#harpsichordist

[gasparodasalo]

Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816) - Canzone "La Partenza" for Harpsichord with Violin Accompaniment in d-minor. Performed by Nicoleta Paraschivescu, harpsichord, and Katharina Heutjer, violin, on period instruments.

[operatic-music]

Remembering a very important female figure in early music:

Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729)

Often not mentioned enough, she was a remarkable French composer and musician of the late Baroque era. A pioneering figure in a time when female composers were rare.

Elisabeth was a virtuoso harpsichordist and a celebrated opera singer at the court of Louis XIV. Her notable compositions include solo keyboard works, cantatas, and chamber music. Her significance lies not only in her musical prowess but also in breaking gender barriers in the male-dominated world of 17th-century classical music, leaving a lasting legacy for female composers and musicians to come.

What's your favorite piece by her?

[infd5mkibv3]

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[catilinas]

my uncle just sent the entire family the funniest email in the entire world it’s like. breaking news. massive upheaval of the state of the world. i have Sold My Organ………… To Buy Another Harpsichord

[supercantaloupe]

back to trying to write out + realize figured bass from just a soprano and bass line for the first time since fuckin. freshman fall

[whencyclopedia]

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer of Classical and Romantic music; he is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived. Most famous for his nine symphonies, piano concertos, piano sonatas, and string quartets, Beethoven was a great innovator and very probably the most influential composer in the history of music.

Early Life

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, on 16 December 1770. His grandfather was the director of music (Kapellmeister) to the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne at Bonn and his father, Johann van Beethoven (c. 1740-1792), worked at the same court as both an instrumentalist and tenor singer. Ludwig's mother was a head cook in the palace. Ludwig had only two other surviving siblings, his younger brothers Caspar Anton Carl (b. 1774) and Nikolaus Johann (b. 1776). Ludwig's father was keen for Ludwig to develop his obvious musical skills but went rather overboard so that his eldest son spent so much time practising on the piano he did not have a lot of time left for all the other things children need to learn to become rounded adults. Johann was violent and an alcoholic, so there was not much that could be done against his wishes.

Ludwig's musical education continued at the Cologne court from 1779 under the tutorship of the organist and composer Christian Neefe (1748-1798). Ludwig impressed, and he was made the assistant court organist in 1781, and the next year, he was appointed the court orchestra's harpsichordist. Already composing his own pieces, Ludwig's work was catalogued by his teacher and a set of keyboard variations was published in 1782. Three of Ludwig's piano sonatas were published in 1783. In a smart move, Ludwig dedicated his sonatas to the Elector, and although he died that year, the next Elector saw fit to keep him on in the court orchestra.

In 1787, Ludwig was all set to go to Vienna where it was arranged he would take lessons from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Although he made it to Vienna, when Ludwig's mother became ill, he was obliged to return home after only two weeks. Unfortunately, Ludwig did not manage to return to Bonn before his mother died, likely of tuberculosis. In 1789, Johann van Beethoven had descended deeper into alcoholism and grief so that Ludwig was obliged to take over responsibility for his family's affairs, which included controlling half of his father's salary. A second opportunity to learn from a master came in 1792 when Ludwig was given leave to study under Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), who was also in Vienna. The music of both Mozart and Haydn influenced Beethoven in the first stage of his career as a composer, as did the guidance of another teacher, Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809), particularly regarding counterpoint.

Continue reading...

[sgiandubh]

Spy Wednesday. Treason

Sidenote: Still very late with all this, but decided to keep the pace. Perhaps it is better like this, since this is the slightly haphazard result of scattered thoughts throughout the day and as such, a personal experience of it.

Obviously, powerful bystanders are not happy about Jesus entering Jerusalem at all, especially since this peculiar event coincided with the feast of Passover: 'and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death' (Mark, 14:1 - from Palm Sunday's reading). Just try and imagine the bureaucratic kerfuffle, the whispered speculations, the slow burn alarm building up in those circles. Political unrest, with a twist: local consensus was not enough - Rome had to be persuaded to step in, and it was everything but obvious. About all this, later this week: it is, to me at least, perhaps the most mysterious episode of the New Testament.

Judas Iscariot. Tragically instrumental to this plan, we know it. And treason, coupled with dark alley maneuvering, was the only way to make it happen. Treason: not betrayal or treachery, which are either too vaguely moral or too general - what is about to happen is a political assassination disguised as trial, followed by public torture as punishment.

