My take on Gesualdo? He wrote in the same style as other composers of his day. The combo of privilege and scandal are part of why we know his work, but the other part is that it's just really cool. Here's my favorite of his madrigals! This was the first one I learned and the one that prompted Tramontana’s first program of Monteverdi, Marenzio, and Gesualdo!
Who's afraid of Carlo Gesualdo?
So let's talk about Gesualdo. Standing at the crossroads of privilege, scandal, and chromaticism, is he worth the hype? Was he really that much of an oddity? Early Music Sources has some answers!
Women Composers by Time Period
Want to include more women on your concert programs? Check out this listing by time period!
Mille Regretz
Regrets? We all have them. Check out this awesome video from Early Music Sources about how Josquin worked through his!
Quia Respexit
This week's Early Music Monday is the first Bach aria I ever learned - Quia respexit from the Magnificat!
Louise Farrenc
First woman professor at the Paris Conservatoire, paid at the same level as her male colleagues, won praise for her compositions and dipped her toes into the Early Music world... Meet Louise Farrenc!
Women of French Baroque Opera
We spend a lot of time talking about composers of early music, but what about performers (and especially the women)? Their stories are equally as fascinating and mysterious!
Evolution of Allegri
We all know the Allegri Miserere often heard today isn't what he originally wrote, but check out this video from The Sixteen which walks through all the evolutions it went through!
Mozart and Handel
There's no better way to learn than to study the work of those who came before you - it's one reason I love making editions (especially of Renaissance polyphony)!
Vincenzo Galilei and word painting
Frightening children, a lame ox, unintelligible words - clearly the sky was falling! At least, that was what Vincenzo Galilei thought about polyphonic word painting... More in this fantastic video from Early Music Sources!