Early Music for Children

Here, a commented YouTube playlist is provided, aiming to offer a substantial introduction to Early Music. Care has been taken to provide a good mix of vocal and instrumental, secular and sacred music, as well as a good temporal coverage of the musical period approximately from 1600 to 1750, extending somewhat into Mozart. Naturally, only a partial exploration of the breadth of the associated musical cosmos was possible: The gaps are surely a hundred times larger than the excerpts offered here.

A significant factor in the selection was also the attempt to provide opportunities for satisfying childish interest and understanding, hence there is plenty of music suitable for singing and dancing. However, this does not preclude the inclusion of challenging examples - it is a matter of affection and empathy to find the right form of stimulation within the framework of a years-long process.

The selected compositions are as follows:

• Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): The Four Seasons, Op. 8, Nos. 1-4 (1725)
• Antonio Vivaldi: Expansion 1 - L'estro armonico, Op. 3, Nos. 1-12 (1711)
• Antonio Vivaldi, Expansion 2: Gloria, RV 589 (circa 1715)
• Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759): Expansion: Fireworks and Water Music
• Georg Friedrich Händel: Expansion: Arias
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Four Orchestral Suites (ca. 1724-1731)
• Johann Sebastian Bach, Expansion 1: Brandenburgische Konzerte, BWV 1046 - 1051 (1721)
• Johann Sebastian Bach, Expansion 2: Suites for Violin (BWV 1001 - 1006) and for Cello (BWV 1007 - 1012) Solo (ca. 1714-1720)
• Johann Sebastian Bach, Expansion 3: Motets BWV 225-230
• Johann Sebastian Bach, Extension 4: Cantata BWV 4 (1707/1725)
• Heinrich Schütz (1595-1672): Musical Exequies op. 7, SWV 279 (1636)
• Heinrich Schütz: Extension: Resurrection History, op. 3, SWV 50
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Eine kleine Nachtmusik (1787)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Expansion 1: The Magic Flute
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Expansion 2: KV 550 (1788)
• Michael Praetorius (1571-1621): Terpsichore (1612)
• Michael Praetorius: Erweiterung: Motetten und Tänze
• John Dowland (1563-1626): Songs, vocal (1597-1612)
• John Dowland (1563-1626): Expansion: Lachrimae (1604), instrumental
• Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630): Israelis Brünnlein (1623)
• Johann Hermann Schein, Extension: Banchetto Musicale (1617)
• Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Sacred Music
• Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Supplement: King Arthur, Z. 628 (1691)
• Antonio Caldara (1670 - 1736): Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo (1713)

Each entry provides the selected titles and their internet addresses on YouTube, as well as the duration of the recordings, and where possible, links for jumping within the sometimes lengthy recordings. A decent quality amplifier/speaker setup is recommended, as well as a decent screen or projector & screen for the cinematic sequences displayed. Any embedded advertising should be blocked if necessary. (The large volume of the presentation should not be daunting; it is easily explained by the technical details provided for each recording and their presentations.)

Karl Otto Schallaböck. Wandlitz 06.02.2024