December 23, 2013.Christmas of 2013.We at Classical Connect wish all our listeners a very merry Christmas!As became a tradition, we celebrate Christmas with Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.Here are movements 2 through 4 of Part I: For the First Day of Christmas.The Evangelist, whose role is to read from the Bible, narrates from Luke 2:1 “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.”It’s followed by the Alto recitative “Now shall my beloved bridegroom” and then the wonderful aria “Prepare thyself, Zion.”The Evangelist is the German tenor Christoph Genz, the Alto – Argentinean mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink.John Eliot Gardiner conducts the English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir.The Nativity scene at the left is by Fra Angelico, from a cell of the monastery of San Marco in Florence.It was painted around 1440-41, almost 300 years before Bach composed the Oratorio.
We also want to mark the birthday of Orlando Gibbons, an English composer baptized on 25 December 25th, 1583.He was one of the last Renaissance English composers, following in the steps on John Dunstaple, JohnTaverner, Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, John Dowland, and many other composers of that great national school.What followed shortly after was the dawn of the baroque era that in England culminated in the art of Henry Purcell and Georg Frideric Handel.Gibbons was born in Oxford into a musical family: his father William was one of the waits in Cambridge (waits were town pipers whose duties included playing loud music to wake townsfolk in the morning; they also participated in processions and greeted the visiting royalty).Four of William’s sons were musicians.At the age of 21 Orlando was made the organist at Chapel Royal.He was also a virtuoso performer on the virginal, a type of harpsichord popular at the time both in England and elsewhere in Europe.In England the “Virginalist school” came into being at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century; at about the same time Girolamo Frescobaldi in Italy and Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck in the Netherlands created many works for that instrument.
Gibbons, a prolific composer, wrote a number of motets and so-called "anthems," in which a solo voice alternated with the full choir, while the organ provides the accompaniment.One of the most famous is This is the record of John (John is the title refers to John the Baptist).Here it is performed by Robin Blaze, Countertenor, Winchester Cathedral Choir, with Sarah Baldock on the organ; David Hill is conducting.Very popular at the time was his short madrigal The silver swan, performed here by the Rose Consort of Viols with the vocal ensemble Red Byrd.And here is Gibbons’s "Lord of Salisbury" Pavan and Galliard.It’s performed on a modern piano by Glenn Gould.Gibbons was one of Gould’s favorite composers (another, of course, was Johann Sebastian Bach).
Christmas of 2013
December 23, 2013. Christmas of 2013. We at Classical Connect wish all our listeners a very merry Christmas! As became a tradition, we celebrate Christmas with Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Here are movements 2 through 4 of Part I: For the First Day of Christmas. The Evangelist, whose role is to read from the Bible,.jpg "Nativity, Fra Angelico")
narrates from Luke 2:1 “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” It’s followed by the Alto recitative “Now shall my beloved bridegroom” and then the wonderful aria “Prepare thyself, Zion.” The Evangelist is the German tenor Christoph Genz, the Alto – Argentinean mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink. John Eliot Gardiner conducts the English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir. The Nativity scene at the left is by Fra Angelico, from a cell of the monastery of San Marco in Florence. It was painted around 1440-41, almost 300 years before Bach composed the Oratorio.
We also want to mark the birthday of Orlando Gibbons, an English composer baptized on 25 December 25th, 1583. He was one of the last Renaissance English composers, following in the steps on John Dunstaple, JohnTaverner, Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, John Dowland, and many other composers of that great national school. What followed shortly after was the dawn of the baroque era that in England culminated in the art of Henry Purcell and Georg Frideric Handel. Gibbons was born in Oxford into a musical family: his father William was one of the waits in Cambridge (waits were town pipers whose duties included playing loud music to wake townsfolk in the morning; they also participated in processions and greeted the visiting royalty). Four of William’s sons were musicians. At the age of 21 Orlando was made the organist at Chapel Royal. He was also a virtuoso performer on the virginal, a type of harpsichord popular at the time both
in England and elsewhere in Europe. In England the “Virginalist school” came into being at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century; at about the same time Girolamo Frescobaldi in Italy and Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck in the Netherlands created many works for that instrument.
Gibbons, a prolific composer, wrote a number of motets and so-called "anthems," in which a solo voice alternated with the full choir, while the organ provides the accompaniment. One of the most famous is This is the record of John (John is the title refers to John the Baptist). Here it is performed by Robin Blaze, Countertenor, Winchester Cathedral Choir, with Sarah Baldock on the organ; David Hill is conducting. Very popular at the time was his short madrigal The silver swan, performed here by the Rose Consort of Viols with the vocal ensemble Red Byrd. And here is Gibbons’s "Lord of Salisbury" Pavan and Galliard. It’s performed on a modern piano by Glenn Gould. Gibbons was one of Gould’s favorite composers (another, of course, was Johann Sebastian Bach).