Bavaria and died in Mannheim, where in his later years he served as the Kapellmeister of the court orchestra. His compositions include eleven operas, two oratorios, cantatas, and sacred works. Life and work Wilderer was born in Bavaria. He studied with Giovanni Legrenzi in Venice. Probably in 1687 he was employed at the Palatine court in Düsseldorf as an organist. A document dated 1 October 1692 indicates that he was organist at the church St. Andreas, the court church at the time. He held the office until 1697. On the occasion of his first opera Giocasta, first performed for the opening of the opera house at the Mühlenstraße in 1696, Georg Andreas Kraft (1660-1726), a friend of Wilderer, wrote the ballet music for several of his operas, including his 1696 Giocasta. A high point in Wilderer’s career was the coronation of emperor Charles VI at Frankfurt am Main in 1711, where he conducted the entire orchestra of 53 members. At a time when European music was dominated by French and Italian artists, Wilderer gained a reputation as a German musician. His works include eleven opera

Johann Jakob Froberger

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Johann Jakob Froberger (baptized 19 May 1616 – 7 May 1667) was a German Baroque composer, keyboard virtuoso, and organist. Among the most famous composers of the era, he was influential in developing the musical form of the suite of dances in his keyboard works. His harpsichord pieces are highly idiomatic and programmatic. Only two of Froberger’s many compositions were published during his lifetime. Froberger forbade publication of his manuscripts, restricting access to his noble patrons and friends, particularly the Württembergs and Habsburgs who had the power to enforce these restrictions. After his death the manuscripts went to his patroness Sibylla, Duchess of Württemberg (1620–1707) and the music library of the Württemberg family estate. Life 1616–1634: Early years in Stuttgart Johann Jakob Froberger was baptized on 19 May 1616 in Stuttgart. The exact date of his birth is unknown. His family came from Halle, where his grandfather Simon lived and his father Basilius (1575–1637) was born. In 1599 Basilius moved to Stuttgart and became a tenor in the Württemberg court chapel. At some point before 1605 he married Anna Schmid (1577–1637), who came from a Schwabian family living in

Johann Jeremias du Grain

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Johann Jeremias du Grain, also Dugrain, Legrain or Dügren (c. 1700 – 14 January 1756) was a German composer of the Baroque period. Life Johann Jeremias du Grain was born in Gdańsk sometime around 1700, probably a descendant of French Huguenots. He studied music in Hamburg with Georg Philipp Telemann, and was named as a vocal soloist in Telemann’s large cantata performance on the occasion of the 200-year anniversary celebration of the Augsburg Confession. After graduation, he moved to Elbląg where he married a citizen of that city in 1731, and also worked from 1732. It has been suggested that du Grain met George Frideric Handel, who in 1737 contributed several choruses and arias to a cantata celebrating Elbląg’s 500th anniversary, although there is no evidence that Handel actually visited the city. External links *Deutsche Biographie *

Johann Joachim Quantz

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Johann Joachim Quantz (; 30 January 1697 – 12 July 1773) was a German composer, flautist and flute maker of the late Baroque period. Much of his professional career was spent in the court of Frederick the Great, where he served as the king’s flute teacher. Quantz composed hundreds of flute sonatas and concertos, and wrote On Playing the Flute, an influential treatise on flute performance. His works were known and appreciated by Bach, Haydn and Mozart. Biography 1697–1723: Early life Quantz was born as Hanß Jochim Quantz in Oberscheden, near Göttingen, Lower Saxony, in the Electorate of Hanover. His father, Andreas Quantz, was a blacksmith who died when Hans was not yet 11; on his deathbed, he declared that his son should follow in his footsteps. Quantz states in his autobiography that he had been trained as a blacksmith from the age of nine. As a result of his father’s death he was given the opportunity to choose his own career path and from 1708 to 1713 he began his musical studies with his uncle Justus Quantz, a town musician in Merseburg; he also studied for a time with a cousin’s husband, the organist Johann Friedrich Kiesewetter. From 1714, Quantz studied composition extensive

Johann Joseph Fux

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Johann Joseph Fux (; c. 1660 – 13 February 1741) was an Austrian composer, music theorist and pedagogue of the late Baroque era. His most enduring work is not a musical composition but his treatise on counterpoint, Gradus ad Parnassum, which has become the single most influential book on the Palestrinian style of Renaissance polyphony. Life Fux’s exact date of birth is unknown. He was born to a peasant family in Hirtenfeld, Styria, Austria. Relatively little is known about his early life, but likely he went to nearby Graz for music lessons. In 1680 he was accepted at the Jesuit Ferdinandeum University there, where his musical talent became apparent. Fux traveled again to Italy, studying in Rome in 1700; it may have been here that he acquired the veneration for Palestrina which was so consequential for music pedagogy. Fux became the Hofkapellmeister (head musician of the Wiener Hofmusikkapelle) in 1715, along with Antonio Caldara as his vice-Kapellmeister, and F.B. Conti as the court composer. Fux served Leopold I until the latter’s death, and two more Habsburg emperors after that: Joseph I, and Charles VI, both of whom continued to employ him in high positions in the court. Fux was

Johann Justus Kahle

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Johann Justus Kahle (11 February 1668 in Helmstedt – c. 1731 in Clausthal-Zellerfeld) was a German organist and composer. Life He was born, son of the baker Bathold Kahle, on 11 February 1668, and christened on 12 April 1668 in the church . Nothing is known of his childhood; and his name cannot be found in the records of the Academia Julia. He was first organist at St. Stephani, then he moved to be organist at Zellerfeld. He is known today only through the discovery in the library in Ostrau of Hans-Hasso von Veltheim of his church consecration cantatas which he composed on behalf of Otto Ludwig von Veltheim (1672 - 1714) around 1704. Works Four Psalm Cantatas for soprano and instruments for dedication of in Ostrau: * Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, Herr Zebaoth (Psalm 84), cantata for soprano, 2 oboes, 2 violins and basso continuo * Wie der Hirsch schreyet nach frischem Wasser (Psalm 42), cantata for soprano, 2 violins and basso continuo * Ich hebe meine Augen auf zu den Bergen (Psalm 121), cantata for soprano, solo violin and basso continuo * Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt (Psalm 100), cantata for soprano, 2 oboes, 2 violins and basso continuo Recordings * Psalm 84 “Wie lieblich

Johann Krieger

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Johann Krieger (28 December 1651 – 18 July 1735) was a German composer and organist, younger brother of Johann Philipp Krieger. Born in Nuremberg, he worked at Bayreuth, Zeitz, and Greiz before settling in Zittau. He was one of the most important keyboard composers of his day, highly esteemed by, among others, George Frideric Handel. A prolific composer of church and secular music, he published several dozen of his works, and others survive in manuscript. However, hundreds more were lost when Zittau was destroyed by fire in 1757, during the Seven Years’ War. Krieger’s keyboard music places him among the most important German composers of his time. The two published collections, Sechs musicalische Partien (1697) and Anmuthige Clavier-Übung (1698), contain harpsichord suites, organ toccatas, fugues, ricercars, and other works. Krieger’s contemporaries praised his contrapuntal skill, evident in the extant fugues and ricercars. Johann Mattheson was particularly impressed with Krieger’s double fugues, remarking that he knew nobody who surpassed Krieger in this form, except Handel. Handel himself admired and studied Krieger’s work, even taking a copy of Anmuthige Clavier-Übung with him t

Johann Kuhnau

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Johann Kuhnau (; 6 April 16605 June 1722) was a German polymath, known primarily as a composer today. He was also active as a novelist, translator, lawyer, and music theorist, and was able to combine these activities with his duties in his official post as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, which he occupied for 21 years. Much of his music, including operas, masses, and other large-scale vocal works, is lost. His reputation today rests on his Biblical Sonatas, a set of programmatic keyboard sonatas published in 1700, in which each sonata depicted in detail a particular story from the Bible. After his death, Kuhnau was succeeded as Thomaskantor by Johann Sebastian Bach. Biography Much of the biographical information on Kuhnau is known from an autobiography published by Johann Mattheson in 1740 in his Grundlage einer Ehrenpforte. Kuhnau’s Protestant family were originally from Bohemia, and their name was Kuhn. Kuhnau was born in Geising, present-day Saxony. His musical talents were apparent early, and in around 1670, he was sent to Dresden to study with court musicians there. During the next decade, he studied keyboard playing and music composition, as well as French and Italian. In 1680, an o

Johann Ludwig Bach

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Johann Ludwig Bach (14 February 1677 – 1 May 1731) was a German composer and violinist. He was born in Thal (Ruhla) near Eisenach on 4 February 1677. At the age of 22 he moved to Meiningen eventually being appointed cantor there, and later Kapellmeister. He wrote a large amount of music and regularly oversaw performances, both at Meiningen and neighbouring courts. He was a third cousin of Johann Sebastian Bach, who made copies of several of his cantatas and performed them at Leipzig. The cantata Denn du wirst meine Seele nicht in der Hölle lassen, BWV 15, once thought to be by Johann Sebastian, and listed as BWV 15 in Wolfgang Schmieder’s catalogue of his works, is now thought to be by Johann Ludwig. Bach died on 1 May 1731 in Meiningen. and Alfred Dörffel listed 17 cantatas and the Mass in E minor, with their incipits, in Vol. 41 of the Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe (1894). The Johann-Ludwig-Bach-Verzeichnis (catalogue of compositions by Johann Ludwig Bach, abbreviated JLB) contains 39 compositions, starting, in the same sequence, with the 17 cantatas listed by Dörffel: #Gott ist unser Zuversicht, sacred cantata for the fourth Sunday after Epiphany. Scored for soprano, alto, tenor and

Johann Mattheson

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Johann Mattheson (28 September 1681 – 17 April 1764) was a German composer, critic, lexicographer and music theorist. His writings on the late Baroque and early Classical period were highly influential, specifically, “his biographical and theoretical works were widely disseminated and served as the source for all subsequent lexicographers and historians”. Early life and career Johann Mattheson was born on 28 September 1681 in Hamburg. The son of a prosperous tax collector, Mattheson received a broad liberal education and, aside from general musical training, took lessons in keyboard instruments, violin, composition and singing. Death After his death in 1764, Johann Mattheson was buried in the vault of Hamburg’s St. Michaelis Church where his grave can be visited. Literary and musical legacy Mattheson is mainly famous as a music theorist. He was the most prolific writer on performance practice, theatrical style, and harmony of the German Baroque. He is particularly important for his work on the relationship between the disciplines of rhetoric and music, for example in Das neu-eröffnete Orchestre, Hamburg 1713, and , Hamburg 1739. However, his books draw attention also because Matthe

Johann Michael Bach

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Johann Michael Bach (baptised 19 August 1648, Arnstadt, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen – 27 May 1694, Gehren) was a German composer of the Baroque period. He was the brother of Johann Christoph Bach, as well as first cousin, once removed and father-in-law of Johann Sebastian Bach (he was the father of J.S. Bach’s first wife Maria Barbara Bach). He is sometimes referred to as the “Gehrener Bach” to distinguish him from the “Wuppertaler Bach”, Johann Michael Bach (musician at Wuppertal). Life Johann Michael was born at Arnstadt, the son of Heinrich Bach, who was the great-uncle of Johann Sebastian Bach. In 1673, Johann Michael became the organist and town clerk of Gehren, where he lived until his death. Works His most-performed work is the small chorale prelude for organ, In Dulci Jubilo, which for many years was attributed to J. S. Bach (it was ascribed the catalog number BWV 751). His other most important works include cantatas Ach, bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ (for choir, strings and continuo), Liebster Jesu, hör mein Flehen (for soprano, alto, two tenors, bass, strings and continuo), and Ach, wie sehnlich wart’ ich der Zeit (also for soprano, strings, and continuo). *Das Blut Chris

Johann Nikolaus Tischer

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Johann Nikolaus Tischer (1707–1774) was a German organist, composer, and teacher of the Baroque and early Classical eras. He is best known for his long tenure as the town organist in Schmalkalden and for his pedagogical influence on Johann Gottfried Vierling. Life and education Born in Böhlen, Tischer studied with several notable masters, including the violinist Johann Graf. In 1728, he was appointed as the town organist at the municipal church in Schmalkalden, a position he held for nearly fifty years. He also served as a Kammermusikus (chamber musician) to the court of Hesse-Kassel. Tischer was an “extraordinarily versatile musician”. He studied the organ with Johann Balthasar Rauche in Böhlen (1719) and violin, viola d’amore, and composition with Kapellmeister Schweitzelberg in Arnstadt. He was also a proficient oboist. In 1726, Tischer travelled to Leipzig, where he is recorded as having studied with Johann Sebastian Bach. Works Tischer was a prolific composer whose works were noted for their educational utility and “charming” character. His compositions primarily include keyboard music and suites, often written in an accessible style suited for students and amateurs. His major

Johann Pachelbel

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Johann Pachelbel (also Bachelbel; baptised 11 September 1653 – buried 9 March 1706) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque era. Pachelbel’s music enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime; he had many pupils and his music became a model for the composers of south and central Germany. Pachelbel is most famous for the Canon in D; other well known works include the Chaconne in F minor, the Toccata in E minor for organ, and the Hexachordum Apollinis, a set of keyboard variations. He was influenced by southern German composers, such as Johann Jakob Froberger and Johann Caspar Kerll, Italians such as Girolamo Frescobaldi and Alessandro Poglietti, French composers, and the composers of the Nuremberg tradition. He preferred a lucid, uncomplicated contrapuntal style that emphasized melodic and harmonic clarity. His music is less virtuosic and less adventurous harmonically than that of Dieterich Buxtehude, although, l

Johann Paul von Westhoff

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Johann Paul von Westhoff (1656 – buried 17 April 1705) was a German Baroque composer and violinist. One of the most important exponents of the Dresden violin school, he was among the highest ranked violinists of his day, and composed some of the earliest known music for solo violin. He worked as musician and composer as a member of Dresden’s Hofkapelle (1674–1697) and at the Weimar court (1699–1705), and was also active as a teacher of contemporary languages. Westhoff’s surviving music comprises seven works for violin and basso continuo and seven for solo violin, all published during his lifetime. More works, particularly a 1682 collection of solo violin music, are currently considered lost. His work, together with that of Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber and Johann Jakob Walther, greatly influenced the subsequent generation of German violinists, and the six partitas for solo violin inspired Johann Sebastian Bach’s famous violin sonatas and partitas. Life The composer was born in the Dresden, then capital of Saxony. He received a solid musical education as a pupil of Heinrich Schütz (d. 1672), and in 1674 joined the Dresden Hofkapelle, where his father, a former Swedish cavalry officer,

Johann Peter Kellner

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Johann Peter Kellner (variants: Keller, Kelner; 28 September 1705 – 19 April 1772) was a German organist and composer. He was the father of Johann Christoph Kellner. Biography He was born in Gräfenroda, Thuringia, and was intended by his parents to follow his father into a career as a lamp-black merchant. He was devoted to music from childhood, and first learnt singing from the cantor Johann Peter Nagel and keyboard from his son Johann Heinrich Nagel. He studied for a year from 1720 with the organist Johann Schmidt in Zella, followed by a year with the organist Hieronymus Florentinus Quehl (or Kehl) in Suhl, during which time he also studied composition. He knew Johann Sebastian Bach well, although it is not known whether he was taught by him. He was also acquainted with George Frideric Handel. In 1722, he returned to work as a tutor at Gräfenroda for three years. He was appointed cantor of Frankenhain in October 1725, returning to Gräfenroda in December 1727 as assistant cantor. He became cantor after Nagel’s death in 1732, and remained in the post for the rest of his life; his pupils included Johann Philipp Kirnberger, Johannes Ringk, and J.E. Rembt. Kellner was admired as an org

Johann Philipp Förtsch

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Johann Philipp Förtsch (14 May 1652 – 14 December 1732) was a German baroque composer, statesman and medical doctor. Life Förtsch was born in Wertheim and possibly received his musical education from Johann Philipp Krieger. Moving to Hamburg in 1674 to write librettos, he then became in the 1680s one of the main composers in the heyday of the Oper am Gänsemarkt. In later life he returned to medicine. Works Operas (all lost) * Das unmöglichste Ding (Lukas von Bostel, after Lope de Vega, 1684) * Der hochmüthige, gestürzte und wieder erhabene Crösus (Lukas von Bostel, after Nicolò Minato, 1684) * Der Grosse Alexander in Sidon (Christian Heinrich Postel, after Aurelio Aureli, Hamburg 1688) * Die Heilige Eugenia, or the Conversion of Alexandria to Christianity (Christian Heinrich Postel, probably after Girolamo Bartolommei, Hamburg 1688) * Der im Christenthum biß in den Todt beständige Märtyrer Polyeuctes (Heinrich Elmenhorst, after Pierre Corneille, Hamburg 1688) * Der mächtige Monarch der Perser, Xerxes, in Abidus (Christian Heinrich Postel after Nicolò Minato, UA Hamburg 1689) * Cain und Abel, oder der verzweifelnde Bruder-Mörder (Christian Heinrich Postel, after Michael Johansen, 16

Johann Philipp Krieger

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Johann Philipp Krieger (also Kriger, Krüger, Krugl, and Giovanni Filippo Kriegher; baptised 27 February 1649; died 7 February 1725) was a German Baroque composer and organist. He was the elder brother of Johann Krieger. Life Early years The Krieger brothers came from a Nuremberg family of rugmakers. According to Johann Mattheson’s Grundlage einer Ehren-Pforte, Johann Philipp started studying keyboard playing at age 8, with Johann Drechsel (a pupil of the celebrated Johann Jakob Froberger) and other instruments at around the same time, with Gabriel Schütz. He was apparently a gifted student, displaying absolute pitch and a feeling for keyboard music: according to Mattheson, already after a year of studies he was able to impress large audiences and was composing attractive arias. Johann Philipp soon left Nuremberg for Copenhagen, where he spent some four or five years, studying organ playing with Johann Schröder, the royal organist, and composition with Kaspar Förster. The precise dates of his stay in Copenhagen are unknown: Mattheson reports 1665 to 1670, but Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr, author of a 1730 biographical volume on famous residents of Nuremberg, claimed Johann Philipp stay

Johann Rosenmüller

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Johann Rosenmüller (1619 – 10 September 1684) was a German Baroque composer, who played a part in transmitting Italian musical styles to the north. Career Rosenmüller was born in Oelsnitz, near Plauen in Saxony. He studied at the University of Leipzig, graduating in 1640. He served as organist of the Nikolaikirche Leipzig from 1651, and had been assured of advancement to cantor. He died in Wolfenbüttel on 10 September 1684, and is buried there. Works Kern-Sprüche mehrentheils aus heiliger Schrifft Altes und Neues Testaments (Core sentences, mostly from holy scriptures Old and New Testament), Leipzig (1648) *Aeterne Deus, clementissime Pater, 1v, 2 str, bc *Christum lieb haben, 3vv, 2 str, bc *Coeli enarrant gloriam Dei, 3vv, 2 str, bc *Danket dem Herren und prediget, 2vv, 2 str, bc *Danksaget dem Vater, 5vv, 2 str, bc *Daran ist erschienen die Liebe Gottes, 5vv, 2 str, bc *Das ist das ewige Leben, 3vv, bc *Das ist ein köstlich Ding, 2vv, 5 str, bc *Die Augen des Herren, 4vv, 2 str, bc *Ein Tag in deinen Vorhöfen, 3vv, 2 str, bc *Habe deine Lust an dem Herren, 1v, 5 str, bc *Hebet eure Augen auf gen Himmel, 2vv, 2 str, bc *In te Domine speravi, 4vv, 2 str, bc *Lieber Herr Gott, 1v,

Johann Rudolph Ahle

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Johann Rudolph (or Rudolf) Ahle (24 December 1625 – 9 July 1673) was a German composer, organist, theorist, and Protestant church musician. Biography Ahle was born in Mühlhausen, Thuringia. While not much is known of his early musical training, he attended the grammar school in Göttingen and then studied theology at the University of Erfurt from 1645 to 1649. In 1654 Ahle assumed the post of organist at the Divi Blasii in Mühlhausen. The next year he married Anna Maria Wölfer; their son, Johann Georg Ahle (1651–1706), was also a well-known composer and organist. Ahle was elected a town councillor in Mühlhausen in the 1650s, and was elected mayor shortly before his death in 1673. References Further reading * Uwe Wolf – Programme notes to BIS-CD-821, 1996 * Markus Rathey, Johann Rudolph Ahle. 1625–1673. Lebensweg und Schaffen, Eisenach: Wagner, 1999 * “Johann Rudolf Ahle (Composer)”, Bach Cantatas website External links * *

Johann Schelle

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Johann Schelle (6 September 1648 – 10 March 1701) was a German Baroque composer. Biography Schnelle was born on 6 September 1648 in Geising, Saxony. From 1655 to 1657 he was a choirboy in Dresden and pupil of Heinrich Schütz. From 1657 to 1664 on Schütz’s recommendation he was a singer in Wolfenbüttel. He was the cantor of the Thomanerchor, Leipzig, from 1677 to 1701. In 1689/90 he collaborated on a cycle of chorale cantatas with Leipzig theologian Benedict Carpzov. Leipzig When his former teacher Sebastian Knüpfer died, Schelle succeeded him as Kantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, a post later held by J.S. Bach. He obtained the post on 31 January 1677, and held it until his death. His appointment was made against the wishes of the city mayor, who remained antagonistic to him and the changes he introduced in the musical content of services. The matter came to a head when Schelle replaced the Latin compositions written by Italian masters with music to German texts, especially cantatas. When the city council finally took Schelle’s side on the problem Schelle started the practice of introducing into the Protestant liturgy in Leipzig not only the Gospel cantata to German texts but la

Johann Sebastian Bach

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Early life#

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, the capital of the duchy of Saxe-Eisenach, in present-day Germany, on 21 March 1685 O.S. He was the eighth and youngest child of Johann Ambrosius Bach, director of the town musicians, and Maria Elisabeth , daughter of a town councillor. The Bach family, traditionally traced to the patriarch Vitus “Veit” Bach (), produced three to four generations of musicians in the Thuringia region, whose insular cultural climate fostered conservative musicianship, with external influences arriving mainly via the courts. Nothing is definitively known about Bach’s early years before 1693; his musical education in particular is highly conjectural. His family, particularly the uncles, were all professional musicians who worked as church organists, court chamber musicians, and composers. Bach’s father presumably taught him the violin, Ambrosius’ own primary instrument, along with basic music theory principles. One uncle, Johann Christoph Bach (1645–1693), may have introduced him to the organ, though this is debated since the uncle may not have been close to Bach’s immediate family. Bach’s mother died in 1694, and his father eight months later in February 1695. The 10-year-old Bach moved in with his eldest brother, Johann Christoph Bach (1671–1721), the organist at St. Michael’s Church in Ohrdruf, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. There he studied, performed, and copied music, including his brother’s, despite being forbidden to do so because scores were so valuable and private and ledger paper was costly. He also received instruction on the clavichord from his brother. Johann Christoph exposed him to the works of composers of the day, including South Germans such as Johann Caspar Kerll, Johann Jakob Froberger, and Johann Pachelbel (under whom Johann Christoph had studied); North Germans such as Georg Böhm, Johann Reincken and Friedrich Nicolaus Bruhns from Hamburg, and Dieterich Buxtehude; Frenchmen such as Jean-Baptiste Lully, Louis Marchand, and Marin Marais; and the Italian Girolamo Frescobaldi. He learned theology, Latin, and Greek at the local Gymnasium (Germany) . By 3 April 1700 Bach had begun studies at St Michael’s School in Lüneburg, two weeks’ travel north of Ohrdruf. His journey was probably undertaken mostly on foot. He also came into contact with sons of aristocrats from northern Germany who had been sent to the nearby Ritter-Academie to prepare for careers in other disciplines.

Johann Sigismund Kusser

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Johann Sigismund Kusser or Cousser (baptized 13 February 1660 – before 17 November 1727) was a composer born in the Kingdom of Hungary who was active in Germany, France, and Ireland. Life The son of Johann Kusser, a Protestant cantor in Pressburg (then in the Kingdom of Hungary), Johann Sigismund and his parents moved to Stuttgart in 1674 because of religious persecution. Two years later he went to spend six years in Paris and the Palace of Versailles. There he met the French court composer Jean-Baptiste Lully and learned from him how to compose in the French style. Kusser was then employed at the princely courts in Baden-Baden and Ansbach, before taking a trip to Germany in October 1683. In 1690 he became the first Kapellmeister of the in Braunschweig. In the following years, he married Hedwig Melusine von Damm, daughter of a local Ratsherr. Their daughter Auguste Elisabeth married the Braunschweig historian . During his time there, Kusser wrote eight operas, enriching the Italian-influenced repertoire. Disagreements in 1694 with the librettist and court poet Friedrich Christian Bressand led Kusser to move to the Oper am Gänsemarkt in Hamburg. He then left Hamburg at the end of 16

Johann Sigismund Weiss

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Johann Sigismund Weiss (after 1690 – 12 April 1737) was a German lutenist and composer. He was probably born in Breslau, Silesia (now Wrocław, Poland) to lutenist Johann Jacob Weiss, who taught the lute to Johann Sigismund and his elder siblings Silvius Leopold and Juliana Margaretha. From , Weiss and his father were employed by Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine. An important performance during this time included at the 1711 imperial election, before Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, and many German princes. After the elector died in 1716, Weiss faced some uncertainty. He spent some time travelling and giving concerts, particularly in London, where he gave at least 19 concerts in 1718. Under the new Elector Charles III Philip, Weiss became vice-concertmaster and later concertmaster of his court orchestra in Mannheim. Not many compositions are known with certainty to be his, and they have not been the subject of much attention. In his time, he was praised by Ernst Gottlieb Baron as comparable to his brother Silvius. In Hans Neemann’s opinion, Weiss was an important predecessor of Johann Stamitz at Mannheim. Family background and early life Weiss was probably born in Breslau (now Wrocła

Johann Speth

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Johann (Johannes) Speth (9 November 1664 – 12. Oktober 1728 Augsburg) was a German organist and composer. He was born in Speinshart, some 150 km from Nuremberg, but spent most of his life in Augsburg, where he worked as cathedral organist for two years. His only surviving music is a 1693 collection, Ars Magna Consoni et Dissoni, which includes toccatas, Magnificat versets and variations in the south German style. Life Speth was born in Speinshart, Bavaria, to teacher Heinrich Speth and his wife Margareta (née Vichtl). Past scholars established that Speth must have received music lessons from the abbot of the Premonstratensian monastery at Speinshart, one Dominikus Lieblein; however, this has recently been disproven. Nothing is known about his life before 1692, when he applied for the position of organist of Augsburg Cathedral. The application, which contained Speth’s compositions, was accepted, and he was appointed organist on 4 November 1692. The music he supplied with the application was published the next year in Augsburg as Ars magna Consoni et Dissoni. In the files of the cathedral administration there is a note from 1705 showing that Speth had also to work in the office of th

Johann Theile

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Johann Theile (29 July 1646 – 24 June 1724) was a German composer of the Baroque era, famous for the opera Adam und Eva, Der erschaffene, gefallene und aufgerichtete Mensch, first performed in Hamburg on 2 January 1678. Life After studying law in Leipzig and Halle, Theile took instruction in composition in Weißenfels. His teacher there was Heinrich Schütz, the most prominent German composer of the 17th century. Theile is believed to have been one of his last pupils, and is considered one of the most gifted among them. Between 1673 and 1675 he held the position of Court Kapellmeister for Duke Christian Albrecht of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp. Some years later he held the position of Kapellmeister in Wolfenbüttel, where he commenced a musical apprenticeship to Johann Rosenmüller, who by this time had permanently returned to Northern Germany after having spent most of his career in Italy. He also worked in Naumburg, where he likewise held the position of Kapellmeister; Berlin, where he was active as a music teacher to the royal court; as well as Lübeck and Stettin, where he also served a music instructor. In 1673 he wrote his Matthäuspassion (St. Matthew Passion) in Lübeck. In 1694, Th

Johann Tobias Krebs

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Johann Tobias Krebs (7 July 1690 – 11 February 1762) was a German organist and composer, today best remembered as the father of Johann Ludwig Krebs, one of Bach’s most accomplished pupils. Krebs was born in Heichelheim and went to school in the nearby Weimar. Nothing is known about his early musical training, but at age 20 Krebs was proficient enough at the keyboard to be invited to become organist at Buttelstedt, another town in the same area. Krebs accepted, but continued his music studies in Weimar, travelling there twice a week to study with Johann Gottfried Walther, and later with Johann Sebastian Bach. In 1721 he was accepted a position at Buttstädt, where he played the organ of Michaeliskirche and taught at the school. Krebs remained in Buttstädt for the rest of his life. He had three sons, and the eldest, Johann Ludwig Krebs, became a well-known composer. Krebs’ surviving works are scarce. A few chorale preludes preserved in manuscripts show a marked fondness for counterpoint. Two of the lesser known pieces from the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis catalogue may have been composed by Krebs: * Chorale prelude Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 660b, an arrangement of one of Bach’s Leip

Johann Ulich

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Johann Ulich, the younger (Wittenberg, 1677-Zerbst, 1742) was a German organist and composer in Zerbst, and music teacher to the princely family. Ulich was born in 1677 in Wittenberg, Germany. His father, also called Johann Ulich (1634-1712), was organist and Kantor, director of music for Wittenberg’s churches, and teacher at the city school. Ulich studied with his father and then from 1695 at the University of Wittenberg. He was employed at the court in Zerbst from 1708 (although his official contract is dated 6 March 1709, the accounts of the St. Bartholomäikirche show that he was paid at least one quarterly salary installment and some of the bonuses that all permanent staff there enjoyed annually in 1708). Almost immediately he started composing music for the court; on 24 June 1708, his cantata “Glückselige Stunden! gesegnetes Licht” for the birthday of Princess Sophia (wife of Prince Carl Wilhelm) was performed and, at least for some years, Ulich seems to have been considered the court composer. This changed in 1716 when Johann Baptist Kuch was appointed Capell Director. When Kuch suddenly vanished from Zerbst in 1722, Ulich temporarily seems to have taken charge of music again

Johann Valentin Meder

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Johann Valentin Meder (baptised May 3, 1649 – July 1719) was a German composer, organist, and singer. (He is not to be confused with the German composer Johann Gabriel Meder, born in 1729 near Erfurt, and active in Amsterdam until 1800; nor is there evidence that the two men were related.) Meder was born in Wasungen, Thuringia to a musical family with his father and four brothers all being organists or Kantors. It is rumored that he moved to Leipzig in 1666, and began his University studies in theology there in 1669. In 1670, Meder left Leipzig to pursue continued studies at the University of Jena. Unable to secure a position there at the university, he resorted to taking a post as a professional singer in the Hofkapelle of Duke Ernst der Fromme (d. 1675). He was employed as court singer at Gotha in 1671, Bremen in 1672–1673, Hamburg in 1673 and Copenhagen and Lübeck, where in 1674 he met Buxtehude, whose work influenced Meder’s own sacred compositions. From 1674 to 1680 he was Kantor at the Gymnasium at Reval (now Tallinn, Estonia). After a sojourn in Riga (now in Latvia), in 1685-1686 he succeeded Balthasar Erben as Kapellmeister at the Marienkirche in Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland)

