Beautiful Music

Voices of Music is a terrific California-based ensemble that specializes in baroque music. For many years they have done an excellent job cataloging and sharing their outstanding performances online. This is Beautiful Music played by Voices of Music — Johann Sebastian Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto.    

Marianne von Martinez (aka Marianna Martines) was born in 1744, right at the end of the baroque era in history. She was a singer and a pianist, and quite a child prodigy who saw her third Mass performed in her hometown of Vienna when she was still a teenager. This Beautiful Music is Marianna Martines’

I’m so excited to share with you a fascinating musical instrument, complete with an explanation and performed by one of its developers. Guitarist Leon Atkinson introduces his Classical Harp Guitar, and plays Beautiful Music by Spanish composer Luis Milan (1500-1561) on it.    

Johann Heinrich von Weissenburg or Giovanni Henrico Albicastro? Those who knew the former knew a professional military man who served as a Captain of Cavalry in the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 18th century. Those who knew the latter were a much smaller group — they knew the talented amateur musician —

Beautiful Music today by English musician Ignatius Sancho, one-time enslaved man who taught himself to play music and to read. He lived from 1729-1780, so his lifetime straddled the end of the baroque era (which ended in ~1750), and spilled into the early classical era. This charming and lovely music by Ignatius Sancho is played

Domenico Scarlatti’s music is so expressive of a range of moods: joyful and exuberant, serene and contemplative. And pianist Luke Welch captures those many moods with his lovely 2016 performance of Scarlatti Sonatas in Ireland. You can also check out the Canadian pianist’s website below.   https://lukewelch.ca/      

Today’s Beautiful Music is by a less well-known baroque era composer: Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer. William Christie plays the 18th century Frenchman’s solo harpsichord music, which was his big claim to fame during his lifetime.  

This Beautiful Music features the stellar countertenor John Holiday with the Academy of Ancient Music. They’re performing Antonio Vivaldi’s aria ‘Ah, ch’infelice!’ from his cantata ‘Cessate, omai cessate’, RV684. And to show that John Holiday is a phenomenal all-around artist , you can also check out his audition for The Voice, below, singing MISTY. Wow!

How about a live concert performance? That’s something I miss, and I hope you will enjoy this Beautiful Music played by the four women of Belladonna Baroque. They gave this concert in New York City in November 0f 2017.  

Are you familiar with the baroque composer John Hebden? He was a talented Yorkshire bassoonist and cellist who played in George Frideric Handel’s orchestra for a benefit performance of the oratorio MESSIAH. These are his Six String Concertos — Beautiful Music from 18th century England