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Andrew Lawrence-King
Andrew Lawrence-King (born 3 September 1959) is a harpist and conductor from Guernsey known for his work in early music. Career Lawrence-King received an organ scholarship to Selwyn College, Cambridge, following on his work as head chorister at the Cathedral and Parish Church of St Peter Port Guernsey. Lawrence-King taught himself the techniques of early harp performance after acquiring an early harp, emphasizing a heavily improvisational style. After Selwyn, he attended the London Early Music Centre, subsequently becoming an ensemble Basso continuo, continuo player with various groups in Europe and a harp soloist with Hespèrion XXI, Hespèrion XX. In addition to his work with other ensembles, Lawrence-King founded continuo group Tragicomedia which he co-directed from 1988 to 1994, the year he founded The Harp Consort, which performs internationally and releases recordings on Harmonia Mundi. Lawrence-King has worked as a conductor with a number of ensembles, including conducting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or concerts. Its most common form is triangular in shape and made of wood. Some have multiple rows of strings and pedal attachments. Ancient depictions of harps were recorded in Current-day Iraq (Mesopotamia), Iran (Persia), and Egypt, and later in India and China. By medieval times harps had spread across Europe. Harps were found across the Americas where it was a popular folk tradition in some areas. Distinct designs also emerged from the African continent. Harps have symbolic political traditions and are often used in logos, including in Ireland. History Harps have been known since antiquity in Asia, Africa, and Europe, dating back at least as early as 3000 BCE. The instrument had great popularity in Europe during the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alcina
''Alcina'' ( HWV 34) is a 1735 opera seria by George Frideric Handel. Handel used the libretto of ''L'isola di Alcina'', an opera that was set in 1728 in Rome by Riccardo Broschi, which he acquired the year after during his travels in Italy. Partly altered for better conformity, the story was originally taken from Ludovico Ariosto's ''Orlando furioso'' (like those of the Handel operas ''Orlando'' and ''Ariodante''), an epic poem. The opera contains several musical sequences with opportunity for dance: these were composed for dancer Marie Sallé. Performance history ''Alcina'' was composed for Handel's first season at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London. It premiered on 16 April 1735. Like the composer's other works in the opera seria genre, ''Alcina'' fell into obscurity; after a revival in Brunswick in 1738 it was not performed again until a production in Leipzig in 1928. The Australian soprano Joan Sutherland sang the role in a production by Franco Zeffirelli in wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Santiago De Murcia
Santiago de Murcia (25 July 1673 – 25 April 1739) was a Spanish guitarist and composer. Biography Until new research was published in 2008, few details about the life of Santiago de Murcia were known. However, it is now known that he was born in Madrid and that his parents were Juan de Murcia and Magdalena Hernandez. He married Josefa Garcia in May 1695.A Vera, ''Early Music'', Vol 36 No 4, 2008 In his printed collection of guitar music, ''Resumen de acompañar,'' Murcia describes himself as Master of Guitar to the Spanish Queen Maria Luisa of Savoy. She was the first wife of the first Bourbon king of Spain, Philip (Felipe) V, a grandson of Louis XIV of France who succeeded to the Spanish throne on the death of Carlos II in November 1700. The marriage took place by proxy in Turin on 11 September 1701. On 3 November the marriage was re-celebrated in Figueras, Gerona. In April 1702, Felipe V left on a tour of his Italian possessions appointing Maria Luisa as regent in his absen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jacopo Peri
Jacopo Peri (20 August 156112 August 1633), known under the pseudonym Il Zazzerino, was an Italian composer and singer of the transitional period between the Renaissance and Baroque styles, and is often called the inventor of opera. He wrote the first work to be called an opera today, ''Dafne'' (around 1597), and also the first opera to have survived to the present day, '' Euridice'' (1600). Biography Peri was born in either Rome or Florence to a middle-class family. Peri himself claimed to be from Rome, but considering the pro-Roman sentiments of the reigning Fernando de'Medici, it was a disadvantage to be known as a Florentine, which may have motivated Peri to lie about his true birthplace. Nonetheless, he was employed to sing at the Servite monastery of SS. Annunziati in the city of Florence. He likely received an education from the monastery school as well. Due to its size and favour with the Medici court, who attended mass each week, SS. Annunziati was a pipeline for many mu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Codax
Martin Codax or Codaz, Martín Codax () or Martim Codax () was a Galician medieval ''joglar'' (non-noble composer and performer, as opposed to a ''trobador''), possibly from Vigo, Galicia in present-day Spain. He may have been active during the middle of the thirteenth century, judging from scriptological analysis. He is one of only two out of a total of 88 authors of ''cantigas d'amigo'' who used ''only'' the archaic strophic form ''aaB'' (a rhymed distich followed by a refrain). He employed an archaic rhyme-system whereby ''i~o / a~o'' were used in alternating strophes. In addition Martin Codax consistently utilised a strict parallelistic technique known as ''leixa-pren'' (see the example below; the order of the third and fourth strophes is inverted in the Pergaminho Vindel but the correct order appears in the Cancioneiro da Biblioteca Nacional in Portugal, and the Cancioneiro da Vaticana). There is no documentary biographical information concerning the poet, dating the wor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jaufré Rudel
