La Barca Leyden Archives - NativeDSD Music

Music at the Court of Julich Berg

Sjoerd Staal — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Johann Wilhelm of Pfalz-Neuburg was born April 19, 1658 in Düsseldorf. His grandfather, Wolfgang Wilhelm of Pfalz-Neuburg, was given the important dukedom of Jülich- Berg at the beginning of the 17th Century. His father, Philipp Wilhelm of Pfalz-Neuburg, ensured a complete education for his son, who, even at an early age, showed a significant interest in the arts. Music and the Fine Arts became Johann Wilhelm’s dominant passions.
He married archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria in 1678, which gained him access to the rich musical culture of the Emperor’s court. On August 1, 1679, he became the regent of the dukedom of Jülich-Berg with capitals in both Jülich and Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf was the focal point of his reign; he helped develop it to become a center of art and culture. After the death of his first wife in 1689, Johann Wilhelm married Anna Maria Luisa de Medici in 1691. After the death of his father in 1690 he became the Elector of Pfalz and one of the distinguished leaders of his era. Johann Wilhelm shared his passion for art and music with his new wife. The opera performances during Carnival in Düsseldorf in the years following 1690 became legendary. The court orchestra, which Johann Wilhelm formed, could compete with Imperial standards, and was admired by contemporaries in 1711 at the Imperial Election in Frankfurt.

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Telemann

Sjoerd Staal — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767), if his mother had had her way, would never have become a composer. Despite the fact that he composed large-scale works from a very early age, his mother insisted that he should study law in Leipzig. But it was soon evident that his heart lay in music. Passing through Halle on his way to Leipzig, he took the opportunity to make acquaintance with George Frideric Handel, with whom he established a friendship. Telemann showed perseverance (a trait which was to stand him in good stead), and stuck to his ambitions as a composer. He gained a post in Leipzig, where he founded the Collegium Musicum later directed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Posts in Sorau, Eisenach (where he got to know Bach) and Frankfurt followed, and in 1721 he gained a top position as music director of nearly all the major churches of Hamburg. A year later he succeeded Reinhard Kaiser as artistic director of the Hamburg Opera. Until his death in 1767, Telemann lived and worked in Hamburg, and it would not be exaggerating to say that he was the most famous and popular composer of his day in Germany. This is partly due to the quality and scale of his oeuvre, and partly to the fact that he was a born entrepreneur, conscious of his talent and quite capable of using all modern means to bring his music to the attention of the public. Unlike many of his colleagues, Telemann was actively involved in the publication of his own works. He also founded Der Getreue Musikmeister, a sort of musical magazine in which new pieces by himself and others were published, thus finding their way into circles of domestic music making.

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Italian Master Pieces

Sjoerd Staal — Fri, 06 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

The world of music ihas been significanlty altered in the past centuries. Today, almost everything is directed toward the mastery of but one instrument. But an ordinary Kapellemeister in the 18th century played many and various instruments, led orchestras, gave lessons, composed and improvised. We find the subject of improvisation particularly intriguing, and we have experimented with improvising preludes in concert before sonatas. It has become an interesting and somewhat daunting experience. We improvised several preludes during the recording of this CD, and we have used the two most interesting.

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