Johann Vierdanck

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Johann Vierdanck (also Virdanck, Vyrdanck, Feyertagk, Feyerdank, Fierdanck; ca. 1605–1646) was a German violinist, cornettist, and composer of the Baroque period. Life Vierdanck was born near Dresden. In 1615 he joined the court chapel of Dresden, where he became a student of Heinrich Schütz and of William Brade. His instrumental works were influenced by the Italian violinist Carlo Farina, also active in the Dresden court. After visits to Copenhagen and Lübeck, Vierdanck occupied the post of organist in Stralsund from 1635 until his death. He was buried in Stralsund on 1 April 1646. The group Parnassi Musici has recorded several of his instrumental works, from his 1641 publication, for the CD label Classic Produktion Osnabrück. Compositions *Instrumental **Erster Theil Newer Pavanen, Gagliarden, Balletten vnd Correnten m. 2 V. u. einem Violon nebenst dem basso continuo (1637, Greifswald) *Vocal Music **Erster Theil Geistlichen Concerten für 2 - 4 St. und B.c. (Greifswald, 1641/43) **Ander Theil Geistlicher Concerten mit 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. vnd 9. St. nebenst einem gedoppelten B.c. (Rostok, 1643) **Cantate: Der Herr hat seinen Engeln befohlen **Cantate: Ich freue mich im Herrn (Greifs

Johann Wolfgang Franck

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Johann Wolfgang Franck (17 June 1644 in Unterschwaningen, Mittelfranken – c. 1710 in London) was a German baroque composer. Life He worked from 1673 to 1679 as Kapellmeister in Ansbach and then lived from 1679 to 1690 in Hamburg. Here he initially composed several geistliche Sing-Spiele for the Oper am Gänsemarkt. From 1682 to 1685 he held the position of cantor in St. Mary’s Cathedral. From 1690 he lived in London. Together with Robert King, he went there first as a concert promoter (1690 to 1693) and was thereafter only active as composer. Besides operas, he produced some songs (especially for the Concerts in London), cantatas and numerous hymn tunes. Works Operas *Die errettete Unschuld, oder Andromeda und Perseus, Ansbach, 1675 *Der verliebte Föbus, Ansbach, 1678 *Die drey Töchter (des) Cecrops, Ansbach, 1679 *Don Pedro, oder Die abgestraffte Eyffersucht, Hamburg, 1679 *Die macchabaeische Mutter mit ihren sieben Söhnen, Hamburg, 1679 *Pastorelle, Lustschloss, Triesdorff, Ansbach, 1679 *Die wohl- und beständig-liebende Michal, oder Der siegende und fliehende David, Hamburg, 1679 *Aeneae, des trojanischen Fürsten Ankunft in Italien, Hamburg, 1680 *Alceste, Hamburg, 1680 *Sein sel

Johannes Schenck

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Johannes Schenck (or Johan Schenk, 3 June 1660–after 1712) was a Dutch musician and composer. Schenck was born in Amsterdam and baptized in a Catholic hidden church. He became a renowned virtuoso viola da gamba player. His compositions included music for a Dutch Singspiel, Bacchus, Ceres en Venus, which can claim to be the first opera in Dutch, and from which songs were published in 1687, as well as works for the viola da gamba. Around 1696 he accepted an appointment to the court of Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine in Düsseldorf. After Johann Wilhelm’s death in 1716, the electoral court moved to Mannheim. There is some uncertainty about the date of Schenck’s death as there is no mention found in the Düsseldorf Protestant church records or parish and cemetery records in Amsterdam. His last known published work appeared in 1712. He is no longer mentioned in the list of court musicians compiled in 1717. Works * op. 1 Eenige gezangen, uit de opera von Bacchus, Ceres en Venus, Amsterdam, heirs of Paul Matthys, Author, 1687. (27 arias for voice and b.c.) * op. 2 Tyd en Konst-Oeffeningen, Amsterdam, Pierre Pickaert, 1688. (15 sonatas for viola da gamba and b.c.) * op. 3 Il Giardino Armoni

John Abell

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John Abell (1653 – after 1724) was a Scottish countertenor, composer and lutenist. Life and career John Abell was born in 1653 in Aberdeenshire and by 1 May 1679 he had become a member of the Chapel Royal. He was listed as a singer, lutenist and violinist for King Charles II. He was sent to Venice by the king as an example of a high quality English voice, returning by 1682. Between 1679 and 1688, he received large amounts of money from the king to study. During this time he graduated from Cambridge with a MusB and married Lady Frances Knollys on 29 December 1685. During the Glorious Revolution of 1688 he fled to continental Europe, where he won fame and wealth by his singing. There are several anecdotes relating to his travels from this time, several from the writings of Hawkins. however, he declined. In Kassel he was made Intendant of Music (1698–1699), before returning to England around 1700, where in 1701 he performed the title role in Daniel Purcell’s The Judgment of Paris: in the following year his coronation song for Queen Anne, Aloud proclaim the cheerful sound, was performed. He also gave public and private concerts, and taught music. Furthermore, he wrote and compiled song

John Banister (composer)

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John Banister (1630 – 3 October 1679) was an English musical composer and violinist. Early life Banister was the son of one of the waits (municipal musicians) of the parish of St. Giles-in-the-Fields, and that profession he at first followed. His father was his first instructor, and he arrived at such proficiency on the violin that Charles II became interested in him and sent him for further education to France. On his return, Charles appointed him to the post of leader of his own band, vacated by the death of Thomas Baltzar in 1663. Court life About 1666–1667 he is said to have been dismissed by the king for an impertinent remark concerning the appointment of French musicians to the royal band. This seems to be referred to in Pepys’s Diary, dated 20 February 1666 – 1667, although Banister’s name occurs in a list of the King’s Chapel in 1668. Concerts On 30 December 1672, he inaugurated a series of concerts at his own house, which are remarkable as being the first lucrative concerts given in London. One peculiarity of the arrangements was that the audience, on payment of one shilling, were entitled to demand what music they wished to be performed. These entertainments continued to

John Blow

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John Blow (baptised 23 February 1649 – 1 October 1708) was an English composer and organist of the Baroque period. Appointed organist of Westminster Abbey in late 1668, his pupils included William Croft, Jeremiah Clarke and Henry Purcell. In 1685 he was named a private musician to James II. His only stage composition, Venus and Adonis (ca. 1680–1687), is thought to have influenced Henry Purcell’s later opera Dido and Aeneas. In 1687, he became choirmaster at St Paul’s Cathedral, where many of his pieces were performed. In 1699 he was appointed to the newly created post of Composer to the Chapel Royal. Early life and education Blow was probably born in the village of Collingham, Nottinghamshire. The parish registers at Newark record the baptisms of Blow and of his brother and sister, the marriage of his parents, and the burial of his father. The register of degrees at Lambeth notes that in 1677, on taking his doctorate, Blow said that his birthplace was ’the faithful borough of Newark’. As he was baptised on 23 February 1649, he was likely born only a short while before. As a boy, he was selected as a chorister of the Chapel Royal, and distinguished himself by his proficiency in mus

John Eccles (composer)

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John Eccles (1668 – 12 January 1735) was an English composer. Born in London, eldest son of professional musician Solomon Eccles and brother of fellow composer Henry Eccles, John Eccles was appointed to the King’s Private Music in 1694, and in 1700 became Master of the King’s Musick. In the latter year he finished second in a competition to write music for William Congreve’s masque The Judgement of Paris (the winner was John Weldon). Eccles was very active as a composer for the theatre, and from the 1690s wrote a large amount of incidental music including music for Congreve’s Love for Love, John Dryden’s The Spanish Friar and William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Jointly with Henry Purcell he wrote incidental music for Thomas d’Urfey’s Don Quixote. He became a composer to Drury Lane theatre in 1693 and when some of the actors broke off to form their own company at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in 1695, he composed music for them as well including for John Dennis’s Rinaldo and Armida. Eccles also wrote music for the coronation of Queen Anne and a number of songs. Many of his most famous songs, such as “I burn, I burn” were composed for the actress-singer Anne Bracegirdle to perform. Recognizing Ecc

John Frederick Lampe

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John Frederick Lampe (born Johann Friedrich Lampe; probably 1703 – 25 July 1751) was a musician and composer. Life Lampe was born in the Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire. He came to England in 1724 and played the bassoon in opera houses. In 1730, he was hired by John Rich to be the composer for Covent Garden Theatre. During his time as a bassoonist in London opera houses, in 1727, he played at the coronation of King George II. Like the composer Thomas Arne, Lampe wrote operatic works in English in defiance of the vogue for Italian opera popularized by George Frideric Handel and Nicola Porpora. Lampe, along with Henry Carey and J. S. Smith, founded the short-lived English Opera Project. He became a friend of Charles Wesley, and wrote several tunes to accompany Wesley’s hymns. His works for the stage include the mock operas Pyramus and Thisbe (1745) and The Dragon of Wantley (1734), which ran for 69 nights, a record for the time, surpassing The Beggar’s Opera. From November 1750 until his death, Lampe was based in Dublin and later in Edinburgh. He is buried in Canongate Kirkyard on the Royal Mile. The grave lies to the northeast of the church behind the Fettes vault. Works *Th

John Hebden

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John Hebden (1712–1765) was a composer and musician in 18th century Great Britain. Little is known of Hebden’s life. He was baptized on 21 July 1712 at Spofforth, near Harrogate in Yorkshire, the son of ‘John Hebdin’ of Plompton. He was orphaned when young but was fortunate enough to receive an excellent education, including musical tuition. He lived most of his life in York. In 1732, he married Mary Prestland. Their first son, John, born in 1733, survived only a short time. A second son was baptized in 1736, but Mary died shortly afterwards, in 1737. Hebden was left with the responsibility of bringing up his small son and working long hours earning enough to live. When Hebden was dying, he arranged for money to be left in trust for his son, to be released in only small amounts. Around 1742, Hebden moved to London, and when composer Thomas Arne enlarged the orchestra at Vauxhall Gardens in 1745, he became the principal cellist and bassoonist. It is also known that he played in a performance of Messiah directed by George Frideric Handel himself, to raise money for the Foundling Hospital. Hebden was principally an orchestral player and as such his social status and his income would h

John IV of Portugal

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Dom John IV (; 19 March 1604 – 6 November 1656), also known by the Portuguese as John the Restorer (), was the King of Portugal from 1640 until his death in 1656. He restored the independence of Portugal from Habsburg Spanish rule a claimant to the crown during the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580. On the eve of his death in 1656, the Portuguese Empire was at its territorial zenith, spanning the globe. Early life John IV was born at Vila Viçosa and succeeded his father Teodósio II as Duke of Braganza when the latter died insane in 1630. He married Luisa de Guzmán (1613–66), the eldest daughter of Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzmán, 8th Duke of Medina Sidonia, in 1633. John was described as having blonde hair and an average height. Reign Accession When Philip II of Portugal (III of Spain) died, he was succeeded by his son Philip III (IV of Spain), who had a different approach to Portuguese issues. Taxes on the Portuguese merchants were raised, the Portuguese nobility began to lose its influence, and government posts in Portugal were increasingly occupied by Spaniards. Ultimately, Philip III tried to make Portugal a Spanish province, meaning Portuguese nobles stood to lose all of their

John Ravenscroft (composer)

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John Ravenscroft (c. 1665 – 12 October 1697), also known as Giovanni Ravenscroft and Giovanni Rederi, was an English violinist and composer of the Baroque era, who moved to Rome. He was possibly a pupil of Arcangelo Corelli, by whom he was strongly influenced, and around the middle of the 18th century some of Ravenscroft’s trio sonatas were misattributed to Corelli. He is not to be confused with the English wait John Ravenscroft (fl. c. 1730). Biography Ravenscroft was born c. 1665, in London. He moved to Rome, where in 1695 he published his Opus 1 under the name “Giovanni Ravenscroft, alias Rederi, Inglese”. He died in Rome on 12 October 1697, leaving a collection of 5 violins and 44 paintings. the Amsterdam printer Michel-Charles Le Cène published nine of the sonatas from Ravenscroft’s Opus 1 with a spurious Corelli opus number of 7. See also *Robert Valentine (composer), Ravenscroft’s English contemporary who also moved to Rome. Notes References * * * * * * External links *

John Reading (copyist)

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John Reading (c. 1685/86 – 2 September 1764) was an English composer, organist and copyist (his name, like the town, is pronounced “Redding"a spelling variant of his name which occurs in several documents). His greatest importance lies in his work as a transcriber, arranger, and copyist of a wide variety of music. Life Little is known of John Reading’s early life. He was probably the son of the composer and organist John Reading (c. 1645–1692) who from 1681 until his death was organist and Master of the Choristers at Winchester College. The younger Reading received the best possible musical training, being a chorister of the Chapel Royal, where he was taught by John Blow. He would almost certainly have sung at the funerals of Henry Purcell and Queen Mary. It was tradition, when the choristers’ voices broke, for the Chapel Royal to find them their first appointment. Reading was placed as organist at Dulwich College, a position he held for two years (1700–1702), after which he moved to Lincoln Cathedral, becoming Master of the Choristers there in 1703, a post that his father had previously held. By 1708 he was organist of St John’s, Hackney in London, a position he held for some 20 y

John Weldon (musician)

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John Weldon (19 January 1676 – 7 May 1736) was an English composer. Life Born at Chichester in the south of England, he was educated at Eton College, where he was a chorister, and later received musical instruction from Henry Purcell. By 1694 Weldon had been appointed organist of New College in Oxford and became well known in the musical life of that city, writing music for masques as well as performing his organist duties. Some believe he set Shakespeare’s play The Tempest to music in 1695, although others attribute that to Henry Purcell. Weldon moved to London and in 1701 took part in a competition to set Congreve’s libretto The Judgement of Paris to music. Perhaps surprisingly, Weldon’s setting was chosen over contributions by his older, more experienced and better-known competitors, Daniel Purcell (younger brother of Henry), John Eccles and Godfrey Finger. Even more curiously, Purcell’s and Eccles’s scores were later published by John Walsh. Weldon’s however was not and remains in manuscript, though the lack of recognition of his relatively new name may also have played a part. There is some evidence to suggest that the judges of the competition were not entirely impartial, tho

José de Nebra

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José Melchor Baltasar Gaspar Nebra Blasco (January 6, 1702 – July 11, 1768) was a Spanish composer and organist from the Baroque period. His work combines Spanish traditions with the Italian style of his day. Biography Family José de Nebra was born in Calatayud and was taught by his father, José Antonio Nebra Mezquita (1672–1748), organist and master of choirboys at the Cathedral of Cuenca from 1711 until 1729 before becoming chapel master. His two brothers were also musicians: Francisco Javier Nebra Blasco (1705–1741), organist of La Seo in Zaragoza until he moved to Cuenca in 1729, then succeeded by his brother Joaquín Ignacio Nebra Blasco (1709–1782) till his death. Career José de Nebra relocated to Madrid early in his career, where he served as the organist at the Descalzas Reales convent in 1719. In 1722, he joined the chapel of the Osuna noble household. There, he started composing music for commercial theatres in Madrid alongside Antonio Literes and Antonio Duni. Nebra then became an organist at the Descalzas Reales convent and at the royal chapel on May 22, 1724. That August, Nebra was appointed supernumerary organist with the promise of a promotion to first organist if an

José de Torres

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José de Torres y Martínez Bravo (16701738) was a Spanish composer, organist, music theorist and music publisher. Biography Torres was born in Madrid, where he served as organist of the capilla real from 1697. With the arrival of the Bourbons, Torres was expelled from the capilla, but avoided exile and was rehabilitated. From 1702 he established a music printing press, Imprenta de Música, the first in Iberia. With the continuing exile of Sebastián Durón, Torres served the former Duke of Anjou, now Philip V of Spain, as maestro de capilla and rector of the boys choir (Colegio de Niños Cantorcicos), replacing the interim maestros Matías Cabrera and Nicolás Humanes, in 1707. He held this post until his death. He died in Madrid. He was the author of various musical works. These include “Reglas generales para acompañar órgano, clavicordio o arpa” (Madrid, 1702) a work covering accompaniment techniques for organ, clavichord and harp and a book of masses dedicated to Philip V of Spain. His work “Arte de canto llano” was published in 1705 and subsequently augmented was a “corrected and augmented” edition of the work by the same name of Francisco de Montanos. It contains a number of composit

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier

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Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (23 December 1689 – 28 October 1755) was a French baroque composer of chamber music, cantatas, opéra-ballets, and vocal music. Boismortier was one of the first composers to have no patrons: having obtained a royal licence for engraving music in 1724, he made enormous sums of money by publishing his music for sale to the public. Biography The Boismortier family moved from the composer’s birthplace in Thionville (in Lorraine) to the town of Metz (in the Three Bishoprics) where he received his musical education from Joseph Valette de Montigny fr , a well-known composer of motets. The Boismortier family then followed Montigny and moved to Perpignan, Rousillon, in 1713 where Boismortier found employment in the Royal Tobacco Control. Boismortier married Marie Valette, the daughter of a rich goldsmith and a relative of his teacher Montigny. In 1724 Boismortier and his wife moved to Paris where he began a prodigious composition career, writing for many instruments and voices. He was prolific: his first works appeared in Paris in 1724, and by 1747 he had published more than 100 works in various vocal and instrumental combinations. His music, particularly for the

Joseph Gibbs (composer)

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Joseph Gibbs (23 December 169812 December 1788), was an English composer. He was not prolific, but he was not entirely unknown. Biography Gibbs was born in Dedham, Essex to John Gibbs and Judith Gibbs. He had an older brother, Edward, born four years before. Little is known of his life, until 1748, when he was appointed organist at the Church of St. Mary-le-Tower, Ipswich, and his first published work, Eight solos for violin with a thorough bass, appeared. Only one other work (six quartettos) is known to have been published in the remaining forty years of his active musical life. The purchase of a Gainsborough in 1928 by the National Portrait Gallery created a renewed interest in Joseph Gibbs. This painting of Gibbs was hitherto unknown and handed down through generations of Gibbs’s family who were the only ones aware of its existence. Ipswich had a lively Music Club in which Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788) was a keen and passionate member. It is during this period that Gainsborough painted a portrait of his friend Joseph Gibbs. In the background of this portrait are two volumes. One is titled Corelli and the other Gem (presumably Francesco Geminiani). Acknowledgement of these name

Joseph Michel (composer)

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Joseph Michel (1679–1736) was an 18th-century French baroque chorister, composer and music teacher of the Sainte Chapelle of Dijon, demolished in 1802. A contemporary of Jean-Philippe Rameau, his reputation extended far beyond the boundaries of the city of Versailles and the Province of Burgundy. Born at Bay-sur-Aube, and educated at the Jesuit college of Godrans, Michel was a pupil of Pierre Menault and also for a few years, of Jean-Philippe Rameau, choirmaster to the Sainte-Chapelle du Roi in Dijon, where he became a Canon in 1717. In his later works, one can clearly see the emerging galant style in his music. From a letter in the archives of Versailles, it is clear that Michel intended to become kapellmeister for the royal court, but his premature death prevented this. Works, editions and recordings * Domine in virtute tua * Miserere * Leçons de Jérémie (1935) * Dominus regnavit exultet terra * Quid retribuam tibi * Leçons de ténèbres - recorded by (1) Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel for Naxos in 1997, (2) Hervé Lamy, Mundo Corde 2012. See also *Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi *Jean-Baptiste Lully Additional informations Sources * References ;Attribution *This article is b

Joseph Riepel

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Joseph Riepel (Rainbach im Mühlkreis, 22 January 1709 - Regensburg, 23 October 1782) was an Austrian-born German music theorist, composer and violinist. Riepel is known for his theoretical work, especially for his innovations in theory of melody and form. Riepel’s writings form one of the foundations for the theory of composition of the later 18th century. He was violin teacher to František Xaver Pokorný. Riepel was the son of a farmer and innkeeper. He attended the Jesuit College in Steyr and began philosophical studies in Linz and Graz, but distinguished himself early on as a violinist. In 1735–1736 he toured the Balkan Peninsula as valet of General Alexander Graf d’Ollone in the 7th Austrian war against the Turks. From 1739 to 1745 he lived in Dresden, where he claims to have regularly frequented Jan Dismas Zelenka and the concertmaster Johann Georg Pisendel had by his own admission and received his first real musical training here. After living in Poland and Vienna, in 1749 he was band master at the court of the Princes of Thurn and Taxis in Regensburg, where he spent the rest of his life and created his theoretical writings and the majority of his compositions. Riepel’s major

Joseph-Hector Fiocco

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Joseph-Hector Fiocco (20 January 1703 – 21 June 1741), born in Brussels, was a composer and harpsichordist of the late Baroque period. His father, the Italian composer Pietro Antonio Fiocco, and one of his older step-brothers Jean-Joseph Fiocco gave him much of his musical education. He also learned Greek and Latin well enough to be able to become a school teacher in both those subjects. Joseph Hector Fiocco worked under his stepbrother’s direction at the Ducal Chapel of the Notre-Dame du Sablon most sources cite some time before 1730. In 1730, Joseph Hector became sous-maitre (submaster) of the Notre-Dame du Sablon; he did not keep this position for long, because he resigned in 1731 to become sangmeester (choirmaster) at Antwerp Cathedral. At Antwerp (1731–37) he was in charge of the music. In 1737 he returned to his birthplace and worked in the Collegiate Church of St. Michael and St. Gudula (future cathedral of Brussels). He died in Brussels at the age of 38. In connection with his cathedral employment, Fiocco wrote many choral works, including motets and Mass settings. Some of his most significant compositions are Lamentations du Jeudi Saint, a Missa solemnis and Pièces de Clav

Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer

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Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer (12 May 1703 – 11 January 1755) was a French Baroque composer, harpsichordist, organist, and administrator. Biography Born in Turin, Royer went to Paris in 1725, and in 1734 became maître de musique des enfants de France, responsible for the musical education of the children of the king, Louis XV. Together with the violinist Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, Royer directed the Concerts Spirituels starting in 1748. Royer was at the Paris Opéra during the 1730s and the 1750s, writing six operas himself, of which the best known is the ballet héroïque Zaïde, reine de Grenade. In 1753, he acquired the prestigious position of music director of the chambre du roi (the king’s chamber), and in the same year was named director of the Royal Opera orchestra. He died in Paris in 1755, at the age of 51. Works Royer is particularly known for his often extravagant and virtuosic harpsichord music, especially “La Marche des Scythes”, which ends his first book of harpsichord pieces. Operas Other works *1746: Premier livre de pièces de clavecin (1746) # La Majestueuse, courante # La Zaïde, rondeau (Tendrement) # Les Matelots (Modérément) # Premier et deuxième tambourins, suite

Josse Boutmy

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Josse Boutmy (1 February 1697 – 27 November 1779) was a composer, organist and harpsichordist of the Austrian Netherlands who established himself in Brussels. Background Boutmy was born in Ghent. He was born into a musical family; his grandfather, father, brother and sons were all musicians, also called the Boutmy Dynasty. He worked with Anselm Franz, 2nd Prince of Thurn and Taxis (1736) and at the chapel royal of Brussels (1744-1777). Boutmy married a woman named Katrina from Westphalia. Although Boutmy was a court organist and famous in his day, he was reduced at the age of eighty to appeals for charity and petitioned the court for retirement. He died in Brussels, without receiving a pension, leaving his wife and twelve children, who also petitioned the court for charity. Works Boutmy composed three collections of pieces for the harpsichord: * First book (1738) * Second book (1738) * Third book, dedicated to governor Charles of Lorraine (ca. 1749) His style incorporates multiple European influences: French (Rameau, Duphly), Italian (Domenico Scarlatti), German (Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach) and his harpsichord books mix dance pieces belonging to the suite form, character pieces and

Juan Bautista Cabanilles

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Juan Bautista José Cabanilles (also Juan Bautista Josep, Valencian: Joan) (6 September 1644 in Algemesí near Valencia – 29 April 1712 in Valencia) was a Spanish organist and composer at Valencia Cathedral. Biography He probably began his musical career as a singer in a choir of a local church. Later he studied to become a priest in the cathedral at Valencia, which included lessons in music. On 15 May 1665, he was named the assistant organist of the cathedral. A year later, upon the death of his predecessor, he became the principal organist. On 22 September 1668 he was ordained as a priest. He kept his position as principal organist for 45 years, but from 1703 on his health often necessitated that a substitute be found. From 1675 to 1677 he also took charge of teaching the children in the cathedral choir. No portrait or likeness of Cabanilles is known to exist; the portrait accompanying certain Facebook pages and other internet articles is of the botanist Antonio José Cavanilles (1745–1804). Works Many of Cabanilles’s compositions are virtuosic and advanced for their time, but generally, he is in the Spanish tradition of keyboard music following 16th century patterns. The majority o

Juan de Lienas

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Juan de Lienas ( ) was a composer active in Latin America during the early to mid-17th century. He also served as a chapel master and conductor in the Catholic Church. Much of his life is still a mystery, but what is known comes from accounts in the only two manuscripts that include his compositions: El Codice del Convento del Carmen and the Newberry Choirbooks. Some of these comments are unflattering to the composer, insulting his appearance and personality. He is identified as a cacique (a native of noble birth), an Indian, and a married man, all of which may have kept him from higher standing within the church. One scholar indicates that he may have been born in Spain. Most scholars place him in Mexico in the employ of the convent connected to the cathedral of Mexico City, but one asserts that he also worked in Havana. His music is indicative of the early Renaissance, following the Polyphonic styles of composers such as Francisco Guerrero and Cristóbal de Morales. He is often associated with Juan Hernandez, Fernando Franco, and Francisco López. The latter two also had compositions in the Carmen Codex. His known compositions include: two masses (one of which is a Requiem), eleven

Juan Francés de Iribarren

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Juan Francés de Iribarren (1699 in Sangüesa – 2 September 1767 in Málaga) was a Spanish late baroque composer. Life and career Iribarren was christened on 24 March 1699 at the Church of St. James the Great in Sangüesa. He was a choirboy in the capilla real under José de Torres, who in 1717 recommended him for the post of organist at the Old Cathedral of Salamanca, where he remained for 16 years until 1733. In 1733 he came second in the competition for maestro de capilla at the Cathedral of Malaga, and was awarded the position when the winner, Manuel Martinez Delgado, died suddenly. In 1741, Irribaren’s salary was raised to prevent him taking the post of maestro di cappella of the Cathedral of Valladolid, thereafter he remained in Malaga until his retirement, a year before his death. He is buried in the cathedral. Works According to the New Grove extant works include: * 521 vocal works in Spanish: :390 villancicos, 109 cantatas, 22 arias * 385 vocal works in Latin: : 120 motets, 69 psalms, 39 antiphons, 27 masses, 26 lamentations, 25 hymns, 21 misereres, 19 magnificats, 14 sequentia, 6 responsories, 5 invitatorios, 5 nunc dimittis, 4 Oficios de difuntos, 3 lecciones, 1 Stabat Mater,

Juan Hidalgo de Polanco

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Juan Hidalgo de Polanco (28 September 1614 – 31 March 1685) was a Spanish composer and harpist who became the most influential composer of his time in the Hispanic world writing the music for the first two operas created in Spanish. He is considered by many to be the father of Spanish opera and of the zarzuela. Hidalgo was born and died in Madrid. In either 1630 or 1631 he became a harpist at the Spanish royal chapel where he was responsible for the accompaniment of both sacred and secular music and also played for the King of Spain, King Philip IV. Around 1645 he began to serve as leader of the court’s chamber musicians and chief composer of villancicos, chamber songs, and music for the theatre. He personifies the origins of Spanish opera with the work Celos aun del aire matan (es) by the illustrious playwright Calderon de la Barca, based on the story of Cephalus and Procris told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, released on 5 December 1660 to celebrate the third birthday of prince Felipe Prospero. It is considered the oldest opera preserved in Spain. Juan Hidalgo dominated secular and theatrical music at the Spanish court until his death. He was a prolific composer and enjoyed a great dea

Juan Pérez Roldán

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Juan Pérez Roldán (1604–1672) was a Spanish composer. He was born in Calahorra and likely died in Zaragoza, Spain. Roldán began as a choirboy at Calahorra Cathedral in 1617. He was appointed maestro de capilla at the collegiate church of Berlanga in 1636, Calahorra Cathedral in 1639, Málaga Cathedral in 1642, La Encarnación in 1648, Las Descalzas in 1655, Segovia Cathedral in 1664, León Cathedral in 1671, and finally spent his last years at El Pilar de Zaragoza, 1671–1672. He also served briefly as the claustrero and choirmaster at the Toledo Cathedral in 1636, and presbyter and the king’s chaplain in 1661. A letter from King João IV of Portugal in 1654 describes Roldán’s fame, but also describes him as “lazy and prone to attributing others’ work to himself”. In 1670, while being presbyter and the king’s chaplain, as well as maestro de capilla at La Encarnación and Segovia Cathedral, he disappeared, breaking all of his commitments and taking all of this scores and belongings. In 1671, while working at the León Cathedral, his debts were forgiven and he was given 300 ducats in exchange for giving his scores back to the church. Given his reluctance to turn his scores over to the churc

Lady Mary Dering

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Lady Mary Dering (née Mary Harvey; baptised 3 September 1629 – 7 February 1704) was an English composer of the Baroque period. Three of her songs were included in the Select Ayres and Dialogues (1655), a collection published by Dering’s teacher Henry Lawes. Life The daughter of Daniel Harvey and Elizabeth Kynnersley, Mary Harvey was baptised in Croydon on 3 September 1629, and therefore probably born within a day or two of that. Daniel Harvey was a wealthy London merchant and member of the Levant Company, his eldest brother being the anatomist William Harvey. Mary Harvey was sent to Mrs. Salmon’s school in Hackney, London, where her friends included Mary Aubrey (later her sister-in-law, and niece of John Aubrey) and poet Katherine Philips (the Matchless Orinda). In 1645, she married her cousin and father’s former apprentice, William Hauke; this was without her father’s consent, and it was quickly annulled. The man her father arranged for her to marry, and whom she did on 5 April 1648, was Sir Edward Dering. The marriage turned out well; the couple produced seventeen children (seven of whom died young), as well as poems and music. Despite bearing so many children, Dering outlived he

Lambert Chaumont

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Lambert Chaumont (c. 1630 – April 1712) was a Flemish Baroque composer and organist. Chaumont was from the Liège area, possibly born in that city. The earliest mention of his name dates from January 1649, when he is listed as a lay brother at the Carmelite monastery at Liège. He was still there in October 1651, and then a monastery accounts entry dated 8 May 1659 lists Chaumont among the nine brothers who completed their novitiates at the monastery at Reims. Nothing is known about the next 15 years of Chamount’s life. On 10 February 1674 he was made rector of the parish of St. Martin’s Church at Huy. The post was insignificant, and the church and the parish were very small, but eventually Chaumont’s career progressed further. On 7 September 1688 he became priest of the parish of the nearby St. Germain’s Church, and pater of the Carmelites at Huy. He occupied these positions until his death in 1712. Chaumont’s extant oeuvre comprises a collection of organ music, Pièces d’orgue (Huy, 1695), and a work of piety published in 1709. At least one more collection of music is lost. Although he evidently spent most of his life in Liège and Huy, Chamount’s style in his organ pieces is entirel

