Beautiful Music

If you’re not familiar with musician Florence Price, you should be. She was a talented and remarkable woman – the first African American woman Today’s Beautiful Music is Florence Price’s PRAISE THE LORD, performed by Dennis Keene leading his Voices of Ascension Chorus & Orchestra. The March 20, 2019 performance took place at The Brick […]

Happy Thanksgiving! Today’s Beautiful Music is the Suite in d subtitled GRATITUDO by Georg Muffat. Wishing you and yours a happy and fulfilling Thanksgiving. Georg Muffat. Suite in D minor “Gratitudo” – YouTube

“Alas! Where is my beloved, where is my heart? Who has concealed my love and taken her away?” This is the opening text of a gorgeous work by Claudio Monteverdi. And today’s Beautiful music features an equally gorgeous performance of it by sopranos Claron McFadden and Nora Fischer with theorbo player Mike Fentrs. Nora Fischer &

  Fortunato Chelleri was a successful composer in Venice in the 18th century. He wrote 7 operas between 1715 and 1722, and was the youngest composer at the time to write operas for the Venetian theaters. Today’s Beautiful Music features Vanni Moretto leading Atalanta Fugiens playing 8 Sinfonias by Fortunate Chelleri, and cellist Sol Gabetta

November 22 is Saint Cecilia Day, in honor of the patron saint of music and musicians. As you might imagine, many composers wrote music in her honor. Here is the choir and orchestra of Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble, led by Marc Minkowski, performing music by three of them: Henry Purcell, George Frideric Handel, and Franz

Baroque cellos are earlier ancestors of the modern instrument — they varied in characteristics such as using gut strings, lower tension, different tuning, and a different style bow. But just because an instrument was used during a particular era, doesn’t mean it isn’t called for in more modern compositions. Today’s Beautiful Music is a 2020

Sulpitia Cesis was an Augustinian nun in Modena, Italy who lived from 1577 until 1619. She published a collection of sacred music — MOTETI SPIRITUALI — and today’s Beautiful Music is one of the motets from that collection. ANGELUS AD PASTORES is a Christmas motet: The angel [of the Lord] said to the shepherds: ‘I

Cuban baroque Christmas music is today’s offering of Beautiful Music. It’s a beautiful concert performance of TU, MI DIOS ENTRE PAJAS by Esteban Salas y Castro, who lived from 1725-1803 and was known for his sacred vocal music. Tú, mi Dios entre pajas – Esteban Salas y Castro – Ensemble Vedado, Ronald Martin Alonso –

Although we sometimes hear of piano duos, today’s Beautiful Music features a harpsichord duo. Duangkamon Wan Wattanasak and Kyle Collins gave a Duo Harpsichord DMA Recital on May 9, 2019 in the Chapel at Wang Center, on the campus of Stony Brook University. They’re playing Seven Variations for Two Harpsichords by Joseph Schuster, a German

I love finding live performances of less well-known music to share with you, and today’s Beautiful Music is just that! Michel Lambert’s VOS MESPRIS CHAQUE JOUR is sung by soprano Amaranta Viera, with flutist Susan Graham, violinist Dorothea Cook, harpsichordist Nancy Kito, cellist David Himmelheber, and lutenist Jason Priset. Michel Lambert: “Vos Mespris Chaque Jour”