Early Music Show

Exploring Johann Sebastian Bach’s family tree. Music by some of JS Bach's sons is often heard these days, but today Lucie Skeaping traces the Bach musical dynasty back to his great-great grandfather, Veit Bach, who was a baker in Wechmar and whose son Johann in turn produced three musical sons.

When Queen Elizabeth came to the throne in 1952 it sparked a wave of creative interest in the first Queen Elizabeth and her times. Catherine Bott looks at how this coincided with the work of the early music movement in this country. In particular she considers the work of some of the great early music pioneers of the time such as Thurston Dart, Robert Donnington and Walter Bergmann.

Celebrating the birth of the pioneering countertenor, Alfred Deller, who was born on 31st May 1912. Catherine Bott is joined by countertenors James Bowman, Robin Blaze and Alfred's son Mark, to discuss some of the many facets of Alfred's art. They play a selection of his recordings dating from the 1950s, including some from the early days of Alfred's Deller Consort, which is considered one of his most important contributions to the early music movement.

Exploring an early Baroque instrumental innovation known as the “stylus fantasticus” which flourished in Bohemia during the 17th Century. It was the style favoured by the Bishop of Olomouc-Kromeriz in what is now the Czech Republic. Lucie Skeaping plays examples from music composed by Biber, Schmelzer, Merulo, Frescobaldi and Froberger.

In the month of the 450th anniversary of his birth, Catherine Bott explores the extensive vocal compositions of Jan Pietersoon Sweelinck, known as the "Orpheus of Amsterdam". Although perhaps best known for his keyboard works, Sweelinck wrote over 250 vocal works and, surprisingly for a composer so associated with his homeland, none of these settings are in his native tongue. Instead, the language which predominates in his vocal output is French.

Looking at the artist’s musical contemporaries through some of his portraits. Thomas Gainsborough had a deep love of music and many of his portraits include musical themes. He was himself a keen amateur player of the gamba and he had many musicians as friends, featuring them as subjects for his portraits. Catherine Bott meets art historian Michael Rosenthal of Warwick University, for an exploration of what the Gainsborough portraits tell us about the role of music in the late 18th Century.

The city of Prague has been a political, cultural and economic focus of central Europe for more than 1100 years, and was home to composers such as Brixi, Regnart, Myslivecek and Brentner, as well as famous visitors like Machaut, Mozart and Gluck. Lucie Skeaping listens to some of their music.

A profile of the Philadelphia-based Renaissance wind ensemble Piffaro, which has been together for over 25 years. In conversation with Lucie Skeaping, the ensemble’s two artistic directors, Joan Kimball and Robert Wiemken, discuss their work and play music from their many recordings.

“Il Pastor Fido” by Giovanni Battista Guarini was one of the most famous plays of the 17th Century and 300 years ago London saw the premiere of Handel's opera based on Guarini's text. Catherine Bott explores the play and some of the music inspired by it.

Concluding the Early Music Show’s journey through the musical alphabet with the letters N-Z. Presented by Lucie Skeaping, Catherine Bott and Andrew Manze. This podcast contains lewd lyrics and bawdy ballads.

A whistle-stop tour of the alphabet according to Early Music, presented by Lucie Skeaping, Andrew Manze and Catherine Bott. In Part 1, the letters A-M.

After his time working for Prince Leopold of Anhalt in Cöthen, Johann Sebastian Bach took a substantial drop in salary and public standing to work as Cantor in Leipzig. The role primarily involved teaching at St Thomas’ School, but also meant that Bach was responsible for the music in the German town's four churches. Lucie Skeaping explores the time Bach spent in the German town, where he remained from 1723 until his death in 1750.

The Catalan soprano and early music specialist, the late Montserrat Figueras, would have been 70 this March. Catherine Bott reflects on her career with the harpist Andrew Lawrence-King, who enjoyed a long musical association with her through the groups Hesperion XX and Hesperion XXI.

Passacaglia is a word that is derived from the Spanish 'pasar' and 'calle' - meaning 'to walk' and 'street'. Lucie Skeaping traces the history and development of the dance-based form, from its origins in Iberian street music with guitar, to the great organ works by Bach. With the rise in popularity of the 5 string Spanish guitar, the passacaglia quickly crossed Europe and was readily adopted into song, instrumental music and even into the theatre.

A look at the "Golden Age" of Polish music. Lucie Skeaping explores sacred works and lute miniatures by composers including Bartłomej Pękiel, Franciszek Lilius, Mikołaj Zieleński & Wojciech Długoraj as well as music by some of the Italian masters brought to Poland in the 17th Century by King Sigismund Augustus II.