Le Sieur de Machy

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Machy, known as Le Sieur de Machy (fl. 1655–1700) was a French viol player, composer, and teacher remembered principally for his Pièces de Violle en Musique et en Tablature (1685), a valuable source of information on the performance practices of his time. “The publication of the Pièces de Violle (..) unleashed a veritable polemic or querelle with Jean Rousseau concerning the “true manner of playing the viol”, which had been described by Machy with a wealth of details in the prologue to his work (..)”. As a reply to Machy’s 1685 prologue, Rousseau in 1688 published Réponce de Monsieur Rousseau. This polemic and a general discussion of Machy was treated by Ng in 2008. Machy studied with Nicolas Hotman. He resided in Paris from at least 1692. He described himself as the first composer whose viola da gamba works were published. This is not technically correct, as the collection Fantaisies pour les violles by Nicolas Métru had already been published in 1642. These and other earlier pieces were, however, written as duets for treble and bass viol, while Machy, in his Pièces de violle (1685), preferred polyphonic playing for solo gamba in the tradition of Nicolas Hotman, André Maugars and

Lelio Colista

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Lelio Colista (13 January 1629, Rome – 13 October 1680, Rome) was an Italian Baroque composer, lutenist, and guitarist. Funded by his father, who held an important position in the Vatican Library, Colista early received an excellent musical education, probably at the Seminario Romano. He mastered several instruments, especially the lute, guitar, and theorbo. Already at the age of 30, he held a lucrative post of custode delle pittore at the papal chapel. In the decade that followed (the 1660s) he was maestro di cappella at the titular church in Rome San Marcello al Corso; two oratorios he wrote for San Marcello in 1661 and 1667 are now lost. His works are usually referred to by the thematic catalogue by Antonella D’Ovidio, denoted WK. References and further reading * External links *

Leonardo Leo

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Leonardo Leo (5 August 1694 – 31 October 1744), more correctly Leonardo Ortensio Salvatore de Leo, was a Baroque composer. Biography Leo was born in San Vito degli Schiavoni (currently known as San Vito dei Normanni, province of Brindisi) in the Apulia region, then part of the Kingdom of Naples. He became a student at the Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini at Naples in 1703, and was a pupil first of Francesco Provenzale and later of Nicola Fago. It has been supposed that he was a pupil of Pitoni and Alessandro Scarlatti, but he could not possibly have studied with either of these composers, although he was undoubtedly influenced by their compositions. His earliest known work was a sacred drama, L’infedeltà abbattuta, performed by his fellow-students in 1712. In 1714 he produced, at the court theatre, an opera, Pisistrato, which was much admired. He held various posts at the royal chapel, and continued to write for the stage, besides teaching at the conservatory. After adding comic scenes to Francesco Gasparini’s Bajazette in 1722 for performance at Naples, he composed comic operas in Neapolitan such as La’mpeca scoperta in 1723, and L’Alidoro in 1740. His most famous comic oper

Leonardo Vinci

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Leonardo Vinci (1690 – 27 May 1730) was an Italian Baroque composer known chiefly for his 40 or so operas. Comparatively little of his work in other genres survives. A central proponent of the Neapolitan School of opera, his influence on subsequent opera composers such as Johann Adolph Hasse and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi was considerable. Life and career He was born at Strongoli and educated at Naples under Gaetano Greco in the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo. He first became known for his opere buffe (comic operas) in the Neapolitan language in 1719; he also composed many opere serie (dramatic operas). He was received into the Congregation of the Rosary, a lay religious and burial fraternity, at Formiello in 1728. He died in May 1730. Vinci is rumoured to have been poisoned by a jealous husband in the wake of an ill-advised affair, a story which is given by several reliable authorities without evident contradictions. Music Vinci’s opere buffe, of which Li zite ’ngalera (1722) is generally regarded as the best, are full of life and spirit; his opere serie, of which Didone Abbandonata (Rome, 1726) and Artaserse (Rome, 1730) are the most notable, have an incisive vigour and

Leonora Baroni

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Leonora Baroni (December 1611 – 6 April 1670) was an Italian singer, theorbist, lutenist, viol player, and composer of the Baroque period. Biography Life and career Leonora Baroni was the daughter of Adriana Basile, a virtuosa singer, and Mutio Baroni. She was born at the Gonzaga court in Mantua. From 1624 to 1633. Baroni sang alongside her mother and sister Caterina at court and across Italy, including cities such as Naples, Genoa, and Florence. She was admired not only for her skill as a musician, in which she almost overshadowed her mother, but also for her learning and refined manners. She was even known to speak many different languages. Baroni was a gifted singer as well as a gifted instrumentalist on both the theorbo and viol. Baroni’s mother performed on the lira, while her sister played the harp. Baroni was honored by poets such as Fulvio Testi and Francesco Bracciolini, who addressed poems to her, as did some nobles, such as Annibale Bentivoglio and then-cardinal Pope Clement IX. These poems were collected and published as Applausi poetici alle glorie della Signora Leonora Baroni in 1639 and reprinted in 1641. John Milton later wrote a series of epigrams to her, entitled

Leonora Duarte

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Leonora Duarte (1610 – 1678?) was a Baroque Flemish composer and musician, born in Antwerp. She belonged to a wealthy Portuguese-Jewish family who were major patrons of the arts and music. She was baptized into the Catholic faith on 28 July 1610. Duarte composed seven sinfonias which are the only known pieces of music written for viol by a woman in the 17th century. Life Family Leonora Duarte’s paternal grandparents, Diego Duarte I (c. 1544-1626) and Leonora Rodrigues (c.1565-1632) originally lived in Lisbon, Portugal until they were forced to flee during the Portuguese Inquisition. They most likely arrived in Antwerp around the year 1571. Practicing Judaism in Antwerp was illegal, so the family became conversos, meaning they outwardly acted as Catholics while secretly maintaining their Jewish faith and practices. Leonora was the first-born child of Gaspar Duarte (c.1584-1653) and Catharina Rodrigues (1584-1644), and she had three sisters and two brothers; Diego II (1612-1691), Catharina (1614-1678), Gaspar II (1616-c.1685), Francisca (1619-1678), and Isabella (1620-1685). In addition to his business in jewels, Gaspar and Diego were also heavily involved in the collection, trading,

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

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Leopold I (Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Franz Felician; ; 9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, by his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain, Leopold became heir apparent in 1654 after the death of his elder brother Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans. Elected in 1658, Leopold ruled the Holy Roman Empire until his death in 1705, becoming the second-longest-ruling emperor (46 years and 9 months) of the House of Habsburg. He was both a composer and a considerable patron of music. Leopold’s reign is known for conflicts with the Ottoman Empire in the Great Turkish War (1683–1699) and rivalry with Louis XIV, a contemporary and first cousin (on the maternal side; fourth cousin on the paternal side), in the west. After more than a decade of warfare, Leopold emerged victorious in the east thanks to the military talents of Prince Eugene of Savoy. By the Treaty of Karlowitz, Leopold recovered almost all of the Kingdom of Hungary, which had fallen under Turkish power in the years after the 1526 Battle of Mohács. Leopold fought three wars against France: the Franco-Dutch War, the Ni

Lluís Vicenç Gargallo

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Lluís Vicenç Gargallo otherwise Luis Vicente Gargallo (circa 1636 — 19 February 1682) was a musician and composer from the Baroque period. Biography Gargallo was born most probably in the Valencian Community. He entered as a child in the choir of the Valencia Cathedral towards 1648-1649 and stayed there until 1651 or 1652. There he received his first musical training given by the mestres de capella Francesc Navarro (until 1650) and Dídac Pontac. On 7 June 1659, Gargallo succeeded the mestre de capella of the Huesca Cathedral, a position where Vargas i Babán had preceded him. He resigned to the place on 15 November 1667 to join two days later in the Barcelona Cathedral in the same position. As usual, he entered temporarily until the death of the holder, Marcià Albareda (21 August 1673), replacing him after that. Among his disciples in Barcelona, there were the future mestres de capella and composers and Isidre Serrada. Gargallo died on 19 February 1682 in Barcelona, and was replaced temporarily by Jaume Riera, until took on the position on 13 July 1682. Of his compositional production, extensive as it would be expected from a mestre de capella, a minimum of 74 different compositions

Lodovico Giustini

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Lodovico Giustini (12 December 1685 – 7 February 1743) was an Italian composer and keyboard player of the late Baroque and early Classical eras. He was the first known composer ever to write music for the piano. Life Giustini was born in Pistoia, of a family of musicians which can be traced back to the early 17th century; coincidentally he was born in the same year as Bach, Scarlatti, and Handel. Giustini’s father was organist at the Congregazione dello Spirito Santo, a Jesuit-affiliated group, and an uncle, Domenico Giustini, was also a composer of sacred music. In 1725, on his father’s death, Giustini became organist at the Congregazione dello Spirito Santo, and acquired a reputation there as a composer of sacred music: mostly cantatas and oratorios. In 1728 he collaborated with Giovanni Carlo Maria Clari on a set of Lamentations which were performed that year. In 1734 he was hired as organist at S Maria dell’Umiltà, the Cathedral of Pistoia, a position he held for the rest of his life. In addition to playing the organ at both religious institutions, he performed on the harpsichord at numerous locations, often in his own oratorios. Works and influence Giustini’s main fame rests o

Loreto Vittori

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Loreto Vittori (5 September 1600 (baptized) – 23 April 1670) was an Italian castrato and composer. From 1622 until his death, he was a mezzo-soprano singer in the papal chapel in Rome. Life Vittori was born in Spoleto and educated in Rome. He then worked as a singer in Loreto and Spoleto. In 1618 Vittori was placed under the protection of the Medici family. He moved to Rome in 1621, first in the service of Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi, nephew of Pope Gregory XV, and in 1632 in the service of Cardinal Antonio Barberini, nephew of the future Urban VIII. He died in Rome, aged 69. Vittori sang at the premiere of Lo Sposalizio di Medoro et Angelica by Jacopo Peri and Marco da Gagliano in 1619, possibly as Angelica. He was Saint Ursula in La Regina Sant’Orsola by Marco da Gagliano in 1624. Back in Rome, the man was Falsirena in La Catena d’Adone by Domenico Mazzocchi in 1626. In 1628, Vittori took an unknown role in La Flora, ovvero Il natal de’ fiori (Flora, or The Birth of Flowers), an opera composed by Marco da Gagliano and Jacopo Peri to a libretto by Andrea Salvadori. He also performed at the wedding festivities of Margherita de’ Medici to Odoardo Farnese in Parma, probably as Galatea

Louis Couperin

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Louis Couperin (; – 29 August 1661) was a French Baroque composer and performer. He was born in Chaumes-en-Brie and moved to Paris in 1650–1651 with the help of Jacques Champion de Chambonnières. Couperin worked as organist of the Church of St. Gervais in Paris and as musician at the court. He quickly became one of the most prominent Parisian musicians, establishing himself as a harpsichordist, organist, and violist, but his career was cut short by his early death at the age of thirty-five. None of Couperin’s music was published during his lifetime, but manuscript copies of some 200 pieces survive, some of them only rediscovered in the mid-20th century. The first historically important member of the Couperin family, Couperin made contributions to the development of both the French organ school and the French harpsichord school. His innovations included composing organ pieces for specific registrations and inventing the genre of the unmeasured prelude for harpsichord, for which he devised a special type of notation. Life Most of the information about Couperin’s life comes from two sources. Le Parnasse François, a 1732 book by Évrard Titon du Tillet, contains a biographical sketch de

Louis Lully

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Louis Lully (4 August 1664 in Paris – 1 April 1734) was a French musician and the eldest son of Jean-Baptiste Lully. Life and career Louis Lully was the second child (after Catherine-Madeleine Lully) and eldest son of Jean-Baptiste Lully and his wife Madeleine Lambert. He married Marthe Bourgeois on 27 December 1694, in St. Martial de Paris, “with the tacit and verbal consent of Madeleine Lambert, his mother, to whom a summons had been made”. Five children were born of this marriage, in the parish of Saint-Paul in Paris, between 1695 and 1705, including a son, Louis-André Lully, who married Suzanne-Catherine Cartaud, aged 17, daughter of architect Jean-Silvain Cartaud, in St. Germain l’Auxerrois. The son survived Louis Lully by only a little over a year, dying in Paris on 21 July 1735. Nearly disinherited by his father following dissolute behaviour and imprisonment, Louis did not have the brilliant career anticipated for him, not only because of his behaviour but also due to his lack of talent. What success he had as an opera composer was mostly down to works written in collaboration with others. For example, he collaborated with his brother Jean-Louis and Pierre Vignon on Zéphire

Louis Marchand

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Louis Marchand (2 February 1669 – 17 February 1732) was a French organist, harpsichordist and composer. Born into an organist’s family, Marchand was a child prodigy and quickly established himself as one of the best known French virtuosos of his time. He worked as organist of numerous churches and, for a few years, as one of the four organistes du roy. Marchand had a violent temperament and an arrogant personality, and his life was filled with scandals, publicized and widely discussed both during his lifetime and after his death. Despite his fame, few of his works survive to this day, and those that do almost all date from his early years. Nevertheless, a few pieces of his, such as the organ pieces Grand dialogue and Fond d’orgue have been lauded as classic works of the French organ school. Life Marchand came from a musical family: his grandfather, Pierre (d.1676) had been a schoolmaster and music teacher and his three sons, Jean (Marchand’s father), Pierre and Louis were organists. Pierre held the incumbency at Auxonne for some years before his death in 1684; Louis became curé at the church of Saint-Maurice Pontailler-sur-Saône, 15 kilometres from Auxonne after 1 January 1676, whe

Louis-Antoine Dornel

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Louis-Antoine Dornel (30 March 1680 in Presles, Val-d’Oise near (Beaumont-sur-Oise) – 22 July 1757) was a French composer, harpsichordist, organist and violinist. Biography Dornel was probably taught by the organist Nicolas Lebègue. He was appointed organist at the church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine-en-la-Cité in 1706, where he took over from François d’Agincourt. He was runner-up in the competition for the post to Jean-Philippe Rameau, who eventually refused the terms set by the church authorities. He occupied several organist posts in Paris over a period from 1714 to 1748. In 1719 he was appointed to the abbey of Sainte-Geneviève, following the death of André Raison. From 1725 to 1742, Dornel was appointed successor to du Boussetto as the music master of the Académie Française. He was required to compose a large-scale motet for choir and orchestra to be performed by the Académie each year on the feast of Saint Louis (August 25), but none survive. Dornel’s works for harpsichord and for organ were well regarded at the time, the Mercure de France stating that they were “fort estimées et de très facile exécution” (well regarded and easy to play). We know little more about the rest of h

Louis-Claude Daquin

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Louis-Claude Daquin (; or D’Aquino, d’Aquin, d’Acquin; July 4, 1694 – June 15, 1772) was a French composer, writing in the Baroque and Galant styles. He was a virtuoso organist and harpsichordist. Life Louis-Claude Daquin was born in Paris to a family originating from Italy, where his great-great-grandfather took the name D’Aquino after converting from Judaism to Catholicism in the town of Aquino. Louis-Claude’s parents were Claude Daquin, a painter, and Anne Tiersant, a grand-niece of Rabelais. One of Louis-Claude’s grand-uncles was a professor of Hebrew at the Collège de France, and another was the principal physician of King Louis XIV. Daquin was a musical child prodigy. He performed for the court of Louis XIV at the age of six. He was for a while a pupil of Louis Marchand. At the age of 12, he became organist at the Sainte-Chapelle, and in the following year took a similar post at the Church of Petit Saint Antoine. In 1722 he married Denise-Thérèse Quirot. Louis-Claude Daquin never lacked for work as an organist. In 1727 he was appointed organist at the Church of Saint Paul in Paris, ahead of Jean-Philippe Rameau who was also a candidate. Five years later, Daquin succeeded his

Louis-Gabriel Guillemain

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Louis-Gabriel Guillemain (5 November 1705 – 1 October 1770) was a French composer and violinist. Biography Guillemain is thought to have been born in Paris, was brought up by the Count de Rochechouart, and started studying violin at an early age. He was then sent to Italy to complete his training as violinist, and studied under Giovanni Battista Somis in Turin. At the age of 24, Guillemain was working in Lyons, where he quickly established himself as one of the most sought-after performers, and was appointed first violinist of the Acadèmie de Musique. His opus 1, Premier livre de sonates for violin and basso continuo, was published in Dijon in 1734. Guillemain eventually moved back to Paris, where, in 1737, he became a musicien ordinaire to the King. His career was progressing rapidly, and by the early 1740s the composer was among the highest-paid musicians at the court, regularly performing in private concerts before the royal couple. He continued publishing his music, and his works were frequently performed at the court in the late 1740s and early 1750s. Fellow composer Louis-Claude Daquin praised Guillemain in his 1752 Lettre sur les hommes célèbres: When one speaks of a man ful

Louis-Nicolas Clérambault

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Louis-Nicolas Clérambault (19 December 1676 – 26 October 1749) was a French baroque musician, best known as an organist and composer. He was born, and died, in Paris. Biography Clérambault came from a musical family (his father and two of his sons were also musicians). While very young, he learned to play the violin and harpsichord and he studied the organ with André Raison. Clérambault also studied composition and voice with Jean-Baptiste Moreau. Clérambault became the organist at the church of the Grands-Augustins and entered the service of Madame de Maintenon. After the death of Louis XIV and Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers, he succeeded the latter at the organ of the church of Saint-Sulpice and the royal house of Saint-Cyr, an institution for young girls from the poor nobility. He was responsible there for music, the organ, directing chants and choir, etc. It was in this post—it remained his after the death of Madame de Maintenon—that he developed the genre of the “French cantata” of which he was the uncontested master. In 1719 he succeeded his teacher André Raison at the organs of the church of the Grands-Jacobins. His Motet du Saint Sacrement in G major is one of the first French wo

Luca Antonio Predieri

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Luca Antonio Predieri (13 September 1688 – 3 January 1767) was an Italian composer and violinist. A member of a prominent family of musicians, Predieri was born in Bologna and was active there from 1704. In 1737 he moved to Vienna, eventually becoming Kapellmeister to the imperial Habsburg court in 1741, a post he held for ten years. In 1765 he returned to his native city where he died two years later at the age of 78. A prolific opera composer, he was also known for his sacred music and oratorios. Although his operas were largely forgotten by the end of his own lifetime and most of their scores lost, individual arias as well some of his sacred music are still performed and recorded. Life The son of Vitale Predieri and Maria Menzani, Predieri was born in Bologna to a prominent family of musicians which included organist and composer Giacomo Maria Predieri (1611–1695), singer Antonio Predieri (1650–1710), singer and composer Angelo Predieri (1655–1731), and singer and composer Giacomo Cesare Predieri (1671-1753). He studied the violin with Abondio Bini and Tommaso Vitali, and counterpoint with Giacomo Cesare Predieri, Angelo Predieri, and Giacomo Antonio Perti. He is recorded as hav

Ludovico Roncalli

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Count Ludovico Giuseppe Antonio Filippo Roncalli, or simply Count Ludovico (1654–1713), was an Italian composer. Roncalli was born in Bergamo on 6 March 1654 and baptized at the church of San Pancrazio in the Città Alta in Bergamo on 8 June 1654. He was the younger son of Conte Giovanni Martino Roncalli (1626–1700) and brother of Francesco, Conte di Montorio (1645–1717). He was ordained to the priesthood and died in Bergamo on 25 August 1713. The Roncalli family still possess a portrait of him in clerical dress .A note on the back of the painting reads “Comes Ludovicus Roncalius I.V.D. Iuris Utriusque Doctor) et abbas, et suis legatis ad Sancta exercitia promovenda insignis largitur. Obiit ann. 1713 Die 25 augusti. Aetatis sue ann. 59. men. sex”. (Count Ludovico Roncalli, graduate in civil and canon law and priest, illustrious donor of his erudition for the promotion of spiritual exercises. Died in the year 1713, 25th day of August at the age of 59 years and 6 months). Another note in smaller letters reads “Ritratta quando era in età d’anni XXXII” (painted when he was 32 years of age). The portrait is reproduced in Dell’Ara’s article and in the liner notes to the recordings of Jorg

Luis de Briceño

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Luis de Briceño (also Briçeño, Brizeño; fl. 1610s–1630s) was a Spanish guitarist and music theorist who introduced the Spanish guitar style in France, where previously only the lute was considered a serious plucked instrument. Nothing is known about his youth or his activities in Spain. He married Anne Gaultier. In February 1627, two sons, Charles and Claude, were baptized in the church of Saint-Sulpice. Their godparents were Claude Lesclop, an instrument maker; Bertrand de Vignolles, a field marshal to Louis XIII; and Jeanne de Montluc, wife of the Marquis de Sourdis. He travelled in high courtly circles in both countries, and is first cited as an authority on the Spanish guitar in 1614. His Metodo mui facilissimo para aprender a tañer la guitarra a lo español (1626, Very Easy Method to Learn to Play the Guitar in the Spanish Style) is the main source of knowledge of the Spanish style, since few books appeared during this period in Spain itself. His own transcriptions include villanos, villancicos, pasacalles, tonos frances, españoletas, romances, folías, seguidillas and a “Danza de la Hacha”. A selection was recorded by Le Poème Harmonique, directed by Vincent Dumestre, for Alpha

Luke Flintoft

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Luke Flintoft (1680 - 3 November 1727), was an English clergyman and composer. Flintoft was a chorister in the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, and took the degree of BA at Queens’ College, Cambridge in 1700. He was appointed priest-vicar at Lincoln Cathedral in 1704. He remained there until 1714. On 4 December 1715 he was sworn as a gentleman of the Chapel Royal, and is described in the ‘Cheque Book’ as ‘from Worcester,’ which therefore was probably his birthplace. On 9 July 1719 he was appointed reader in Whitehall Chapel, and was subsequently made a minor canon of Westminster. He died on 3 November 1727, and was buried in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey. Flintoft’s Chant His claim to a place in musical history depends upon the question whether a certain ‘double chant’ in G minor, attributed to him, is or is not the first specimen of the kind in existence. The arguments for and against this will be found in ‘Notes and Queries,’ 3rd ser. x. 206, xi. 267, 391, and 445. Flintoft’s Chant, described as “perhaps the most beautiful chant ever composed”. References Bibliography

Manuel de Sumaya

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Manuel de Sumaya (1680 – December 21, 1755) was the most notable composer of New Spain (present-day Mexico). With this support he was able to begin keyboard study with cathedral organist José de Ydiáquez, whose assistant he became in 1708. He continued composition and counterpoint studies with maestro de capilla Antonio de Salazar. In 1710, due to his failing eyesight, Salazar requested of the cathedral chapter that Sumaya be named as his assistant. In 1714, Sumaya was promoted to the position of principal organist. In 1715, Salazar died and Sumaya competed for and was appointed to the post of maestro de capilla, prevailing over his long-time rival Francisco de Atienza. During Sumaya’s tenure as maestro, he produced many dictámenes (administrative reports) that reveal him as a composer who placed great value on traditional Spanish counterpoint and harmony, and a maestro de capilla who enforced high standards for the cathedral’s music. Sumaya’s play Rodrigo, intended to honor the birth of Crown Prince Luis was performed on August 25, 1707, possibly with his own music. He was also hired by the viceroy, Fernando de Alencastre, 1st Duke of Linares, as a composer and translator. The vic

Manuel José de Quirós

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Manuel José de Quirós (died 1765) was an 18th-century Guatemalan composer. Life Born in Santiago de Guatemala, present day Antigua Guatemala, towards the end of the 17th century, Quirós had a religious education while pursuing his musical apprenticeship and reaching the level of a journeyman. Having taken Franciscan orders, he was put in charge of the Franciscan press, where he served until 1738, when he was appointed chapel master of the cathedral choir and orchestra. He served in this capacity for 27 years, until his death in 1765. As chapel master, he was in charge of the education of choir boys and apprentices, besides conducting the cathedral liturgical music. Among his pupils, the most outstanding was Rafael Antonio Castellanos. Quirós is the first musician in the New World to receive a critical review. On the occasion of the ceremonies that elevated the Bishopric of Guatemala to the rank of an Archbishopric, Quirós provided liturgical music during the nine days of celebration in November, 1745. Writer Antonio de Paz y Salgado, a high official in the Spanish colonial government, published his enthusiastic review of these musical performances two years later in Mexico City. A

Marc-Antoine Charpentier

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Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the prelude of his Te Deum H.146, Marche en rondeau, which has been used as the theme song fanfare before television broadcasts of the Eurovision Network since the inception of the European Broadcasting Union in 1954. Marc-Antoine Charpentier dominated the Baroque musical scene in seventeenth century France because of the quality of his prolific output. He mastered all genres, and his skill in writing sacred vocal music was especially hailed by his contemporaries. He began his career by going to Italy, where he fell under the influence of Giacomo Carissimi as well as other Italian composers, perhaps Domenico Mazzocchi. He would remain marked by the Italian style and become the only one with Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville in France to approach the oratorio. In 1670, he became a master of music (composer and singer) in the service of the Duchess of Guise. From 1690 Charpentier composed Médée, on a piece by Corneille. It was a determining failure in his career of composer: he henceforth devoted himself to religious music. He became the

Marc'Antonio Pasqualini

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Marco Antonio Pasqualini (stage name Malagigi; Rome, 25 April 1614 – Rome, 2 July 1691) was an Italian castrato opera singer who performed during the Baroque period. He has been described as “the leading male soprano of his day”. He was also a composer, having written more than 250 arias and cantatas. Despite being historically addressed as a soprano, Pasqualini’s vocal range extended no higher than B5. Thus, he was a mezzo-soprano by modern classification. Life and career Marc’Antonio Pasqualini began his singing career at a very young age. On 1 April 1623, at the age of nine, he entered the choir of the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, where he completed his studies with Vincenzo Ugolini. From 1629 he was in the service of Cardinal Antonio Barberini junior. Under the protection of the cardinal he entered the choir of the Sistine Chapel in January 1631, at the age of 17, and in 1655 he was appointed maestro di cappella of the chapel. In 1647 at the invitation of Cardinal Jules Mazarin, Pasqualini stayed in Paris, where he participated in the creation of the opera Orfeo by his composer Luigi Rossi on a libretto by Francesco Buti. In the opera, successfully premiered on 2 M

Marcin Mielczewski

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Marcin Mielczewski (c. 1600 – September 1651) was, together with his tutor Franciszek Lilius and Bartłomiej Pękiel, among the most notable Polish composers in the 17th century. Biography By 1632 he was a composer and musician in the royal chapel in Warsaw. In 1645 he became director of music to Charles Ferdinand Vasa, the brother of King Władysław IV. Mielczewski died in Warsaw in September 1651. His known works are largely in the stile concertato, and Szweykowski suggests that the way “in which the words are given full expression” means he is likely to have composed secular vocal works in addition to the surviving sacred corpus. In his mass O glorioso domina and one of his instrumental canzonas, Mielczewski quotes popular Polish tunes; the latter is notable for being the earliest documented use of the mazurka in classical music. Works Masses *Missa Triumphalis a 14 *Missa Cerviensiana, six voices and six instruments *Missa O Gloriosa domina, six voices and basso continuo *Missa super ‘O Gloriosa Domina’ Motet * Ante thorum huius Virginis * Audite et admiramini * Audite gentes et exsultate * Beata Dei Genitrix * Benedictio et claritas * Benedictus sit Deus * Confitemini Domino * Cr

Marco Giuseppe Peranda

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Marco Giuseppe Peranda (baptized 4 April 1626 in Macerata – 12 January 1675 in Dresden) was an Italian musician and composer active in the Holy Roman Empire. Life He was one of the most notable Italian musicians in the Holy Roman Empire during the early Baroque alongside Vincenzo Albrici, Carlo Pallavicino and Giovanni Andrea Bontempi in Dresden. These four Italian Kapellmeisters were well rewarded – they earned yearly salaries of 1,200 Reichstalers while Heinrich Schütz, at this point semi-retired, earned 800 Reichstalers a year. A contemporary, Agostino Rossi, records him as being a native of Macerata but his musical style shows an education in Rome. From 1651 Perenda was an alto singer in the chapel of Johann Georg II of Saxony as he combined his own chapel choir with that of his father’s. In 1661 Peranda became Vizekapellmeister and in 1663 Kapellmeister, as successor of Albrici. His opera Dafne (composed in collaboration) was performed to open the Opernhaus am Taschenberg in Dresden. In 1670 he made a journey to Italy, from which two masses and a motet remain in the Kroměříž residence. In 1672 he was promoted again, to Hofkapellmeister, possibly since Christoph Bernhard had ta

Marco Marazzoli

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Marco Marazzoli (1602? – 26 January 1662) was an Italian priest and Baroque music composer. Early life Born at Parma, Marazzoli received early training as a priest, and was ordained around 1625. He moved to Rome in 1626, and entered the service of Cardinal Antonio Barberini. In 1631, he and other musicians such as Filippo Vitali and Landi accompanied the cardinal on a trip to Urbino and may have accompanied him on other official travels. In 1637, Marazzoli was appointed Barberini’s aiutante di camera, and became a tenor in the papal chapel that same year; in 1639 he was awarded the position of musico under Barberini. Barberini patronage About this time, it becomes possible to trace some of Marazzoli’s compositions to specific places and functions. In 1638, he composed the music for a ballet La piazza d’Orlando for the Carnival of Venice and the intermedi for Chi soffre, speri for the Carnival of 1639. These two pieces were performed at the Palazzo Barberini. After 1640, he began composing more for patrons in Ferrara and Venice, including an opera, L’Amore trionfante dello Sdegno (or L’Armida), for a Ferrarese wedding in 1641. Also in 1641, the Barberini were embroiled in the Wars o

Marco Scacchi

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Marco Scacchi ( – 7 September 1662) was an Italian composer and writer on music. *“Marco Scacchi”. The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Oxford University Press, 1994. External links *

Marco Uccellini

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Marco Uccellini (Forlimpopoli, Forlì 1603 or 1610 - 10 December 1680) was an Italian Baroque violinist and composer. His output of mainly secular music for solo violin is considered to have been important in the rise of independent instrumental classical music, and in development of violin technique. Life Uccellini’s life, like many composers of the 17th century, is not well documented; however, enough information exists to create a rough biography. He was born into a reasonably affluent noble family in Forlimpopoli, Forlì, who had owned land in the area since the early 14th century. Many members of the family held ecclesiastical posts locally, including Uccellini’s father Pietro Maria, and it is likely that Marco went to study at the seminary in Assisi sometime in the early 1630s. Evidence from his will suggests that Uccellini began his formal musical education there, possibly under another notable early violinist-composer, Giovanni Battista Buonamente, who was then serving as music director (maestro di cappella) at the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. He became Capo degl’instrumentisti of the Este court in Modena from 1641 to 1662, and was the maestro di cappella of the Moden