Jaufre Rudel (Jaufré in modern Occitan) was the Prince of Blaye (''Princes de Blaia'') and a troubadour of the early- to mid-12th century, who probably died during the Second Crusade, in or after 1147. He is noted for developing the theme of "love from afar" (''amor de lonh'' or ''amour de loin'') in his songs. Very little is known about his life, but a reference to him in a contemporary song by Marcabru describes him as being ''oltra mar''—across the sea, probably on the Second Crusade in 1147. Probably he was the son of Girard, also castellan of Blaye, and who was titled "prince" in an 1106 charter. Girard's father was the first to carry the title, being called ''princeps Blaviensis'' as early as 1090.Gaston Paris (1912), ''Mélanges de littérature française du moyen age'' (New York: Burt Franklin, ), pp. 498–503. During his father's lifetime the suzerainty of Blaye was disputed between the Counts of Poitou and the Counts of Angoulême. Shortly after the succes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Hillier
Paul Douglas Hillier OBE (born 9 February 1949) is an English conductor, music director and baritone. He specializes in both early and contemporary classical music, especially that by composers Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt. He was a co-founder of the Hilliard Ensemble and directed the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir for numerous years. He has been Chief Conductor of Ars Nova (Copenhagen) since 2003, and Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the National Chamber Choir of Ireland since 2008. Ensembles Hillier was born in Dorchester, England in 1949, where he attended Hardye's Grammar School. In 1967 he became a music student at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, studying voice. In 1974 he co-founded the Hilliard Ensemble along with fellow vicar-choral Paul Elliott, tenor, and counter-tenor David James. His concert debut was in 1974 in London's Purcell Room. Hillier remained the director of the ensemble until 1990, when he founded Theatre of Voices. In addition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cláirseach
The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring great skill and long practice to play, and was associated with the Gaelic ruling class. It appears on Irish coins, the coat of arms of the Republic of Ireland, Montserrat, Canada as well as the flag of Montserrat. Early history The early history of the triangular frame harp in Europe is contested. The first instrument associated with the harping tradition in the Gaelic world was known as a . This word may originally have described a different stringed instrument, being etymologically related to the Welsh crwth. It has been suggested that the word / (from / , a board) was coined for the triangular frame harp which replaced the , and that this coining was of Scottish origin. A notched piece of wood which some have interpreted to be part o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrew Parrott
Andrew Parrott (born 10 March 1947) is a British conductor, perhaps best known for his pioneering "historically informed performances" of pre-classical music. He conducts a wide range of repertoire, including contemporary music. He conducted the premiere of Judith Weir's ''A Night at the Chinese Opera'' (as well as its first recording). He has also recorded new music by other modern British composers (including John Tavener), and by Vladimír Godár. In 1973 he founded the Taverner Choir, Consort and Players, a "period instruments" ensemble based in London. Towards the end of 1973 he began conducting the early music group Musica Reservata, also based in London, after John Beckett left. He was music director of the London Mozart Players for several years until September 2006. From 2001 to 2010 Parrott was music director of the New York Collegium in New York City, New York. Parrott has published several articles on Bach, Monteverdi and Purcell, is co-editor of the ''New Oxford ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jakob Lindberg
Jakob Lindberg (born 16 October 1952) is a Sweden, Swedish lutenist, performing solo, in small and large ensembles, and also directing operas, using instruments of the lute and guitar families. He is known for the first ever recording of the Complete Solo Lute Music of John Dowland as well as for recording music never before recorded, with repertoire dating back to the Renaissance music, Renaissance period. Biography Jakob Lindberg was born in Djursholm, Sweden on 16 October 1952 and began his studies on the guitar with his first inspirations being the music of The Beatles. At the age of fourteen, he started studying the guitar with :sv:Jörgen Rörby, Jörgen Rörby; it was Rörby who first introduced Lindberg to the lute. Lindberg studied music at Stockholm University before going on to study at the Royal College of Music in London. He combined his studies with Diana Poulton on lute and classical guitar with Carlos Bonell at the RCM and began to focus his attention on performing R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elizabeth Wallfisch
Elizabeth Wallfisch (née Hunt; born 28 January 1952) is an Australian Baroque violinist. Biography Born in Melbourne, Wallfisch debuted as a concert soloist at the age of 12 and took part in such competitions as the ABC Concerto Competition. She was educated at St Catherine's School, Toorak in Melbourne, leaving in 1969. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music under Frederick Grinke and was awarded, among other prizes, the President's Prize. At the age of 20 she won the Franco Gulli Senior Prize for violin, and was jointly awarded the Mozart Memorial Prize. In 1974, Wallfisch won the prize for most outstanding performance of Johann Sebastian Bach in the Carl Flesch Competition. She began to perform with orchestras such as the London Mozart Players and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in England, establishing herself as a concert performer in the UK. She developed a reputation as a specialist Baroque violinist. Playing on a period instrument, Wallfisch has record ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel (baptised – buried 9 March 1706; also Bachelbel) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque era. Pachelbel's music enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime; he had many pupils and his music became a model for the composers of south and central Germany. Today, Pachelbel is best known for the Canon in D; other well known works include the Chaconne in F minor, the Toccata in E minor for organ, and the ''Hexachordum Apollinis'', a set of keyboard variations. He was influenced by southern German composers, such as Johann Jakob Froberger and Johann Caspar Kerll, Italians such as Girolamo Frescobaldi and Alessandro Poglietti, French composers, and the composers of the Nuremberg tradition. H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
