An exploration of early music, looking at early developments in musical performance and composition in Britain and abroad. UK only: please note that not all episodes are podcast.
An exploration of early music, looking at early developments in musical performance and composition in Britain and abroad. UK only: please note that not all episodes are podcast.
Hannah French with the second of two programmes exploring the lives of two 16th Century Popes: Leo X and Clement VII, and the music that surrounded them.
Having been brought up together in the wealthy and influential Florentine household of the Medicis, cousins Giovanni & Giulio were always destined for greatness.
As Pope Leo X, Giovanni was a lavish patron of the arts. He sanctioned major renovations on St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, extended the Sistine Chapel Choir, promoted the study of Greek, Arabic & Hebrew, commissioned works from artists such as Raphael & Peruzzi, and maintained a private orchestra as well as the official papal musicians.
In order to fund these lavish artistic interests, Leo X encouraged the purchase of indulgences - remissions of the temporal punishment for sins – which could only be afforded by the most wealthy. Leo was also portrayed by his opponents as a man of gross excess; there were suggestions of sexual impropriety, favouritism and immorality, all of which were fuel to the fire of the burgeoning Protestant Reformation in northern Europe. Needless to say, Leo spent way above the papal means, and when he died suddenly in 1521, the papal treasury was 400,000 ducats in debt.
Leo’s right-hand man throughout his papacy was his beloved cousin, Giulio de Medici. Within three months of Leo’s election as Pope, Giulio had been made Archbishop of Florence, and just three more months down the line, he was appointed Cardinal of Santa Maria in Dominica. By 1517, Cardinal Giulio was made Vice-Chancellor of the Church (ie, second in command). He became deeply involved in the politics of England, France and the Holy Roman Empire, which would eventually backfire on him spectacularly…
When Cardinal Giulio was elected to the heady heights of the Papacy in 1523, as Pope Clement VII, little did he know the struggles that lay ahead. There was already the threat of the Lutherans from northern Europe and the Turks were making in-roads into the east. Plus, there was the childish squabbling of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and King Francis I of France, who both demanded the Pope choose a side, leading to the Sack of Rome in 1527. And six years later, he had Henry VIII’s divorce to deal with. All of this while having to impose austerity measures in an attempt to pay off some of the debts left by his own cousin!
Like his cousin, Pope Clement VII was also a gifted musician. It's likely he too learned from the great composer Heinrich Isaac while growing up in Florence, and over the years he had dealings with the likes of Nicolas Gombert, Jean Mouton, Philippe Verdelot and Costanzo Festa as the music of the High Renaissance swirled around him.
In this first of two programmes, Hannah French explores the lives of two 16th Century Popes: Leo X and Clement VII, and the music that surrounded them.
Giovanni & Giulio were cousins, brought up together in the wealthy and influential Florentine household of the Medicis. Giovanni's father, Lorenzo "The Magnificent" and his brother Giuliano were the rulers of the Florentine Republic. In 1478, though, Giuliano de Medici was murdered in Florence Cathedral as part of the Pazzi Conspiracy. As a result, young Giulio was brought up by his uncle. Both boys were guided into a career in the church, and because of the financial and political backing that came with the Medici name, it was clear they were both destined for high office.
In 1513, Giovanni de Medici was elected as Pope Leo X. He made Rome a strong political power, and as a generous patron of the arts, he helped writers, poets, painters and musicians of the High Renaissance to flourish. But, his lavish tastes depleted the papal treasury, and made many enemies who accused him of being "engrossed in idle and selfish amusements". By 1517, would-be reformers in northern Europe had had enough of papal excesses, and Martin Luther published his 95 theses which were to be the start of the Protestant Reformation.
The young Giovanni de Medici was said to have had a fine ear and a melodious voice, and "loved music to the pitch of fanaticism". It's possible he learned from the great Heinrich Isaac, who was the shining musical light in late 15th Century Florence. As Pope Leo X he expanded the Sistine Chapel choir, and procured the services of professional singers, instrumentalists and composers from all over Europe.
In the last of four programmes across 2025 marking the 300th anniversary of the publication of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Hannah French explores the Violin Concerto in F major, RV.293 - better known as Autumn.
