Salamone Rossi’s skill as a violinist and composer was highly valued at the Catholic court of Mantua. But as a Jew, he was still was seen as an interloper.

You may not be familiar with his music, but we all benefit from his work. Italian Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina is often called the “Savior of Church Music.”

“A choir is like any instrument. But because it’s people, a choir is an instrument that varies far more than a string orchestra would vary, for example, or an organ.”

Though we tend to remember our favorite composers for their music first and foremost, many of them were virtuosic in more ways than one.

“Belle, bonne, sage” is a love song whose title translates to “Lovely, good, and wise.” And if the score looks like a Valentine’s Day card, the lyrics follow.

Ever since the Middle Ages, musicians in Europe eagerly adopted musical traditions from around the world, from as far as the Indian subcontinent to the shores of Northern Africa.

The extraordinary story of Hildegard von Bingen.

“There are all kinds of ways to play Bach, and that depends on your personality and how you want to deal with Bach’s music.”

“Telemann has written… some truly funny arias about Don Q.’s dreams of chivalry and Sancho’s donkey and mishaps”