If I haven't been asleep yet, Monday isn't over, right? This tenor premiered roles for Handel and Thomas Arne, and was part of the first performance of a piece that would become the British National Anthem. Meet John Beard!
Anne Louise Brillon de Jouy
Usually I give some teaser before I introduce a person, but this one surprised me entirely - how did I make it all this time without learning about her? And why have I never heard something she's composed? Read, learn, listen, and program!
Robert Fayrfax
This musician was a major influence on Tallis and Taverner, served both Henry VII and Henry VIII, and in 1520 led the Chapel Royal in the state visit to France known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold. Also, Eton Choirbook composer! Meet Robert Fayrfax!
Test your composer knowledge
What a fun way to test your knowledge of composers! Some early, some not, but all worth knowing/programming! Take the 10-question test here!
Johann Peter Salomon
This tremendous violinist, composer, and conductor was
- born in Bonn (in the same house as Beethoven)
- introduced symphonies by Haydn and Mozart to London
- may have had a hand in the libretto for Haydn's "Creation"
- was regarded by all as kind, generous, and a sensitive performer
- and he was Jewish!
Meet Johann Peter Salomon!
Dédé's "Morgiane"
It's admittedly a stretch calling this "Early Music", but it's too exciting (and too important) to not share! Bringing Morgiane Back to Life
Sulpitia Cesis
While reading about music in convents in Italy I came across someone new! Meet Sulpitia Cesis!
Tarquinia Molza
Meet Tarquinia Molza: instrumentalist, singer, poet, composer, and scientist! After receiving the same education as her brothers, she studied astronomy and science, was involved with the Concerto delle donne and the courts in Mantua and Ferrara, and became the first woman given Roman citizenship in 1600! There also may (or may not) have been a thing with Giaches de Wert...
Rachel Baptist
A celebrated Black Irish singer, known for singing works by Thomas Arne, George Frideric Handel, and other popular music from the 1700s... meet Rachel Baptist!
Massimo Troiano
Music History should never be a boring class! For example:
Massimo Troiano
- Italian Renaissance composer
- worked in the Bavarian Court in Munich (for Lassus)
- disappeared in 1570 after being accused of murdering one of his colleagues