dilluns, 20 de gener del 2025

LINEK, Jiří Ignác (1725-1791) - Konzert D dur

Studio of Frans Francken II (1581-1642) - Saint Cecilia


Jiří Ignác Linek (1725-1791) - Konzert (Organ) D dur
Performers: Ladislav Vachulka (1910-1986, organ); Orchestre du Conservatoire de Prague;
Frantisek Hertl (1906-1973, conductor)

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Bohemian composer and pedagogue. Born and raised in Bakov nad Jizerou, he studied at the Piarist gymnasium in Kosmonosy and later he studied composition with Josef Seger. From 1747 to his death, he was a teacher, choirmaster and member of the literary fraternity in Bakov nad Jizerou. As a cantor there for over four decades, he composed a vast body of works, primarily for the church. His compositions include numerous masses, requiems, oratorios, and, most notably, a collection of Christmas pastorals. These pastorals, simple yet heartfelt, have become a beloved part of the Bohemian Christmas tradition. His musical style was characterized by its adherence to the Baroque tradition, while also incorporating elements of folk music. His compositions are often described as melodious and expressive, reflecting the musical tastes of the time and place. As a pedagogue, he played a significant role in the development of music education in Bohemia. He founded a literary brotherhood and was instrumental in fostering a love of music among his students.

diumenge, 19 de gener del 2025

GIROLAMI, Giovan Battista (1702-1786) - Messa in Re maggiore

Bartolomeo Altomonte (1694-1783) - The Four Seasons Paying Homage to Chronos (c.1731)


Giovan Battista Girolami (1702-1786) - Messa in Re maggiore
Performers: Soloists, choir and orchestra 'Duomo di Castelnuovo di Garfagnana'; Luca Bacci (conductor)

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Italian priest, organist and composer. He was the son of Giovanni Luca Girolami and brother of Carlo Antonio Girolami who was the first of the family to move to Castelnuovo Garfagnana in the province of Lucca, where, in 1728 he married Chiara Teresa, daughter of Cristoforo Pieracchi. The descendents were related with the Counts of Carli Girolami the Marquesses of Gargioli Malaspina of Reggio Emilia. Giovan Battista Girolami was ordained a priest in 1724, and in 1763 he became the maestro di cappella at the cathedral in Castelnuovo. He was pensioned in 1784. His music is mostly unknown, but it mainly consists of sacred works, including several Masses (and Mass movements), an unfinished Messa da requiem (c.1775), and numerous smaller compositions.

divendres, 17 de gener del 2025

KAUER, Ferdinand (1751-1831) - Sonate Militaire 'La conquete d'Oczakow'

January Suchodolski (1797-1875) - Victory of Ochakiv, 1788, December 17


Ferdinand Kauer (1751-1831) - Sonate Militaire pour le Clavecin ou Fortepiano ...
'La conquete d'Oczakow' (1788)
Performers: Erich Traxler (harpsichord)

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Austrian composer and conductor of Moravian birth. The son of a schoolmaster, he received his early education in Znaim from the Jesuits, later continuing his studies at Tyrnau in medicine, theology, and philosophy. Around 1777 he moved to Vienna as a teacher of keyboard while also working as a local church organist and with Artaria as a proofreader. He studied composition with Anton Zimmermann and soon obtained additional work as a violinist at the Leopoldstadt Theatre. There he became assistant to Wenzel Müller, writing his first Singspiels. During the 1790s he met with considerable success with the Singspiels 'Das Faustrecht in Thüringen' and 'Die Löwenritter', both of which were continued through several successful sequels. In 1810 he went to Graz as Kapellmeister, but returned to Vienna until 1818, when he was dismissed from his position. During the night of 28 February to 1 March 1830 he was among the victims of severe floods in the Leopoldstadt when a sudden thaw caused the Danube to overflow its banks. He lost almost all he possessed, including his musical scores, and died in utter poverty little more than a year later. As a composer, his output includes 19 Singspiels, 10 oratorios, 14 Masses, three Requiems, 30 symphonies (including one on Wellington’s Victory), seven concertos, several small chamber works with strings, and numerous keyboard works. He also brought out several theoretical works, including tutors for the flute, piano, violin and cello and on thoroughbass, and a singing manual, all published by Artaria between 1787 and 1794. Despite he has been all but forgotten, he was frequently performed in various countries (including Scandinavia) for many years, giving rise to numerous imitations and sequels.

dimecres, 15 de gener del 2025

SCHROTER, Corona (1751-1802) - Die Fischerin (1781)

Johann Peter Hasenclever (1810-1853)  - Young woman at the open window looking at the full moon


Corona Schröter (1751-1802) - Die Fischerin (1781)
Performers: Ulrike Stаude (soprano); Markus Schäfеr (tenor); Ekkehard Abеle (bass);
Michael Frеimuth (guitar); Gerald Hаmbitzеr (fortepiano)

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German singer, actress and composer. Daughter of the oboist Johann Friedrich Schröter (1724-1811), her earliest instruction was from her father and later from Johann Adam Hiller with whom she appeared in Hiller’s Grand Concerts in Leipzig. In 1776 a friendship with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe led to an appointment as a chamber musician at the Weimar court of Princess Anna Amalia. Although this was dissolved in 1783, she continued to live there supporting herself through lessons and through her musical salons. She and a companion moved to Ilmenau in 1801 in a vain attempt to recover from a lung disease. The bulk of her compositional efforts were dedicated toward Lieder (compiled in two collections from 1786 and 1794), of which 41 have survived, including an early setting of Goethe’s Der Erlkönig. In addition she composed 360 Italian airs and duets (lost), as well as music for two Singspiels. Her brothers Johann Samuel Schroeter (1753-1788) and Johann Heinrich Schröter (c.1760-after 1784) were musicians and composers, and her sister Marie Henriette Schröter (1766-after 1804) was a singer, active in Darmstadt court.

dilluns, 13 de gener del 2025

SORKOCEVIC, Luka (1734-1789) - Sinfonia in D-Dur

Gerard van der Gucht (1696-1776) - Concert ticket with a group of eleven musicians playing various instruments in an interior with a Venetian window


Luka Sorkočević (1734-1789) - Sinfonia (VI) in D-Dur
Performers: Zagreb orchestra

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Dalmatian-Croatian composer and nobleman. A member of a family of Dalmatian nobility, he was trained in music by Giovanni Valentini, maestro di cappella of the Dubrovnik cathedral. In 1752 he became a member of the Great Council. By 1757 he traveled to Rome to study under Rinaldo da Capua, but his position in society redirected his life toward a role as a politician. In 1776 he negotiated with France on behalf of the Republic and from 1781 to 1782 he was ambassador for the Republic of Dubrovnik to the Holy Roman court in Vienna, during which period he became friends with Christoph Willibald von Gluck, Joseph Haydn, and Pietro Metastasio. His health began to fail upon his return to Dubrovnik when he was afflicted with chronic arthritis, and in a fit of despondency he committed suicide by leaping from the upper story of his palace. He was occupied with musical composition for a small portion of his life, even as he maintained a career in politics. His output includes nine symphonies, two sonatas (one keyboard and one violin), several arias, and a motet in Croatian titled 'Bablionskiem na riekama' (Super flumina Babylonis, Psalm 136). His musical style is galant, although he shows some influences of the Italian opera. His son, Antun Sorkočević (1775-1841), was also a politician and composer, active in France.