# Less known baroque composers



## tgtr0660

Hi. My favorite era in all of music (I think so, it's so difficult to be certain), the baroque has given me two of my favorite composers: JS Bach and GF Handel. I also love GP Telemann and, to a lesser degree, Vivaldi, Corelli, Lully, Rameau, Purcell, among a few others. I'm trying to find new composers and recordings and so far I've started with Zelenka and found names like Graupner, Lotti, Gebel. I have a little Kuhnau. What about others? Any great obscure gem you could point me to? Or do you have any comments on the ones I iust mentioned?


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## Mahlerian

He's not the least bit obscure, but you didn't mention Monteverdi, so I'll throw in a word for him.


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## Manxfeeder

I don't think Heinrich Biber is considered lesser known, but if you haven't encountered him, look up his Missa Bruxellensis. This era used to be called the Colossal Baroque, and they sure knew how to fill a space.


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## neoshredder

Torelli, Geminiani, Locatelli, Tartini, Charpentier, Couperin... to name some. Many more though.


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## joen_cph

Some French names to explore:

*Desmarest*:"De Profundis" - a good and rather expressive piece 




You probably know *Rebel*´s highly original "Les Elemens" ? 



( 



 scenic performance)

*Rameau*´s "la Princesse de Navarre" is often quite catchy, but it has to get started somewhat, say from 4:00. I suppose this is the McGegan Erato recording:





*Mondonville*:"Dominus Regnavit", another vocal piece


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## Norse

Continuing with the not-really-that-obscure; D. Buxtehude. His Membra Jesu Nostri is possibly the most beautiful German baroque work before Bach.


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## Manxfeeder

joen_cph said:


> Some French names to explore:


Good one! The French Baroque is a lot of fun. Their sacred music is unique in how they handle it, i.e., the sections flow from one to the other instead of breaking up.


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## hawk

Georg Muffat ~*~


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## KenOC

Zelenka's been mentioned. His Trio Sonatas are second to none and in a highly distinctive style. He wrote a fair bunch of orchestral music and LOTS of religious choral music, which I'm still less familiar with.

One of his works that I've listened to is a "Hipocondrie a 7 concertanti in A major". Anybody know what a "hipocondrie" is? I can only think of music that believes it's ill but isn't... :lol:

BTW his music has a fascinating history. The Wiki article is great reading.


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## DrKilroy

A few obscure baroque composers I like with YT links:

Jean-Francois Dandrieu

Nicolas de Grigny

Michel Corrette

Johan Helmich Roman

Best regards, Dr


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## clavichorder

Try the elder two Bach sons and don't ever forget Domenico Scarlatti.

For something more in keeping, William Boyce. His 8 "symphonies" are all fantastic. Johann Melchior *Molter* is another sort of transition but more Baroque composer who wrote many many concerti and symphonies, though you are lucky to find recordings of 2% of them, which is still a fair amount...


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Gaspar Sanz immediately springs to mind.


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## GGluek

Antonio Luigi Finarini


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## MuldrowEtheredge

Agostino Steffani


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## presto

How about some English baroque composers! 
Many Italians came over here to forge a musical career, but here are some very fine native English composers. 

Purcell, William (1659-1695)
Purcell, Daniel (1664-1717)
Avison (1709-1770)
Arne (1710-1778)
Boyce (1711-1779)
Greene (1696-1755)
Hayes (1708-1777)
Hebden (1712-1765)
Bond (1730-1790)
Stanley (1712-1786)
Croft (1678-1727)
Garth (1721-1810)
Gibbs (1698-1788)

Interestingly England was behind the times, despite some of the birth and death dates all these composers were primarily composing in the baroque style.


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## Norse

People who like Biber should also check out *Schmelzer*, another, 20 year older violin virtuoso believed to have been Biber's teacher. His Fechtschule (Fencing School) is pretty close to something like Biber's Battalia, minus the more extreme things like the 'drunken' bitonality part.


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## Renaissance

Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco. He is very good, but not very prolific.


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## Flamme

Came across this guy...


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## bejart

Alessandro Marcello's Oboe Concerto in D Minor, so beautiful that JS Bach adapted it for keyboard. Here's the 1st movement 'Andante'.


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## Novelette

DrKilroy, *thank* you for mentioning Dandrieu! 

I'm very partial to Campra's Requiem. The Introit movement has such a touching serenity to it; beautifully Baroque, but distinctly French.


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## Head_case

Oh my.

I want one of those he's smokin' with.

What is it? A Moeck baroque oboe? It sounds so much better than the modern oboe.


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## worov

If you like keyboard music, you must definitely check out Domenico Scarlatti sonatas. They are amazing.

Scott Ross has some very good recordings :






Scarlatti sounds very good too on piano (though very different). Check out this one :


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## presto

Head_case said:


> Oh my.
> 
> I want one of those he's smokin' with.
> 
> What is it? A Moeck baroque oboe? It sounds so much better than the modern oboe.


I totally agree, the modern oboe sounds thin and cold compared to the Baroque one.


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## Weston

W.F. Bach may not technically be baroque, but his music has more of a baroque feel than galante or the early classical. His works are quirky! I love them. Very strange unexpected voice leading. 

Boismortier has some very sweet flute works. I had never in my life heard five flutes in one ensemble until hearing Boismortier.

I also love William Boyce's 8 symphonies, which are not really symphonies as we would normally think of the term, more like baroque concertos without a solo instruments.


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## Tristan

I don't think I've seen anyone mention Muffat yet, so I'll mention him. His "Armonico Tributo" set of Concerti Grossi is excellent:






Before I knew what this piece was called, I referred to it as the "piece of 1000 endings" because it uses a motif characteristic of the ending of a baroque piece over and over. It's beautiful in my opinion


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## Wandering

I think A. Scarlatti deserves far more attention, especially in light of the Handel opera craze, A Scarlatti's opera deserve some more interest paid also.


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## Ondine

I don't know if Giovan Battista *Vittali* has been named. His Op. 6 is a good example of the delicate elaboration of the Sonata 'alla Francese e all'Italiana.

Also Giovanni Girolamo *Kapsberger* has outstanding Lute Music for Lute & Chitarrone.


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## Norse

There's also *Tarquino Merula* (1594/5 - 1665). His Ciaccona seems to be something almost all early music instrumental ensembles have in their repertoire. My favorite version is the one by Il Giardino Armonico. (Here it goes straight into a harpsichord improvisation.)


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## Chopiniana93

Did you mention the composer *Agostino Steffani*? Cecilia Bartoli's album of 2012 was dedicated to him:


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## helenora

Chopiniana93 said:


> Did you mention the composer *Agostino Steffani*? Cecilia Bartoli's album of 2012 was dedicated to him:


I've learned about him through Bartoli


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## Chopiniana93

helenora said:


> I've learned about him through Bartoli


Of course, me too! The first song is my favourite song by him


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## Blancrocher

Any other Johann Caspar Kerll fans out there?






This is probably his most famous piece--his lovely organ passacaglia in D minor--but there are other gems in his repertoire.


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## Rik1

There's some very good Porpora if you like Italian Baroque Opera. Here's a lovely aria by him:






For Spanish try Jose de Nebra.

And a fun German composer writing for the Dresden orchestra is Fasch. There are lots of fun orchestral suites. Here's the overture from a suite in A minor.


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## Ingélou

Jean-Féry Rebel:




and 





Jeremiah Clarke





And hardly much lesser-known, but you didn't mention him, so H. I. F. Biber:




and


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