Dancing, drinking, feasting: Vivaldi's musical depiction of Autumn and the sonnet that accompanies it are all about celebrating the good times of harvest and hunt... and warn of the aftereffects of over-indulgence at the festivities. As part of her exploration of the music and its themes, Hannah talks to Amandine Beyer, Baroque violinist and director of the internationally acclaimed early music group Gli Incogniti, about the concerto and working with choreographers to create a danced version of The Four Seasons. And Hannah sends us one final sonic snapshot from her recent research trip to Vivaldi's haunts in Venice and Mantua.
To listen to this programme using most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Early Music Show".
In the second of four programmes across 2025 marking the 300th anniversary of the publication of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Hannah French explores the Violin Concerto in E major, RV.269 - better known as Spring.
From the opening's chorus of birdsong to the rustic dance of the finale via the snoring goatherd of the second movement, Hannah considers the concerto's context and inspirations, and shares other early music influenced by the season of hope and new beginnings. Violinist and artistic director of La Serenissima Adrian Chandler talks to Hannah about the Op. 8 collection of concertos that Vivaldi published in Amsterdam in 1725, and what Vivaldi's Spring means to him. And Hannah sends us a sonic snapshot from a recent trip to the church where Vivaldi was baptised in 1678 in the heart of Venice.
To listen to this programme using most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Early Music Show".
In the third of four programmes across 2025 marking the 300th anniversary of the publication of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Hannah French explores the Violin Concerto in G minor, RV.315 - better known as Summer.
In its combination of oppressive heat and violent storms, Vivaldi's concerto and the sonnet that accompanies it focus on the hardships of an Italian summer: a harsh musical depiction of tempests and high temperatures. Recorder player and artistic director of the London International Festival of Early Music Erik Bosgraaf chats to Hannah about the challenges of playing The Four Seasons on a wind instrument. And Hannah sends us a sonic snapshot from a recent trip to Mantua, where Vivaldi spent two years working at the court chapel.
To listen to this programme using most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Early Music Show".
Hannah French presents highlights of last November's London International Festival of Early Music. There's music by Corelli from the young Korean recorder player Jiyeon Bang, viol player Robert Smith plays a set of variations by John Jenkins, harpsichordist Maciej Skrzeczkowski plays John Bull, and recorder player Erik Bosgraaf and the ensemble filoBarocco explore the world of Telemann's Polonaises.
In the first of four programmes across 2025 marking the 300th anniversary of the publication of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Hannah French explores the Violin Concerto in F minor, RV297 - better known as Winter.
From the trembling, teeth-chattering cold of the first movement to the fireside warmth of the second and the slippery ice and chill winds of the last, in this concerto Vivaldi vividly depicts the harsh brutality of the Venetian winter. Hannah considers the context and inspirations for the music, and shares other early music influenced by the season of frost and darkness. She talks to violinist Daniel Pioro, whose new recording of The Four Seasons couples Vivaldi's music with new poetry by Michael Morpurgo, about what Vivaldi's Winter means to him. And she sends us a sonic snapshot from a recent trip to the Venetian Lagoon, which completely froze over in the brutal winter of 1709 to devastating effect to local communities.
To listen to this programme using most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Early Music Show".
As part of Radio 3's European Road Trip, Hannah French is joined by musicologist and conductor Árni Heimir Ingólfsson to explore early Icelandic music - from the 13th-century poems known as “Eddas” to the influence of mainland Europe that shaped Iceland’s rich sacred choral traditions, which still continue today.
To listen to this programme using most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Early Music Show".
Hannah French visits Claire van Kampen - the Tudor music advisor & arranger for both Wolf Hall TV series - to explore the music associated with many of the main characters, including King Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell, Anne Boleyn and Lady Mary, as well as some of the musicians at court: Mark Smeaton, John Taverner and John Blanke.
Hannah is joined in the studio by organist and director of Amsterdam Baroque as he celebrates his 80th birthday this year. They'll chat about his incredible 60-year career and choose some of his favourite recordings.
To listen to this programme using most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play [The Early Music Show".
As the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris reopens its doors to the public after more than five years since fire caused its closure, Hannah French examines the early musical history of this extraordinary building.
