A self-taught musical genius! It seems hard to believe, but during the first quarter of the 18th century, Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) was considered the greatest living composer besides George Friedrich Handel! While he was historically eclipsed by J. S.

Creator of modern music In 2017 we celebrate the 450th birthday of Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643). He was the most important musician in late 16th and early 17th-century Italy, and the first great composer of opera. He developed powerful ways of

Free Concerts for Advent In many Western Christian churches, the season of Advent prepares believers for the celebration of the nativity of Jesus at Christmas. Traditionally, Advent marks the beginning of the Church Year, and symbolizes the spiritual journey towards

A Composer, Scholar and a Gentleman! Take for example Johann Mattheson (1681-1764), a prolific composer, singer, organist, writer, lexicographer, diplomat, and music theorist. Born in Hamburg as the third, and only surviving son of a local tax collector, Mattheson displayed

Murder in the Rue Careme-Prenant In the early morning of 23 October 1764, the violinist and composer Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764) was found lying dead in the vestibule of his house in a pool of blood from three vicious stab wounds

The Paganini of the 18th CenturyThe violinist Pietro Antonio Locatelli (1695-1764) was widely known as the “Paganini of the eighteenth century.” As a performer Locatelli systematically explored the uncharted regions of the instrument, including left-hand extensions, double and triple stops,

A Crayfish in my Stream Johann Ludwig Krebs: Flute Sonata No. 3 in C major By all accounts, Johann Sebastian Bach was a stern and exacting teacher. Since he had no time to waste — he was after all in

Oboe Concerto in D major Violin Sonata in A major “La Montanari” Bizzarrie per Camera no.2 in E major op. 2 Giuseppe Valentini (1681-1753) was an Italian violinist, composer of operas, oratorios, cantatas and inventive instrumental music.