Understanding baroque music

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fitch
trevor pinnock... last i knew he's with magnatune as well

http://magnatune.com/artists/pinnock
Hey ... there's an example of how harpsi should be played - full of rhymic wobbles and corners to make the point. Knee trembling stuff. Love the reverb - thanx claire

btw if anyone discovers they like JP Rameau, then listen to his overtures. They'e a pyrotechnic heaven of Baroque orchestra in fullflight.

To me he gives Vivaldi a run for his money

Hovmod
The musical voyage, a collection of Italian Baroque composers
The early Monteverdi-like stuff here got my taste buds going.

I remember when I first discovered Claudio Monteverdi, Venice's Numero Uno in 1600.

At the time I wasn't aware of his reputation. I just listened with naked ears to some "new music".

My girlfriend found me sitting on the edge of the bed sobbing my heart out. This guy was unbelievable. I was in the presence of genius and felt humble

As a musician I knew I'd discovered someone as huge maybe as Beethoven - but in a very different way.

If anyone's looking for a fun project, get hold of any Monteverdi score and play it using synths or samples at any tempo in any way that strikes the fancy.

The core writing is so good that no matter what you do to it, it still sounds great.

Last but not least - listen to William Byrd. Huge but relatively unknown.

Get the score for the Mass for 4 Parts. It's not technically difficult so you don't need to be a fast sight reader.

It sounds fabulous no matter what you do to it. Try doing a tarnce version of the Sanctus :wink:
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Mass for 4 parts, a joy to sing. I much prefer sacred music to secular of that era but then some of the Renaissance Dance Rhythms are great. I also love Lully's Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs. Have a listen to the Tous les matins du monde soundtrack for some wonderful French pre Baroque music especially the vocal pieces. The French also do Purcell very well.
Leave ones footprint in that of the mind not the physical world. We have screwed it over enough.

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ouroboros wrote:I've been listening to some baroque music lately; a little Scarlatti, Telemann and others if I think Bach on it. I was listening for about a month when someone told me that I wasn't listening to "traditional" or "purist" baroque music: they provided me with some examples which used a great deal of harpsichord and sounded a little mechanical.

So what was I listening to, and more to the point when I go to buy a CD, what should I look for to know if I am actually purchasing different orchestrations and , uh, more expressive interpretations of the originals? I am having a hard time getting a Handel on this.
Baroque music has been "rediscovered" 50 years ago by some pionneers like Nikolaus Harnoncourt or Gustav Leonhardt. They made intense musicological researches and tried to apply their conclusions to their interpretations. They noticed that ancient instruments, played with ancient techniques, deliver other timbres. they noticed that a lot of playing codes have been changed during the centuries. Strings vibrato for example. They made a good job giving a new youth to this repertoire. No more solemn monoliths but fast spring dances all around.

Early Harnoncourt's and Leonhardt's legendary recordings sound a bit old now (but they are still very interesting). Today, there are lots of good "baroqueux" as we call them in french. Some of the best directors are:

Jean-Claude Malgoire, John Eliot Gardiner, Sigiswald Kuijken, Trevor Pinnock, Reinhard Goebel, William Christie, Philippe Herreweghe, René Jacobs, Gérard Lesne, Jordi Savall, Ton Koopman, Fabio Biondi, etc.

Most of them are soloists of a given ancient instrument (or singer), too. And there are lots of other good soloists.

If you want to compare the old dusty intepretation and the new one, listen to Karajan's Brandenburg Concertos (my first purchase) and Reinhard Goebel's amazing performance. You'll never confuse them anymore...

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Pun ban? Then what about the pun in the original post? Nope, can't do that.

Besides, if I didn't hang around here making awful jokes, I'd just go out to the franchised bar/restaurant where buxom human women serve beer and buffalo wings. That's right, I'd take my...

*ahem*

... bucks to Hooters.

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o/~ Karajan, love is coming -- love is coming to us all o/~

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kevvvvv wrote:tee boy
I was under the impression that Scarlatti was more an early classical composer
Domenico Scarletti was born in 1685, the same year as Bach and Handel, which makes him High Baroque, as his contrapuntal style reveals.

Early classical didn't really emerge until Bach's eldest son's time - and it was a very non-contrapuntal style - all single line melody and lots of dash.

