This Week in Classical Music: January 20, 2020.From Schein to du Pré.A group of brilliant musicians (and several composers) whose lives span almost half of a millennium, were born this week.The oldest, the German composer Johann Hermann Schein, was born on this day in 1586.A contemporary (and a friend) of themore famous Heinrich Schütz, Schein lived a short life of just 44 years and never traveled outside of Germany.He worked as a Kapellmeister in Weimar, later became the cantor at Thomasschule in Leipzig (a position held by Bach a century later) and lived there for the rest of his life.Even though he hadnever been to Italy, he absorbed many of the new (Baroque) music trends emanating from that country.You can hear them in this section of his Israel's Brünnlein (The Fountains of Israel), written in 1623. The section is called Die mit Tränen säen (Who sow with tears will reap with joy), and it sounds very much like a sophisticated Italian madrigal.Ensemble Vocal Européen is conducted by Philippe Herreweghe.
Farinelli, born Carlo Broschi, was probably the most famous castrato singer of all time.A soprano, he had a huge range that allowed him to sing arias written for the contraltos.He was born 215 years ago, in Andria, near the Adriatic coast of Italy on January 24th of 1705.Broschi was castrated when he was about 12 years old; while a common practice for boys from poor families having fine voices, a medical pretense had to be declared for the operation to take place; in Broschi’s case it was a false report of damage he suffered after falling from a horse.Broschi studied with the famous composer and teacher Nicola Porpora and made his debut at the age of 15 in Porpora’s opera Angelica e Medoro.His fame grew swiftly; by the age of 18 he was cast in leading roles singing in major opera houses of Venice, Milan and Florence.From 1727 to 1734 he lived in Bologna; while performing in Turin he met the British ambassador who helped him negotiate a contract with London’s Opera of the Nobility, a competitor to Handel’s Royal Academy of Music.Porpora and Hasse were the major composers working for the Opera of the Nobility, with Senesino, who previously sung for Handel but ended up quarrelling with him and quitting the Academy, as their main star.With Farinelli joining, the Opera became even more popular, leading to the bankruptcy of Handel’s enterprise.Adored by the public, Farinelly was earning 5,000 pound a year, an enormous sum for the time.He stayed in London till 1737 when he quit in order to move to Spain, where he was made the Chamber musician to the King.Farinelli’s task was to sing to the King every night; he never sung in public again.In addition to his duties at the court, Farinelli was appointed the director of two Madrid theaters; there he collaborated with his friend Metastasio staging numerous lavish productions.Interestingly enough, another famous Italian, the composer Domenico Scarlatti, had a position at the court at the same time as Farinelli.After staying in Spain till 1759, Farinelli retired to his villa in Bologna.He lived there in luxury, and was visited by luminaries like Gluck, Mozart and Emperor Joseph II.He died on September 16th of 1782.
Today is also the birthday of Josef Hofmann, the famous Polish-American pianist; he was born in 1876 in Kraków, Poland.And 15 years later, also on this day, Mischa Elman, a Russian-Jewish violinist was born.Both he and Hoffman lived most of their lives in the US.And finally, the youngest of the group, the cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who was born on January 26, 1945, 75 years ago.
From Schein to du Pré, 2020
This Week in Classical Music: January 20, 2020. From Schein to du Pré. A group of brilliant musicians (and several composers) whose lives span almost half of a millennium, were born this week. The oldest, the German composer Johann Hermann Schein, was born on this day in.jpg "Johann Hermann Schein (circa 1620)")
1586. A contemporary (and a friend) of themore famous Heinrich Schütz, Schein lived a short life of just 44 years and never traveled outside of Germany. He worked as a Kapellmeister in Weimar, later became the cantor at Thomasschule in Leipzig (a position held by Bach a century later) and lived there for the rest of his life. Even though he hadnever been to Italy, he absorbed many of the new (Baroque) music trends emanating from that country. You can hear them in this section of his Israel's Brünnlein (The Fountains of Israel), written in 1623. The section is called Die mit Tränen säen (Who sow with tears will reap with joy), and it sounds very much like a sophisticated Italian madrigal. Ensemble Vocal Européen is conducted by Philippe Herreweghe.
Farinelli, born Carlo Broschi, was probably the most famous castrato singer of all time. A soprano, he had a huge range that allowed him to sing arias written for the contraltos. He was born 215 years ago, in Andria, near the Adriatic coast of Italy on January 24th of 1705..jpg "Farinelli, by Corrado Giaquinto")
Broschi was castrated when he was about 12 years old; while a common practice for boys from poor families having fine voices, a medical pretense had to be declared for the operation to take place; in Broschi’s case it was a false report of damage he suffered after falling from a horse. Broschi studied with the famous composer and teacher Nicola Porpora and made his debut at the age of 15 in Porpora’s opera Angelica e Medoro. His fame grew swiftly; by the age of 18 he was cast in leading roles singing in major opera houses of Venice, Milan and Florence. From 1727 to 1734 he lived in Bologna; while performing in Turin he met the British ambassador who helped him negotiate a contract with London’s Opera of the Nobility, a competitor to Handel’s Royal Academy of Music. Porpora and Hasse were the major composers working for the Opera of the Nobility, with Senesino, who previously sung for Handel but ended up quarrelling with him and quitting the Academy, as their main star. With Farinelli joining, the Opera became even more popular, leading to the bankruptcy of Handel’s enterprise. Adored by the public, Farinelly was earning 5,000 pound a year, an enormous sum for the time. He stayed in London till 1737 when he quit in order to move to Spain, where he was made the Chamber musician to the King. Farinelli’s task was to sing to the King every night; he never sung in public again. In addition to his duties at the court, Farinelli was appointed the director of two Madrid theaters; there he collaborated with his friend Metastasio staging numerous lavish productions. Interestingly enough, another famous Italian, the composer Domenico Scarlatti, had a position at the court at the same time as Farinelli. After staying in Spain till 1759, Farinelli retired to his villa in Bologna. He lived there in luxury, and was visited by luminaries like Gluck, Mozart and Emperor Joseph II. He died on September 16th of 1782.
Today is also the birthday of Josef Hofmann, the famous Polish-American pianist; he was born in 1876 in Kraków, Poland. And 15 years later, also on this day, Mischa Elman, a Russian-Jewish violinist was born. Both he and Hoffman lived most of their lives in the US. And finally, the youngest of the group, the cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who was born on January 26, 1945, 75 years ago.