Maria Cattarina Calegari

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Cornelia Calegari Maria Cattarina (also known as Maria Caterina) (1644 – after 1675), was an Italian composer, singer, organist, and nun. She was revered for her singing talents in her home city and became a published composer in 1659, at the age of 15, with the release of her book of motets, Motetti à voce sola. Life and career Cornelia was born at Bergamo. On 19 April 1661, she took her final vows as a nun at the Benedictine Convent of Santa Margherita in Milan, taking on the religious name of Maria Cattarina. Her career began in a golden age of female musicians and composers in Italian convents and she became one of the most famous, drawing crowds from near and far. These performances garnered her the title, La Divina Euterpe, in reference to Euterpe the muse. Calegari wrote complex musical compositions, producing multiple masses for six voices with instrumental accompaniment, madrigals, canzonettas, vespers, and other sacred music. Furthermore, she was known for conveying great emotion in her work at a time when most music was devoid of such expression. In 1663, Archbishop Alfonso Litta and the Catholic Church silenced this musical era with orders not to produce or perform musi

Maria Xaveria Perucona

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Maria Xaveria Perucona or Parruccona (Novara, c. 1652 - after 1709 in Galliate) was an Italian nun and composer. Her only known work, Sacri concerti de motetti a una, due, tre, e quattro voce, dates from 1675, and is a set of eighteen motets. Biography Perucona was born in Novara in 1652. Her parents were Carlo Parruchono and his wife Margarita. She was of aristocratic birth, as were many of her fellow nun-composers such as Chiara Margarita Cozzolani. She grew up in an aristocratic family that ensured her education in singing, playing instruments and general music. She studied with her uncle, Francesco Beria, and teacher, Antonio Grosso, before she took her vows at age 16 as an Ursuline nun in the Collegio di Sant’Orsola in Galliate, near her hometown of Novara. In 1675, her only work, Sacri concerti de motetti a una, due, tre, e quattro voce, was published in Milan and dedicated to Anna Cattarina della Cerda, who had previously made monetary gifts to Sant’Orsola. In the dedication, Perucona describes the ‘little work’ as ‘the first-born child of my poor genius’. References External links * HOASM: Maria Xavier Perucona * Artemisia Editions Maria Xaveria Perucona * Free scores by Ma

Marianus Königsperger

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Marianus Königsperger (also called Johann Erhard Königsberger) born 2 December 1708 in Roding (Oberpfalz); and died 9 October 1769 in the Prüfening Abbey at Regensburg) was a German composer, organist and Catholic Monk of the Benedictine Order. Works * Vocal music ** 33 Cantilenae sacrae for voices, 2 Violins and Organ op. 1, Lotter, Augsburg 1733 ** 10 Missae solemnes and 2 Missae pastoritiae such as 1 Veni Sancte Spiritus op. 1, Lang, Regensburg 1740 ** 8 Offertories op. 2, Lang, Regensburg 1741 ** 6 Miserere and 2 Stabat Mater op. 3, Klaffschenkel, Augsburg 1743 ** 6 Missae op. 4, Lotter, Augsburg 1743 ** 4 Vespern and 4 marianische Antiphonen op. 5, Klaffschenkel, Augsburg 1743 ** 6 Missae rurales and 2 Requiem for 2 Voices and Basso continuo, other Strings and Instruments ad libitum op. 6, Klaffschenkel, Augsburg 1744 ** 6 solenne Litaneien op. 7, Klaffschenkel, Augsburg 1744 ** 17 Offertorien op. 8, Lotter, Augsburg 1744 ** 6 Missae solemniores and 1 Te Deum op. 10, Klaffschenkel, Augsburg 1747 ** 6 Stabat Mater op. 11, Lotter, Augsburg 1748 ** 4 Stationen zum Fest Corporis Christi, 8 Hymnen, 1 Offertorium, 1 Aria de passione and 1 Te Deum op. 12, Lotter, Augsburg 1748 ** 17

Marie-Anne-Catherine Quinault

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Marie-Anne-Catherine Quinault (; 26 August 1695 – 1793) (known as Mademoiselle Quinault , the elder) was a French singer and composer. Quinault was born in Strasbourg. Her father was the actor (1656–1728), and one of her brothers was Jean-Baptiste-Maurice Quinault, a singer, composer, and actor. She made her debut at the Académie Royale de Musique in 1709 in Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Bellérophon. She remained at the opera until 1713. In 1714 she began singing at the Comédie-Française, where she remained until 1722 Quinault composed motets for the Royal Chapel at the Palace of Versailles. For one of these motets, thanks to the benevolence of the Duke of Orléans, she was awarded the first and last grand cordon of the Order of Saint Michael ever given to a woman She was the mistress first of Louis, the Duke of Orléans, and later of Philippe Jules François Mancini, the Duke of Nevers, to whom she may have secretly been married. This brought her into higher social spheres and earned her a pension on the King’s privy purse. From 1723 until 1793 she lived in an apartment in the Louvre, at the Pavilion de L’Infante. She died in Paris in 1793. References Further reading *Lamothe-Langon, Etienne

Marin Marais

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Marin Marais (; 31 May 1656, Paris – 15 August 1728, Paris) was a French composer and viol player of the middle Baroque era. He studied composition with Jean-Baptiste Lully, often conducting his operas, and with the master of the bass viol Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe for six months. In 1676 he was hired as a musician to the royal court of Versailles and was successful there, being appointed in 1679 as ordinaire de la chambre du roy pour la viole, a title he kept until 1725. He was the father of the composer Roland Marais (c. 1685 – c. 1750). Career Marin Marais was a master of the viol, and the leading French composer of music for the instrument. He wrote five books of Pièces de viole (1686–1725) for the instrument, generally suites with basso continuo. These were quite popular in the court, and for these he was remembered in later years as he who “founded and firmly established the empire of the viol” (Hubert Le Blanc, 1740). His other works include a book of Pièces en trio (1692) and four operas (1693–1709), Alcyone (1706) being noted for its tempest scene. Titon du Tillet included Marais in Le Parnasse françois, making the following comments on two of his pieces, Le Labyrinthe, p

Mario Savioni

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Mario Savioni (born 1608 in Rome, died 22 April 1685) was an Italian composer and a male alto of the Baroque era. Biography Savioni receives training as a choirboy under the direction of Vincenzo Ugolini at San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome from 1617 to 1621. In 1621, he sang as a boy soprano at the Cappella Giulia of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, and later as an alto in 1626. In September 1631, he returns to San Luigi dei Francesi to work with Ugolino as his assistant. At San Luigi, he received higher salary than the other singers. From 1638, he worked with Orazio Benevoli, the Kapellmeister of Cappella Giulia. The collaboration ends in 1644, when he was appointed as the Kapellmeister at San Luigi. Savioni also worked closely with Luigi Rossi, the organist of San Luigi who is also a composer. On 22 February 1642, Savioni sang the role of Alceste in Rossi’s Il Palazzo incantato at Teatro delle Quattro Fontane (Palazzo Barberini). It was during this time that he became closed to Cardinal Antonio Barberini. Recognized by his talent, in the same year, Savioni was accepted into Papal chorus, and in 1659, was appointed as the maestro di cappella. He served there until 1668. Com

Marusia Churai

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Maria or Marusia Churai (; 1625–1653) was a mythical Ukrainian Baroque composer, poet, and singer. She became a recurrent motif in Ukrainian literature and the songs ascribed to her are widely performed in Ukraine. According to the legend she was a native of Poltava (then in Crown of the Kingdom of Poland), and is regarded as the purported author as well as the subject of the well-known Ukrainian folk song “Oi Ne Khody Hrytsiu Tai na Vechornytsi” (Oh Gregory, Don’t Go to the Evening Dances) known in the West as “Yes, My Darling Daughter”. Life No documentary evidence exists about Marusia Churai’s life, and the historicity of her person is a subject of discussion. Alexander Shakhovskoy, the author of a 1839 biography dedicated to the legendary poetess, claimed to have received the information about her life from Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko. Some literary scholars consider the figure of Marusia Churai to be Shakhovskoy’s own invention. According to her traditional biography, Marusia was born around 1625 in Poltava, where she spent her whole life. Her father was supposed to be Hordii Churai, a Cossack sotnyk and one of the leaders of the Ostryanyn Uprising against the Polish rule. Af

Matthew Dubourg

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Matthew Dubourg (1703 – 3 July 1767) was an English violinist, conductor, and composer who spent most of his life in Ireland. Among other achievements, Dubourg led the orchestra at the premiere of Georg Friedrich Handel’s great oratorio Messiah. Biography Dubourg was born in London, the illegitimate son of a court dancing master, his mother’s identity is unknown. In 1712, at age 9, he performed a Corelli sonata standing on a stool at the home of Thomas Britton. At age 11, in 1714, he furthered his studies under the celebrated Italian violinist, composer and music theorist Francesco Geminiani. He performed a sonata at the Queen’s Theatre in March 1714, a benefit concert in May at Hickford’s Room, as well as many other performances during the London season. On 17 June 1727 he married Frances, the daughter of musician Bernard Gates at Stanmore, Middlesex. They had one child, a daughter named Elizabeth, who married oboist Redmond Simpson on 22 September 1753, who had one child. Dubourg served as concert-master from 1728 to 1764 in Dublin. The deed was witnessed by a woman named Elen: Du Bourg (sic) of the City of Dublin, Spinster, possibly a relative of Dubourg’s. Four years later, a D

Matthew Locke (composer)

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Matthew Locke (c. 1621 – August 1677) was an English Baroque composer and music theorist. Biography Locke was born in Exeter and was a chorister in the choir of Exeter Cathedral, under Edward Gibbons, the brother of Orlando Gibbons. At the age of eighteen Locke travelled to the Netherlands, possibly converting to Roman Catholicism at the time. Locke, with Christopher Gibbons (the son of Orlando), composed the score for Cupid and Death, the 1653 masque by Caroline-era playwright James Shirley. Their score for that work is the sole surviving score for a dramatic work from that era. Locke was one of the quintet of composers who provided music for The Siege of Rhodes (1656), the breakthrough early opera by Sir William Davenant. Locke wrote music for subsequent Davenant operas, The Cruelty of the Spaniards in Peru (1658) and The History of Sir Francis Drake (1659). He wrote the music for the processional march for the coronation of Charles II. Locke’s treatise on music theory, Melothesia, was published in 1673. The title page describes him as “Composer in Ordinary to His Majesty, and organist of her Majesty’s chapel”—those monarchs being Charles II and Catherine of Braganza. Locke also

Matthias Weckmann

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Matthias Weckmann (Weckman) (c.1616 24 February 1674) was a German musician and composer of the Baroque period. He was born in Niederdorla (Thuringia) and died in Hamburg. Life His musical training took place in Dresden (as a chorister at the Saxon Court, under the direction of Heinrich Schütz), then in Hamburg where he worked with the famous organist Jacob Praetorius at the Saint Peter’s church (Petrikirche). He was introduced to the Italian concertato, polychoral and monodic styles — because Schütz had journeyed in Italy when a young man and he had met Giovanni Gabrieli and Monteverdi — as well as the style of Sweelinck’s pupils, some of whom had settled in Hamburg. Weckmann travelled to Denmark in 1637 with Schütz, became organist in Dresden at the Electoral Court of Saxony from 1638 to 1642, and returned to Denmark until 1647 (during the Thirty Years’ War). During a new (and his last) stay in Dresden from 1649 to 1655, he met Johann Jakob Froberger during a musical competition which had been organized by the Elector. They remained friends and in correspondence with each other. In 1655, after a competition, he was named titular organist at Saint James church (Jakobkirche) in Ham

Maurice Greene (composer)

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Maurice Greene (12 August 1696 – 1 December 1755) was an English composer and organist. He was an admirer and friend of George Frideric Handel. Biography and works He was born in London, the son of a cleric, Thomas Green(e) (1648–1720) who was a chaplain of the Chapel Royal, and his wife Mary Shelton (d. 1722). He became a choirboy at St Paul’s Cathedral under Jeremiah Clarke and Charles King. He studied the organ under Richard Brind, and after Brind died, Greene became organist at St Paul’s. With the death of William Croft in 1727, Greene became organist at the Chapel Royal, and in 1730 he became Professor of Music at the University of Cambridge. In 1735 he was appointed Master of the King’s Musick. At his death, Greene was working on the compilation Cathedral Music, which his student and successor as Master of the King’s Musick, William Boyce, was to complete. Many items from that collection are still used in Anglican services today. Greene wrote in the prevailing Georgian England, particularly longer verse anthems, of which Lord, Let Me Know Mine End, is a representative example. In it, Greene sets the text using a polyphonic texture over a continuous instrumental walking bass,

Melchior Hoffmann (composer)

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Georg Melchior Hoffmann (c. 1679 – 6 October 1715) was a Baroque composer who was influential as the leader at the Collegium Musicum in Leipzig. Some of his compositions have been mistaken for those of Johann Sebastian Bach. Biography Hoffman was born sometime around 1679 (or 1685 according to some sources) in Bärenstein (now part of Altenberg), Saxony, Germany. His first musical service was as a choirboy in Dresden, under the tutelage of Johann Christoph Schmidt. Hoffmann succeeded Telemann as director of the Collegium Musicum in 1705, a position that did not end until Hoffman’s death ten years later. In this position he became an educator, and his students included Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel. Other responsibilities included being the organist at the Neukirche, and director of the Leipzig civic opera, for which he composed several works. He is known to have journeyed to England sometime around the years 1709–1710. In 1713 he began to suffer from the malady which would eventually prove fatal. are likely works by Hoffmann, and of more positive identification is a Magnificat in A minor for solo soprano and small group, which during the 19th century was assigned a BWV number of BWV An

Michael Christian Festing

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Michael Christian Festing (29 November 1705 – 24 July 1752) was an English violinist and composer. His reputation lies mostly on his work as a violin virtuoso. Biography Michael Christian Festing was born in London to parents John and Elizabeth Festing and christened at St Anne’s Church, Soho, on 17 December 1705. Some evidence suggests that his family had ties to Gros Festin, near Stralsund in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Michael’s brother, John Festing, was a flautist and oboist who amassed a sizeable fortune through teaching music. His brother is most likely the musician depicted in William Hogarth’s painting The Enraged Musician (1741, now in the Tate Britain, London). Festing first studied violin with Richard Jones and then later became a pupil of Francesco Geminiani. He made his professional debut on 6 March 1723 performing a concert at Hickford’s Room, London. Not too long after that, Festing met a young Thomas Arne at the gallery of the Italian Opera to which Festing had access although Arne, still a boy, officially did not. Music historian Charles Burney wrote that Arne had crept into the gallery dressed as a liveryman to gain access to the fine collection of musical s

Michael Wise (musician)

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Michael Wise (born c.1647 in Salisbury, died there 24 August 1687) was an English organist and composer. He sang as a child in the choir of the Chapel Royal as one of the earliest groups of choristers there after the Restoration of King Charles II. He left as his voice changed in September 1663. From 1665 to 1668, he served as a lay clerk in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and Eton College until he was appointed organist, lay vicar and choirmaster at Salisbury Cathedral on 29 April 1668. During his time there, he claimed the dean and chapter ‘wrongly deflected cathedral monies’, a claim he could not back up. Wise had been fairly commonly accused of neglecting his duty at Salisbury; a deputy organist and substitute instructor were paid for while Wise retained all of his stipend due to his skill and compositions. In 1683 he was accused of negligence, profanity, drunkenness ‘and other excesses in his life and conversation’ at the episcopal visitation. In 1676 he became a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, while retaining his commitments in Salisbury. ): “He had quarrelled with his wife on some trivial matter, and rushed out of his house. The watchman met him while he was yet boiling with rag

Michel Blavet

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Michel Blavet (March 13, 1700 – October 28, 1768) was a French composer and flute virtuoso. Although Blavet taught himself to play almost every instrument, he specialized in the bassoon and the flute which he held to the left, the opposite of how most flutists hold theirs today. Quantz wrote of Blavet: “His amiable disposition and engaging manner gives rise to a lasting friendship between us and I am much indebted to him for his numerous acts of kindness.” Life Born on March 13, 1700, in Besançon, Province of as the son of wood turner Jean-Baptiste Blavet, (though one source says he was baptised, rather than born on March 13) On 1 October 1728 Louis XV granted Blavet a privilege to publish flute sonatas for a period of six years, but by 1731 he had transferred to the service of Louis, Count of Clermont and became his steward of music. He died in Paris in 1768. His surviving works are written only in the easiest keys, since he published them for amateurs to play. Compositions *Six sonatas for two flutes without bass, Opus 1 (1728) *Six sonatas for flute and continuo, Op 2 (1732) **Nr. 1 in G major L’Henriette **Nr. 2 in D minor La Vibray **Nr. 3 in e minor La Dherouville **Nr. 4 in

Michel Corrette

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Michel Corrette (10 April 1707 – 21 January 1795) was a French composer, organist and author of musical method books. Life Corrette’s father, Gaspard Corrette, was an organist and composer. Little is known of his early life. In 1726, Corrette entered into a competition for the post of organist at the Church of Sainte Marie-Madeleine in Paris, but was not selected. He then earned his living as a music teacher (which in fact made him more money than he would have as an organist), and in 1727 he published his first collections of sonatas for various instruments such as the flute, violin, brass, musette, and hurdy-gurdy. On 8 January 1733, Corrette married Marie-Catherine Morize, with whom he had two children, Marie-Anne (1734 - ca. 1822), and a son, Pierre-Michel (1744 - 1801), who also became an organist. In 1737, Corrette was appointed as the organist at the Church of Sainte-Marie du Temple in Paris - a position he held for 54 years until 1791. In 1742, he wrote a so-called “Turkish” concerto in honour of the Ottoman Ambassador to France, Yirmisekizzade Mehmed Said Pasha, who was a great admirer of French culture. In addition to his post at the Sainte Marie Church, he served as orga

Michel de la Barre

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Michel de la Barre (c. 1675 – 15 March 1745) was a French composer and renowned flautist known as being the first person to publish solo flute music. He played at the Académie Royale de Musique, the Musettes and Hautbois de Poitou and the courts of Louis XIV and Louis XV. Works * 1694 : Premier Livre des Trio, pour les violons, Flûtes et hautbois, par Monsieur De La Barre, Flûte de la Chambre du Roy, Paris, Christophe Ballard, 1694 ; Seconde Edition, revûë & corrigée … , Paris, Christophe Ballard. * 1700 : Le triomphe des arts, opéra-ballet, 5 acts (without prologue), libretto by Houdar de La Motte, first performed on 16 May 1700 by the Académie Royale de Musique at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris * 1700 : Pièces en trio pour les violons, flustes et hautbois, composées Par le sieur De La Barre, Livre Second, … , Paris, Christophe Ballard. * 1702 : Pièces pour la Flûte Traversière avec la Basse-Continue, … Œuvre Quatrième, … , Paris, Christophe Ballard. * 1705 : La vénitienne, comédie-ballet, prologue and 3 acts, libretto by Houdar de La Motte, first performed on 26 May 1705 by the Académie Royale de Musique at the Palais-Royal in Paris * 1707 : Troisième Livre des Trio

Michel Lambert

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Michel Lambert (1610 – 29 June 1696) was a French singer, theorbist, and composer. Career Lambert was born at Champigny-sur-Veude, Poitou, France. He received his musical education as an altar boy at the Chapel of Gaston d’Orléans, a brother of king Louis XIII. He studied also with Pierre de Nyert in Paris. Since 1636, he was known as a singing teacher. In 1641, he married singer Gabrielle Dupuis who died suddenly a year later. Their daughter Madeleine (1643–1720) married Jean-Baptiste Lully in 1662. After his marriage, Lambert’s career became closely linked to his sister-in-law and famous singer Hilaire Dupuis (1625–1709). In 1651, he appears as a ballet dancer at the court of Louis XIV. Beginning in 1656, his reputation as a composer was established and his compositions were regularly printed by Ballard. They consist mainly of airs on poems of Benserade and Quinault. He was the most prolific composer of airs in the second half of the 17th century. In 1661, he succeeded Jean de Cambefort as a “Maître de musique de la chambre du roi” and kept this position until his death. In that time, Lully was the “Surintendant de la musique de la chambre du roi” (from 1661) and Master of Music

Michel Pignolet de Montéclair

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Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (4 December 1667 – 22 September 1737) was a French composer of the baroque period. He was born Michel Pignolet in Andelot, Champagne (province), France, and only later added “Montéclair” (the name of a fortress in his home town) to his name. Little is known of his life, and no official portraits exist. He was the son of a weaver; his entrance into the choir school at the age of nine may have been the only chance of escaping the poverty of a weaver’s life. In 1687, he went to Paris and joined the orchestra of the Opera, where he played the basse de violon. In Paris he studied with Jean-Baptiste Moreau. At some point between 1687 and the early years of the new century, he seems to have been maître de musique to the Prince de Vaudémont and to have followed him to Italy. It was probably from there that he brought the idea to add the double bass to the opera orchestra. All the time Montéclair must have worked as a music teacher of high regard: among his pupils were the daughters of his colleague François Couperin. Montéclair’s approach to teaching was fresh and almost modern. He published books on teaching music (e.g., in 1709), and around 1730 he published

Michel Richard Delalande

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Michel Richard Delalande de Lalande (; 15 December 1657 – 18 June 1726) was a French Baroque composer and organist who was in the service of King Louis XIV. He was one of the most important composers of grands motets. He also wrote orchestral suites known as Simphonies pour les Soupers du Roy and ballets. Biography Born in Paris, he was a contemporary of Jean-Baptiste Lully and François Couperin. Delalande taught music to the daughters of Louis XIV, and was director of the French chapel royal from 1714 until his death at Versailles in 1726. Delalande was arguably the greatest composer of French grands motets, a type of sacred work that was more pleasing to Louis XIV because of its pomp and grandeur, written for soloists, choir and comparatively large orchestra. According to tradition, Louis XIV organized a contest between composers, giving them the same sacred text and time to compose the musical setting. He alone was the judge. Delalande was one of four winners assigned to compose sacred music for each quarter of the year (the other composers being Coupillet, Collasse and Minoret). Delalande’s was the most important quarter of the year because of the Christmas holiday. Later he ha

Michelangelo Grancini

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Michel’Angelo Grancini (Grancino, born in Milan, 1605; died in Milan, April 17, 1669) was an Italian organist and composer. Grancini composed sacred music. Nineteen volumes were published in Milan (1622–29). Some 200 works are at the Milan Cathedral. Grancini composed religious music almost exclusively, both in ‘stile antico’ and ‘stile moderno’. His vocal writing reflected the seventeenth century, with Monteverdian derivations. His instrumental music shows the characteristics of the sixteenth-century sonata, joining it to the Gabrieli tradition. Legacy Iesuè wrote (translated from Italian): Biella (1957), in his Eccellente compositore e organista milanese, praised Grancini as Milan’s greatest seventeenth century musician. Grancini’s characteristics are “the clarity and nobility of ideas exposed with a first-rate technique and, as a consequence, a persuasive and interesting logic. He is comparable with his contemporary Giacomo Carissimi. Recitative is always fluid and vibrant, just as alive in the choral episodes and the ensembles he masterfully combines when he uses voices and instruments in counterpoint and fugal interplay of great esteem and beauty.” Grancini died in Milan on 17

Michelangelo Rossi

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Michelangelo Rossi (Michel Angelo del Violino) (ca. 1601/1602 – 1656) was an important Italian composer, violinist and organist of the Baroque era. Rossi was born in Genoa, where he studied with his uncle, Lelio Rossi organist (from 1601 to 1638), at the Cathedral of San Lorenzo. Around the year 1624 he moved to Rome to enter the service of Cardinal Maurizio of Savoy. It was there that he met the madrigal composer Sigismondo d’India as well as the keyboard composer Girolamo Frescobaldi. Rossi’s two books of madrigals, which have only comparatively recently come to scholarly attention, were likely written during this period. Rossi’s madrigal output from this period is remarkably chromatic, to a level matched only by the music of such experimental composers as Carlo Gesualdo. The circumstances of Rossi’s dismissal from the Cardinal’s service in 1629, after a short stay in Turin, are unclear. From 1629 to 1632 Rossi was organist in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi. Rossi’s first known opera dates from his second period of Roman service, while in the retinue of the wealthy Taddeo Barberini. His opera Erminia sul Giordano was premiered during the Carnival of 1633 at the theatre of t

Michele Mascitti

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Michele Mascitti (1664 in Villa Santa Maria (from Chieti); 24 April 1760 in Paris) was an Italian violinist and Baroque composer. Life Mascitti was educated by a relative, Pietro Marchitelli (1643-1729), a violinist in the royal court orchestra in Naples, and at the “Teatro San Bartolomeo”, possibly by Corelli. Mascitti found a temporary position in the royal orchestra, but soon left. He traveled through Italy, and later throughout Europe, spending time in Germany and the Netherlands. He was under the protection of Cardinal Ottoboni and the reigning Duke of Bavaria. In 1704, he settled in Paris and took the Frenchified given name of Michel. He was naturalized French in 1739. Philippe d’Orléans was a patron, allowing Mascitti early appearances at the court of Versailles. Mascitti published all nine of his sonata collections in Paris. The four concertos from Op. 7 follow the concerto grosso style of Corelli. During his lifetime, Mascitti enjoyed similar fame to Albinoni and Corelli. His compositions were mainly in the Italian, and sometimes French, style. They contained an abundance of novel harmonies for the period. Works * 6 violin sonatas, and 6 trio sonatas Op. 1 (Sonata in three

Miguel de Irízar

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Miguel de Irízar y Domenzain (1635–1684) was a Spanish Baroque composer. Irízar was born in Artajona and trained as a choirboy in León and Toledo. In August 1657 he became maestro de capilla in Vitoria, then in August 1671 appointed to Segovia Cathedral where he remained for his remaining thirteen years. He died at Segovia. The correspondence of Irízar preserved in the cathedral of Segovia archives contains a total of 362 letters received during the period 1663 to 1684. There are numerous requests to Irízar to compose music for the chapels of other cathedrals, or to exchange for works by composers such as Cristóbal Galán and Carlos Patiño. Some of these compositions were part of the repertoire taken to the New World. The correspondence also includes extensive detail on performance practice. The letters indicate in particular the wide and rapid circulation of villancicos between different cathedrals. Works * Masses * Motets * Lamentations * Villancicos * Tonos a la Navidad. Discography * Miguel de Irízar. Mass for 6 voices. 10 Christmas pieces. Ecos y afectos. Capilla Jeronimo de Carrion, dir. Alicia Lazaro. Verso VRS2024, Spain 2004. References

Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe

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Jean (?) de Sainte-Colombe (c. 1640) was a French composer and violist. He was a celebrated master of the viola da gamba and was credited (by Jean Rousseau in his Traité de la viole (1687)) with adding the seventh string, tuned to the note AA (A 1 in scientific pitch notation), on the bass viol. Life and works Few details of his life are known; for example, neither the names of his parents, nor the precise dates of his birth and death. Research has revealed that his first name was Jean (other sources mention the name of Augustine of Autrecourt, Sieur de Sainte-Colombe) and also that he had as teacher the theorbo and viola player, Nicolas Hotman. Sainte-Colombe performed publicly in the Parisian Salons, as did most of his colleagues and music masters such as Le Sieur Dubuisson. According to Titon du Tillet, he often performed in consort with his two daughters and with his own students, as attested by the copyist who wrote out his pieces for two viols as well as the solo-viol Tournus Manuscript. Sainte-Colombe’s most notable student was Marin Marais, who wrote Tombeau pour Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, in 1701, as a memorial to his instructor. Sainte-Colombe’s students also included th

Mykola Pavlovych Dyletsky

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Mykola Pavlovych Dyletsky, also Nikolai Pavlovich Diletsky (, ), c. 1630c. after 1680) was a choir director, music theorist, and composer born in the Kiev Voivodeship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and active in the Tsardom of Russia. There is evidence he died in Moscow. Little information about his life is known. He was widely influential in late 17th-century Russia with his treatise on part song, A Musical Grammar, of which the earliest surviving version dates from 1677. Dyletsky’s followers included the Russian composer Vasily Titov. Life Little is known about Mykola Pavlovych Dyletsky, who at various times during his life lived in Vilnius, Kyiv, Smolensk, and Moscow.. Kyiv Ioannikii Trofimovich Korenev, a fellow music theorist, described him as a resident of Kyiv—()—and this remark is considered evidence of Dyletsky’s Ukrainian origins. Korenev’s statement is probably reliable, as they were apparently were well acquainted. The pair worked together; their treatises are paired in some manuscript sources. However, the date and even the year of Dyletsky’s birth are not known, and no details on his early life have surfaced. Vilnius Dyletsky may have been educated at the Vilni

Nicholas Staggins

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Nicholas Staggins (died 13 June 1700 ) was an English composer. Staggins first studied music under his father. He was made Master of the King’s Music by Charles II in 1674. In 1682, he was granted a musical doctorate by Cambridge University, and from 1684 until his death was Professor of Music at Cambridge. Following his death on the night of 12–13 June 1700, he was succeeded by John Eccles. From the few fragments of his compositions that survive, his musical ability is generally regarded to have been slender. His most significant work was his music for John Crowne’s masque Calisto, or The Chaste Nymph. His other works include odes for the birthdays of William III (in at least 1693, 1694 and 1696). He also wrote incidental music for John Dryden’s Conquest of Granada and Marriage à la Mode, George Etheridge’s The Man of Mode, Nathaniel Lee’s Gloriana, and Thomas Shadwell’s Epsom Wells. In Tom Brown’s Letters from the Dead to the Living, Staggins is described as “bandy legged and contemptuously regarded”. Following his death he was buried in Woollon on 16 June 1700 at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. References External links * Song from Marriage à la Mode

Nicola Fiorenza

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Nicola (or Nicolò) Fiorenza (c. 1700-1710 – 13 April 1764) was a Neapolitan violinist and composer of the late Baroque period and a representative of the Neapolitan School. Life Biographical information on Fiorenza’s schooling and early life is very scarce; he must have been born in the city of Naples somewhere in the very beginning of the 18th century. Nevertheless, we can be sure that he received his training at the conservatory of S. Maria del Loreto in his hometown under Giancarlo Cailò and Francesco Barbella. The first verifiable date in Fiorenza’s career is 1726, the year in which his sinfonia in A minor for flute, two violins and basso continuo was published. From 1734 to 1740 Fiorenza played, maybe as a violinist, in the Cappella Reale and with the orchestra of the Teatro S. Bartolomeo. More information is available about Fiorenza’s later years. An account of his election to the post of teacher for violin, cello and double bass at the Naples conservatory of S. Maria del Loreto on 22 May 1743 indicates that he succeeded Nicola Vitolo (who in his turn was the successor of Fiorenza’s former teacher Barbella). From 1750 onwards, however, Fiorenza was confronted with a series of