For the astrologers here, Bach was a Pisces, Handel a Leo, and Scarlatti a Sagittarian.

As a further footnote, Guiseppe Torelli was born in 1658, a generation before.

He wrote some terrific trumpet concertos - just the sort of thing to play on Miroslav when it comes out.

Uh oh ... and Corelli rhymes with Torelli.

Archangelo Corelli wrote the most exqusite string pieces for the Pope. He is even credited with inventing the Concerto Grosso (of which Handel's Water Music is a suite of)

And if you ever hear Trevor Pinnock playing a Corelli Concerto, you'll know the style is authnetic.

Serendipitous stuff.
Hmmm, interesting.

Iv not really studied much of Scarletti's work. I did learn one of his piano sonata's (Sonata in D, K535) which was fun. It wasnt as mechanical as some of the Bach stuff, so I guess I figured it was a little later.

Good thread though. I think we could all do with knowing a little more about our musical routes.

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Meffy wrote:o/~ Karajan, love is coming -- love is coming to us all o/~
(climbs into the crow's nest, telescope in hand)

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blitze
Tous les matins du monde soundtrack for some wonderful French pre Baroque music especially the vocal pieces.
Tous Les Matins du Monde!

You are the only other person I know besides me who has this film. I have it on VHS, and have the DVD on back order for when it's released digitally.

For anyone who's interested: Tous Les Matins du Monde is the story of a dashing young viol de gamba player who desperately wants to be taught by the profoundly brilliant but misogynistic Hugenot maestro of the viol, who refuses to have anything to do with the lad and mocks his dashing playing as "mere spectacle"

The young hero then seduces the maestro's daughter, who is also a brilliant viol de gamba player.

Meanwhile their briliiant viol performances together attract the attention of the court in Paris. and ...

... go see it. It's very French, very beautiful, and opens the eyes to viol de gamba.

(Small correction: This film isn't pre-Baroque, but early Baroque. Might as well get this right)
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kevvvvv wrote:blitze
Tous les matins du monde soundtrack for some wonderful French pre Baroque music especially the vocal pieces.
Tous Les Matins du Monde!

You are the only other person I know besides me who has this film. I have it on VHS, and have the DVD on back order for when it's released digitally.
i have it too... (on DvD...)

a great film, indeed - and Marin Marais' music... 8)

i believe it's Jordi Savall who supervised the soundtrack. What a great interpret of baroque music!

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Any more takers?

C'mon ... admit it if you got it :hihi:
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kevvvvv wrote:Monteverdi
:love:
kevvvvv wrote:Byrd
:love:

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Shit ... all these Barocky diehards coming out of the woodwork :o

This is us at home having one of our informal Baroque nights.

Bringing your own Baptist's head is de rigeur :wink:

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Member 12, Studio One Pro 7, VPS Avenger, Kontakt 8, Spitfire, Sonible, Baby Audio, CableGuys. Recent best buy - EZ Drummer 3 with Bandmate

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kevvvvv wrote:Shit ... all these Barocky diehards coming out of the woodwork :o

This is us at home having one of our informal Baroque nights.

Bringing your own Baptist's head is de rigeur :wink:

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Actually, isn't that Medusa's head??

I mean, say what you will about John's magical abilities, I still don't think his head could turn ones opponents into stone.

Thats a proprietary greek mythical figure magic trick.

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No that's Baptists head (:

As for Tous Les Matins du Monde's Music, it's the cross roads of Renaissance and early Baroque which is one of the themes running through the film highlighting the difference between the old master and the younger generation. Also, andf what I love about the film is the old masters usage of music to cross the boundarys to communicate with his dead wife. It is through his music he communicates to her and brings her back to life for him. That also is why I thought he didn't want to get involved in teaching the young man as he saw his music only as a means to be with his dead wife.

Such a lovely film on many levels and yes, Jordi Savall was the man behind the music. The recordings of the the Viol de gamba are beautiful and you can hear every articulation and even his breathing. One of the best sound tracks production wise on a film.
Leave ones footprint in that of the mind not the physical world. We have screwed it over enough.

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Kev,

Is it true that Handel used an all software setup?

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Sorry, no. HANDEL DISAPPROVED OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY.

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