Bach in jail, Haendel in the Champions League? March 21 is a special date in the world of music. On this very day in 1685, Johann Sebastian Bach was born, and it is now celebrated as Early Music Day. To mark this occasion, we have a few interesting facts from the Baroque era prepared for you. Are you ready?
- Johann Sebastian Bach was arrested on the orders of Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar, after attempting to resign from his position in the court orchestra. Bach spent nearly a month in prison, from November 6 to December 2, 1717.
- The UEFA Champions League anthem is based on the melody of the coronation anthem Zadok the Priest by Georg Friedrich Haendel.
- Georg Philipp Telemann frequently visited Silesia, where he drew inspiration from Polish folk music. He composed as many as seven works with the word “Polish” in their titles. In the PBM collection of sheet music, you can find, for example, Polish Sonata No. 2 for two violins (or two flutes) and figured bass.
- The famous oratorio by Antonio Vivaldi, Juditha triumphans, was originally performed entirely by the girls from Ospedale della Pietà orphanage in Venice, including male roles.
The Polish Music Library holds numerous memorabilia related to renowned Baroque composers. In the Ikonoteka, you can find, among others, the last will of Georg Friedrich Haendel, as well as manuscripts and covers of works by Johann Sebastian Bach. And if you feel passionate about early music as a performer – be sure to check out our scores collection!
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