Favorite Baroque Composer

[Reverend_Smitty]

Poll question: Favorite Baroque Composer

I'm rocking out to Bach tonight in hopes of getting some work done. But I'm taking a study break to ask who is your favorite Baroque composer. If I had to chose, it would be Bach, but I really love all the music from that era.

[fortyfeetunder]

1. Baroque brass composers

Among them was Giuseppe Torelli (1658 - 1709) whose brass compositions is such a turn on. Give me a road trip and a bunch of baroque brass music on a CD player and I am happy as a clam. And I am a woodwind player!!!

[Tom Kitten]

2. Praetorius ?

well ok more Renaissance than Baroque I guess...

[Davis_X_Machina]

3. Wilhelm Ditters von Dittersdorf.

[Modem Butterfly]

4. Dietrich Buxtehude

The composer Bach considered a god.

[Rjnerd]

5. Buxtehude

Not quite baroque, but Monteverdi. And there is the ever popular "anon 17th century".

I admit that Purcell has some great lighter works -- Things like his birthday ode has some really neat tunes for some truly lame librettii.

Bach went to Lubec to learn from Buxteheude. Still great, but so hard to do well.

My personal taste is for a bit earlier still, I really like the spare harmonies, and the interesting tone from the instruments of the period. Before my hands gave out (chronic tendonitis from typing, this post is untouched by human hands) I used to play (and make) early winds. (recorder, shawm, crumhorn, rauchfipe)

Sue and I met at the local recorder society. She has switched to harpsichord since. I don't play keyboard, just tune... I am now the official tuner, and quill technician. For her birthday and christmans one year, I built her a clavichord. My first and last keyboard instrument. The casework was interesting, but all the fiddling with the keys (only 45) got to me.

Her teacher is in the middle of a two year, 34 concert series to play the entire bach keyboard repitoire for harpschicord, organ, and on occaision, clavichord. They pass the hat, and the proceeds go to a different charity each time. This week was Well tempered Clavier, book 2. (all 24). Unfortunately I have to miss the next one, there is this party I want to go to. (11/2)

Check out tuesdayswithsebastian.info (if you are in Boston on a non-summer tuesday night) sohip.org (summer evenings) and (worth the trip for its own sake) www.bemf.org (their every-other-year festival is a marathon, 8 days of more concerts than you can get to. They have something like 25 "official" (evenings) and as many as 100 "concurrent" (days) performances. For leavening, they have one of the largest period replica instrument makers exhibits. Room after room of harpschichords from every country and century. Gamba's in all sizes. The only place I know where you can comparison shop for shawm, or sackbut.

[Reverend_Smitty]

8. Well tempered clavier is some of my favorite stuff by Bach...

I really need to get out more and see some live performances, unfortunately most of my friends and family just don't "get" classical music and it's no fun going alone. I wish I could make it up to Boston, but alas, I am stuck in NJ. I'm in close proximity to Philly and NYC but can never manage to get to a concert. Also I agree with you, nothing really beats listening to this music played on period instruments.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Reverend_Smitty]

6. Hmmm, Interesting selections...

It looks like I've got a little research to do! I'm going to try and give those guys a listen

[Archae]

7. Vivaldi is terrific.

Of course, most of those above are.

One time though, I dropped an oboe, and it baroque. :D

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. Monteverdi!

Fantastic choral music, brass music, and early operas.

But Bach is a very close second. My choir sang the B Minor Mass (whew!) last March, and we've got the St. John Passion coming up next March. Just for good measure, we sang the motet Lobet den Herrn, a real roller-coaster of a piece, last Sunday.

[Reverend_Smitty]

10. That's some quality church music...

I'm not ashamed to admit that the Mass in B Minor has brought me to tears on several occasions!