This year's lectionary brings along a second, slightly alternate POV of the Last Supper, as related by Matthew Levi (my favorite), this time. Matthew, the tax collector, is a man acutely aware of the value of money and he is the only one to give us a very precise quotation of the reward Judas received from Caiaphas' middlemen: 'And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.' (Matthew, 26:15). Again, we have a very telling, albeit approximate, conversion in today's currency. Matthew's Greek text is very vague, in that respect. It speaks about 'silver' (coins), to an audience that immediately understood the value of it. And even if we will never know for sure if those coins were Ptolemaic (Egyptian) or Athenian (Greek) tetradrachms, Tyrian (in today's Lebanon) shekels or Antioch (Greek) staters, we can make a rough evaluation based on their actual weight and purity (isn't it ironic?).

Ready?

In 2024's value (based on the current JP Morgan's quotation of 30 USD/ounce), Judas Iscariot sold Jesus for an something that varies between 97,8 USD (if reward was received in Ptolemaic tetradrachms) to 472,8 USD (if the reward was received in Athenian tetradrachms). The median and geographically more plausible amount being of about 325,5 USD (for Antioch staters) or 380,7 USD (for Tyrian shekels).

I don't know about you, but what sickens me is the complete ludicrousness of this all. Think about what these money could buy in your respective worlds: would you do it?

Rhetorical question, of course. What is at stake, here, is not money. It's Power, in its political, appallingly punitive dimension the Romans called imperium, as opposed to the organic, ethical dimension they called auctoritas (and which we would translate by 'prestige' or 'influence'). With this deal, Judas hopes to save his life, soul be damned. Only to lose both, in complete, endless dishonor.

The day's somber and reflective sounds come from François Couperin's Première leçon de ténèbres pour le Mercredi saint (1714). Couperin was the Sun King's favorite harpsichordist and as such, was commissioned to arrange into music Jeremiah's lamentations, for the Holy Week liturgies of the Longchamp Royal Abbey. In a Baroque universe filled with light and joy and levity, these are the most dejected sounds perhaps ever written:

PS: I will try to catch up tonight. Pinky promise and thank you all for your patience (I never thought you'd like these, but here we are - still, the topic is a very difficult one, don't you think?).

[sevarix-blogs]

oh btw when i was visiting my bro we went and saw handel's messiah performed live. like the entire thing. it was really interesting! i very rarely see baroque era stuff performed live, so it was cool seeing like. a harpsichord and stuff. the harpsichordist was incredible. he didn't even have sheet music!!! he was just over there jammin on his harpsichord playing continuo the entire 2.5 hours. and the soloists were really good too. the lyrics were a bit repetitive LOL. in the program they had the libretto and it was interesting seeing how many times they repeated each line. sometimes it was like. ok are they gonna move on to the next line. or are they gonna sing 'he was despised and rejected' for the 50th time. (fr that one was like 10 minutes long).

anyway the hallelujah chorus was fun ofc. when they got to that part the conductor had everyone stand and sing along. the chorus was incredible. my favorite parts were when the choir sung.

anyway it was a cool experience! the symphony in my bro's city had two other concerts that looked really great but i don't think i convinced my bro to go see them LOL. anyway i should go to the symphony again soon in my own city....

[gasparodasalo]

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) - Harpsichord Sonata in a-minor, BWV 965, II. Fuga. Allegro. Performed by Andreas Staier, harpsichord.

[justforbooks]

Sir Andrew Davis

One of Britain’s greatest conductors widely admired for leading the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Proms

One of the most beloved and highly esteemed conductors of his generation, Sir Andrew Davis, who has died aged 80 of leukaemia, was a familiar presence on the podium, not least through his countless appearances at the BBC Proms in his capacity as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra (1989-2000).

After Adrian Boult, his was the second longest tenure of the post in the history of the orchestra. During the same period he was also music director of Glyndebourne Opera (1988–2000), conducting works by Mozart, Janáček and Richard Strauss, among many others.

The sheer range of his repertoire was in fact one of the defining features of Davis’s career. Not only was he acclaimed as an empathetic interpreter of British music from Elgar and Vaughan Williams to Holst and Bliss, but he also had the ability to assimilate contemporary scores such as Michael Tippett’s The Mask of Time, Harrison Birtwistle’s The Mask of Orpheus, Nicholas Sackman’s Hawthorn or David Sawer’s Byrnan Wood, all of which were either introduced at the Proms or recorded. The Birtwistle was named record of the year at the Gramophone awards in 1987.

