29 February 2008
1685
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It was a very good year for music. 1685 saw the birth of George Frideric Handel on 23 February, Johann Sebastian Bach on 21 March and Domenico Scarlatti on 26 October. Handel and Bach were German Lutherans while Scarlatti was an Italian Catholic who became maestro of the Cappella Giulia in Rome. Our music includes an excerpt from the Biblical oratorio Israel in Egypt by Handel and one of the ever-popular arias from Bach's sacred cantata BWV 82 ('Ich habe genug').
Transcript
Transcript
It was a time not so different in many ways from our own, an era of rapid change with modern science taking its first steps under Galileo and Newton, a time when King Charles II of England, Scotland and Wales was succeeded by James II, and a year of great religious tension between Catholics and Protestants especially in France where Louis XIV had declared Protestantism illegal.
Handel introduced the oratorio in England in the 1730s after the collapse of the opera industry there. The oratorio in fact was much like opera but with a narrative based on Biblical stories. And Bach developed the Lutheran cantata to a new level of complexity and beauty.
And while we're focusing on significant dates, we end this week with Yasmin Levy singing flamenco-tinged Sephardic music dating back to the explusion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.
Further Information
Yasmin Levy
Born in Jerusalem in 1975, Yasmin Levy was introduced to Ladino singing and culture from a very young age. Her father was the leading figure in the world of research into and preservation of the Judeo-Spanish culture, dating back to the 15th century in Spain. Today, it remains one of the most moving and romantic musical traditions of all times. In her deep, spiritual and moving style of singing, Yasmin preserves and revives the most beautiful songs from the Ladino/Judeo-Spanish heritage, mixing it with Andalucian Flamenco.
Music
CD title:
Israel in Egypt
Track title:
The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance
Artist: The Sixteen/ Orchestra of the Sixteen/ Harry Christophers
Composer: Handel
CD details: Collins CLassics 70352
CD title:
Solomon
Track title:
The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Artist: Monteverdi Choir/ English Baroque Soloists/ John Eliot Gardiner
Composer: Handel
CD details: Philips 412 612 2
CD title:
J.S. Bach: Cantatas
Track title:
'Ich habe genug' BWV82a
Artist: Nancy Argenta/Ensemble Sonnerie/ Monica Huggett
Composer: J.S. Bach
CD details: Virgin Veritas VC 5450382
CD title:
Mano Suave
Track title:
Irme Kero
Artist: Yasmin Levy
Composer: trad.
CD details: MRA/ Destra Entertainment MR60522
URL: http://www.yasminlevy.net/
Presenter
Geoff Wood
Producer
Geoff Wood
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