Baroque Collections - the Early Playlists

Everything old is new again. Like playlists.

Much of what we know about early classical music has survived because composers and musicians published collections of music that shared some common thread or musical element. They might have been intended for performance at home, or a selection of music by a particular composer or period. Or they might have featured an instrument or mood or melodic style as the unifying element, or all been dances.

Often, Great Collectors provide a single, isolated source for some of the world’s most beautiful music; without these unique sources, the music would have been lost. The first music book to be printed in movable type was a compilation of music by many different composers: the Harmonice musices odhecaton of 1501—a great collection.

Bach himself penned many of the most important collections of music in the baroque, such as the Brandenburg Concertos and the Well Tempered Clavier. In that spirit, enjoy An Evening with Bach by the Voices of Music ensemble. While it's tempting to think of it as just another attempt at "Bach's Greatest Hits", the pieces were selected for their simplicity and grace. Several solos are included, to highlight the character of a particular instrument, and the soprano and alto vocals are unusually lush and emotive.

Enjoy. It's perfect for some quiet reflection.

A Passion for Bach

It's true, I do have a passion for Bach. But since it's Good Friday, I thought I'd post links to downloadable recordings of his two surviving compositions of the Passion. One is St John Passion and the other is the St. Matthew Passion.

The text for both came from Martin Luther's translation of the Gospels, and both are notable for being far less overtly anti-Semitic musical settings of the Passion, like Handels for example. Bach's St. John Passion is now considered one of his finest liturgical works, and you can download a better performance and recording of it here for $5.99.

Happy Easter, everybody.