Composer of the Week Podcast Folgen

Donald Macleod explores the music and life of Henry Purcell. Frustratingly little is known about the tragically abbreviated life of the composer who is arguably Britain’s greatest, Henry Purcell. Purcell kept no diary of his own – at least none has survived – and if he was active as a letter-writer, precious little of his correspondence has come down to us. Our evidence for the facts of the composer’s life appears in a sequence of glimpses – a portrait here, an anecdote there, unvarnished entries in the official records of the time. Donald begins with a whistle-stop trip through the scanty facts of the composer’s biography, and then looks at a single year, 1680, in which Purcell emerged as one of the greatest contrapuntists of his time. We hear about the pieces he wrote to mark specific events, from King Charles’ escape from shipwreck to the passing of Queen Mary. Next, an excursion round six key Purcellian venues, from pint-sized York Buildings to gargantuan Westminster Abbey. Finally, Donald tells stories of the relatively small but extraordinarily rich body of work Purcell wrote for intimate, domestic settings. His smaller-scale work – catches, songs, keyboard and chamber music – is generally less well-known, but contains some absolute gems. In a sense, it’s the music that Purcell didn’t have to write.Music featured: Sound the trumpet (Come ye sons of art, Z323) Chacony in G minor, Z730 I was glad, Z19 Now does the glorious day appear, Z332 The Indian Queen, Z630 (Act 3, extract) Thou knowest, Lord, Z58c Theodosius, Z606 (‘Hail to the myrtle shade’) Fantazia IV in G minor, Z735 Fantazia V in B flat major, Z736 Theodosius, Z606 (Act 1, scene 1) Fantazia VIII in D minor, Z739 Fantazia VI in F major, Z737 Welcome, vicegerent of the mighty king, Z340 Fantazia X in E minor, Z741 Fantazia XI in G major, Z742 March, Z860 Funeral Sentences (Man that is born of a woman, Z27 – In the midst of life, Z17 – Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts, Z58b) Welcome to all the pleasures, Z339 They that go down to the sea in ships, Z57 Of old, when heroes thought it base, Z333 Who can from joy refrain, Z342 The Fairy Queen, Z629 (Act 3) Rejoice in the Lord alway, Z49 (Bell anthem) Ye tuneful Muses, Z344 Hail, Bright Cecilia, Z328 My heart is inditing, Z30 The Fairy Queen, Z629 (Act 4, extract) Since the Duke is return’d, Z271 Overture in G, Z770 Suite No 7 in D minor, Z668 Sonata No 7 in E minor, Z796 (Twelve Sonnata’s of III Parts) O! Fair Cedaria, hide those eyes, Z402 I resolve against cringing and whining, Z386 I take no pleasure in the sun’s bright beams, Z388 She loves and she confesses too, Z413 Sonata No 6 in G minor, Z807 Tell me, some pitying angel, Z196 Fantasia upon one note, Z745Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC WalesFor full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Henry Purcell https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008gtlAnd you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Franz Schubert.It’s hard to think of a composer more gregarious than Schubert, and further removed from the image of the reclusive genius, closeted away in his artistic ivory tower, creating peerless masterpieces in splendid isolation. From his days at Vienna’s Stadtkonvikt, the Imperial Catholic boarding school that offered the best general and musical education in the Austrian capital, Schubert developed a wide and supportive network of highly cultured friends, with whom he explored art, politics, religion, literature, and, of course, music; frequented the odd tavern or three; and attended convivial social gatherings in the homes of well-heeled admirers, from which developed the tradition of the ‘Schubertiad’ – informal get-togethers devoted to the performance of Schubert’s music, and above all, his songs.In this week's episode, we’ll start by meeting Schubert’s friends, and then take a trip round Vienna in search of Schubert’s audience. Next, Donald gives us a whistle-stop tour of the jaw-droppingly productive year that’s been called Schubert’s annus mirabilis, 1815. We’ll also hear