Pachelbel, Toccata in E Minor Who isn’t familiar with Pachelbel’s Canon in D? After its use in the film score of Ordinary People (1980), it became a mainstay at weddings. And, perhaps unfortunately, whenever an atmosphere of quiet elegance was required, it made the perfect … Read more
Corelli, Sonata in G Major We featured Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) a while back and discussed his importance in the development of the concerto grosso. He also made major contributions to the development of the sonata. His twelve sonatas of Opus 5, published in 1700, were … Read more
Rameau, Suite in A Minor People who study music seriously have a tendency to become “music purists,” insisting that performances adhere to certain historical characteristics or avoid certain anachronisms. That’s a polite way of saying we become musical snobs, and, yes, I can often be … Read more
Telemann, Sonata for Bassoon in F Minor Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) tends to be grouped with his famous contemporaries Handel and J. S. Bach. Four years their senior, he would outlive both—Handel by 9 years and Bach by 17. The three represent in many ways … Read more
Veracini, Overture No. 6 in G minor Francesco Maria Veracini (1690-1768) was born into a musical family in Florence, Italy. He forged a successful performing career as a violinist in Venice. From there he secured a position in Dresden from 1716 to 1723. Returning to … Read more
Scarlatti, Cantata Pastorale per la nascità di nostro Signore The Scarlatti family from Sicily included quite a few successful musicians. Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) was the second of eight children born to Pietro and Eleanora, five of whom had musical careers. Alessandro would sire ten children, … Read more
Bach, Das Orgelbüchlein (6 Advent and Christmas Chorale Preludes) J. S. Bach composed a more or less unbroken stream of music for organ and harpsichord throughout his professional life. But his time in Weimar, from 1708 to 1717, marks a particularly fruitful period for organ … Read more
Tartini, Devil’s Trill Sonata Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) is best known for his Sonata No. in G minor (GT 2.g05), known informally as the “Devil’s Trill” sonata. The trill in question occurs in the final movement (at 9:44-10:00 in this recording) in which Tartini demands double-stop … Read more
Wassenaer, Concerto Armonico No. 6 Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer (1692-1766) published his collection of concertos titled “Concerti Armonici” anonymously in 1740. The Concerti Armonici consist of six sets of concertos, with each set containing six individual concertos. These were until recently falsely attributed to the … Read more
Philidor, Sinfonia 1 in G Minor François-André Danican Philidor (1726-1795) came from a family with a prominent place in French Baroque music during the 17th and 18th centuries. The oboist Michel Danican (c. 1600-1659) so impressed Louis XIII that he dubbed him “Philidor” as a … Read more