#earlybaroque

Handel’s marvellous Dixit Dominus. 

Biber, possibly one of the greatest violin composers of the Baroque era. Harmonia Artificiosa displays the full range of the Baroque violin during his time. Master of scordatura technqiue (tuning the violin strings to different pitches in order to play more ambitious works), Biber produced music of astounding technical virtuosity and liveliness for the violin, as well as choral sacred works. Well worth the listen!

Schütz was an important proponent of the early Baroque age, fusing the North German organ tradition with the flourishing styles of Italy, where he travelled to study with Gabrieli. 

I am stunned by the heavenly melodies inside Schütz’s Selig sind die Toten. Heinrich Schütz’s music contains such poignant feeling and vitality. One of the first pieces, if not the first, that I heard from Schütz was his In lectulo per noctes. From then, I was hooked by the simple richness of his melodic lines and how he fused Italian styles which he had learned from Giovanni Gabrieli with the nascent North German style. Later composers such as Bach would learn a great deal from him. 

Beautiful Terpsichore music from Michael Praetorius and other composers. 

Beautiful dances from Terpsichore by Michael Praetorius (1571-1621). 

An extract from Samuel Scheidt’s organ works, Alamanda Bruynsmedelijn. 

One of Schütz’s seminal works Psalmen Davids: the psalms of King David in song. Incredible work.