# Most Famous Baroque Composer Back Then



## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

We all know Bach is the most famous Baroque Composer now but he was not that popular back then. Who were the most famous Baroque composers back then. A link would be nice to know more about this as well.


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## jalex (Aug 21, 2011)

Telemann I'd imagine. http://www.baroquemusic.org/bqxtel.html


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## presto (Jun 17, 2011)

jalex said:


> Telemann I'd imagine. http://www.baroquemusic.org/bqxtel.html


I agree, when you read up on Baroque music his name crops up more than any other composer.
At the time he seems to have been better known than the great J S Bach.


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## hespdelk (Mar 19, 2011)

Corelli would have had enormous prestige for his work in developping the concerto form and violin technique.

Vivaldi was very famous and influential as well. Bach himself did some studies on his works - but I'm not sure if Vivaldi would have even been aware of Bach? Its a question that has come to my mind from time to time but I've never found the answer.

Knowledge of Bach may have spread in part thanks to the growing reknown of his sons during the transitional period between late baroque and galant/classical.

Handel's international career would have made him well known in many places - though I wonder if his fame in the rest of europe dwindled in his later years when he stayed exclusively in Britain?

Nicola Porpora (best known these days as Handel's London rival) would have been a major figure at the time, even an early teacher of Haydn in Vienna. Today he is largely forgotton and most of his works appear to have been lost... a great pity as what little I have heard has been excellent.

Alessandro Scarlatti would certainly have been better known at the time than his son Domenico - this has now reversed I'd say.


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## hocket (Feb 21, 2010)

During Bach's lifetime I'd have thought that either Handel or Hasse was the most famous, probably followed by Telemann. In earlier periods Lully was of course hugely renowned as was Carissimi whom students came to from all over Europe. Monteverdi was also very famous in his day.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Telemann I am sure. I played his viola concerto in G major once (quite a while ago actually.) It wasn't the most fantastic piece I have heard, but there are a few good pieces by him. He is probably the most prolific composer of all time and the most popular back in his day, but I prefer others now.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

I would think that it would be G.F. Handel, G.P. Telemann, Johann Adolph Hasse, Alessandro Scarlatti (or possibly the Corellis) or Jean-Baptiste de Lully. It would probably depend upon which court one went to as the difficulty of travel and lack of mass media did not exactly make for international stars.


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## hocket (Feb 21, 2010)

StlukesguildOhio said:


> (or possibly the Corellis)


?
This piqued my curiosity as I didn't know there were any further notable Corellis in addition to Arcangelo.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Telemann I am sure. I played his viola concerto in G major once (quite a while ago actually.) It wasn't the most fantastic piece I have heard, but there are a few good pieces by him. He is probably the most prolific composer of all time and the most popular back in his day, but I prefer others now.


I don't think he wrote that viola concerto. Don't ask me to prove it, I just heard it somewhere, but my source was an expert.

My favorite Telemann piece is the overture suite to Tafflemusik.


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