Nicola Francesco Haym

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Nicola Francesco Haym (6 July 1678 – 31 July 1729) was an Italian opera librettist, composer, theatre manager and performer, literary editor and numismatist. He is best remembered for adapting texts into libretti for the London operas of George Frideric Handel and Giovanni Bononcini. Libretti that he provided for Handel included those for Giulio Cesare, Ottone, Flavio, Tamerlano, Rodelinda, and several others; for Bononcini, he produced two, Calfurnia and Astianatte. Compositions Haym was born in Rome. His career began as a cellist in Italy, and he arrived in London in 1701: he swiftly became master of the 2nd Duke of Bedford’s chamber music. He wrote the libretto for Bononcini’s Camilla, a seminal work of enormous success that did much to establish Italian opera in London. Later, when operas in London came to be performed entirely in Italian, rather than in a bilingual blend of English and Italian, Haym spent much time adapting both libretti and music for the many pasticcios that were staged at this time. Haym became the teacher and manager of the already successful soprano Joanna Maria Lindehleim negotiating a 100 guinea contract for ten performances in 1706. They would live toge

Nicola Matteis

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Nicola Matteis (Matheis) (c. 1650 – after 1713 ) was the earliest notable Italian Baroque violinist in London, whom Roger North judged in retrospect “to have been a second to Corelli,” and a composer of significant popularity in his time, though he had been utterly forgotten until the later 20th century. Very little is known of his early life, although Matteis was probably born in Naples, describing himself as ‘Napolitano’ in several of his works. He came to London in the early 1670s and according to the diarist Roger North, had a city merchant as a sponsor, who schooled him in the ways of currying favor from the gentry (by allowing them to accompany him in parlor recitals and other minor performances). John Evelyn reports in his diary for 19 November 1674, the earliest notice of Matteis, “I heard that stupendious Violin Signor Nichola (with other rare Musitians) whom certainly never mortal man exceeded on that instrument, he had a stroak so sweete, made it speaking like the Voice of a man and when he pleased, like a Consort of severall Instruments: he did wonders upon a Note: was an excellent Composer also. Nothing approched the violin in Nichola’s hand: he seemed to be inspired a

Nicola Porpora

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Nicola (or Niccolò) Antonio Giacinto Porpora (17 August 16863 March 1768) was an Italian composer and teacher of singing of the Baroque era, whose most famous singing students were the castrati Farinelli and Caffarelli. Other students included composers Johann Adolph Hasse, Matteo Capranica and Joseph Haydn. Biography Porpora was born in Naples, Italy. He graduated from the music conservatory Poveri di Gesù Cristo of his native city, where the civic opera scene was dominated by Alessandro Scarlatti. Porpora’s first opera, Agrippina, was successfully performed at the Neapolitan court in 1708. His second, Berenice, was performed at Rome. In a long career, he followed these up by many further operas, supported as maestro di cappella in the households of aristocratic patrons, such as the commander of military forces at Naples, prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt, or of the Portuguese ambassador at Rome, for composing operas alone did not yet make a viable career. However, his enduring fame rests chiefly upon his unequalled power of teaching singing. At the Neapolitan Conservatorio di Sant’Onofrio and with the Poveri di Gesù Cristo he trained Farinelli, Caffarelli, Salimbeni, and other cel

Nicola Sabini

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Nicola Sabini (also Sabino; c. 16751705) was an Italian composer of the mid-Baroque period who spent his career in Naples. An influential figure in early Neapolitan opera buffa, his most important opera is the 1701 comedy Scherzo drammatico, Il mondo abbattuto. Life and career Nicola Sabini, also known as Nicola Sabino, was born c. 1675, probably in Naples. He studied with Angelo Durante (uncle of the better known Francesco Durante) at the . In May 1699, Sabini succeeded his teacher as the Convervatorio’s maestro di cappella. Possibly because of illness, he left his post in 1702, and died of tuberculosis three years later. Sabini was a member of the Congregazione de’ Musici (Congregation of Musicians) in Naples. An influential figure in the early history of opera buffa in Naples, Sabini’s most important work was the 1701 scherzo drammatico (dramatic jest), Il mondo abbattuto. Written to a libretto by S. de Falco for the Feast of Saint Casimir, it premiered for the city’s Congregazione de’ Musici at the San Giorgio Maggiore. Only the opera’s text survives, but by using both Tuscan and Neapolitan dialects, it created an influential model for future opera buffa. Sabini wrote a sacred

Nicolas Bernier

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Nicolas Bernier (28 June 1664 – 5 September 1734) was a French Baroque composer. Biography He was born in Mantes-sur-Seine (now Mantes-la-Jolie), the son of Rémy Bernier and Marguerite Bauly. He studied with Antonio Caldara and is known for an Italian-influenced style. After Marc-Antoine Charpentier he is probably the most Italian-influenced French composer of this era, and replaced Charpentier as maître de musique des enfants (master of choristers) at the royal Sainte-Chapelle in 1704. He died in Paris. “French composer, harpsichordist, theorist and teacher. He probably learnt music in the maîtrise of the collegiate church of Notre Dame, Mantes, and in that of Evreux Cathedral. According to the Etat actuel de la Musique du Roi (1773) he then studied with Caldara in Rome. In 1692 Bernier was living in the rue Tiquetonne in Paris and was teaching the harpsichord. On 20 November 1693 he failed to win the post of maître de musique at Rouen Cathedral in competition with Jean-François Lalouette. He was appointed head of the maîtrise of Chartres Cathedral on 17 September 1694 and remained there until 18 March 1698, when he obtained a similar position at St Germain-l’Auxerrois, Paris. A T

Nicolas Chédeville

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Nicolas Chédeville (20 February 1705 – 6 August 1782) was a French composer, musette player and musette maker. Biography Nicolas Chédeville was born in Serez, Normandy; musicians Pierre Chédeville (1694–1725) and Esprit Philippe Chédeville (1696–1762) were his brothers. Louis Hotteterre was his great uncle and godfather, and may have given him instruction in music and turning instruments. He began playing the oboe and musette (a bagpipe-like instrument commonly used in French baroque music) in the Paris Opera orchestra in the 1720s. After Jean Hotteterre’s death in 1732, he took over his post in Les Grands Hautbois, the royal oboe band. He retired from the opera in July 1748, though returned occasionally to play the musette there. When he was nearly 70, he married the younger daughter of a valet who had once worked for the Duc d’Orléans, and was still describing himself as musette player to the king. In his last years he experienced financial difficulties. His ten houses were signed over to creditors in 1774, following which he separated from his wife. He resigned from Les Grands Hautbois in 1777, petitioned for bankruptcy in 1778 and died in Paris four years later. Lawyers were st

Nicolas de Grigny

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Nicolas de Grigny (baptized 8 September 1672 – November 30, 1703) was a French organist and composer. He died young and left behind a single collection of organ music, and an Ouverture for harpsichord. Life Nicolas de Grigny was born in Reims in the parish of Saint-Pierre-Le-Vieil. The exact date of his birth is unknown; he was baptized on September 8. He was born into a family of musicians: his father, his grandfather, and his uncle, Robert, were organists at the Reims Cathedral, the Basilica of St. Pierre and St. Hilaire, respectively. Few details about his life are known, nothing at all about his formative years. Between 1693 and 1695 he served as organist of the abbey church of Saint Denis, in Paris (where his brother André de Grigny was sub-prior In 1695 Grigny married Marie-Magdeleine de France, daughter of a Parisian merchant. Apparently he returned to his hometown soon afterwards: the record of the birth of his first son indicates that de Grigny was already in Reims in 1696. The couple went on to produce six more children. By late 1697, Grigny was appointed titular organist of Notre-Dame de Reims (the exact date of the appointment is not known), the city’s famous cathedral

Nicolas Gigault

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Nicolas Gigault (ca. 1627 – 20 August 1707) was a French Baroque organist and composer. Born into poverty, he quickly rose to fame and high reputation among fellow musicians. His surviving works include the earliest examples of noëls and a volume of works representative of the 1650–1675 style of the French organ school. Life Little is known about Gigault’s life. François-Joseph Fétis, a 19th-century musicologist, claimed Gigault was born in Clayes-en-Brie, a village near Paris. However, no locality survives by that name. It is supposed that Gigault’s birthplace was just outside Paris. A similar situation occurred concerning Gigault’s date of birth: André Pirro deduced in the early 20th century that Gigault must have been born in 1624/5, however, a later study by Pierre Hardouin revealed that the composer could not have been born before 1627. Gigault’s father, Estienne Gigault, was a bailiff at the law-courts of Paris. Gigault was born into poverty and his financial situation remained dire at least until 1648, when he and his two younger brothers renounced their rights of succession to avoid their father’s debts. Nicolas Gigault’s mother died when he was a child. Nothing is known ab

Nicolas Goupillet

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Nicolas Goupillet also Coupillet or Goupillier (Senlis, ca. 1650 - Paris, ca. 1713) was a French Baroque composer - albeit a composer who may not have himself composed all of his works. In 1683 the then fifty-year-old “Sun King” Louis XIV commanded that a competition be held to select four rotating seasonal choirmasters to replace the retiring Henry Du Mont and at the Chapelle royale. Of the 35 applicants, four were selected: Michel Richard Delalande, then the late Lully’s assistant Pascal Colasse; Guillaume Minoret a minor figure from Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois; and finally Nicolas Goupillet, from Meaux. Goupillet was dismissed from the Chapelle Royale in 1693 when it was discovered that he had been passing off as his own compositions the works of Henry Desmarets - a talented composer who had passed over because of his youth in the competition 10 years earlier. At first the story went around that Desmarets had simply heard his works performed by chance, later suspicions were aroused that Desmarets had been complicit in the deception and blown the whistle when Goupillet failed to pay him. And yet Goupillet clearly could compose when he had to, since the second stage of the original

Nicolas Lebègue

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Nicolas-Antoine Lebègue (also Le Bègue; c. 16316 July 1702) was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was born in Laon and in the 1650s settled in Paris, quickly establishing himself as one of the best organists of the country. He lived and worked in Paris until his death, and frequently made trips to other cities to consult on organ building and maintenance matters. Lebègue’s reputation today rests on his keyboard music. He made particularly important contributions to the development of the French organ school by devising pieces with independent pedal parts and developing the Tierce en taille genre. His oeuvre also includes the earliest published unmeasured preludes, as well as some of the earliest known noëls (Christmas songs). Life Lebègue was born in Laon, and nothing certain is known about his early years or training. It may be possible that his uncle (also named Nicolas Lebègue), a maître joueur d’instrument, played some role in Lebègue’s music education. Equally little is known about the circumstances of Lebègue’s move to Paris: the first reference to Lebègue is found in a 1661 document, in which the composer is already described as “the famous Parisian

Nicolas Métru

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Nicolas Métru (c. 1610 in Bar-sur-Aube – 1668 in Paris) was a French organist, viol player, and composer of pieces for viol and airs. From 1642 he was organist at St. Nicolas-des-Champs, then some time later master of music for the Jesuits. He taught Couperin and Lully and was an outstanding viol player. His first publication - which survives - was a collection of laudatory airs to verse by Guillaume de Baïf, a minor poet but son of Jean-Antoine de Baïf, for the victorious return of Louis XIII to Paris in 1628 after the end of the 14-month siege of Protestant La Rochelle. His third collection of airs also contains laudatory texts, for the marriage of Louis XIV. His duets for two viols (Paris, 1642) are the first printed example, and therefore probably antedate the duets of Sainte-Colombe. His fantasias for viols, as those of Henry and Moulinié, derive from the air de cour and the dance rather than older styles. His 1642 publication reflects the change in development of the viol in the 1630-1650s with the upper parts being written with the new smaller viols in mind. Works, editions and recordings Works *Recueil des vers du Sr. G. de Baïf, mis en musique par N. Métru, chantez en l’al

Nicolas Racot de Grandval

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Nicolas Racot de Grandval (1676 – 16 November 1753) was a French composer, harpsichordist and playwright. He was born and died in Paris and was also named „Le Père Grandval“. Although a respectable musician, at one time organist at St Eustache, his interests ran more to comedy, both in written comic dramas, such as the “Broken bed pot” and in musical comedy such as frivolous parodies on Clérambault’s cantatas. His sister Marie-Hortense married the actor Charles Botot Dangeville. Works ;Theatre *1693: La Baguette, comedy in 1 act and in prose, Théâtre-Français, 4 April *1697: Le Bourget, comedy in 1 act and in prose, Théâtre-Français, 23 May *1701: Les Trois Gascons, comedy in 1 act and in prose, Théâtre-Français, 4 June *1702: Le Bal d’Auteuil, comedy in 3 acts and in prose, Théâtre-Français, 22 August *1704: Le Port de mer, comedy in 1 act and in prose, Théâtre-Français, 27 May *1707: Le Diable boiteux, comedy in 1 act and in prose, Théâtre-Français, 8 October *1709: La Foire Saint-Laurent, comedy in 1 act and in verse, Théâtre-Français, 20 September *1713: L’Usurier gentilhomme, comedy in 1 act and in prose, Théâtre-Français, 11 September *1717: Le Prix de l’arquebuse, comedy in

Nicolaus à Kempis

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Nicolaus à Kempis, Nicolaus a Kempis or Nicolaes a Kempis (c. 1600 – buried in Brussels on 11 August 1676) was a Flemish composer and organist active in Brussels in the middle of the 17th century. He is known for introducing the latest innovations from Italy into Flemish polyphonic music. Life Not much is known about a Kempis. He was born around 1600, but it is unknown where. Because of his knowledge of contemporary Italian music, some musicologists have opined that he came from northern Italy, perhaps from Florence but there is no evidence for this. Current research is considering the possibility that Kempis was never in Italy and that he only came into contact with the then new Italian violin music through the migration of other musicians caused by the wars of religion. The earliest extant piece of biographical information about him is his nomination as organist of the cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudule in Brussels around 1626. He had various sons of whom Joannes Florentius succeeded him in his role as organist in 1670. He died in 1676 and was buried in Brussels on 11 August 1676. Nicolaus à Kempis was the first musician to introduce the Italian viol style and techniques of G

Nicolaus Adam Strungk

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Nicolaus Adam Strungk (christened 15 November 1640 in Braunschweig – 23 September 1700 in Dresden) was a German composer and violinist. Life Nicolaus Adam was the son of the organist Delphin Strungk. He studied organ under his father, then at the University of Helmstedt. From 1660 he studied violin with Nathanael Schnittelbach, performing for the Duke of Wolfenbüttel, and Kaiser Leopold I in Vienna. From 1665 he was chamber musician in the service of Prince Johann Friedrich in Hanover. In 1679 Strungk became director of the Hamburger Ratsmusik. In 1688 he succeeded Christian Ritter as deputy Kapellmeister and organist in Dresden, where in 1693 he succeeded Christoph Bernhard as Hofkapellmeister. He left after three years, in 1696, to take up directorship of the Leipzig Opera. He died of fever („am hitzigen Fieber“) a few years later. His fourth daughter, Dorothea Christine Lachs, was a noted poet and author of the libretto to Telemann’s Germanicus. Works Strunck’s surviving keyboard compositions, two ricercars and seven capriccios, were composed in Rome and Vienna between 1683 and 1686. They were written in a strictly contrapuntal style with two or three sections, each having a dif

Nicolaus Bruhns

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Nicolaus Bruhns (also Nikolaus, Nicholas; late 1665 – 8 April 1697 in Husum) was a Danish-German organist, violinist, and composer. He was one of the most prominent organists and composers of his generation. Biography Bruhns was born in Schwabstedt (Danish: Svavsted), a small settlement near Husum. He came from a family of musicians and composers. His grandfather, Paul Jakob Bruhns (died 1655), worked as lutenist in Lübeck. His three sons all chose musical careers; Bruhns’ father, also named Paul (1640–c. 1689), became organist at Schwabstedt, possibly after studying with Franz Tunder. Nicolaus was apparently a child prodigy: according to Ernst Ludwig Gerber, he could play the organ and compose competent works for keyboard and voice already at an early age. He probably received his first music lessons from his father. At age sixteen, Bruhns, together with his younger brother Georg (1666-1742), was sent to Lübeck to live with their uncle Peter, who would teach Bruhns the violin and the viola da gamba. The two brothers also studied the organ and composition; Georg under Bernhard Olffen, organist of St. Aegidien, and Nicolaus under Dieterich Buxtehude. The latter, one of the best comp

Nicolaus Vetter

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Andreas Nicolaus Vetter (; c. 1666 – 13 June 1734) was a German organist and composer. Biography He was born in Herschdorf, in present-day Thuringia. In his Zur Geschichte des Orgelspiels (1884), August Gottfried Ritter gives 30, Oct. 1660 as birth date, and “nach 1740” as time of death. Vetter first studied music with Georg Caspar Wecker in Nuremberg and was a student at the Rudolstadt Gymnasium from 1683 to 1688. He then moved to Erfurt to study with Johann Pachelbel, succeeding him as organist of the Predigerkirche when he left for Stuttgart in 1690; during this time, he may have attended the University of Erfurt. He was succeeded by J.H. Buttstedt in July 1691, when he went to Rudolstadt to take up a position as castle organist; he was later honoured with the appointments of Government Advocate, Church Procurator and Master Over The Page Boys. His surviving compositions are now few, since World War II led to the destruction of all his free organ compositions and a work for chorus and orchestra entitled Zum frohen Empfang Grossherzogs Carl Fürsten Primas. The manuscript Mus.40035 of the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek, Berlin, gave his name as the composer of variations three and eigh

Obadiah Shuttleworth

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Obadiah Shuttleworth (died 1734), English composer, violinist and organist, was the son of Thomas Shuttleworth of Spitalfields in London. Thomas was a professional music copyist and harpsichord player. The exact date of Shuttleworth’s birth is uncertain. Shuttleworth was an excellent violinist and in the early 18th century he took part in the influential public concerts arranged by the London coal merchant Thomas Britton (known as ’the musical small coal man’) at his business premises in Clerkenwell to which musical professionals and amateurs from all ranks of London society were drawn. Shuttleworth also led concerts that were later established about 1728 at the Swan Tavern, Cornhill. The 18th-century musical historian, Sir John Hawkins, wrote of him that he ‘played the violin to such a degree of perfection, as gave him a rank among the first masters of his time’. In January 1724, according to the newspaper the British Journal (11 January 1724), Shuttleworth was made organist at the church of St Michael, Cornhill, having previously been the organist at St Mary’s, Whitechapel. On 4 May 1729 the London newspaper The London Evening Post announced his appointment as organist of the Tem

Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi

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Oothukkaadu Venkata Kavi (c. 1700-1765) or Oottukkaadu Venkata Subramanyar was one of the pioneering composers in Indian classical Carnatic music. He lived in South India in the present-day state of Tamil Nadu. Also known by the name Oothukkaadu Venkatasubramaniya Iyer, he composed hundreds of compositions in Sanskrit and Tamil of which over 500 are available. These were handed down from generation to generation by the descendants of the composer’s brother’s family. Venkata Kavi’s compositions reveal that he was a complete master of the science and art of music in all senses of the term – melody, rhythm, and lyrics. He was fluent in Sanskrit and Tamil. Renowned for his rare depth, scholarship and sublime appeal, he was proficient in a variety of musical forms such as the kriti, tillana and kaavadicchindu. He used taalas and themes that many other Carnatic composers had or have not. His compositions are a blend of a high degree of scholarship on a variety of subjects and inspired expression. During a lecture demonstration on the composer by Needamangalam Krishnamurthy Bhaagavatar in December 1955, The Music Academy Madras Experts’ Committee noted that “Venkata Kavi’s compositions fi

Orazio Benevoli

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Orazio Benevoli or Benevolo (19 April 1605 – 17 June 1672) was a Franco-Italian composer of large scaled polychoral sacred choral works (e.g., one work featured forty-eight vocal and instrumental lines) of the middle Baroque era. Biography He was born in Rome to a French baker and confectioner, Robert Venouot or Vénevot, whose name was Italianized to Benevolo. Benevoli was a choirboy at San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome (1617–23). He later assumed posts as maestro di cappella at Santa Maria in Trastevere (from 1624), Santo Spirito in Sassia (from 1630), and his old church San Luigi dei Francesi from 1638. Benevoli served as Kapellmeister in the court of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria from 1644 to 1646. Benevoli returned to Rome in 1646, where he remained for the rest of his life as choirmaster at both Santa Maria Maggiore and the Cappella Giulia of St. Peter’s Basilica. He was made Guardiano of the Vatican’s Congregazione di Santa Cecilia in the following three years of 1654, 1665 and 1667. His pupils included Ercole Bernabei, Antimo Liberati and Paolo Lorenzani. () Benevoli composed Masses, motets, Magnificats, and other sacred vocal works. Much of his fame as a composer has res

Pantaleon Hebenstreit

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Pantaleon Hebenstreit (27 November 1668 – 15 November 1750) was a German dance teacher, musician and composer. Today his notability rests primarily on the pantalon, a keyboard instrument which he invented and which subsequently came to be seen by some as a precursor of the modern pianoforte. Life Hebenstreit was born in Eisleben, a short distance west of Leipzig, in 1668. His father, described in one source as a “Thürmer” (look-out man), died in 1678. On 29 January 1691 Hebenstreit entered the University of Wittenberg. By 1697 he was employed in Leipzig as a violinist, keyboard musician and dancing master (i.e. teacher). In 1705 he travelled with his giant dulcimer to France. According to Johann Mattheson writing in his Critica musica, quoting a French source, it was during this visit that the French king Louis XIV was so impressed both with the instrument and with Hebenstreit’s mastery of it that he rechristened it “Le Pantalon”: the name stuck. Telemann himself left the Eisenach court in 1712. On 11 May 1714 Hebenstreit accepted an invitation to take a position at the Electoral Court in Dresden, the principal court of Saxony. His annual remuneration was 1200 Thalers, described in

Paolo Lorenzani

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Paolo Francesco Lorenzani (5 January 1640 – 28 October 1713) was an Italian composer of the Baroque Era. While living in France, he helped promote appreciation for the Italian style of music. Lorenzani was born in Rome and was trained by Orazio Benevoli, maestro di cappella for the Cappella Giulia in The Vatican. He served in Rome as maestro di cappella at the Church of the Gesù and Collegio Romano, the first Jesuit university, which later expanded to become Pontifical Gregorian University. He later served at the cathedral of Messina in Sicily. In 1678, Lorenzani traveled to Paris, hoping to find fortune. His motets were performed for Louis XIV, who recognized his talent and appointed him music master to the queen. Under orders of the king, Lorenzani traveled back to Italy and recruited singers for the monarch’s chapel. Despite all of that, an Italian Serenade in 1684 proved to be a success, thanks to help from Michel Richard Delalande. In Paris, he earned a post as maître de musique at a Theatines monastery. Here, he conducted his own music in the presence of Italophile aristocrats. In 1688, his opera Oronthée, composed in the French style, premiered at the Académie royale in Chan

Paul Damance

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Paul Damance D’Amance (c. 1650 – after 1718) was a French religious of the ordre de la sainte Trinité et rédemption des captifs, who had several masses in “musical plainsong” published between 1687 and 1707. Biography In addition to his membership of the Trinitarian Order (a charitable order, also dedicated to the redemption of Europeans who had become slaves of the Moors), he claimed to be an organist of his convent in Lisieux. We have some documents that testify to his presence in the convent of Lisieux. His dedications reveal that he was in contact with several women’s convents where plainsong was sung at the services. The masses and additional pieces he published from 1687 onwards were composed in a style of musical plainsong in the taste of Henry Du Mont, that is to say a rather melodic plainsong, with indicated values (long and brief) and with some ornaments. It is mainly composed for women’s convents. Works Plainchant All the works below are available at the BnF, in original or in reproduction. *Messes en plain chant musical pour les festes solennelles propres aux religieuses qui chantent l’office divin… Paris: Jérôme Bonneuil, 1687. 4°, 20 p., engraved, noted plainchant.

Paul I, Prince Esterházy

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Paul I, 1st Prince Esterházy of Galántha (), () (8 September 1635 He actively participated in various battles against the Ottoman Turks during the Fourth Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) and the Great Turkish War (1683–1699). Paul is credited with establishing the wealth, power, and influence of the Princely House of Esterházy. His father, Nicholas, bore the office of the Palatine of the Kingdom of Hungary. He displayed literary talents at an early age. On 16 August 1652, Paul’s elder brother Ladislaus was killed in the Battle of Vezekény (Vezekey) against the Turks. While serving as a commander-in-chief, Paul defeated malcontents at Leutschau and Győr. The title of Prince was extended to his male descendants in 1712. Paul’s loyalty was also demonstrated in his cooperation with the Habsburg court in the subversion of civil and religious liberties. Paul began his renovations of Schloss Esterházy in 1663. The additions made by Paul took nearly ten years to complete and gave the palace the façade it has retained to the present. Paul further extended, ornamented, and fortified Forchtenstein Castle with architect Domenico Carlone. Death and legacy Paul died in Eisenstadt on 26 March 1713.

Pavel Josef Vejvanovský

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Pavel Josef Vejvanovský (c. 1639 – 24 July 1693) was a Czech-Moravian composer and trumpeter of the Baroque period. Life Vejvanovský was born probably in Hlučín (possibly in Hukvaldy), probably in 1639 or 1640 (1633 is also sometimes mentioned). He received an education at the Jesuit university in Opava, where he also began composing. Moravia had been devastated during the Thirty Years War and much of it was in desperate need of rebuilding. The Habsburg authorities appointed the influential and ambitious Karl II von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn as Prince-Bishop of Olomouc who set about to rebuild much of the region. This included building himself a grand palace in Italian Renaissance style with elaborate gardens in the nearby town of Kromeriz and employing a large group of musicians drawn from throughout Europe to play at his court and churches. In the 1650s the job of running and directing this prestigious ensemble fell to Vejvanovský, who was regularly singled out for praise by the Bishop. As a composer his output is uneven, but in his later works he was able to master most typical idioms of the day. He seems to have struggled with imitative counterpoint and his most compelling piece

Pedro de Araújo

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Pedro de Araújo (c. 1640 – 1705; possibly 1610 – 1684), was a Portuguese organist and composer who worked with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Braga, northern Portugal. He was singing master at the Conciliar Seminary of St. Peter and St. Paul in Braga between 1663 and 1668, and second organist at Braga Cathedral until 1665. Like Juan Cabanilles, he was one of the last representatives of the traditional concentrated Iberian style. Organ works #Meio Registo terçado de três tiples #Fantasia de 1º Tom ou Fantasia de 2º Tom #Fantasia de 4º Tom #Fantasia de 8º Tom #Batalha de 6º Tom #Consonâncias de 1º Tom ou Obra de 1º Tom #Obra de Passo Solto de 7º Tom #Obra de 2º Tom #Obra de 6º Tom #Obra de 8º Tom #Tento de 2º Tom #Obra de 1° Tom por B Quadro ou Obra de 2° Tom por B Quadro #Obra de 1° Tom sobre a Salve Regina Discography *Castro, Ana Mafalda (1995), Música Portuguesa para Tecla: Séculos XVI e XVII, Emi-Valentim de Carvalho Música. Clássicos Portugueses 4, Jornal Público. *Doderer, Gerhard (1994), Os Órgãos da Sé Catedral de Braga, Numérica, NUM 1028. *Hora, Joaquim Simões da (1994), Lusitana Musica, Volume I, Órgãos Históricos Portugueses: Évora, Porto, Emi-Valentim de Carvalho Mús

Pelham Humfrey

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Pelham Humfrey (Humphrey, Humphrys) (1647 in London – 14 July 1674 in Windsor) was an English composer. He was the first of the new generation of English composers at the beginning of the Restoration to rise to prominence. Life and career Pelham Humfrey was born in 1647. By the age of seventeen Humfrey’s anthems were evidently in use and he was sent by the King to study in Paris, probably in January 1665 where he was greatly influenced by music at the French Court. On the basis of the music he wrote on his return, he also assimilated the more expressive vocal style of Carissimi. He later succeeded Henry Cooke (his father-in-law) as Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal and also became composer to the Court. Humfrey died at the age of 26, but along with Matthew Locke exerted a strong influence on his peers even at his young age, including William Turner, Henry Purcell, and John Blow. At his early death he had already produced several works of great poignancy and expressive power including the Verse Anthem O Lord my God. Samuel Pepys mentions Humfrey’s dress sense and general demeanour in his diary: Little Pelham Humphreys is an absolute monsieur as full of form and confidence a

Philip Hart (organist)

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Philip Hart (1674 or 1676 – 18 July 1749) was an English organist and composer. Life His father, James Hart (1647–1718), was a gentleman of the Chapel Royal, chorister of Westminster Abbey, and a composer. Philip Hart was for many years organist of churches in London: he became assistant organist of St Andrew Undershaft in 1696, sole organist from 1697 until his death; he was organist of St Michael, Cornhill from 1704 to 1723. On 28 May 1724 he was elected the first organist of St Dionis Backchurch. He died, at an advanced age, on 17 July 1749, and was buried at St Andrew Undershaft on 22 July. Hart was said by the writer John Hawkins to have been a sound musician, but to have “entertained little relish” for innovations. Hawkins also described Hart’s frequent use of the “shake” in playing, and recorded how he was wont to discourse on music at Thomas Britton’s house in the company of Handel, Pepusch and others. Compositions * “An Ode to Harmony”, his setting of John Hughes’s “Ode in Praise of Musick”, performed on Saint Cecilia’s day 1703 * Fugues for the Organ or Harpsichord * Anthems: “I will give thanks”, and “Praise the Lord, ye Servants” * Many songs, including “A Song upon the

Philipp Heinrich Erlebach

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Philipp Heinrich Erlebach (25 July 1657 – 17 April 1714) was a German Baroque composer, a prolific writer of church music and secular music. Much of his work is lost due to a fire. Life Erlebach was born in Esens, Lower Saxony, the son of Johann Philipp Erlebach, a musician at the court of Count Ulrich II of East Frisia (1605–1648), the principality where the younger Erlebach received his early musical training. which contains over 75 such pieces. From the more than 120 instrumental works Erlebach is known to have produced, only 13 pieces survive. Surviving works * VI Ouvertures begleitet mit … Airs nach französischer Art, a 5, 6, 1693 * Six sonatas for violin, viola da gamba and continuo, 1694 Further reading *Bernd Baselt and Dorothea Schroeder’s article in New Grove Dictionary of Music * Bernd Baselt: Der Rudolstädter Hofkapellmeister Philipp Heinrich Erlebach, 1963 * Bernd Baselt: Die Musikaliensammlung der Schwarzburg-Rudolstädtischen Hofkapelle unter Philipp Heinrich Erlebach. Traditionen und Aufgaben der hallischen Musikwissenschaft, 1963, pp 105–134 External links * * Sonatas linnrecords.com