how Schubert faced the challenge of following in Beethoven’s footsteps, and about the posthumous discovery of much of his music, including many of his most-loved works.Music featured: ‘An die Musik’, D547 ‘Suleika I’ D720 ‘Geheimes’, D719 Symphony No 8 in B minor (‘Unfinished’), D759 ‘Über Wildemann’, D884 ‘Sehnsucht’, D879 ‘Das Zügenglöcklein’, D871 Gesang (‘An Sylvia’), D891 String Quartet in D minor, D 810 (‘Death and the Maiden’) Mass in F, D105 (Sanctus) Overture in D, D590 (‘In the Italian style’) Der Zwillingsbrüder, D647 (No 3, Aria, ‘Der Vater mag wohl immer Kind mich nennen’) String Quartet in A minor, D804 (‘Rosamunde’) Psalm 92, D953 Piano Trio in E flat, D929 (Op 100) Erlkönig’, D328 Piano Sonata in E, D157 Mass in G, D167 (Agnus Dei) String Quartet in G minor, D173 Der vierjährige Posten, D190 Symphony No 3 in D, D200 ‘Heidenröslein’, D257 ‘Gebet während der Schlacht’, D171 ‘An die Nachtigall’, D196 ‘Die Mondnacht’, D238 ‘Das Rosenband’, D280 Beethoven: ‘Der Zufriedene’, Op 75 No 6 Schubert: ‘Der Zufriedene’, D320 Symphony No 4 in C minor (‘Tragic’), D417 ‘Abschied’, D957 No 7 ‘Der Atlas’, D 957 No 8 Octet in F for clarinet, horn, bassoon, string quartet and double bass, D803 ‘Auf dem Strom’, D943 Liszt, after Schubert: Die Rose – Lied von Franz Schubert, S556/1 Symphony in C, D 944 Piano Sonata in A, D959 String Quintet in C, D 956 Ständchen, D920Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC WalesFor full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Franz Schubert https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00083n5And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

Donald Macleod is joined by William Lyons to explore Guillaume Dufay's life and music.The beauty, originality and technical mastery of Guillaume Dufay’s music illustrate why the Florentine ruler Piero de’Medici gave him the epithet “the greatest ornament of our age”. Undoubtedly he is one of the 15th century’s most distinctive voices. He was in his late 70s by the time he died in 1474; a long life by medieval standards. His outstanding talent transported him from an uncertain start in life as the illegitimate son of a servant and an unknown man, to being a musician who was feted at court, and respected by the church and the papacy alike. As his fame spread across Europe, he commanded the admiration of his fellow composers, influencing not only his direct contemporaries but also the generation of composers who succeeded him, among them Johannes Ockeghem. Donald Macleod is joined by William Lyons, a historical music researcher and the founder of the ensemble The Dufay Collective. Pulling together what’s known about Dufay, across the episode, they build a picture of the man behind this illustrious reputation, examine the key relationships he fostered, and consider how his music flourished as he navigated the turbulent political currents of the age.Music featured: St. Anthony of Padua Mass Ce jour de l’an Quel fronte signorillo C’est bien raison de devoir essaucier Ave Regina caelorum Missa Ave regina caelorum Motet: Apostolo gloriosum Seigneur Leon, vous soyés bienvenus Missa Sancti Jacobi - Offertorium Magnificat tertii et quarti toni Missa Ecce ancilla Domini - Sanctus Malheureulx cueur Motet: Moribus et genere Adieu ces bons vins de Lannoys Missa Sine Nomine - Kyrie & Gloria Ballade: Resvelliés-vous et faites chiere lye Vasilissa ergo gaude O Sancte Sebastiane Missa Sancti Jacobi - Sanctus, Agnus Dei Vergene Bella La Belle se siet Ballade: Se la face ay pale Flos Florum Ecclesiae militantis Balsamus et munda cera Supremum est mortalibus bonum Ave Maris Stella L’alta tua bellezza Salve flos Tusce gentis Ce moys de may Bon jour, bon mois Il sera par vous combatu Missa L’homme armé - Kyrie S’il est Plaisir Je me complains Par le regard Ave regina caelorum II Sanctus Ave verum corpus Gaude virgoPresented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC WalesFor full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Guillaume Dufay https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007yz1And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z