Janequin, Le chant des oiseaux The French Renaissance composer Clément Janequin (c. 1485 – 1558) may be best known for his use of onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia involves the mimicking of sounds occurring in nature—words like buzz, splash, or murmur. You probably know some longer examples with words … Read more
Gounod, Petite symphonie pour vents You likely know the French composer Charles Gounod (1818-1893) from his Ave Maria in which he superimposed a lyrical melody over Bach’s Prelude in C Major from the Well-Tempered Clavier (Book I). Among his operas, Faust (1859) and Romeo et Juliet … Read more
Visée, Prelude & Chaconne If you’re still cooped up at home and have run out of things to keep you busy, you might want to dust off your theorbo and imagine that your house is actually the palace at Versailles. If, like me, you never … Read more