Philipp Stolle

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Philipp Stolle (1614 – 4 October 1675) was a German composer, tenor and theorbo player of the Baroque era. Stolle was born in 1614 at Radeburg. He was a pupil of Caspar Kittel. He worked for many years at the Dresden court of Johann Georg I, Elector of Saxony, while Heinrich Schütz was Kapellmeister there. On 16 January 1649 Stolle married Anna Maria Krätzschmar. At the request of the Dresden court poet David Schirmer, Stolle produced musical settings for 68 of Schirmer’s poems, published in 1654 as the songbook Singende Rosen Oder Liebes-und Tugend-Lieder. The settings were for soprano, theorbo or viola da gamba, and basso continuo. Schirmer also included 51 of the songs from Singende Rosen in his famous 1657 collection Poetische Rosen-Gepüsche. Eventually Stolle was transferred into a new ensemble at court, under the musical direction of Giovanni Andrea Bontempi. This was set up by the Elector’s son, the future Johann Georg II, in response to the chronic decline of his father’s Kapelle. However, in 1653, Stolle wrote to Johann Georg II asking to be released, pointing out that after 21 years of service at Dresden, his annual salary of 300 thaler was still not enough for him to pro

Philippe Courbois

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Philippe Courbois (fl. 1705–1730) was a French Baroque composer. It is commonly stated that he was maître de musique of the Duchess of Maine, but Michele Cabrini convincingly refutes this claim in his edition of Courbois’s cantatas. At least three of his masses were performed for King Louis XIV at Versailles. Sometime before 1710, Courbois published a book of seven cantatas with texts by Louis Fuzelier, who would later write the libretto of Les Indes Galantes. It is these cantatas for which he is most famous today Works, editions, recordings *L’amant timide (recorded on French Cantatas “Dans un bois solitaire” Gérard Lesne 1999 Virgin) *Ariane (on Les Déesses outragées, Agnès Mellon, Alpha) *Orphee (on Amour viens animer ma voix, Olivera, Ramée) *Dom Quichotte - Loin des yeux qui m’ont fait captif, 1710 (text by Louis Fuselier) References

Pier Francesco Tosi

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Pier Francesco Tosi (c. 16531732) was a castrato singer, composer, and writer on music. His Opinoni de’ cantori antichi e moderni… was the first full-length treatise on singing and provides a unique glimpse into the technical and social aspects of Baroque vocal music. Life and career Tosi was born in Cesena, Papal States in 1653 or 1654. There is a disagreement among sources whether he was the son of composer Giuseppe Felice Tosi. He was castrated before puberty to preserve his high voice. While it is not known where he received his rudimentary music training, he sang at a church in Rome from 1676 to 1677 and at the Milan Cathedral from 1681 until 1685, when he was dismissed for “misconduct.” Thereafter, he made his one recorded appearance in opera at Reggio nell’Emilia in 1687 (in Varischino’s Odoacre) and was based for a time in Genoa. In 1693 Tosi relocated to London where he took on singing students and sang in weekly public concerts. In 1701 he entered into the service of Austrian Emperor Joseph I and Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine, whom he served as a musical and diplomatic agent, traveling extensively until 1723. In 1724 he returned to a London ablaze with the works of H

Pierre Beauchamp

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Pierre Beauchamp or Beauchamps (; 30 October 1631 – February 1705) was a French choreographer, dancer and composer, and the probable inventor of Beauchamp–Feuillet notation. His grand-father was called Christophe (a musician) and his father, a violinist of the king’s chamber, was simply called Louis. Following a custom of the time, Pierre Beauchamp was named Pierre after his godfather Pierre Vacherot, tailor of the queen’s pages and a relative of the Beauchamps family. Biography Beauchamp was born at Versailles (Yvelines), into a family of French “dance masters” (). He débuted at the court of Louis XIV at age 12, in 1648, in the Ballet du dérèglement des passions. He was made director of the Académie Royale de Danse in 1671 (although he was not a founding member of the Académie as is often claimed). Beauchamp was principal choreographer to Molière’s acting company (the Troupe du Roy) during 1664-1673, as well as ballet master at the Académie Royale de Musique and Compositeur des Ballets du Roi. He also gave dance lessons to Louis XIV for over twenty-two years. In these positions, he was highly influential in the development of French baroque dance. He continued to choreograph and d

Pierre Dandrieu

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Pierre Dandrieu (d’Andrieu) (baptised in Angers on 21 March 1664 – 20 October 1733) was a French priest, composer and organist. Life Pierre Dandrieu was baptised in Angers. After studying with Lebègue, he held the organ of , now destroyed, on the île de la Cité in Paris, for more than 40 years. His nephew Jean-François Dandrieu succeeded him to this same gallery in 1733. Dandrieu died in Paris on 20 October 1733. Works Pierre Dandrieu published around 1714 a book of 42 and various pieces for the organ (mainly) or harpsichord, published again between 1721 and 1733 (c. 1725 according to the BnF) : :NOELS. / O Filii, Chansons de Saint Jacques, / Stabat Mater, et Carillons. / Le Tout Revû augmenté / et Extrêmement Varié, et mis pour L’Orgue / Et pour le Claveçin. / par Mr. Dandrieu / Prêtre et Organiste de St. Barthelemy / À Paris. (s. d.) :1. À la Venue de Noel :2. Une Jeune Pucelle :3. Chantons je vous prie Noel hautement :4. Or nous dites Marie :5. Joseph est bien Marie :6. Voici le jour Selemne :7. Je me suis Levé :8. Marchons, Marchons Gaïement :9. Adam ou est tu :10. Chretien qui Suivez l’Eglise :11. Nous Sommes en voïe :12. Puer nobis Nascitur :13. Grace soit rendüe a Dieu de la

Pierre Du Mage

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Pierre Du Mage (also Dumage; baptised 23 November 1674 – 2 October 1751) was a French Baroque organist and composer. His first music teacher was most likely his father, who was the organist at Beauvais Cathedral. At some point during his youth, Du Mage moved to Paris and studied under Louis Marchand. He also befriended Nicolas Lebègue, who in 1703 procured for him a position as the organist of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Quentin. In 1710, Du Mage was appointed the titular organist of Laon Cathedral. Due to strained relations with his superiors in the cathedral chapter, Du Mage left on 30 March 1719, at the age of 45, and became a civil servant. He apparently neither played nor composed music professionally until his death. Du Mage’s only surviving work is , published in 1708. This collection is dedicated to the chapter of Saint Quentin. It contains a single , comprising eight pieces in the traditional French forms: , , , , , , and . In the brief preface to the collection, Du Mage explains that these are his first works, modelled after the music of his former teacher Marchand. His music is, however, of very high quality, and entirely representative of French organ music of the pe

Pierre Février

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Pierre Février (21 March 1696 – 5 November 1760) was a French baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. Biography Born in Abbeville, Province of Picardy, in 1696, he arrived in Paris in 1720 and served as titular organist of two churches on Saint-Honoré street: the Jacobins’ church (destroyed at the Revolution) and Saint-Roch (still standing). Claude-Bénigne Balbastre, who moved to Paris in 1750, was among his pupils and eventually succeeded Février at Saint-Roch. Pierre Février died in Paris on 5 November 1760. Works Two volumes of his harpsichord pieces are extant. The first one is dated 1734 and contains five suites: * Suite in A major ** Allemande la Magnanime ** Le Concert des Dieux - Double du concert ** La Délectable ** Le Berceau ** La Boufonne ou la Paysanne * Suite in D minor ** Fugue ** Courante ** Les Plaisirs des Sens ** Le Labyrinthe ** Ariette et doubles * Suite in B minor ** Fugue ** L’Intrépide ** La Grotesque * Suite in D major ** Gavotte et doubles ** Le Brinborion ** Le Tendre Language ** Tambourin * Suite (Festes de Campagne) in C major ** Entrée ** Musette ** 2 Menuets ** Le Gros Colas et la Grosse Jeanne ** Les Petites Bergères The second volume, compose

Pierre Robert (composer)

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Pierre Robert (c. 1618 – 30 December 1699) was a French composer and early master of the French grand motet. Biography Robert was educated at the boys choir, or maîtrise, of Notre Dame de Paris under the direction of Henry Frémart, Jean Francois, and Cosset Veillot before being appointed master of music at the Senlis Cathedral in 1643. In 1650, he went to the Cathedral of Chartres before returning to Senlis in March 1652. On 28 April 1653, he was appointed music master of Notre Dame de Paris, replacing Valentin de Bournonville. Robert remained ten years as head of the maîtrise. In 1663, Louis XIV chose him with Henry Du Mont to occupy one of the four posts of Assistant Master of the Chapelle Royale. He initially filled this function in conjunction with Thomas Gobert, Gabriel Expilly and Henry Du Mont, though Gobert and Expilly resigned in 1668. Du Mont and Robert developed the grand motet, the characteristic genre of French baroque sacred music. Du Mont and Robert retired in 1682 when Louis XIV relocated the court to Versailles, and a competition was held to find four replacements among thirty five contenders; the four chosen were Michel Richard Delalande, Pascal Collasse and two m

Pierre-Gabriel Buffardin

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Pierre-Gabriel Buffardin (Toulon, 24 March 1693 - Paris, 13 January 1768) was a French flutist and composer of the late Baroque period. He was a son of Jean-Joseph Buffardin (Vaison-la-Romaine, 22 July 1664 - Avignon, 28 August 1726), an instrument maker. Buffardin was the principal flutist of the orchestra (Hofkapelle) at the court of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden from 1715 to 1749. He was the teacher of flutists Johann Joachim Quantz, Pietro Grassi Florio, and Johann Sebastian Bach’s elder brother, Johann Jacob Bach, whom he met in Constantinople in 1711. Buffardin’s Concerto in E minor for Flute is the only work which it is certain he wrote. Quantz said of Buffardin: “Il ne jouait que des choses rapides: car c’est en cela qu’excellait mon maître.” (Translation: “He only played fast pieces; for in that my master excelled.”). Antoine Mahaut claimed that Buffardin was the inventor of the flute’s screw cap and the foot register; it remains uncertain whether or not a transverse flute stamped “Buffardin le fils” (discovered in 2015) may be attributed to him or a relative (see Giovanni Tardino, note for recording Bach: Sonate a cembalo obligato e traversiere solo, HRA (HiResAudio),

Pieter Bustijn

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Pieter Bustijn (; also Pierre Bustyn or Pieter Buystijn ; baptized in 1649 – 22 November 1729) was a Dutch composer, organist, harpsichordist and carillon player of the Baroque period. Bustijn occupies a very minor place in music literature: only one of his works, in fact, has been discovered, the IX Suittes pour le Clavessin. This work, one opus number, was printed in Amsterdam in 1712 by the famous publisher Estienne Roger. The reason for the lack of biographical details about Bustijn’s life and music can be attributed to the loss of the greater part of the Middelburg archives in 1940. Family The historian Mattheus Smallegange (1624–1710) in his Beschryving van den Zeelandschen Adel wrote that Bustijn was a member of a family which came from Liège, Belgium even if there is not definitive proof that Pieter Bustijn was a descendant of this family. Duties Pieter Bustijn assumed the role of organist and carillonneur in 1681, at the Nieuwe Kerk of Middelburg, after the death of Remigius Schrijver (possibly his teacher). IX Suittes pour le Clavessin The IX Suittes pour le Clavessin occupy a unique position in Dutch music history. Little music composed in the Netherlands in the late 17t

Pietro Domenico Paradies

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Pietro Domenico Paradies (also Pietro Domenico Paradisi) (170725 August 1791) was an Italian composer, harpsichordist and music teacher, most prominently known for a composition popularly entitled “Toccata in A”, which is, in other sources, the second movement of his Sonata No. 6. A reviewer of a modern edition of his sonatas, all first edited by the composer, noted in passing “Paradies (never Paradisi, it seems)” suggesting that Paradisi might be a modern adaptation. Life and work Paradies was born in Naples. Probably a student of Nicola Porpora, he dedicated himself at first to composing for the theater. He spent a few years around 1740 in Venice, where he taught and wrote music at the Ospedali Grandi. There, he composed two semi-dramatic, occasional serenatas, including a serenata in honor of Frederick Christian, the Prince of Saxony and Heir to Poland. In 1746 he moved to London, where he became known as a teacher of harpsichord and singing; among his students was Gertrud Elisabeth Mara, probably around 1750 and possibly Thomas Linley the elder. In 1770 he returned to Italy. He died in Venice. Instrumental and vocal music His reputation is due to his music for the harpsichord,

Pietro Gnocchi

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Pietro Gnocchi (27 February 1689 – 9 December 1775) was an Italian composer, choir director, historian, and geographer of the late Baroque era, active mainly in Brescia, where he was choir director of Brescia Cathedral. In addition to composing an abundance of eccentrically titled sacred music, all of which remains in manuscript, he wrote a 25-volume history of ancient Greek colonies. Life The principal source for information on Gnocchi’s life is an unpublished manuscript written by his associate C. Cristoni, now in the Biblioteca Civica Queriniana in Brescia. Gnocchi was born in Alfianello, in the Province of Brescia, then under the control of the Republic of Venice. The second of four sons of a middle-class family, he studied music and eventually became a priest. While none of Gnocchi’s music has been published, one CD of some of his instrumental works is available: a 2005 recording of sonatas by Brixia Musicalis. In 2005, LIBER, a non-profit society in Alfianello, Gnocchi’s birthplace, initiated the “Eventi nel segno di Pietro Gnocchi”, a festival of sacred music. Some of his masses, as well as vocal and instrumental works, were played. The concerts take place on the third Sunda

Pietro Locatelli

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Pietro Antonio Locatelli (3 September 1695 in Bergamo – 30 March 1764 in Amsterdam) was an Italian Baroque composer and violinist. Biography Bergamo Little is known about Locatelli’s childhood. In his early youth, he was the third violinist and held the title of virtuoso in the cappella musicale (musical establishment) of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo. His first violin teachers were probably Ludovico Ferronati and Carlo Antonio Marino, both of whom were members of the cappella. The maestro di cappella, Francesco Ballarotti, may have taught him composition. In autumn 1711, Locatelli went to Rome to seek greater recognition. Rome Locatelli began studying in Rome in autumn 1711, probably under Antonio Montanari or Giuseppe Valentini and perhaps for a short time under Arcangelo Corelli, who died in January 1713. In a letter of 17 March 1714, Locatelli wrote to his father in Bergamo that he was a confirmed member of the compita accademia di vari instrumenti, the household musicians of Prince Michelangelo I Caetani (1685–1759), where Valentini had worked as a violinist and composer since no later than 1710. Between 1716 and 1722, Locatelli was also a member of the congreg

Pietro Paolo Bencini

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Pietro Paolo Bencini (c. 1670 – 6 July 1755) was an Italian Baroque composer and Kapellmeister. He was the father of Antonio Bencini (died 13 March 1748), who was also known as a composer of sacred works. Life Bencini was born into a musical family. He became maestro di cappella at several churches in Rome. His compositional output consists mostly of religious music, including several oratorios and cantatas. He was maestro di cappella at the Chiesa Nuova (The Roman Oratory) from 1705 to 1743. He left there to succeed Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni (1657-1743) as maestro di cappella of the Cappella Giulia at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Between 1749 until 1753 he was supported by Niccolo Jomelli, because Bencini became more and more unable to work because of illness. During this time Jomelli, who was better known as a composer of operas, created the most of his sacral compositions. In 1753 Jomelli left Rome in order to succeed Ignaz Holzbauer in Stuttgart. On his death Bencini was succeeded by Giovanni Battista Costanzi (1704-1778). Selected works He is the author of compositions like oratories, masses, secular and sacral cantatas, liturgies, antiphones and psalms. Many of his sacral wo

Pietro Torri

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Pietro Torri (c. 1650 – 6 July 1737) was an Italian Baroque composer. Life Torri was born in Peschiera del Garda, Republic of Venice. From 1684 to 1688, he served as the organist and choirmaster of the Margrave of Bayreuth, and later entered into the service of the Elector of Bavaria Maximilian II Emanuel. In 1692 he followed the prince with some gentlemen of the court orchestra to the Spanish Netherlands and later settled with them in Brussels where Torri married the daughter of the ballet master François Rodier. Over the following years he lived in Mons, Namur, Lille, Compiègne, and Valenciennes; where his compositions were performed. - cantata 1689 Oct/Nov Munich Name day of Elector. - serenata (tourney) 6 February 1690 Munich Tournament. - opera buffa 1691 Munich - serenata Luigi Orlandi 1691 May() Leuchtenberg For Electress Palatine. - dramatic work 1691 Jul Munich - (attr.) cantata (tourney) 1695 Oct. Brussels Birthday of Electoral Prince. - oratorio teatrale 1692–1701 Brussels? - oratorio teatrale 1692–1701 Brussels? - (attr.) dramma per musica Francesco Palmieri 1696 Feb.? Hanover Carnival. - (“Figli de’ monti”) cantata (tourney) 30 January 1702 Munich - dramatic oratorio 1

Pirro Albergati

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Count Pirro Capacelli Albergati (20 September 1663 – 22 June 1735) was an Italian aristocrat, and amateur composer. Albergati was born in Bologna. The Albergatis were one of the most eminent families of the Bolognese nobility, and Count Pirro Albergati himself was ambassador, confidant of Leopold I, Emperor of Austria, member of the city Council of Elders, and gonfaloniere of the city of Bologna. :“Although posterity has recognized Pirro Albergati for his musical accomplishments, he was probably better known to the general public for his charitable works”.(Victor Crowther The oratorio in Bologna 1650-1730) From 1685 he became a member of the confraternity Santa Maria della Morte for whom he composed most of his 17 oratorios. From 1728 Albergati also held the mainly honorary post of maestro di cappella in Puiano near Urbino in the last years of his life. His sacred works include 4 masses. Fellow Bolognese composer Giuseppe Maria Jacchini dedicated his opus 4 to Count Albergati in recognition of his strong support for giving Jacchini a permanent position in the orchestra of the cathedral of Bologna. Works Published works: * Op. 1 Balletti, correnti, sarabande e gighe per Violino, Vio

Prince Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar

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Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar () (25 December 1696 – 1 August 1715) was a German prince, son by his second marriage of Johann Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Weimar. Despite his early death he is remembered as a collector and commissioner of music and as a composer, some of whose concertos were arranged for harpsichord or organ by Johann Sebastian Bach, who was court organist in Weimar at the time. Life Johann Ernst was born in Weimar, the fourth son and sixth child of Johann Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and second child of the Duke’s second wife, Charlotte Dorothea Sophia of Hesse-Homburg. As a young child the prince took violin lessons from G.C. Eilenstein, who was a court musician. He studied at the University of Utrecht between February 1711 and July 1713. It is thought that Johann Ernst furthered his understanding of music at this time. From Utrecht, he could visit such centres as Amsterdam and Düsseldorf and it is known that he had copies of Italian music sent back to Weimar. (Household bills for the year from 1 June following his return record the cost of copying, binding and shelving music. On his return from university, Johann Ernst took lessons in composition with a focus on con

Quirino Colombani

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Quirino Colombani (Correggio, c.1668 - Rome?, 6 January 1711) was an Italian composer, and cellist. He was active in both 17th and 18th centuries. Biography Colombani was born in Correggio, but it is not known where he received his first music education. He settled in Rome and studied there with Giovanni Bicilli. His activity has been documented since 1692, when he took part as a violone player in the music for the patronal feast of S. Lorenzo in Damaso sponsored by Cardinal Ottoboni. In the Lent of 1695 he made his debut as a composer with the Latin oratorio Iahelis de Sisara triumphans (libretto by Antonio Checchi), performed in the oratory of the Crocifisso di S. Marcello. In 1696 he was a member of Francesco Maria Ruspoli’s household, as we read in the printed libretto of Latin oratorio Moysis nativitas (text by Antonio Checchi). His other oratorios were regularly performed for the same confraternity until 1702. In March 1696 he was appointed coadjutor of Giovanni Bicilli, the chapel master of S. Maria in Vallicella (the so-called Chiesa Nuova). Some of his oratories were performed at the Vallicella’s oratory: La fede trionfante nella caduta di Gerosolima (1702; libretto Pietro

Reinhard Keiser

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Reinhard Keiser (9 January 1674 – 12 September 1739) was a German opera composer based in Hamburg. He wrote over a hundred operas. Johann Adolf Scheibe (writing in 1745) considered him an equal to Johann Kuhnau, George Frideric Handel and Georg Philipp Telemann, but his work was largely forgotten for many decades. Biography Keiser was born in Teuchern (in present-day Saxony-Anhalt), son of the organist and teacher Gottfried Keiser (born about 1650), and educated by other organists in the town and then from age eleven at the Thomasschule in Leipzig, where his teachers included Johann Schelle and Johann Kuhnau, direct predecessors of Johann Sebastian Bach. In 1694, he became court-composer to the duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, though he had probably come to the court already as early as 1692 to study its renowned operas, which had been going on since 1691, when the city had built a 1,200-seat opera house. Keiser put on his first opera Procris und Cephalus there and, the same year, his opera Basilius was put on at Hamburg and, as the musicologist Johann Mattheson noted, “received with great success and applause”. This was a fruitful period for him – composing not only operas, but ari

René Drouart de Bousset

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René Drouard de Bousset (; 12 December 1703 – 19 May 1760) was a French Baroque composer and organist. He was born in Paris on 12 December 1703. He was the son of Jean-Baptiste Drouard de Bousset (d. 1725), minor nobility and maître de musique of the chapelle of the Louvre. René was a pupil of Nicolas Bernier. In February 1739 Bousset was appointed organist at the parish church of St André-des-Arts, Paris, then simultaneously co-organist with Armand-Louis Couperin at Notre Dame de Paris and the church of Saint Merry from 1755 to 1760. He was a Jansenist and noted for a series of publications of cantatas on biblical subjects. Bousset died on 19 May 1760. Works The catalogue of Bousset’s works can be found on the Philidor Portal. Available recordings are listed. Airs sérieux et à boire Concertos en trio Cantates spirituelles Odes de Mr Rousseau Lost Works Drouard de Bousset also composed an opera in 1729 L’Amour guéri par l’amour; 3 Grand Motets: Exaudiat te, Magnificat & Venite exultemus; 20 Petits Motets and a Book of Harpsichord Pieces published in 1754. Publications * Ie. RECUEIL D’AIRS NOUVEAUX SERIEUX ET À BOIRE Dedié au Public COMPOSÉS PAR Mr. DE BOUSSET Maistre de Musique du

Richard Charke

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Richard Charke (c. 1709 – c. 1738) was an English violinist, composer, operatic baritone, and playwright. Charke was born in London. He initially worked as a dancing-master before being appointed by Colley Cibber as leader of the orchestra at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1729. Soon thereafter, he began performing as a solo violinist and singing in small roles at the theatre. He eventually graduated to lead roles in the musical productions at Drury Lane, starring in such productions as Henry Carey’s The Contrivances (1729) and Cibber’s Damon and Phillida (1729). Charke possessed a good sense of humor and had a talent for wit, which he ultimately made use of in pantomimes, mostly as a composer but also as a writer. He wrote several amusing “Medley Overtures” that became highly popular for pantomime performances during the 1730s and 1740s. He authored only one pantomime, Harlequin Restored, or, The Country Revels, which contained music by both himself and Thomas Arne and premiered at Drury Lane on 14 December 1732 (although the Burney Collection of newspapers showing contemporary playbills give the date as 20 March 1732). In addition to his contribution to pantomimes, Charke compo

Richard Jones (composer)

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Richard Jones (1680? - died 20 January 1744) was an English composer and violinist. Jones’s first publication appeared in 1720, a solo cantata While in a Lovely Rurall Seat. He was associated with the Drury Lane Theater Orchestra in London possibly as early as 1723; according to John Hawkins, in 1730 he succeeded Stefano Carbonelli as the orchestra’s leader. He taught violin as well; Michael Christian Festing was one of his pupils. He was a stage composer at a time when Georg Frideric Handel’s music dominated the British stage, and much of his music, or what of it survives, shows clear Italianate influence. He died in 1744, of which his position in Drury Lane was succeeded by Richard Clarke. Works ;Stage *Apollo and Daphne, masque (1725, music lost) (Written with John Thurmond, and Henry Carey *The Miser, pantomime (1726, music lost; keyboard reduction survives in part) (Written with John Thurmond) *The Mock Doctor, ballad opera (1732, music lost) *Hymen’s Triumph, pantomime (1737, music lost) ;Other *While in a Lovely Rurall Seat, cantata (1720) *6 Suits or Setts of Lessons for keyboard (1732) *8 Chamber Air’s for violin and basso continuo, op. 2 (1735) *6 Suites of Lessons for vi

Richard Leveridge

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Richard Leveridge (or Leueridge) (19 July 1670 – 22 March 1758) was an English bass singer of the London stage and a composer of baroque music, including many popular songs. Life Richard Leveridge was born in the parish of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, in 1670, and in 1695 became the leading bass singer in the United Company managed by Christopher Rich at Drury Lane, after the defection of several leading singers from Rich’s company. His first important role of which anything is known was as the magician Ismeron in Henry Purcell’s opera The Indian Queen, which included the aria “Ye twice ten hundred deities”. Purcell himself remained loyal to the company, and for several months Leveridge worked closely with him. It is likely that “Arise, ye subterranean winds” in the music (attributed to Purcell) for The Tempest was written for him. After Purcell’s death he continued to work with composers Daniel Purcell and Jeremiah Clarke, and took a leading part in Clarke’s Ode upon the death of Mr Purcell at Drury Lane. Leveridge also composed, and in February 1699 all three provided music for Motteux’s adaptation of Fletcher’s The Island Princess, in which Leveridge’s performance, particula

Rinaldo di Capua

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Rinaldo di (da) Capua (Capua, c. 1705 – probably Rome, c. 1780) was an Italian composer. Little is known of him with any certainty, including his name, although he was known to Charles Burney. He may have been the father of composer Marcello Bernardini. Works Operas * Ciro riconosciuto (dramma per musica, libretto by Pietro Metastasio, 1737, Rome) * Untitled comic opera (1737, Rome) * La commedia in commedia (dramma giocoso, libretto by Francesco Vanneschi, after C. A. Pelli, 1738, Rome) * Vologeso, re de’ Parti (dramma per musica, libretto by Guido Eustachio Luccarelli, after Lucio Vero of Apostolo Zeno, 1739, Rome) * Farnace (dramma per musica, libretto by Antonio Maria Lucchini, 1739, Venice) * La libertà nociva (dramma giocoso, libretto by Giovanni Gualtiero Barlocci, 1740, Rome) * Catone in Utica (dramma per musica, libretto by Pietro Metastasio, 1740, Lisbon) * Didone abbandonata (dramma per musica, libretto by Pietro Metastasio, 1741, Lisbon) * Ipermestra (dramma per musica, libretto by Pietro Metastasio, 1741, Lisbon) * Le nozze di Don Trifone (intermezzo, libretto by N. G. Neri, 1743, Rome) * Turno Heredonio Aricino (dramma per musica, libretto by Silvio Stampiglia, 1743,

Robert Cambert

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Robert Cambert (c. 1628–1677) was a French composer principally of opera. His opera Pomone was the first actual opera in French. Biography Under Mazarin Born in Paris c. 1628, he studied music under Chambonnières. His first position was as organist at the church of Saint-Honoré in Paris. In 1655 he married Marie du Moustier. At this time he came under the patronage of Cardinal Mazarin who was instrumental in his appointment as Superintendent of music to the Dowager Queen Anne of Austria, mother of Louis XIV. Cambert’s early works with libretto written by Pierre Perrin were frequently performed at court during this period. However, following the death of the powerful Mazarin, and the Queen’s subsequent retirement to a convent, Cambert’s position at court was weakened, as new powers came into force at court. Académie Royale de Musique In 1669 Perrin founded the Académie Royale de Musique, under the auspices of the French King. Cambert was invited to join Perrin in the administration of the project which is considered today to be one of the founding influences of grand opera. However, both Perrin and Cambert were eventually replaced at the academy by Lully. Cambert, furious at the ins

Robert Creighton (1639?–1734)

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Robert Creighton or Creyghton (1639? – 17 February 1734) was an English churchman and composer of church music. He served as Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge during the Restoration period, and then as the precentor of Wells Cathedral. Early life Creighton was the son of the elder Robert Creighton, a Scottish churchman. The elder Creighton served as chaplain to King Charles I during the English Civil War and then as chaplain to Charles II during his exile after the defeat of the Royalists; he then returned to England at the Stuart Restoration in 1660, becoming Dean of Wells in 1660 and Bishop of Bath and Wells in 1670. The younger Creighton was born in about 1639, and probably went into exile with his father, returning together with him at the Restoration. Career In 1662, Creighton took the degree of M.A. at Cambridge, where he was elected fellow of Trinity College and Regius Professor of Greek. In the entry in the Dictionary of National Biography upon which the present article is based, William Barclay Squire suggests that Creighton held the Regius Professorship for only one year starting in 1662, since in 1663 John Le Neve in the third volume of his Fasti g

Robert de Visée

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Robert de Visée (1652-1730) was a French lutenist, guitarist, theorbist and viol player at the court of the kings Louis XIV and Louis XV, as well as a singer and a composer for lute, theorbo and guitar. Biography Robert de Visée was born in 1652, in La Flèche, France. He probably knew Francesco Corbetta and would have been familiar with his music. wrote that he studied with Corbetta and this information has been repeated uncritically in later sources including Strizich and Ledbetter 2001. It is however unsupported by documentary evidence . de Visée is first mentioned (by Le Gallois) in 1680, and at about that time he became a chamber musician to Louis XIV, in which capacity he often performed at court. In 1709, he was appointed as a singer of the royal chamber, and in 1719 was named ‘Guitar Master of the King’ (Maître de Guitare du Roi) to Louis XV, the ten-year-old great-grandson of Louis XIV, who succeeded to the throne in 1715. Jean Rousseau reported in a letter of 1688 that Visée was a respected musician at Versailles and played the viol . He died in Paris on February 15, 1730, leaving his son François de Visée as his sole heir. Works Visée published two books of guitar music t

Robert Valentine (composer)

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Robert Valentine (c. 1671 – 26 May 1747), also known as Roberto Valentini and Roberto Valentino, was an English composer, recorder player, oboist and violinist, who moved to Rome and became a citizen of the Papal States. He is noted for his large number of compositions for the recorder. Biography Born c. 1671, he was baptized in Leicester on 16 January 1674. He was the son of Thomas Follentine or Follintine, who lived in Leicester from c. 1670 and worked as a town musician there accompanied by his elder sons Thomas and Henry. The family became a prominent one in the musical life of Leicester; descendants included John Valentine, who was the grandson of Robert’s eldest brother Thomas, and John Valentine’s daughter Ann Valentine. Robert Valentine seems to have spent little if any of his adult life in England before moving to the Papal States, where he became known by the Italian versions of his name. He settled in Rome and took a Roman wife, marrying Giulia Bellatti in September 1701 in the parish of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte. They had nine children, although only three of these survived their parents. He died in the same Roman parish on 26 May 1747, only 12 days after the death of hi

