Four Centuries of Great Music March 8, 2026 Anniversaries of the Birth of Four Baroque Composers Born in March

Today on Four Centuries of Great Music, I am celebrating the birthday anniversaries of four baroque composers born in the month of March.

We open with Antonio Vivaldi born on March 4, 1678 in Venice, Italy.  He worked at the Ospedale della Pietà a school for orphans where the boys learned a trade and had to leave when they reached the age of fifteen. The girls received a musical education, and the most talented among them stayed and became members of the Ospedale's renowned orchestra and choir.  So as you can guess Vivaldi wrote a lot of pieces for solo instruments with keyboard.

We open with his cello Sonata No. 5 in E Minor, RV 40, Op. 14 which is in 4 movements marked largo, allegro, largo and allegro respectively

I.  Largo
II.  Allegro
III.  Largo
IV.  Allegro

Jaap Ter Linden, cello and Judith-Maria Becker, piano
Vivaldi: Cello Sonatas
Brilliant Classis

Next is Vivaldi’s Concerto in C Major, RV 443 for sopranino/flautino  in this case performed on the modern piccolo.
The most beloved concerto, and most frequently performed, this concerto’s simple outer movements frame one of the most gorgeous slow movements in the entire Baroque flute repertoire. Structurally more spare than the subsequent concertos, the opening allegro offers the soloist virtuosic clarity, and the opportunity for embellishment within the passagework. A miniature cadenza concludes a series of quick runs in the first movement, and hints at the expressive potential of what lies ahead. The central slow movement is the core of the work. The strings provide a pulsing heartbeat for the solo voice to float atop. Only 13 bars long, this movement contains a world of interpretive possibilities. Vivaldi’s original melody is angelic in its transparency, and each repeated half tempts the performer to hear what isn’t there, and make it real. Another allegro (molto this time!) concludes the work, and asks the soloist to do the work of two players, alternating high and low passagework in a fast paced argument with oneself.

This is a performance by Jennifer Bouton, piccolo; Jory Vinikour, harpsichord; Ilana Setapen, violin; John Bian, violin; Alejandro Duque, viola; Susan Babini, cello; Andrew Raciti, bass
Jennifer Bouton -VIVALDI PICCOLO CONCERTOS
Navona Records

Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in C major, RV 443: I. Allegro
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in C major, RV 443: II. Largo
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in C major, RV 443: III. Allegro molto

Today on Four Centuries of Great Music, I am celebrating the birthday anniversaries of four baroque composers born in the month of March.  The next composer is  Henry PURCELL  who was born on March 7, 1659 on St Ann's Lane, Old Pye Street, in Westminster, in central London England.  His uncle was a musician and his younger brother was a composer.  Although he died at the age of 36 he was very prolific and is known today mostly for his songs and his opera Dido and Aeneas.  

Today we will be listening to a couple of his keyboard suites

Grigory Sokolov, piano
Henry  PURCELL: Suite No.  2 in G Minor, Z 661 - I. Prelude
Henry  PURCELL: Suite No.  2 in G Minor, Z 661 - II. Allemande
Henry  PURCELL: Suite No.  2 in G Minor, Z 661 - III. Courante
Henry  PURCELL: Suite No.  2 in G Minor, Z 661 - IV. Sarabande

Henry  PURCELL: Suite No. 4 in A Minor, Z 663 - I. Prelude
Henry  PURCELL: Suite No. 4 in A Minor, Z 663 - II. Allemande
Henry  PURCELL: Suite No. 4 in A Minor, Z 663 - III. Courante
Henry  PURCELL: Suite No. 4 in A Minor, Z 663 - IV. Sarabande

Grigory Sokolov- Purcell & Mozart
Deutsche Grammophon

Henry  PURCELL: Pavane, Z. 752
Henry  PURCELL: Chaconne, Z. 730
Delian Quartett
Im wachen Traume - Schumann/Reimann, Byrd/Pierini, Purcell
ECM Records
          

Today on Four Centuries of Great Music, I am celebrating the birthday anniversaries of four baroque composers born in the month of March. We open this second hour with the music of Georg Philipp TELEMANN.  Telemann was born on March 14, 1681 in Magdeburg, then the capital of the semi-autonomous Duchy of Magdeburg within the Electorate of Brandenburg, in the Holy Roman Empire now Germany.  He spent most of his career in Hamburg composing sacred music as the Kantor of the Johanneum Lateinschule, and music director of the five largest churches in Hamburg.   But he is most known for his secular music.  
Of interest was that he was not lucky in love.  His first wife died after only a couple years of marriage and his second marriage was plagued by marital troubles: his wife's infidelity, and her gambling debts, which amounted to a sum larger than Telemann's annual income. The composer was saved from bankruptcy by the efforts of his friends, and by the numerous successful music and poetry publications. Within a few years husband and wife were no longer living together because of their financial disagreements.

While in Hamburg , he did spend several months in Paris and was inspired by French music.   That inspiration gave rise two two suites written in the French style.

Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:e1
Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:e1 - I. Prélude: Vitement
Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:e1 - II. Rigaudon 
Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:e1 - III. Air 
Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:e1 - IV. Réplique 
Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:e1 - V. Menuet I & II 
Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:e1 - VI. Gigue 


Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:h1
Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:h1- I. Prélude: Gaiment 
Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:h1- II. Air: Modérément 
Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:h1- III. R.joüissance 
Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:h1- IV. Courante 
Georg Philipp TELEMANN: Suite à 4, TWV 43:h1- V. Passepied 

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767)
Paris Quartets Volume 1: 6 Quadri (1730)
London Handel Players
Somm Recordings


03/21/1685-07/28/1750                 

Today on Four Centuries of Great Music, I am celebrating the birthday anniversaries of four baroque composers born in the month of March. I will be closing this episode with the music of  Johann Sebastian BACH  born on March 21, 1685 in Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany to a family of musicians.



Johann Sebastian BACH: Brandenburg Concerto #5 In D, BWV 1050 - 1. Allegro
Johann Sebastian BACH: Brandenburg Concerto #5 In D, BWV 1050 - 2. Affettuoso
Johann Sebastian BACH: Brandenburg Concerto #5 In D, BWV 1050 - 3. Allegro

Yehudi Menuhin: Bath Festival Orchestra
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 
Parlophone Records/Warner Classics