But as he showed season after season in the BBC post, Davis could bring both vitality and a discerning sense of idiom to almost any music. One recalls, almost at random, a 2015 concert featuring a sensuous account of Delius’s In a Summer Garden, followed by a lithe and muscular suite from Ravel’s erotic Daphnis et Chloé, the ecstatic choral shouts and shuddering climaxes leaving little to the imagination. The concert also included music by Carl Nielsen and a new work, Epithalamion, by Hugh Wood.

One of many highlights of his Proms appearances was his commanding premiere in 1998 of Elgar’s Third Symphony in the “elaboration” by Anthony Payne (effectively a performing version made from the composer’s sketches).

Another was his speech from the podium in 1992, delivered as a patter song to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “I am the very model of a modern major-general”, complete with witty rhymes and repartee with the delighted audience. The trick was repeated on the final night of the 2000 festival, his last as the orchestra’s chief conductor. On his arrival at the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the more truculent members of the ensemble had to be won over, but they were, by his genial humour and charm, as well as his purely musical talents.

He was also popular with soloists, not necessarily offering a radically new perspective of his own, but listening carefully to them to provide an ideal accompaniment. The pianist Stephen Hough said he had “the sharpest ear and the clearest stick”. Both on and off the podium Davis exuded bonhomie and affability. His concern as a conductor was always to create the conditions that enabled musicians to give of their best.

Born in Ashridge, Hertfordshire, he was the son of Robert Davis, a compositor, and his wife, Joyce (nee Badminton). Andrew began to learn the piano at the age of five and attended Watford grammar school. In 1959 he started organ studies with Peter Hurford and subsequently won an organ scholarship to King’s College, Cambridge, where he played under David Willcocks. He then studied conducting at the Accademia di S Cecilia, Rome, under Franco Ferrara, and in London with George Hurst. From 1966 to 1970 he was pianist, harpsichordist and organist with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

In 1970 he made his debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and in the same year was appointed assistant conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He then became principal guest conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (1974–77) and music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (1975–88), whose stature he boosted with major tours of North America, Europe and Asia. In 1982, he helped establish the orchestra’s new home at Roy Thomson Hall, and advised on the construction of its organ.

Then came the posts at the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Glyndebourne. His debut at the latter had been in Strauss’s Capriccio (1973) and he was to become a noted exponent of the composer’s operas.

In 1989 he married the soprano Gianna Rolandi, whom he had met when she sang Zerbinetta under his baton first at the Metropolitan, New York, in 1984 and again at Glyndebourne in 1988.

On his retirement from the BBC in 2000 he moved to the US with Rolandi and their son, Edward, to take up the appointment of music director, until 2021, of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he conducted nearly 700 opera performances including Wagner’s Ring cycle (2004–05). A second cycle was planned for the 2019–20 season, but was never completed on account of the Covid pandemic. He additionally conducted orchestral concerts at the Lyric and free concerts at Millennium Park.

From 2012 to 2019, he also held the post of chief conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, becoming conductor laureate, while continuing to live in the US.

In addition to his conducting, he made an orchestration of Handel’s Messiah, performing it with the Toronto orchestra, and of Berg’s Piano Sonata, op 1, and Passacaglia (Berg was a composer who inspired him, he once said, throughout his life). His own compositions included La Serenissima: Inventions on a Theme by Claudio Monteverdi (1980), Chansons Innocentes for children’s chorus and orchestra (1984) and Alice (2003) – settings of Lewis Carroll for mezzo-soprano, tenor and children’s chorus. At his death he was working on orchestrating some of JS Bach’s organ music.

During the pandemic lockdown he drew on his knowledge of the classics, gained as a student, to undertake an original translation of Virgil’s Aeneid. Though modest about his poetic abilities, he did comment that the experience was comparable to that of making music: “The manipulation of sonorities and rhythms and the search for ways of bringing to life the vividness of Virgil’s imagery and at times his great emotional power struck me as remarkably similar to the search that I have been engaged in all my life on the podium.”

His numerous recordings reflect the vast range of his repertoire, British and contemporary music looming large alongside Stravinsky, Strauss, Berlioz, Ives, Sibelius, Weill and the complete Dvořák symphonies. A 16-CD retrospective collection celebrating British composers on Teldec’s The British Line series was released by Warner Classics.

In 1991, he received the Royal Philharmonic Society/Charles Heidsieck music award. He was appointed CBE in 1992 and knighted in 1999.

Rolandi died in 2021. Davis is survived by Edward, a composer, singer and conductor.