Robert Woodcock

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Robert Woodcock (bap. 9 October 1690 – 10 April 1728) was an English marine painter, musician, and composer who lived during the Baroque period. He is notable for having published the earliest known flute and English oboe concertos. Life Robert Woodcock was baptised at Chelsea Old Church on 9 October 1690, the son of Robert Woodcock (1642–1710) and Deborah Littleton. In 1714, Robert junior married Ayliffe Stoaks, by whom he had several children. He resigned his government post around 1723 to become a professional artist. The engraver George Vertue, writing in 1725, called Woodcock “An ingenious gentleman lover of the arts of painting and music, and professor.” The three flute concertos in this set are the earliest known published for that instrument, and the three oboe concertos are the first known by an English composer. This performance is noteworthy in that it shows that at least one of the recorder concertos was written earlier than the publication date. There is other evidence of performances of Woodcock’s concerti from the 1720s through the 1750s, suggesting that his works quickly became part of the standard woodwind repertoire in England at that time. There has been some con

Roque Ceruti

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Roque Ceruti (Milan c. 1683 or 1686 – Lima, 1760) was an Italian composer in Peru. He was recruited as conductor of the Viceroy of Peru’s private orchestra, and was a dominant italianizing influence during the period, though this was resented by some of the more traditional Spanish musicians. He served as maestro de capilla (chapel or choir master) of Trujillo Cathedral from 1721 to 1728, and then maestro at Lima Cathedral until his death. A fair amount of his works survives at the Archivo Arzobispal (Episcopal Archive) of Lima, at the collection that once belonged to the Cathedral of La Plata (i.e. modern Sucre, Bolivia) which is now housed at the Archivo y Biblioteca Nacionales de Bolivia, and at the Seminary of San Antonio Abad in Cusco and at La Paz. Recordings * 1998 Roque Ceruti: Vêpres solennelles de Saint Jean Baptiste Ensemble Elyma K617 089 * 2011 Roque Ceruti: “En la rama frondosa”, transcripción Susana Sarfson, dirección Rodrigo Madrid Gómez, Capella Saetabis CD “Barroco boliviano”, PSCU 540, Valencia (España). References

Rosa Giacinta Badalla

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Rosa Giacinta Badalla (ca. 1660 – ca. 1710) was an Italian composer from the Milan area and Benedictine nun. She was at the convent of Saint Radegonda in Milan from 1678. Badalla had only one printed collection, Motetti a voce sola (1684, Venice), a book of solo motets. Kendrick identifies it as “remarkable among Milanese solo motet books…for its patent vocal viruosity, motivic originality and self-assured compositional technique”. There are also two surviving secular cantatas, Vuò cercando (ca. 1680) and O fronde care (ca 1695), to which Badalla also wrote the text. Life Rosa Giacinta Badalla was born ca. 1660. was an Italian composer from the Milan area, possibly Bergamo, Badalla had only one printed collection, Motetti a voce sola (1684, Venice), a book of solo motets. Kendrick identifies it as “remarkable among Milanese solo motet books…for its patent vocal virtuosity, motivic originality and self-assured compositional technique”. There are also two surviving secular cantatas by Badalla, Vuò cercando (ca. 1680) and O fronde care (ca 1695), References Further reading * Free scores by Rosa Giacinta Badalla at the International Music Score Library Project * Free scores by Rosa Gia

Rosanna Scalfi Marcello

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Rosanna Scalfi Marcello () was an Italian singer and composer of the late Baroque and early Classical periods. Life Rosanna Scalfi’s exact birth and death dates are unknown; she was professionally active around 1723–1742 in Venice. She was a gondola singer of the Venetian arie di battello–a tradition of simple strophic songs. A legendary account tells of the composer and nobleman Benedetto Marcello, while above the ciy’s Grand Canal, hearing Scalfi sing. Impressed by her voice, Marcello began instructing her in vocal training around 1723; the two were secretly wed in a religious ceremony on 20 May 1728, when she was twenty-four years old. However, this marriage to a commoner was unlawful and they never completed the civil requirements. After Marcello died of tuberculosis in 1739, the marriage was declared null by the state, and Rosanna was unable to inherit his estate. Left destitute, she filed suit on 1 February 1742 against Benedetto’s brother Alessandro Marcello, seeking financial support, but her claims were rejected. Also in 1742, she appeared as Arbace in Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli’s Artaserse at St. Salvatore during the Ascension season that same year. Some of Marcello’s dra

Samuel Capricornus

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Samuel Friedrich Capricornus (born Samuel Friedrich Bockshorn; 21 December 1628 – 10 November 1665) was a composer of the Baroque period from Bohemia. Life Samuel Friedrich Capricornus was born on 21 December 1628 in Žerčice. Capricornus’ father was a Protestant minister, who fled with his family for fear of the Counter-Reformation to Bratislava in the then Kingdom of Hungary. After completing high school in Sopron, he studied languages and theology in Silesia before becoming a musician at the imperial court in Vienna. Here, he became acquainted with the music of Giovanni Valentini and Antonio Bertali. After a short stay in Reutlingen he worked for two years as a private music teacher in Bratislava and then from 1651 to 1657 he was active as a music director in various churches and as a music teacher at a high school there. In May 1657 he became Kapellmeister in Stuttgart and soon became engaged in a bitter dispute with the organist of the collegiate church, Philipp Friedrich Böddecker, who had himself coveted the position, and his brother David, a cornetto player. Already in September 1657, David Böddecker had complained about a “high and difficult piece” which he had been asked t

Samuel Rudolph Behr

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Samuel Rudolph Behr (laso Bär or Beer) baptized 1 July 1670 in Leipzig – after 1716) was a German ballet master and composer. Life Behr was the son of the Leipzig musician Martin Behr. He enrolled at Leipzig University in the summer of 1691 but did not graduate. He belonged to the nation (university) Meissen. On 4 September 1691 he married Barbara Christina Valentin, the youngest daughter of a painter and head of the painters’ guild. Of the four children born of this marriage, only Gottfried Rudolph, baptised in the Nikolaikirche on 24 March 1702, survived. Between 1701 and 1716 he is listed in the Leipzig address books. In 1703, he published Anleitung zu einer wohl-gegründeten Tanz-Kunst, which was followed by three more books. He maintained close contacts with the Leipzig Oper am Brühl. For example, he wrote the ballet interlude for the opera Otto in 1702. Also for the Opernhaus vorm Salztor in Naumburger, he wrote ballet interludes in 1706. (In literature, he is often confused with the composer Johann Beer, who had already been dead for six years at that time. ) He was associated with Georg Philipp Telemann, Pantaleon Hebenstreit, Nicolaus Adam Strungk and Johann Kuhnau. The dan

Santiago de Murcia

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Santiago de Murcia (25 July 1673 – 25 April 1739) was a Spanish guitarist and composer. Biography Until new research was published in 2008, few details about the life of Santiago de Murcia were known. However, it is now known that he was born in Madrid and that his parents were Juan de Murcia and Magdalena Hernandez. He married Josefa Garcia in May 1695. In his printed collection of guitar music, Resumen de acompañar, Murcia describes himself as Master of Guitar to the Spanish Queen Maria Luisa of Savoy. She was the first wife of the first Bourbon king of Spain, Philip (Felipe) V, a grandson of Louis XIV of France who succeeded to the Spanish throne on the death of Carlos II in November 1700. The marriage took place by proxy in Turin on 11 September 1701. On 3 November the marriage was re-celebrated in Figueras, Gerona. In April 1702, Felipe V left on a tour of his Italian possessions appointing Maria Luisa as regent in his absence. There is no reason to suppose that Murcia travelled with him to Naples, Italy, or met the composers Arcangelo Corelli and Alessandro Scarlatti. Maria Luisa arrived in Madrid on 30 June and Murcia is not likely to have been appointed as her Master of Gui

Sebastian Anton Scherer

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Sebastian Anton Scherer (3 October 1631 – 26 August 1712) was a German composer and organist of the Baroque era. Scherer was born in Ulm, where he resided until his death. On 17 June 1653 he was elected town musician, and it was also around that time that he became assistant to Tobias Eberlin, then organist of the famous Ulm Münster. Sherer probably started studying with Eberlin at the same time, later married his daughter and in 1671 succeeded him as organist of the cathedral. Sources disagree on whether Scherer was later appointed organist or simply organ consultant at St. Thomas (Église Saint-Thomas) in Strasbourg, but it was most probably the latter case, since apparently he remained Ulm’s cathedral organist until his death in 1712. Scherer’s surviving works are few, as is typical for the era. They include a collection of sacred vocal music (motets, mass movements and psalm settings) somewhat notable for its imaginative word-setting in some of the pieces, fourteen trio sonatas published as one volume in 1680, all of considerable quality, and a two-part volume of organ music. This latter publication exhibits Italian influence, particularly that of Frescobaldi, which was typical

Sebastián Durón

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Sebastián Durón (19 April (baptized) 1660 – 3 August 1716) was a Spanish organist and composer of the Baroque period. Sebastián Durón Picazo was, with Antonio de Literes, the greatest Spanish composer of stage music of his time. Life and career Durón was born in Brihuega, Guadalajara, Spain, and was the eldest child of two younger brothers and three sisters. His father, Sebastián Durón, was the church sacristan of Brihuega. Diego Durón, Durón’s half-brother, was also a composer. Sebastián Durón began his musical training with Andrés de Sola, who was the lead organist at La Seo Cathedral in Zaragoza. In 1679, Durón briefly took on the role of paid assistant to Sola before becoming the second organist at Seville Cathedral. He served in Seville until 1685, composing sacred music and villancicos while taking minor holy orders. Due to financial reasons, Durón moved to Burgo de Osma Cathedral as first organist, where he was given a stipend and a salary. In 1686, he accepted a more profitable position at Palencia Cathedral where he taught and composed for five years. Sebastián served as organist and choirmaster at various cathedrals (Seville, Cuenca, El Burgo de Osma, Plasencia) until in

Sebastian Knüpfer

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Sebastian Knüpfer (6 September 1633 – 10 October 1676) was a German composer, conductor and educator. He was the Thomaskantor, cantor of the Thomanerchor in Leipzig and director of the towns’s church music, from 1657 to 1676. Life Most of the biographical information about Knüpfer comes from a published obituary. He was born in Asch (now Aš, Czech Republic), and was first taught music by his father, a Kantor and organist. He also studied regularly with an unidentified tutor living near Asch, from whom he gained a solid grounding in, and lasting love for, a number of scholastic disciplines. At the age of 13 he entered the Gymnasium Poeticum at Regensburg and remained there for eight years. During this unusually long period he became well versed in the city’s musical traditions (such as the works of Andreas Raselius), studied the organ, perhaps with Augustin Gradenthaler, and mastered a number of humanistic subjects, especially the poetic arts and philology. His gifts as a student were supported by scholarships from the city of Regensburg, and he was commended by influential members of the staff of the Gymnasium and the city council, some of the latter providing him with favourable t

Sébastien de Brossard

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Sébastien de Brossard (; 12 September 165510 August 1730) was a French music theorist, composer and collector. Life Brossard was born in Dompierre, Orne. After studying philosophy and theology at Caen, he studied music and established himself in Paris in 1678 and remained there until 1687. He briefly was the private tutor of the young son of Nicolas-Joseph Foucault, a collector and bibliophile. He became a very close friend to Étienne Loulié, one of the musicians who performed the Italianate works that Marc-Antoine Charpentier was composing for Marie de Lorraine, Duchess of Guise, better known as “Mademoiselle de Guise.” While in Paris, he also became close to Samuel Morland, an English inventor and polymath who was working with Joseph Sauveur, a mathematician, on the Machine de Marly. It was during talks about music with Morland that Brossard deduced the role that a major third versus a minor third play in differentiating a major scale from a minor scale. These contacts shaped Brossard’s future preoccupations. He enthusiastically embraced Italian music; he became a collector of musical manuscripts and music treatises; he perfected his knowledge of musical theory; and autodidact th

Servaes de Koninck

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Servaes de Koninck, or Servaes de Konink, Servaas de Koninck or Servaas de Konink, or Servaes de Coninck (1653/54 – c.1701) was a Flemish baroque composer of motets, Dutch songs, chamber and incidental music, French airs and Italian cantatas. After training and starting his career in Flanders he moved to Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic, where he was active in circles connected to the Amsterdam Theatre. Life and work Youth and education in the Southern Low Countries De Koninck (Coninck) was born at Dendermonde (Flanders) in 1653. From 1663 to 1665, he was a boy chorister at St. James Church in Ghent. In 1675, he became a student at the University of Leuven. Around 1680, he lived in Brussels. Career in the Republic About 1685, he took up residence in Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic, where he had been preceded by another composer from the Southern Netherlands, Carolus Hacquart. He operated in circles connected to the Amsterdam Theatre and he probably worked later on as an independent musician in Amsterdam. He was a music teacher at the Lucie Quarter’s French girls’ school. Between 1696 and 1699, he issued seven opus numbers, published by Estienne Roger in Amsterdam: two volumes of son

Severo De Luca

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Severo De Luca (fl. 1684–1734) was an Italian composer of the Baroque period. Life It is believed that Severo De Luca was Neapolitan. After moving to Rome in 1688, De Luca worked for Spanish ambassadors, although he is not listed among musicians employed by other Roman patrons. There is a possibility that Gioseppe De Luca might have been related to Severo as his name was present in some of these lists. He later joined the Congregazione di S Cecilia as a chapel master in 1708. Due to accusations of neglect and a dispute with his assistant, Giuseppe Valentini, De Luca was fired from his post in 1734. In 1696, De Luca’s serenata for two voices was printed, becoming one of the few serenata’s printed in Rome during that time. Four of his serenatas were commissioned by Spanish ambassadors, similarly to his final opera. De Luca’s last collaborative opera was La clemenza d’Augusto in 1697. List of works Operas * L’Epaminonda, 1684 * La costanza nell’amor divino, overo La Santa Rosalia, 1696 * La clemenza d’Augusto, 1697 Serenatas * Cantata per musica, 1688 * La nova gara delle dee, 1694 * Serenata, 2 voices, 1696 * Applausi delle virtù, 1701 Cantatas * Ah che tante sventure * Amo Clori * A

Silvius Leopold Weiss

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Silvius Leopold Weiss (12 October 1687 – 16 October 1750) was a German composer and lutenist. He was born in Silesia (in present-day Poland) to the lutenist Johann Jacob Weiss, who taught the lute to his children. Weiss was a child prodigy and played for Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor . He was employed by nobility including Charles III Philip of Palatinate-Neuburg and Alexander Sobieski, travelling with them to various courts and cities in Europe. From 1718, Weiss was a musician at the Dresden court of Augustus the Strong, the Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. He played the lute and the theorbo on many occasions. He was acquainted with Johann Sebastian Bach, who frequently visited Dresden, and on occasion they played music together, reportedly competing in playing fantasias and fugues. Bach’s trio in A major for violin and harpsichord BWV 1025 is based on a sonata by Weiss. At the time of his death, Weiss was the highest-paid instrumentalist at the Dresden court. He left the largest known corpus of music for lute and is recognised as one of the greatest lutenists of all time. Early life and travels Silvius Leopold Weiss was born on 12 October 1687. His birthplace was probably Gr

Šimon Brixi

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Šimon Brixi (28 October 1693 – 2 November 1735) was a Czech composer and organist. He was the father of composer František Brixi. Life Brixi was born on 28 October 1693 in Vlkava, Bohemia. From 1711 to 1717, he studied at the Jesuit college in Jičín. In 1724, he married Ludmila Barbora Fialková. Their son, František Brixi, also became a composer. In 1720, Brixi began studying law in Prague but did not complete his studies, choosing instead to devote himself to music. His artistic activity was closely linked with the musical life in Prague. In 1725, he was dismissed from the Servite Order and became a burgher of the Old Town of Prague. In 1727, Brixi took up the position of teacher, organist and choirmaster at Church of St. Martin in the Wall in the Old Town of Prague, where he worked until his death. He died in Prague on 2 November 1735, aged 42. He is buried at the Church of St. Martin in the Wall. Style and work Brixi is one of the most prominent representatives of the Czech Baroque music. References

Simon-Joseph Pellegrin

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The abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin (1663 – 5 September 1745) was a French poet and playwright, a librettist who collaborated with Jean-Philippe Rameau and other composers. Biography He was born at Marseille, Province of Provence, the son of a conseiller to the Siège Présidial of the city. He was at first designated for an ecclesiastical career, from which he retained the courtesy title abbé. Though he was for a time a novice of the Servites at Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, he soon embarked on a career as a ship’s bursar. Returning to France in 1703, he settled in Paris and composed his earliest poems, among them an Epître à Louis XIV, praising the Sun King’s military successes, which gained the king’s attention and the Académie française prize in 1704. Probably thanks to Madame de Maintenon, Pellegrin succeeded in escaping the urging of his superiors that he become more fully integrated with his order; instead a papal dispensation enabled him to enter the Cluniac order, whereupon he was at the service of various schools, such as Saint-Cyr, for which he provided numerous pious cantiques spirituelles, in which he translated psalms and canticles and set them to familiar tunes from the opera, a

Sir John Clerk, 2nd Baronet

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Sir John Clerk, 2nd Baronet (c. 1676 – 4 October 1755) was a Scottish politician, lawyer, judge and composer. He was vice-president of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh, the pre-eminent learned society of the Scottish Enlightenment. Clerk was also the father of George Clerk-Maxwell and John Clerk of Eldin, and the great-great-grandfather of the famous physicist James Clerk Maxwell. Early life John Clerk was son of Sir John Clerk, 1st Baronet by his first wife Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Henderson of Elvington. He had a legal education first at University of Glasgow and then at Leiden University. During 1697 and 1698 he went on a Grand Tour. In 1699 he composed a cantata entitled Leo Scotiae Irratus (The Scottish Lion Angered), with Latin lyrics by his Dutch friend Herman Boerhaave, to celebrate the establishment of the Scottish trading colony at Darien by the Company of Scotland. In 1700 was admitted to the Scottish Bar. Between 1700 and 1730 he planted 300,000 trees on the grounds of the family estate at Penicuik House. Parliament He was a member of the Parliament of Scotland for Whithorn from 1702 to 1707, and a commissioner for the Union of Parliaments for the Whig Party:

Solomon Eccles

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Solomon Eccles (1618–1683), also known as Solomon Eagle, was an English composer. However, he later became an active Quaker and distanced himself from church music. Life Solomon Eagle was mentioned in Daniel Defoe’s semi-fictional account of the plague of 1665 titled A Journal of the Plague Year: I suppose the world has heard of the famous Solomon Eagle, an enthusiast. He, though not infected at all but in his head, went about denouncing of judgment upon the city in a frightful manner, sometimes quite naked, and with a pan of burning charcoal on his head. What he said, or pretended, indeed I could not learn. This event is corroborated in the 29 July 1667 entry of the Diary of Samuel Pepys (vol 13). Pepys confirms that the person described as such is a Quaker: …a man, a Quaker, came naked through the Westminster Hall, only very civilly tied about the privates to avoid scandal, and with a chafing-dish of fire and brimstone burning upon his head… crying, “Repent! repent!” Eccles as a Quaker was prosecuted numerous times during the Restoration for civil disobedience. He would worship with other Quakers, although the Conventicle Act 1664 declared that this was a dangerous and sediti

Stefano Fabri jr.

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Stefano Fabri junior (born c. 1606 in Rome; died 27 August 1658 in Rome) was the son of Stefano Fab(b)ri (1560–1609), who was the Kapellmeister of the Cappella Giulia. He was the pupil of Giovanni Bernardino Nanino. and the music teacher of Francesco Beretta. Biography He was the director of music at the Seminario Romano (1638-1639) and following until 1644 at S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini. A compilation of several compositions (Florido, Cantiones Sacrae ab Excell. Musices Auctoribus) notices him as Maestro in S. Pietro in Vaticano. A severe outbreak of pestilence in 1656 made Pope Alexander VII forbid all public events in Rome. Despite all that Fabri was made the maestro at Santa Maria Maggiore and in 1657 he advanced to be the director of music of the private chapel of the Borghese family at the same church. Works About twenty of his compositions had been published during his lifetime. Several compilations of all the composers of that time were edited by Domenico Bianchi, Filippo Beretti, Giovanni Poggioli and especially by Florido de Silvestris. His brother-in-law and Giacomo Fei published his Magnificat and the Salmi concertati. Many polychoral compositions have been preserved, fo

Symeon Pekalytsky

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Symeon Pekalytsky (), sometimes Semen Pekalytsky () or Simeon Pekalitsky (born c. 1630) was a Ukrainian composer, choral director and teacher. He wrote partsong choral works. Biography Very little is known about his life. He was born in Ukraine in c. 1630 and studied in high schools of Kyiv, Lviv, Ostroh or Lutsk. He had gained a profound musical education. In the 1660s Pekalytsky led the Chapel of Chernihiv archbishop Lazar Baranovych. We can assume that Lazar Baranovych drew attention to talented youth. In the mid 1660s Tsar became interested in the possibility of the introduction of polyphonic singing in Russian church. In 1666 Chernihiv choir moved to Moscow where it worked for almost a year with his choir of eight singers after having his chapel’s musical excellence become well-known. Pekalytsky had gained a possibility to demonstrate his music and conducting mastery. In 1667 he became a choirmaster of the Chapel of Iosyf Shumliansky in Lviv and during this time, he taught music theory and singing lessons. In 1673 he was again invited to Moscow to lead the Chapel at the court. In the 1680s he returned to Ukraine and settled in Novhorod-Siverskyi. A Liturgy in 8 voices of Symeo

Teodorico Pedrini

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Teodorico Pedrini, C.M. (June 30, 1671 – December 10, 1746), also known by his Chinese name De Lige (), was an Italian Vincentian priest, musician and composer, but he was mainly a missionary at the imperial court of China for 36 years. Pedrini was born in Fermo, in the Marche, then part of the Papal States. He was the founder of the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Beijing. He was the music teacher to three sons of the Qing dynasty’s Kangxi Emperor, and he was co-author of the first treatise on Western Music theory ever written in Chinese: the LǜlǚZhèngyì-Xùbiān, later included in the Siku Quanshu. Biography He was baptized Paolo Filippo Teodorico Pedrini on July 6, 1671, in the parish church of St. Michael the Archangel, in Fermo in the Marche. His father, Giovanni Francesco Pedrini, who had been born in Servigliano on February 5, 1630, had worked as a notary in his native town for two years from 1654 to 1656, before going to Rome for ten years, as Chancellor for the Auditor Camerae. He then became the most important notary in Fermo, from 1669 to his death in 1707. Teodorico’s mother was Nicolosa Piccioni, born in Fermo on March 14, 1650, daughter of another notary, Giovanni F

Teodósio, Prince of Brazil

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Dom Teodósio, Prince of Brazil, Duke of Braganza (Teodósio de Bragança; ; 8 February 1634 – 15 May 1653) was the eldest son of John IV of Portugal and heir apparent to the Portuguese throne from 1640 until his death. In 1645, he was created Prince of Brazil and 9th Duke of Braganza. Biography Born on 8 February 1634 in Vila Viçosa, Teodósio was the first child of John IV of Portugal and Luisa de Guzmán, then the Duke and Duchess of Braganza. Shortly after birth, he was granted the title Duke of Barcelos. In December 1640, John was proclaimed King John IV of Portugal by the Portuguese nobility, marking the end of the 60-year-old Iberian Union and establishing the House of Braganza on the Portuguese throne. A month later, on 28 January 1641, Teodósio was sworn in as heir apparent by the Portuguese Cortes. Seeking to grant a more prestigious title that would reflect the grandeur of the new dynasty, John IV created the title Prince of Brazil and bestowed it, alongside the title of Duke of Braganza, upon Teodósio in a royal decree issued 27 October 1645. In 1646, John IV attempted to secure a dynastic alliance with France by proposing Teodósio marry Louis XIII’s niece, La Grande Mademoi

Teofilo Macchetti

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Teofilo Macchetti (Venice, March 3, 1632 – Pisa, 1714) was an Italian composer and music theorist. Life Macchetti studied music in Venice and joined the Benedictine Order, which assigned him to the monastery in Rovigo as solicitor in 1669. He stayed in Rovigo until 1674, but his interest for history and music caused him to travel for research to Venice (in 1672 and in 1673) and to Rome, where he stayed for four years (from 1675 to 1679). After that he made stops in Loreto and Spoleto, and then settled in Pisa, where he became Chapel Master of the Duomo in 1681. From the notes in his diary, precious information regarding the musical activity of a 1600-1700 chapel can be understood. Macchetti describes his duties, the music that was performed, and his academic activity in minute detail. In addition, he documented many distinctive traits of the music performed at that time. Curiosità musicali His interest for antique music is gathered in Curiosità musicali (translated as Musical Curiosity, or Music Trivia) which dates back to beginning in 1711 and is preserved today in the Biblioteca Universitaria of Pisa. in which he recognizes Curiosità musicali as its essential foundation. Works In

Thomas Baltzar

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Thomas Baltzar (c. 1630 – 24 July 1663) was a German violinist and composer. He was born in Lübeck to a musical family; his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all musicians. Sources suggest an array of music teachers who may have taught him in his early years. According to the writings of Samuel Hartlib, composer and violinist Johann Schop was one of those instructors. Baltzar may have studied the violin with Gregor Zuber and composition with Franz Tunder. He may have also received instruction from composer and violinist Nicolaus Bleyer, who taught Baltzar’s younger brother. Through contacts at Germany’s embassy in Sweden (where, by 1653, Baltzar was employed), he may have come in contact with English musicians accompanying Bulstrode Whitelocke’s mission to Queen Christina. This possible encounter may have been the impetus for Baltzar’s decision to emigrate to England in 1655, leaving behind his newly attained position of Ratslutenist of Lübeck (he had returned briefly to his home city, probably shortly after Christina’s abdication in June 1654). Hartlib’s writings indicate that the Swedish ambassador to England, Christer Bonde, took in Baltzar. Two years later, accord

Thomas Chilcot

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Thomas Chilcot (1707?1766), was an English organist and composer. Life Thomas Chilcot of Bath, Somerset was born in the West of England (probably Bath) in or about 1707. He was the son of John Chilcot and Elizabeth Powell. Records of his birth, like most other records from his life, are now lost. Chilcot was educated at Bath Charity School, whose headmaster, Henry Dixon, had a strong interest in church music. On 6 July 1721 Chilcot (presumably aged 14) was apprenticed to Josiah Priest, the organist of Bath Abbey since 1714 - seemingly the only occasion on which the school allowed a pupil to be apprenticed to a musician. On Priest’s death, just four years later, Chilcot was made Abbey organist on a probationary basis. At what should have been the conclusion of Chilcot’s apprenticeship, in 1728, the appointment was made permanent. As City musician in fashionable Bath, Chilcot rapidly established a remarkable relationship with many noble families, attracting their patronage and subscriptions to his publications. He became a member and subsequently Grand Master of the Royal Cumberland Lodge of Freemasons. He was also amongst the original members of the Royal Society of Musicians, found

Thomas Clayton (composer)

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Thomas Clayton (16731725) was an English violinist and composer, and a member of The King’s Musick at the court of William III. His is said to be the first to acclimatise legitimate opera in England. Life His father was William Clayton. He studied in Italy, from about 1702 to about 1704, bringing with him (as was said at the time) a considerable quantity of Italian songs which he had collected abroad. These he set to an adaptation by Peter Anthony Motteux of a drama by Stonzani, which had been performed at Bologna in 1677, and at Venice in 1678. In association with Nicola Haym and Charles Dieupart, Clayton entered upon a series of opera performances at Drury Lane Theatre — the first venture of the kind in the annals of the English stage. The first season began on Tuesday, 16 Jan. 1705, with Arsinoe, Queen of Cyprus, the work which Clayton had vamped up from his Italian gleanings. It was announced as ‘a new opera, after the Italian manner, all sung,’ with recitatives instead of spoken dialogue. It seems to have attained some success, though a contemporary writer (supposed to be Galliard) says ’there is nothing in it but a few sketches of antiquated Italian airs, so mangled and sophi

Thomas Kingo

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Thomas Hansen Kingo (15 December 1634 – 14 October 1703) was a Danish bishop, poet and hymnwriter born in Slangerup, near Copenhagen. His work marked the high point of Danish baroque poetry. Early life and education His parents were Hans Thomsen Kingo and Karen Sørensdatter. His father was born in Crail, Scotland, and moved to Helsingør, Denmark, as a two-year old; he became a weaver of modest means. The name Kingo is a shortening of the Scottish name Kinghorn. Although his parents were not wealthy, he was sent to Frederiksborg Latin School at the age of 16 in 1650. He studied theology at the University of Copenhagen, enrolling in 1654 and graduating in 1658. Career Kingo started his career by working as a private tutor at Frederiksborg Castle. From 1659 he lived on the Vedbygård estate at Tissø, where he wrote some of his first poems. In 1661 he was appointed chaplain to the priest Peder Worm at Kirke Helsinge and Drøsselbjerg, and in 1668 he was ordained a minister in his hometown of Slangerup, where his poem-writing began. In 1677 Kingo was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Funen. Poems and hymns At first he essayed patriotic poems, but later devoted himself almost entirely to

Thomas Mace

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Thomas Mace (1612 or 1613 – c. 1706) was an English lutenist, viol player, singer, composer and musical theorist of the Baroque era. His book Musick’s Monument (1676) provides a valuable description of 17th century musical practice. Biography Born in 1612 or 1613, he played the lute from c. 1621, but his teacher if any is unknown. He also played the viol. He was a singer, termed a lay clerk, in the choir of Trinity College, Cambridge from 1635 until his death. He died c. 1706. John Hawkins in A General History Of The Science and Practice Of Music (1776) commented: Notes References * * * * * * * * External links *

Thomas Roseingrave

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Thomas Roseingrave (1690 or 1691 – 23 June 1766), like his father Daniel Roseingrave, was an English-born Irish composer and organist. Early years He was born at Winchester, where his father Daniel Roseingrave was the Cathedral organist, but spent his early years in Dublin, studying music with his father (who, by then, was organist of both St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin and Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin). In 1707 he entered Trinity College but failed to complete his degree. In 1710 he was sent to Italy with the financial assistance of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin (awarded in 1709) in order “to improve himself in the art of music”. In Venice he met Domenico Scarlatti and was greatly impressed by his harpsichord playing. He followed Scarlatti to Naples and Rome and, later in life, he published an edition of Scarlatti’s sonatas for harpsichord which led to a “Scarlatti cult” in England. Roseingrave composed several works in Italy including an anthem and a cantata. He returned to England in 1717 (having left Italy for Dublin in 1713). In 1720 he produced Scarlatti’s opera Amor d’un’ombra e gelosia d’un’aura under the title Narciso at the Haymarket Theatre, to which he added two ari

Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco

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Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco Sánchez (23 December 1644 – 23 April 1728) was a Spanish composer, musician and organist based in Peru, associated with the American Baroque. Life Torrejón y Velasco was born in Villarrobledo and spent his childhood in the town Fuencarral (now a district of Madrid), the birthplace of his father, Miguel de Torrejón, a huntsman in Philip IV of Spain’s employ. In 1658, while still in Spain, he entered into the service of Pedro Fernández de Castro y Andrade, Count of Lemos, who later became the viceroy of Peru. In 1667, he traveled to Lima along with the new viceroy, as one of the viceroy’s 113 personal attendants. From 21 November 1667 until 1672 he was superintendent of the armoury at Lima. In 1673 he was appointed magistrate and chief justice of Chachapoyas province, a position he held for four years. In 1676 he was appointed maestro de capilla at the Cathedral of Lima, replacing Juan de Araujo. He remained in that position until his death more than fifty years later in 1728. Torrejón seems to have been deeply religious, and adhered to the precepts of the Catholic Church as usual at the times for someone in his position. Married twice (his first wife died

Tomaso Albinoni

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Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni (8 June 1671 – 17 January 1751) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. His output includes operas, concertos, sonatas for one to six instruments, sinfonias, and solo cantatas. While famous in his day as an opera composer, he is known today for his instrumental music, especially his concertos. He is best remembered today for a work called “Adagio in G minor”, attributed to him but largely written by Remo Giazotto, a 20th-century musicologist and composer, who was a cataloguer of the works of Albinoni. Biography Albinoni was born in Venice, at the time part of the Republic of Venice, but now in Italy. His father was Antonio Albinoni, a wealthy paper merchant. Tomaso studied violin and singing; in 1694, he dedicated his Opus 1 to the fellow-Venetian, Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni (grand-nephew of Pope Alexander VIII). His first opera, Zenobia, regina de Palmireni, was produced in Venice in 1694. Albinoni was possibly employed in 1700 as a violinist to Charles IV, Duke of Mantua, to whom he dedicated his Opus 2 collection of instrumental pieces. In 1701 he wrote his hugely popular suites Opus 3, and dedicated that collection to Ferdinando de’ Medici, Grand Prin

Tomaso Antonio Vitali

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Tomaso Antonio Vitali (7 March 1663 – 9 May 1745) was an Italian composer and violinist of the mid to late Baroque era. The eldest son of Giovanni Battista Vitali, he is chiefly known for a Chaconne in G minor for violin and continuo, to which he is traditionally attributed as the composer. The earliest known source for Vitali’s Chaconne is a manuscript housed in the Sächsische Landesbibliothek Dresden with the shelfmark Mus. 2037/R/1. The work’s wide-ranging modulations into distant keys have raised speculation that it could not be a genuine Baroque work, while the lack of similarities to other works by Vitali have made modern scholars cast serious doubts on the attribution. Biography Vitali was born in Bologna on 7 March 1663; his father was the noted composer and violinist Giovanni Battista Vitali. He studied composition in Modena with Antonio Maria Pacchioni, and was employed at the Este court orchestra from 1675 to 1742. He was a teacher, whose pupils included Evaristo Felice dall’Abaco, Jean Baptiste Senaillé, Girolamo Nicolò Laurenti and Luca Antonio Predieri. Authentic works by Vitali include a set of trio sonatas published as his opus numbers 1 and 2 (1693), sonatas da cam

Tommaso Bai

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Tommaso Bai, or Tommaso Baj, was born in Crevalcore around 1650 and died in Rome on 22 December 1714. He was an Italian conductor, composer, and tenor at the Vatican. He is most well known for his Miserere, which is associated with Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere. During the last years of his life he had been the Kapellmeister of the Cappella Giulia in Rome. Biography In the year of 1670 he joined the Choir of the Cappella Giulia and stayed there until his dying day. He also advanced to become a personal singer of the pope. He served the following superiors, who had been his predecessors as the Kapellmeister of the Cappella Giulia: * Orazio Benevoli (1646–1672) * Ercole Bernabei (1672–1674) * Antonio Masini (1674–1678) * Don Francesco Berretta (1678–1694) * Paolo Lorenzani (1694–1713) In 1713 he got to be the Kapellmeister. He kept this function until his dying day. According to Baini he died on 22 December 1714. Works Bai was acclaimed for his intricate attention to prosody, accentuation of words, and notation. His well known Miserere, which he composed in 1713, is claimed by some opinions to be an imitation Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere. According to Eitner this Miserere, that is perfo

Turlough O'Carolan

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Turlough O’Carolan ( ; 1670 – 25 March 1738) was a blind Celtic harper, composer and singer in Ireland whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. Although not a composer in the classical sense, Carolan is considered by some to be Ireland’s national composer. Harpers in the old Irish tradition were still living as late as 1792, and ten, including Arthur O’Neill, Patrick Quin and Donnchadh Ó hÁmsaigh, attended the Belfast Harp Festival. Ó hÁmsaigh played some of Carolan’s music, but disliked it for being too modern. Some of Carolan’s own compositions show influences of the style of continental classical music, whereas others such as Farewell to Music reflect a much older style of “Gaelic Harping”. Biography Carolan was born in 1670 in Nobber, County Meath, where his father was a blacksmith. The family, who were said to be a branch of the Mac Brádaigh sept of County Cavan (Carolan’s great-grandfather, Shane Grana O’Carrolan, was chieftain of his sept in 1607 ), forfeited their estates during the civil wars and moved from Meath in 1684 to Ballyfarnon, County Roscommon, on the invitation of the family of MacDermot Roe of Alderford House. In Roscommon, his father took a

Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer

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Unico Wilhelm, Count van Wassenaer Obdam (30 October 1692 – 9 November 1766) was a Dutch nobleman who was a diplomat as well as a composer. He reorganized the Bailiwick of Utrecht of the Teutonic Order. His most important surviving compositions are the Concerti Armonici, which until 1980 had been misattributed to the Italian composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736) and to Carlo Ricciotti (1681–1756). Early years Van Wassenaer was born into a distinguished family of wealth, power and accomplishment—the House of Wassenaer. His grandfather, Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam, was supreme commander of the confederate Dutch navy, and was killed in battle in 1665 in the Second Anglo-Dutch War; his father, Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam (younger), served as a general of the army in the War of the Spanish Succession, but ruined his military reputation in 1703 in the Battle of Ekeren, and spent the rest of his career as a diplomat. Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer was born in the family castle of Twickel, near Delden, on 30 October 1692, the son of Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam (1645–1714) and Adriana Sophia Raesfelt (died 1694). He grew up in the Hague, where he was taught to play the harpsichord and vio

Václav Jan Kopřiva

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Václav Jan Kopřiva (pseudonym Urtica ) (8 February 1708 – 7 June 1789) was a Bohemian composer and organist. Life Kopřiva was a son of the miller Václav Kopřiva (1672–?), from the neighboring village Brloh, and his wife Juditka Rozumová (1677–?). He received his first musical education from his godfather Martin Antonín Kalina, who was a cantor and a representative of another important music family in Cítoliby. He completed his studies in Prague, becoming an organist at the Crusaders’ Church and studying with Franz Joseph Dollhopf. Thereafter he worked as a cantor and organist in Cítoliby. With his wife Terézia, he had two sons Karel Blažej Kopřiva and Jan Jáchym Kopřiva, who both also became composers. His spiritual compositions have typical baroque characteristics and they employ pastoral poems and folksongs. His notable pupils include Jan Nepomuk Vent, Jan Adam Galina, Jakub Lokaj and both of his sons. List of works * Alma Redemptoris Mater, for soprano, alto, women choir, strings and organ * Litaniae Lauretanae, for SATB, mixed choir, orchestra and organ *# Kyrie *# Pater de coelis *# Sancta Trinitas *# Sancta Maria *# Mater Christi *# Virgo prudentissima *# Vas spirituale *# Sa

Václav Karel Holan Rovenský

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Václav Karel Holan Rovenský (1644 – 27 February 1718) was a Czech baroque composer and organist. Life and work Holan Rovenský was born in 1644 in Rovensko pod Troskami. He had been organist in Turnov and Rovensko pod Troskami (where he was also cantor) from 1668 and in Dobrovice in 1679–1680. During his tenure at Vyšehrad he may have taken a pilgrimage to Rome and sometime in the early eighteenth century he lived a prayerful and hermit-like existence at Waldstein Castle near Turnov. His magnum opus is Cappella Regia Musicalis (Prague, 1693), containing 772 pieces, which was almost certainly the fruit of his 12-plus years as a provincial cantor. The publication coincides with his appointment as organist at Vyšehrad in Prague, though he may have been in the city for some time before that. Cappella Regia Musicalis is a massive collection of hymns, sacred and festive songs, and all manner of musical settings of almost all central parts of the Roman Catholic liturgy, all printed primarily in Czech. It is difficult to tell just how much of the collection was composed by Holan himself (though it is clear that many other composers are represented), and some of the songs and other pieces ar

Valentin de Bournonville

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Valentin de Bournonville (c. 1610 – 18 March 1684) was a French Baroque composer and music master active in the middle of the 17th century. Biography Valentin de Bournonville was the son of Jean de Bournonville, and trained by his father in the mastery of the Amiens Cathedral. He was a priest. In 1634 he took over the position of master of the children of the cathedral, succeeding Artus Aux-Cousteaux, who himself had succeeded Jean de Bournonville. In 1643, an act of 23 July shows him depositing his almuce on the desk of the chapter as a sign of obedience, like the other vicars and chaplains of the cathedral. In 1646, when he had two masses published by Robert III Ballard, he is said to be a canon of the church of St. Firmin d’Amiens and master of the children of the cathedral church of that city. He was also endowed with the Vicariate Chapel of Saint-Quentin. Valentin de Bournonville then moved to Paris, being appointed on 27 August 1646 as the music master of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, until 20 March 1653, succeeding here François Cosset. On 14 April 1651, the chapter reminded him that during the days of great feast, only a psalm and the magnificat were to be sung in mus

Valentin Rathgeber

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Johann Valentin Rathgeber (3 April 1682 – 2 June 1750) was a German composer, organist and choirmaster of the Baroque Era. Life Rathgeber was born in Oberelsbach. His father, an organist, gave him his first music lessons. At the beginning of the 18th century, he began studying at the University of Würzburg, initially studying rhetoric, mathematics and law; later he changed direction and continued his studies in theology. His first position was as a teacher at the Julius Hospital in Würzburg. In 1707 he took up the post of chamber musician and servant of the abbot of the Banz Abbey, Kilian Düring. Worklist (selection) * Augsburger Tafel-Confect * Opus I Octava musica clavium octo musicarum in Missis octo musicalibus (mass compositions) * Opus II (vespers) * Opus III (masses) * Opus IV (offertories with instrumental accompaniment) * Opus V (antiphons for the church year) * Opus VI (secular instrumental works) * Opus VII (masses for the church year) * Opus VIII (requiem and Libera) * Opus IX Psalmodia vespertina (vespers cycle) * Opus X (Latin and German arias) * Opus XI (hymns) * Opus XII (rural and town masses) * Opus XIII (Miserere and Tantum ergo) * Opus XIV (offertories cycle in

Vasily Polikarpovich Titov

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Vasily Polikarpovich Titov (; c. 1650 – c. 1715) was a Russian composer, one of the foremost exponents of the so-called Moscow Baroque. Although Titov’s works are not widely known today, he was famous during his lifetime, and his importance was acknowledged in Russia by both pre-revolutionary and Soviet musicologists. Biography The scant biographical materials indicate that Titov was born in the 1650s. He joined Tsar Fedor’s choir, the Gosudarevy Pevchie Diaki (Государевы Певчие Дьяки, The Tsar’s Singers) when he was in his twenties; his salary is recorded in 1678. He quickly rose to prominence as both singer and composer. In the 1680s he collaborated with Simeon Polotsky (a famed churchman, man of letters and tutor to the children of Tsar Aleksey Mikhailovich), composing musical settings of Polotsky’s psalter and an almanac of sacred poetry. In the 1680s Titov also joined Tsar Ivan’s choir. Style Titov wrote more than 200 compositions, all of them vocal music. They include complete settings of Divine Services (Sluzhby Bozhie, Службы Божие) and a psalter (by Simeon Polotsky), as well as numerous vocal concertos for feast days. His works range from short, three-voice pieces to large

Vincent Lübeck

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Vincent Lübeck (c. September 1654 – 9 February 1740) was a German composer and organist. He was born in Padingbüttel and worked as organist and composer at Stade’s St. Cosmae et Damiani (1675–1702) and Hamburg’s famous St. Nikolai (1702–1740), where he played one of the largest contemporary organs. He enjoyed a remarkably high reputation in his lifetime, and had numerous pupils, among whom were two of his sons. Despite Lübeck’s longevity and fame, very few compositions by him survive: a handful of organ praeludia and chorales in the North German style, a few cantatas and several pieces for harpsichord, some of which were published during the composer’s lifetime. Of his works, the organ pieces are the most important: influenced by Dieterich Buxtehude and Johann Adam Reincken, Lübeck composed technically and artistically sophisticated works, with frequent virtuosic passages for pedal, five-voice polyphony, and other devices rarely used by most of the composers of the period. Life Lübeck was born in Padingbüttel, a small town some 70 km north of Bremen. His father, also named Vincent, worked as organist first at Glückstadt and then, from 1647, at the Marienkirche in Flensburg, where h

Vincenzo Albrici

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Vincenzo Albrici (26 June 1631 in Rome – 7 September 1687 in Prague) was an Italian composer, brother of Bartolomeo and nephew of Fabio and Alessandro Costantini. Albrici was born as the son of singer who settled from Marche in Rome. In 1641 he became a student at the Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum under Giacomo Carissimi. In 1647 he was paid as an organist in the Santa Maria in Vallicella. Albrici was one of several musicians and composers residing in the court of Christina of Sweden in the first half of the seventeenth century and arrived to the court of Charles II of England in the 1660s. Then Albrici became joint vice-kapellmeister with Giovanni Andrea Bontempi under Heinrich Schütz in Dresden (1659). Vincenzo’s brother Bartolomeo Albrici, took up the position of organist. Vincenzo and his sister Leonora, also a singer, went to England and became part of the King’s Italian Musicke. Bartolomeo joined them in 1666 and remained in England when Vincenzo returned to Dresden. In 1681 he gained the post of organist at the Thomaskirche, a position which required conversion to Protestantism. A few months later, he moved to the Augustine church of St. Thomas, in Mala Strana, Prague f

Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel

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Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel (baptized 29 August 1686 – 6 June 1764) was a German composer and organist, the elder son of Johann Pachelbel. Life He was born in Erfurt, Electorate of Mainz, and spent the first four years of his life there. The Pachelbel family moved to Stuttgart in 1690, then, fleeing from the War of the Grand Alliance, to Gotha in 1692, and finally to Nuremberg in 1695. Wilhelm Hieronymus almost certainly received his first music education from his father. By age 14 he was proficient enough on the keyboard to receive special commendation from the town council of Nuremberg. After leaving Nuremberg, he worked as organist at Fürth and his native Erfurt’s Predigerkirche, before returning and taking the position at St. Jakob in 1706, shortly before his father’s death. That same year J.S. Richter succeeded Johann Pachelbel at the city’s largest church, Sebalduskirche; Wilhelm Hieronymus took Richter’s former position at St. Egidienkirche. He remained in Nuremberg for the rest of his life, working at St. Egidien until 1719, when Richter died and Wilhelm Hieronymus was chosen to succeed him at Sebalduskirche. Only seven pieces by Wilhelm Hieronymus survive, all of them for

Wilhelmine, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth

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Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia (Friederike Sophie Wilhelmine; 3 July 170914 October 1758) was a Prussian princess and composer. She was the eldest daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, and a granddaughter of George I of Great Britain. She was the older sister of Frederick the Great. In 1731, she married Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. The baroque buildings and parks built during her tenure shape much of the present appearance of the town of Bayreuth, Germany. Early life Born in Berlin, Wilhelmine shared the unhappy childhood of her brother, Frederick the Great, whose friend and confidante she remained all her life, with the exception of one short interval. She was fiercely beaten and abused by her governess during her childhood. Wilhelmine later wrote: “Not a day passed that she the governess did not prove upon me the fearful power of her fists.” The mistreatment continued until the prince’s governess finally said to their mother, who had been oblivious to the abuse, that she would not be surprised if Wilhelmine was eventually beaten until she was crippled. After this, the governess was promptly replaced. Being the eldest daughter i

Willem de Fesch

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Willem de Fesch (; 1687 in Alkmaar – 3 January 1761) was a virtuoso Dutch violinist and composer. The pupil of Karel Rosier, who was a Vice-Kapellmeister at Bonn, de Fesch later married his daughter, Maria Anna Rosier. De Fesch was active in Amsterdam between 1710 and 1725. From 1725 to 1731 he served as Kapellmeister at Antwerp Cathedral. Thereafter he moved to London where he gave concerts and played the violin in Handel’s orchestra in 1746. In 1748 and 1749 he conducted at Marylebone Gardens. He apparently made no public appearances after 1750. His works included the oratorios Judith (1732) and Joseph (1746), as well as chamber duets, solo and trio sonatas, concertos and part songs. Both oratorios were thought lost until 1980 when a copy of a manuscript of Joseph was found in London’s Royal Academy of Music. De Fesch’s music was influenced by the Italians, particularly Vivaldi, as well as Handel. Works *Op. 1: 6 Sonate per 2 Violini e 6 Sonate per due Cioloncelli (Roger/Amsterdam 1715) *Op. 2: Molti Concerti e Concerti grossi (Roger/Amsterdam 1717) *Op. 3: Molti Concerti e Concerti grossi (Roger/Amsterdam 1718) *Op. 4: 6 Sonate per Violino e Basso continuo (B. c.), 6 Sonate per

William Babell

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William Babell (or Babel) (c. 1690 – 23 September 1723) was an English musician, composer and prolific arranger of vocal music for harpsichord. Life He received his musical training from his father, Charles Babel, a bassoonist in the Drury Lane orchestra, Johann Christoph Pepusch and possibly George Frideric Handel. He played violin in the private band of George I and appeared as a harpsichordist from 1711, often appearing with William Corbett, James Paisible and later Matthew Dubourg. He was associated with Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre. From November 1718 until his death, he was organist at All Hallows, Bread Street, and was succeeded by John Stanley. He wrote numerous keyboard arrangements of arias from popular operas of his time. These were published in France, the Netherlands and Germany as well as in England, and formed the basis of his musical reputation. His style was strongly influenced by his close acquaintance with Handel. Johann Mattheson thought he surpassed Handel as an organ virtuoso, but music historian Charles Burney criticised his manner of playing arrangements, charging that he: Despite Burney’s criticism, fellow music historian Sir John Hawkins thought they ‘succ

William Corbett (composer)

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William Corbett (18 June 1680 – 7 March 1748) was an English composer, violinist, and concert performer. The Director of New Theatre (Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London) from 1700, Corbett was appointed orchestra director of King’s Theatre, The Haymarket in 1705 and became a member of the Royal Orchestra in 1709. In 1716, he was appointed Director of the King’s Band. From 1715 to 1726, Corbett lived in Italy, returning to London in 1727. It has been speculated that while abroad, Corbett was possibly acting as an agent for the Crown. Extant works *Henry VI by Betterton (1699) *Twelve Sonatas a tre for 2 violins and b.c op. 1 (1700) *As You Find It (1703) *Love Betray’d, or The Agreeable Disappointment (1703) *The Instrumental Musick for January, February and March, for 2 flutes and b.c (1703) *Six Sonatas for 2 flutes and b.c op. 2 (1705) *British Enchanters, or No Magick Like Love (1706) *Six Sonatas a 3 for Two Flutes or German Flutes and a Bass. Consisting of Preludes, Allemands, Corants, Sarabands, Gavots & Jiggs. Dedicated to ye … Earle of Portland … Opera Quarta. Libro Primo. Separate Parts. London : L. Pippard, for ye Author, 1712. A copy is in the British Library: music collec

William Croft

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William Croft (baptised 30 December 1678 – 14 August 1727) was an English composer and organist. Life Croft was born at the Manor House, Nether Ettington, Warwickshire. He was educated at the Chapel Royal under the instruction of John Blow, and remained there until 1698. Two years after this departure, he became organist of St. Anne’s Church, Soho and he became an organist and ‘Gentleman extraordinary’ at the Chapel Royal. In 1700, Croft, in collaboration with “an Italian Master”, probably Gottfried Finger, published six sonatas for violin, flute, harpsichord and viol, in the newly fashionable Italian style. In 1707, he took over the Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal post, which had been left vacant by the suicide of Jeremiah Clarke. Shortly afterwards his health deteriorated, and he died while visiting Bath aged 48. A fragment of music attributed to Croft, Ground in C minor (D221), has been used by contemporary composer Michael Nyman as the source of his piece An Eye for an Optical Theory. St Anne One of Croft’s most enduring pieces is the hymn tune “St Anne” written to the poem Our God, Our Help in Ages Past by Isaac Watts. Other composers subsequently incorporated the t

William Flackton

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William Flackton (bap. 27 March 1709 – 5 January 1798) was an 18th-century bookseller, publisher, amateur organist, viola player and composer. He is perhaps best known today for his compositions for the viola. Flackton was born in Canterbury and was the eldest surviving son of John Flackton and Catharine Sharp. He demonstrated a talent for music from an early age and at the age of nine he was admitted as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral. He was apprenticed to the Canterbury bookseller Edward Burges until 1730 when he set up his own business as a stationer and bookseller specialising in the second-hand and antiquarian book trade. He was in partnership with his brother John from 1738 and later traded in partnership with two of his former apprentices, first as Flackton and Marrable from 1774 and as Flackton, Marrable and Claris from 1784. The ESTC Database records over 60 books published by the firm. In 1770, he published his Six Solos, Three for a Violoncello and Three for a Tenor, Accompanied Either with a Violoncello or Harpsichord, dedicated to Sir William Young, Lieutenant-Governor of Dominica. In the Preface, Flackton shows that he wanted to promote music for the viola. Flack

William Hayes (composer)

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William Hayes (1706 – 27 July 1777) was an English composer, organist, singer and conductor. Life Hayes was born in Gloucester. He trained at Gloucester Cathedral where the cathedral account books record his name amongst the choristers from 1717. He spent the early part of his working life as organist of St Mary’s, Shrewsbury (1729) and Worcester Cathedral (1731). The majority of his career was spent at the University of Oxford where he was appointed organist of Magdalen College in 1734, and established his credentials with the degrees of B.Mus in 1735 and D.Mus in 1749. (He was painted by John Cornish in his doctoral robes around 1749.) In 1741 he was unanimously elected Heather Professor of Music and organist of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin. He presided over Oxford’s concert life for the next 30 years, and was instrumental in the building of the Holywell Music Room in 1748, the oldest purpose-built music room in Europe. He was one of the earliest members of the Royal Society of Musicians, and in 1765 was elected a “privileged member” of the Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Catch Club. He died in Oxford, aged 69. Music style William Hayes was an enthusiastic Handelian, and

William Hine

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William Hine (1687–1730) was an English organist and composer. Hine was born at Brightwell, Oxfordshire. Career He was a chorister of Magdalen College, Oxford in 1694, and a clerk in 1705. Coming to London, he studied music under Jeremiah Clarke, whose executive style he closely imitated. In 1711 or 1712. Hine became organist of Gloucester Cathedral, and shortly afterwards married Alicia, the daughter of Abraham Rudhall, the bellfounder. The dean and chapter of Gloucester showed their appreciation of Hine’s services by voluntarily increasing his yearly salary by 20 pounds, as is recorded in the mural tablet over his grave in the cloisters. Hine’s chief pupils were Richard Church and William Hayes, whose son, Dr. Philip Hayes, presented a portrait of Hine to the Oxford Music School. Death He died on 28 August 1730, aged 43. After Hine’s death, his widow published by subscription Harmonia Sacra Glocestriensis, or Select Anthems for 1, 2, and 3 Voices, &c. The volume contains the anthems Save me, Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, I will magnify Thee, and the Jubilate (with Hall’s Te Deum). His wife died on 28 June 1735. References

William Lawes

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William Lawes (April 1602 – 24 September 1645) was an English composer and musician known for his innovative and experimental style of early Baroque music. Born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, he wrote sacred and secular music at the court of Charles I of England. His best known compositions are consort suites for viols, including the Royal Consort collection (completed 1635). He joined Royalist forces during the English Civil War and was honored with the title “Father of Musick” after being killed at the Battle of Rowton Heath. Life and career Lawes was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire and was baptised on 1 May 1602. He was the son of Thomas Lawes, a vicar choral at Salisbury Cathedral, and brother to Henry Lawes, a very successful composer in his own right. It is possible the young William was a member of the cathedral choir there. His patron, Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, apprenticed him to the composer John Coprario, which probably brought Lawes into contact with Charles, Prince of Wales at an early age. Both William and his elder brother Henry received court appointments after Charles succeeded to the British throne as Charles I. William was appointed as “musician in ordinary for lut

William Turner (composer)

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William Turner (1651/2–13 January 1740, London) was a composer and countertenor of the Baroque era. A contemporary of John Blow and Henry Purcell, he is best remembered for his verse anthems, of which over forty survive. As a singer, he was a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal from 1669 until his death. Life Turner’s association with the Chapel Royal began in the early 1660s, when he joined the choir there as a boy soprano. In 1666 his voice broke, but the year after he became master of the choristers at Lincoln Cathedral. In 1669, however, he rejoined the Chapel Royal as a countertenor, and upon the death (1672) of Henry Cooke (who had earlier cared for Turner in the year between his voice breaking and his appointment at Lincoln) became a member of the King’s Private Musick. His career as a court singer continued to prosper, and he sang in works by Blow and Purcell, including the solo alto parts in the St Cecilia’s Day performances of 1687 (ode by G. B. Draghi), 1692 (ode by Henry Purcell), and 1695 (ode by John Blow). An appointment as vicar-choral of St Paul’s Cathedral (1687) led to another as lay vicar of the choir of Westminster Abbey (1699). After 1696 he was normally referred to

William Young (composer)

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William Young (died 23 April 1662) was an English viol player and composer of the Baroque era, who worked at the court of Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria in Innsbruck. The sonatas which he published in 1653 were some of the earliest sonatas produced by an English composer. Biography The details of Young’s origins are unknown. By 1652 he was a chamber musician at the Innsbruck court, where “the Englishman”, as he was called, was a highly regarded viol player and composer. The design of his English-made viol influenced that of some of the viols built by Jakob Stainer, the Austrian luthier. In 1660 Ferdinand Charles granted permission for Young to visit England, but there are no traces of his reappearance there. He is not to be confused with William Young (died 1671), another musician, who played violin and flute at the court of Charles II of England from 1661. Young died on 23 April 1662 and was buried at Innsbruck’s parish church, St Jakob, which has since become Innsbruck Cathedral. Works Young and Henry Butler, an English viol player working at the Spanish court, were the first English composers to call their works sonatas. However, Butler died in 1652 with his three sonata

Wolff Jakob Lauffensteiner

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Wolff Jakob Lauffensteiner (1676–1754) was a lutenist active in the Bavarian court where he spent much of his career in service to the Elector of Bavaria in Munich. Some of Lauffensteiner’s compositions for lute have survived. Lauffensteiner was born in Steyr. Only his baptism date is known - 28 April 1676. He died in Munich on 26 March 1754. His father, who bore the same name, was the towerkeeper in Steyr. About 1709 he had obtained a position of a lutenist in Graz, and from 1712 he was in the service of the Bavarian court. In 1715 he entered the private service of the Duke Ferdinand. In 1739, on the duke’s death, he was granted a pension. He was later appointed a chamber counsellor (Hofkammerrat) by the Duke Clemens August, Archbishop of Cologne, for his services to the electoral House of Bavaria. Lauffensteiner’s extant works for both solo lute and chamber ensembles typically take the forms of suite or partita. His music is generally highly idiomatic for the lute, in the German style (i.e. uniting traditional French forms, textures and ornaments with Italianate cantabile melody over a basso continuo line). In total over 100 movements survive. Lauffensteiner is seen as a stylisti

Wolfgang Carl Briegel

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Wolfgang Carl Briegel (21 May 1626 – 19 November 1712, Darmstadt) was a German organist, teacher and composer. Biography Born 21 May 1626, in Königsberg, Bavaria, he was a student in Nuremberg and sang in the Frauenkirche choir. He later studied at the University of Altdorf and became the organist at St. Johannis church and a grammar school teacher in Schweinfurt. In 1650, Duke Ernst the Pious appointed him to his court at Gotha as cantor and music tutor to his family, and he eventually rose to the post of Kapellmeister. He became well-known through his work in Gotha, and it was there that he became acquainted with Johann Rudolph Ahle and members of the Bach family. Duke Ernst’s eldest daughter, the wife of Landgrave Louis VI of Hesse-Darmstadt, called Briegel to Darmstadt as Kapellmeister in 1671. He stayed in this post until his death, but in his later years he was assisted by Christoph Graupner and Ernst Christian Hesse. Music Briegel was prolific in his sacred music output, completing 24 published collections between 1654 and 1709. He also wrote several “occasional” pieces and some secular works. He attracted attention with the publication of his Evangelische Gespräch, a set of

Wolfgang Printz

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Wolfgang Caspar Printz (10 October 1641 – 13 October 1717), normally referred to as Wolfgang Printz (with sometimes the variation of Kaspar), was a German composer who studied theology and was appointed cantor at Promnitz, Triebel and Sorau. His Historische Beschreibung der edlen Sing- und Klingkunst…von Anfang der Welt bis auf unserer Zeit (which in English means: Historical description of the noble art of singing and instrumental music … from the beginning of the world until our time) was the first history of music written in Germany. Life Printz was the son of a forester in Oberpfalz. He had hardly any training before he enrolled in 1659 at the university of Altdorf, near Nuremberg, where he learned the fundaments of music theory from Abdias Treu. He broke the Altdorfer study time in 1661 and soon abandoned it to work as a tutor. This employment limited his ability to travel. At the age of 21 in 1662 he moved to Dresden, where he became Kapellmeister at the court of the arts-friendly Silesian magnate Count Erdmann I. He traveled with his new employer, even to Bohemian and Hungarian military camps. After the count’s death in 1664 he accepted a position as cantor at the Sorau

Zanetta Farussi

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Zanetta Farussi (27 August 1707 – 29 November 1776), known as La Buranella (“the woman of Burano”), was an Italian comedic actress. Her eldest son was the famous adventurer Giacomo Casanova. Biography Born Maria Giovanna Farussi, her father, Girolamo, was a shoemaker. In 1724, at the age of seventeen, she married the actor, Gaetano Casanova, ten years her senior, who had just returned to Venice after several years with a touring theatrical troupe to take a position at the Teatro San Samuele. The marriage was strongly opposed by her parents, because they considered acting to be a disreputable activity. Her father Girolamo died shortly after, from grief according to his grandson Giacomo, and her mother, Marcia, was reconciled only when Gaetano promised that he would not allow Zanetta to become an actress. This promise was soon broken when she began an apprenticeship at Gaetano’s theater. While she was there, Giacomo was born and (according to Giacomo’s memoirs) Gaetano suspected that Michele Grimani (1697–1775), the theater’s proprietor, was actually the father. The following year, they accepted a theatrical engagement in London. It was there they had their second son, Francesco, who