History Of European Classic Music

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Historical information about the rich and varied European Classic Music, including ancient and baroque music, philarmonics, ballet, etc.

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Francesco Cavalli was born #onthisday in 1602 in Crema, Lombardy. As a child he worked as a chorus boy at the Basilica of San Marco in Venice under the direction of Claudio Monteverdi, later becoming the church's organist and chapelmaster. Cavalli is remembered, above all, for the "dramma per musica" that he conceived for the opera houses that appeared at this time in Venice and was decisive in the development of the opera genre, introducing, in particular, the first recitative arias. Listen to the aria "Piante Ombrose" from "L'amore innamorato", performed by Núria Rial with the ensemble L'Arpeggiata:

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Pierre Rode was born on this day, in 1774. He grew up in Bordeaux and left for Paris in 1787, where he was a student of Giovanni Battista Viotti and where he became one of the most renowned French instrumentalists of the time. With Pierre Baillot and Rodolphe Kreutzer, he developed the official method of teaching the violin at the Paris Conservatoire, worked in Napoleon's orchestra and, from 1804 onwards, began to travel frequently on tours throughout Europe. Listen to his Violin Concerto No. 7 in A minor, Op. 9 performed by Friedemann Eichhorn (violin), Southwest German Radio Orchestra, Kaiserslautern and the first two movements of Beethoven's last violin and piano sonata, written for Pierre Rode during the violinist's visit to Vienna, performed by Glenn Gould and Yehudi Menuhin:

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Giovanni Battista Vitali was born on this day, in 1632. He grew up in Bologna, where he studied with Maurizio Cazzati, then chapel master of the Basilica of San Petronio, and was part of the church's orchestra until 1673. In that year, he was appointed musical director of the Santissimo Rosario chapel, but would leave for Modena only a few months later. He worked as chapel master of the Este family and lived, in these years, his most productive period, publishing several collections of chamber music. Listen to one of the sonatas for two violins that Giovanni Battista Vitali published in 1682, interpreted by the ensemble Italico Splendore:

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Carl Czerny was born on this day, in 1791. Son and grandson of musicians, he showed a very early musical talent and began by performing in small recitals at the family's home. From 1801 onwards, he studied with Beethoven, becoming one of his favorite students and debuting some of the great works in the composer's repertoire, namely the Piano Concerto nº 1 and the Emperor's Concerto. Czerny was also a composer, however, it is as a pedagogue that he is remembered, not only for the exercises and studies he left us, but above all for having been the master of some of the great pianists of the 19th century, such as Franz Liszt, Theodor Döhler or Sigismond Thalberg. Listen to Daniel Blumenthal in the interpretation of the second movement of Sonata No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 7, by Carl Czerny:

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Georg Friedrich Handel was born on this day in 1685. He grew up in Halle, where he studied with the music director of the main church and his musical talent made him, as a teenager, become the cathedral's organist. In 1703, he left for Hamburg and established a close relationship with the opera tradition, writing works such as Almira and Nero, which were presented at the city's Opera. He passed through Italy and Hanover, before settling in London, age 27 and already with the foundations of a style that resulted from his contact with the German choral polyphonic tradition, Italian Baroque and well-established opera. In England, recognizing that the public was tired of Italian opera, he conceived a genre that would become known as English oratorio, which dealt with biblical and mythological themes in English. The oratorios and their success among the London bourgeoisie established Handel as one of the great composers of the first half of the 18th century. Listen to "The Messiah", performed by Celeste Lazarenko, Nicholas Tolputt, Andrew Goodwin, Christopher Richardson, from the Sydney Philharmony choirs and the Sydney Philharmony Orchestra, under the direction of Brett Weymark:

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In Montfort l'Amaury is the charming house-museum by Maurice Ravel. Small in size, each room has its own decoration and, when visiting it, we dive into the peculiar universe of the sophisticated and elegant French composer. The garden, taken care of, is also part of this small universe where we are invited to ask everything except the composer's love life...
I suggest a virtual visit: