July of Handel: Chaconne in G major, HWV 435

Never one to forget solo instruments as well, July of Handel continues this week with the Chaconne and Variations in G major, HWV 435!

July of Handel: Dixit Dominus

Before Handel moved to London, he spent time in Italy at the invitation of the Medici family. Opera was banned in Rome at the time, so he turned his attention to sacred music, including this glorious soprano duet from Dixit Dominus.

July of Handel: Lascia ch'io pianga

Before Handel started writing oratorios (like Messiah), he was a successful and celebrated composer of operas, including Rinaldo, his first opera after moving to London.

July of Handel: Royal Fireworks

Handel receives a lot of attention in December (for Messiah, of course), but there’s SO much more to explore than that. On this Early Music Monday, we’ll kick off July of Handel with Music for the Royal Fireworks!

Font Serenissima

Want to clean up an edition without actually converting it to modern notation? Early Music Sources has developed a font to make it all possible! Check it out here!

Mundy Te Deum

Sang this yesterday for Trinity Sunday at Church of the Advent. It definitely lives up to its “for trebles” designation!

John Dowland

Oh Dowland…
- couldn’t get a court post in England
- traveled through Germany insulting the court lutenists
- penned multiple “get off my lawn” diatribes
- also happened to compose, occasionally
Come hear our program on Friday!

Program Notes

Many Early Music Monday posts (like the one about composers in prison a few weeks back) come from research I’m doing for program notes. Want to read them?

Black Death Music Parties

Aside from the part where it killed people, the plague actually had a pretty significant impact on music (and culture in general) in medieval/renaissance times. And did you know that Machaut was a plague survivor?

Read more here: Weird Classical: The History of Black Death Music Parties

Francisco Guerrero

Sure, Guerrero was a fantastic composer, but did you also know that he…
- was held for ransom by pirates
- spent time in debtors prison
- wrote a book about his adventures
- and died of the plague

Francisco Guerrero (October 4 (?), 1528 – November 8, 1599) was a Spanish Catholic priest and composer of the Renaissance. He was born and died in Seville.

Guerrero's early musical education was with his older brother Pedro. At the age of 17 he was appointed maestro de capilla (singing master, i.e. music director) at Jaén Cathedral. A few years later he accepted a position in Seville. During this time he was much in demand as a singer and composer, establishing an exceptional reputation before his thirtieth birthday; in addition he published several collections of his music abroad, an unusual event for a young composer.

After several decades of working and traveling throughout Spain and Portugal, sometimes in the employ of emperor Maximilian II, he went to Italy for a year (1581–1582) where he published two books of his music. After returning to Spain for several years, he decided to travel to the Holy Land, which he finally was able to do in 1589. His adventure included visits to Damascus, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem; on the return trip his ship was twice attacked by pirates, who threatened his life, stole his money, and held him for ransom. He was able to return to Spain; unfortunately he had no money, and endured a series of misfortunes, including some time spent in debtors' prison. At last his old employer at Seville Cathedral extricated Guerrero and he resumed working for them. His book on his adventurous visit to the Holy Land was published in 1590 and was a popular success (it is reasonable to suppose that Cervantes knew it). At the end of the decade he planned one more trip to the Holy Land but unfortunately died in the plague of 1599 in Seville before he was able to depart.

Francisco Guerrero (October 4 (?), 1528 - November 8, 1599) was a Spanish Catholic priest and composer of the Renaissance. He was born and died in Seville. Guerrero's early musical education was with his older brother Pedro. At the age of 17 he was appointed maestro de capilla (singing master, i.e.

…read more on Wikipedia…