🔔 Andrew Frank Davis, conductor, born 2 February 1944; died 20 April 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[lesser-known-composers]

Harpsichordist Rebecca Pechefsky plays a suite of six pieces by Christophe Moyreau (1700-1774)

00:00 Ouverture 03:00 Allemande 06:34 Courante 10:12 Gigua 14:23 La Parissienne 21:40 L'Organisée

[bloodygiovanni]

@xfortunax​ location: Ballroom, Pluto’s Homecoming notes: do we have a thread? yes. did I want to give u another? also yes. respond at your leisure kiss kiss

A room full of horned up blood bags all dressed to impress and it went without question that Caio was still the most gorgeous at the estate. Giovanni was sure that Isabella or anyone who knew him would call him some sappy, lovestruck fool but admittedly the Venus couldn’t deny what he felt for the other. It had been said before that the vampire’s life was nearly full, practically complete - his insatiable lust for life and immortality had afforded him everything he could have ever wanted. Nearly, anything. Without Caio his bed remained empty but it wasn’t what happened in the night that he missed, but the mornings. Nonsensical half-asleep conversations while the world was still quiet, when anything felt possible. Maybe a few centuries in Elysia was nothing to Fortuna, but it was half of Giovanni’s lifetime. 

“If memory serves you were always light on your feet.” Giovanni remarked as he took the other’s hand and led the avariel to the dance floor. Apparently there was a rave happening in the basement but the estate had good sound proofing because even his vampiric senses couldn’t hear it. There was just the strings, the violins and violas. Cellos and upright bassists. A harpsichordist with a piano accompaniment, the nocturnal creatures had gone all out for the affair. Roman statues pumped fresh blood and dribbled from their palms and their mouths, the eyes in some cases. One was very clearly a carving of Fortuna. Giovanni gestured with his chin towards that one in particular, “That doesn’t bother you, does it?” Giovanni asked, smile fixed across his features as one hand remained folded in Caio’s while the other rest easily at Fortuna’s waist. 

[saltarellos]

I don’t normally make text posts here but @narwhaled-wheatfield tagged me so here we are

rules: shuffle your likes or your favorite playlist and post the first ten tracks (and say a little something about them if you want)

So here’s that with my spotify likes:

1. Fade to Black - Metallica

- Metallica has always been one of my favorite artists, ever since I was 13 or so. Their first five albums are classics and also excellent reminders of what metal music can be. Many artists seem to think that metal is about playing the fastest or having a louder amp than your competition. But songs like Fade to Black show that the most important ingredient in metal music is, just like in any other genre, the songwriting. Metal songs can be just as complex and compelling as songs of any other genre, and Metallica helped show that.

2. Waltz Across Texas - Ernest Tubb

- A playlist isn’t complete without the tubbster

3. Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D Minor - Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Jean Rondeau

- Jean Rondeau is probably the most interesting modern harpsichordist. He, along with Jakub Jozef Orlinski, helped introduce me properly to baroque music.

4. Motor Spirit - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

- I know the name is silly, but KGLW has put out the two best metal albums of the last 10 years. They also respect the principle I mentioned above. KGLW’s metal work isn’t the fastest, or the heaviest, but it is crafted with far more care and attention to detail than most modern metal music.

5. Schwanengesang: XII. Ihr Bild - Franz Schubert, performed by Kathleen Sanchez and Johnandrew Slominski

- I’ve never been a huge Schubert fan, but his vocal collections have always been a favorite of mine. And Kathleen Sanchez performs these songs perfectly.

6. Yekteniya V: Svyatyy Vkhod - Batushka

- Haven’t you seen my blog? Of course I listen to black metal.

7. 16 Waltzes: No. 4 in E Minor - Johannes Brahms, performed by Idil Biret

- Brahms’s 16 Waltzes is simply a classic. Nothing else to say.

8. Perihelion - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

- See 4

9. Ready for Tomorrow - Babe Rainbow

- In another life I lived in a van on the upper west coast and chased those tasty waves brah

10. Sweet Tasting Tennessee - Daniel Donato

- I don’t remember adding this song but it’s here and it’s good so it’s staying.

It’s missing a few of my staple genres but oh well. No ethiopian jazz, sorry nar.

I tag no one.

[fanonical]

lurch the addams family is a frankenstein, but he was made with the purpose of creating the best harpsichordist in humanity

[humoringthegoddess]

Sunday Evening Art Gallery -- Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach, (1685 – 1750), composer of the Baroque era, the most celebrated member of a large family of north German musicians. Elias Gottlob Haussmann Although he was admired by his contemporaries primarily as an outstanding harpsichordist, organist, and expert on organ building, Bach is now generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.  St. Thomas Church, Leipzig.…