With the help of Antony Pitts, founder-conductor of the choral group Tonus Peregrinus, Hannah explores the influential Notre-Dame school of polyphony - musician-priests like Léonin and Perotin who worked in Notre-Dame in the 12th Century. These composers codified a new style of multi-voice liturgical chant known as organum, which flourished just as the cathedral itself was in the process of being built.
Hannah also looks into the musicians who followed in the footsteps of these musical pioneers across the following six centuries, including organists Louis-Claude Daquin and Armand-Louis Couperin who worked in Notre-Dame in the 18th-century.
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Early Music Show".
In honour of the Paris Olympics, Hannah French explores medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music associated with gold, silver and bronze across three episodes of The Early Music Show.
As the Games draw to a close, Hannah reaches the top spot on the podium, focusing on gold and its allure over composers and musicians across the centuries. Golden apples, the golden fleece, golden tresses, the golden ratio: gold glitters in musical treasures from the Tudor court in England to the opera stages of Baroque Venice.
Hannah French presents the second of two programmes of highlights from the 2023 London International Festival of Early Music, today focusing on their support of young, up-and-coming artists. The OAE Experience Ensemble offers students the chance to play alongside seasoned professionals, and you can hear them playing music by Haydn and Mozart, as well as students from Chethams School of Music in Manchester, and London's Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the Junior Royal Academy, performing music by Telemann, Purcell and van Eyck.
Hannah French presents the first of two programmes of highlights from the 2023 London International Festival of Early Music, including performances from harpsichordist Jane Chapman, recorder player Erik Bosgraaf, the Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra and Ensemble Pampinea.
Hannah French explores the life and music of John Wilbye, the most famous of the English madrigalists. Wilbye's fame rests almost entirely on the 64 works contained in two books of madrigals which were published in 1598 and 1608.
For their first visit to the Beverley and East Riding Early Music Festival, Ensemble Augelletti - the newly appointed BBC New Generation Baroque Ensemble focus their musical lens on a curious and well-connected local clergyman and musician – Edward Finch. Specialising in making musical arrangements of the most popular music of his time, including Henry Purcell’s wonderful ‘Golden Sonata’, Ensemble Augelletti tell Finch’s singular story and they perform some of his compositions and arrangements alongside music by his friends Purcell, Handel, and Geminiani.
As part of Radio 3’s programming around LGBTQ+ Pride, Hannah French is joined by musicologists Berta Joncus and Lola Salem to explore the life and career of Jean-Baptiste Lully, who shot to fame at the court of King Louis XIV.
Lully was an Italian violinist, guitarist and dancer, who caught the eye of the young King when they danced together in a ballet in 1653. Before long, he became an indispensable part of the Paris and Versailles music scenes, entertaining the royal family for the next thirty years and earning a very good salary from doing so. Lully was bisexual, and for many years his relationships with both men and women were never questioned – there was an implicit acceptance to same-sex desires among the upper echelons of 17th Century Parisian society.
But in 1683, Queen Marie-Thérèse died, and the king's secret marriage to Madame de Maintenon changed everything. Devotion came to the fore at court, the king's enthusiasm for opera dissipated, he became increasingly annoyed by what he now considered Lully's dissolute lifestyle, and everything began to unravel…
In honour of the Paris Olympics, Hannah French explores medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music associated with gold, silver and bronze across three episodes of The Early Music Show.
In second place, it's silver: from silver cymbals to South American silver mines, silver swans to Judas's 30 pieces of silver, Hannah considers the 'second best' metal and examines its connections with early music from Bach to Bolivia.
In honour of the Paris Olympics, Hannah French explores medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music associated with gold, silver and bronze across three episodes of The Early Music Show.
Starting in third place, Hannah considers music relating to bronze, from the extraordinary sound of Bronze Age horns to the magnificent music that would have floated over Bernini's famous bronze altar canopy in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. She also showcases some of the composers who came in third - including Johann Sebastian Bach, third choice for the job of Thomaskantor in Leipzig.
Lucie Skeaping looks at the life and music of German organist and composer Matthias Weckmann, who died 350 years ago this month.