Sackbut's Baroque Burrow

[Josquin des Prez]

I would love some Frescobaldi recommendations, if you'd be so kind.

Get the organ recording of the Capricci, by Francesco Tasini. Those Capricci are a fusion of elements taken from all of the other forms used by the composer, the Toccata, the imitative Fantasias, and the dance-like Canzoni, all rolled into one piece.

[MN Dave]

Thanks. I have ordered this: "Gustav Leonhardt´s recording of the Capriccio´s on DHM"

[Josquin des Prez]

Thanks. I have ordered this: "Gustav Leonhardt´s recording of the Capriccio´s on DHM"

I thought that was out of print. Same concept as the above, except its on harpsichord rather then organ.

[MN Dave]

I thought that was out of print. Same concept as the above, except its on harpsichord rather then organ.

Amazon marketplace.

[MN Dave]

Get the organ recording of the Capricci, by Francesco Tasini. Those Capricci are a fusion of elements taken from all of the other forms used by the composer, the Toccata, the imitative Fantasias, and the dance-like Canzoni, all rolled into one piece.

Thanks!

[Que]

In which we discuss Baroque composers, compositions, recordings and suchlike, and in case you were wondering, that's music written between 1600 and 1750 or so.

Presently, I'm most interested in your favorite recordings of the more obscure composers, mainly the Italians.

Errr, go here?

Italian Baroque Music - beyond Vivaldi

Frescobaldi?

Frescobaldi, Girolamo - Italian Keyboard Pioneer!

I'll throw in German and French Baroque composers...

German Baroque Music - beyond J.S. Bach (and Händel)

French Baroque Music

Have fun and good hunting.

Q

[MN Dave]

Ah, my favorite thread-extractor has arrived. Thanks, Q.

[Todd]

He's neither Italian nor especially obscure, but I have only one name to throw into the mix: Biber.  (Not to be confused with Bieber.)

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Really. That's interesting. You don't like Gabrieli?

I think Gabrieli is the same generation as Monteverdi, or even a bit earlier. (Also, there are 2 Gabrielis: Giovanni and his uncle Andrea.)

now some recs

I find early keyboard music fascinating. Some discs I like:

1. Leonhardt playing Byrd. This is on the Alpha label and sounds gorgeous; it convinced me that I could like harpsichords after all. Byrd is probably the first great keyboard composer, and should be explored just for that reason. Which leads me to:

2. Glenn Gould's "Consort of Musick" album, featuring works by Byrd and Orlando Gibbons (whom GG said was his favorite composer). This is played on a piano and is massively un-HIP, but it works. One of GG's most interesting and quirky recordings. Personally I would like to hear more pianists tackle this repertoire. Which leads me to:

3. Andrew Rangell's "A Bridge to Bach" album (Bridge Records), featuring music by Sweelinck, Gibbons, Froberger, etc. on the piano. Very much in the spirit of Gould. The pieces by Sweelinck are the highlight. Which leads me to:

4. Glen Wilson's Sweelinck disc on Naxos. Good and cheap, and this time on harpsichord. Which leads me to:

5. Leonhardt's Froberger on harpsichord (DHM) - intriguing, mercurial music, from a composer who was a big influence on subsequent keyboardists, incl. Bach.

PS. Re Byrd - some posters here have been singing the praises of Davitt Moroney's big Byrd box, on Hyperion. I don't have the box, but I do have the 1-disc sampler from it, which I can recommend if you don't want to get the whole box.

[Satzaroo]

He's neither Italian nor especially obscure, but I have only one name to throw into the mix: Biber.  (Not to be confused with Bieber.)

Biber's violin sonatas played by Romanesca on Harmonia Mundi are superb, minus one movement's imitation of dissonant barnyard animal sounds.

[petrarch]

There is a lot of good stuff on the Alpha label, which I heartily recommend in terms of quality of the music, the performers and the recordings:

http://www.outhere-music.com/alpha

[karlhenning]

Not at all obscure (again), but I really like the Boston Baroque recording of the Monteverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine.

[Gurn Blanston]

He's neither Italian nor especially obscure, but I have only one name to throw into the mix: Biber.  (Not to be confused with Bieber.)

Biber was the Musical King of Salzburg before Mozart inherited the title.   I have quite a bit of his music and am constantly amazed by the quality and variety of his inventive genius for the violin. A nice choice for a Biber Primer is The Rosary Sonatas, else the Mystery Sonatas. They are nonpareil for their time.

[MN Dave]

Thanks, gents. Reading this thread while enjoying Mullova's Bach sonatas/partitas.

[prémont]

I thought that was out of print. Same concept as the above, except its on harpsichord rather then organ.

Not entirely. Some of the pieces are played on organ.

[SonicMan46]

Well, a couple of more composer threads that might be of interest:

Albinoni, Tomaso - has not gone beyond a page but some excellent music recommended!

Geminiani, Francesco - a little longer than the Albinoni discussion and w/ plenty of recordings listed!

Locatelli, Pietro - just my OP on this composer but w/ a lot of CDs shown - 

[Josquin des Prez]

Alright, for some obscure or semi-obscure Baroque composers, Italian or eitherwise:

Asciano Mayone and Giovanni Trabaci. Precursors of Frescobaldi. Renaissance polyphony marred with early baroque keyboard forms. Can't go wrong.

Scipione Lacorcia. Late Madrigalist. One of the few composers of this period who was actually influenced by Gesualdo.

Michelangelo Rossi. Wrote toccatas in the style of Frescobaldi, plus several madrigals and even operas, the quality of which however i cannot attest.

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer. German, and early pioneer of instrumental forms. The forerunner to Biber.

Giovanni Legrenzi. Pioneer of instrumental forms. Forerunner to Corelli.

Bernardo Pasquini. Pioneered many keyboard innovations. Was an influence to Domenico Scarlatti.

Marin Marais. French, prolific composer of viol music.

Nicolaus Bruhns. Died relatively young. Follower of Buxtehude.

Antonio Lotti, prolific composer of vocal music. Wrote a lot of great religious music.

Composers following in the wake of Corelli (all more or less similar to Vivaldi):

Alessandro Marcello, Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni, Giuseppe Valentini, Benedetto Marcello, Francesco Geminiani, Giuseppe Tartini, Pietro Antonio Locatelli.

Domenico Zipoli. Good composer of Italian keyboard music. Wrote some good religious music during his service as a Jesuit missionary in the new world.

Leopold Sylvius Weiss. Greatest lutenist of the Baroque. Personal friend to Bach (with all that that implies).

Johann Georg Pisendel. Great German violinist. Influenced Bach in writing the solo violin sonatas and partitas.

[71 dB]

I'm kinda sick of the Italians. After the generation of Monteverdi, other countries seemed to produce far more interesting composers.

I agree about other countries producing more interesting composers but I am not sick of Italians. 

[Josquin des Prez]

Well, i'm not tired of them, but i'm tired of nearly every conversation polarizing around them.

[71 dB]

Mighty German baroque composers of some obscurity to supplement Josquin des Prez's fine listing:

Matthias Weckmann (1616-1674) - follower of Schütz
Franz Tunder (1614-1667) - pupil of Frescobaldi, precursor of Buxtehude in Lübeck
Johann Kuhnau (1660-1722) - follower of Johann Schelle and precursor of J.S. Bach in Leipzig