In this podcast, we explore the lives and works of great classical composers. Beginning in the 16th century, we trace more than 500 years of music history, following the lives of over 150 composers along the way. Our focus is not only on their well-known works, but above all on the people behind the music: their childhood, their formative years, their artistic journeys, and the legacies they left behind. Through our audio biographies, we examine the influences that shaped their creativity and how, in turn, their music helped shape the course of classical music itself.
From Organ Loft to Opera Wars | Audiobiography of Jean-Philippe Rameau
What happens when a restless provincial organist writes his first opera at fifty—and sets Paris arguing? Meet Jean-Philippe Rameau, the fiercely ambitious composer whose daring harmonies shook French opera. From an unlikely breakthrough to clashes with Voltaire and Rousseau, follow a life of obsession, controversy, and extraordinary invention. Discover the man behind the music, the final opera audiences waited centuries to hear, and a late bloomer who refused to compromise.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/4JSWO1Pf2zV991fq64uAce?si=wmqnJO4kTt-Y-7xnlcDavA
(https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/4JSWO1Pf2zV991fq64uAce?si=wmqnJO4kTt-Y-7xnlcDavA)
Tomb: https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/8638/jean_philippe-rameau
(https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/8638/jean_philippe-rameau)
Sightseeing in Dijon: https://www.beaune-tourismus.com/erkunden/die-route-der-grands-crus/was-muss-man-in-dijon-gesehen-haben/
(https://www.beaune-tourismus.com/erkunden/die-route-der-grands-crus/was-muss-man-in-dijon-gesehen-haben/)
Society: https://www.alkor-edition.com/en/about-alkor/publishers-represented-by-alkor/societe-jean-philippe-rameau/
(https://www.alkor-edition.com/en/about-alkor/publishers-represented-by-alkor/societe-jean-philippe-rameau/)
15 Oct 2026
Once Greater Than Bach | Audiobiography of Georg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann was once celebrated as Germany’s greatest living composer—admired by Handel, studied by Bach, and astonishingly prolific. Yet posterity nearly erased him. This episode follows the self-taught musician from family opposition and early loss to international fame, entrepreneurial independence, artistic reinvention, and eventual rediscovery. Meet the witty, cosmopolitan Baroque master whose music still feels fresh, playful, and daring today.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/2fg5h5pzleqI4RjFopWroj?si=aWHtuVJpR7yGb4RRHLMtgg
(https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/2fg5h5pzleqI4RjFopWroj?si=aWHtuVJpR7yGb4RRHLMtgg)
Tomb: https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/9956244/georg_philipp-telemann
(https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/9956244/georg_philipp-telemann)
Museum/Society in Hamburg: https://telemann-hamburg.de/telemann-museum/
(https://telemann-hamburg.de/telemann-museum/)
Museum in Magdeburg: https://telemann.de/ (https://telemann.de/)
8 Oct 2026
Four Seasons, One Red Priest | Audiobiography of Antonio Vivaldi
From the Venetian lagoon to a lonely lodging house in Vienna, this episode follows Antonio Vivaldi’s astonishing rise, fall, and resurrection. Known as the Red Priest, he was a sickly child, a virtuoso violinist, an ordained priest who abandoned the Mass, a tireless opera entrepreneur, and the composer who reshaped the concerto forever. Discover the hidden musical world of Venice’s orphaned girls, the scandal surrounding singer Anna Giro, Vivaldi’s influence on Bach, and the cruel reversals that left him poor and forgotten. Then travel to 1920s Turin, where lost manuscripts brought his music—and his voice—back to life.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/2QOIawHpSlOwXDvSqQ9YJR?si=J2G2hStdRFuj1ca7PlWIfQ
(https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/2QOIawHpSlOwXDvSqQ9YJR?si=J2G2hStdRFuj1ca7PlWIfQ)
Tomb: https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/9963/antonio-vivaldi
(https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/9963/antonio-vivaldi)
Society: https://www.cini.it/en/institutes-and-centres/antonio-vivaldi/
(https://www.cini.it/en/institutes-and-centres/antonio-vivaldi/)
Museum: https://www.vivaldifourseasons.it/de/vivaldi-tours
(https://www.vivaldifourseasons.it/de/vivaldi-tours)
1 Oct 2026
The Rebuilder of England’s Music | Audiobiography of Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell lived only 36 years, rarely strayed beyond Westminster, and yet became the defining English composer of the Baroque age. In this episode, we follow his remarkable story from Restoration London’s musical rebirth to the courts, churches, theatres, taverns, and coffeehouses that shaped his world. Discover the prodigy who held England’s most prestigious musical posts, hid dazzling musical architecture inside his sonatas, and transformed English speech into music of startling emotional power. It is a story of genius, ambition, political upheaval, grief, reinvention—and a legacy that took two centuries to be fully heard.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/3tMLo1k3iUo82coMLWXzxq?si=yilmm-uNQLyS8ClcHnaDDA
Tomb: https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/7062/henry-purcell
Society: http://www.henrypurcell.org.uk/
24 Sept 2026
The Birth of the Modern Violin | Audiobiography of Arcangelo Corelli
How did a fatherless boy from a small village in northern Italy become one of the most influential composers in European history? In this episode, we follow Arcangelo Corelli from Fusignano to the palaces of Rome, where he rose from church violinist to one of the defining musical voices of the Baroque. Along the way, we meet queens, cardinals, rivals, and pupils. We explore the quiet perfectionism behind his six published collections, the deeply personal bond with Matteo Fornari, and the music that shaped Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, and generations to come. This is the story of the man who gave the violin a new voice.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/5dmMpIyAVaH6b9FLFgWPrF?si=-AgQE6RuQiG1vwVeHhe4Wg
Tomb: https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/4550/arcangelo-corelli
Ensemble: https://corelliensemble.co.uk/About-us.php
17 Sept 2026
The Man behind the Canon in D | Audiobiography of Johann Pachelbel
Everyone knows Pachelbel’s Canon in D—but few know the remarkable life behind it. In this episode, we follow Johann Pachelbel from post-war Nuremberg to imperial Vienna, through friendship with the Bach family, professional triumphs, financial strain, plague, bereavement, and a final return home.
10 Sept 2026
The Beaver Who Became a Baron | Audiobiography of Heinrich Biber
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber fled an instrument-buying errand and never returned—then became Salzburg’s greatest Baroque musical visionary. Discover the runaway violin virtuoso behind bizarre retunings, drunken-soldier sound effects, colossal cathedral music, and the beaver on his own noble coat of arms.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/2kMM5v3f7rti00gIbVc1Tk?si=yKHBwKF8SaeEtFfTJkhd1g
Museum: https://www.salzburgmuseum.at/ausstellung/heinrich-ignaz-franz-biber-1644-1704/
International Biber Competition: https://fiorimusicali-biberwettbewerb.com/wettbewerb/Biber_competition_e.html
3 Sept 2026
The Organist of Lübeck Who Made Bach Walk for Miles | Audiobiography of Dieterich Buxtehude
A mysterious birth, a prestigious church post, a marriage condition that reportedly sent Handel and Mattheson running—and a young Bach walking hundreds of miles to hear him play. Meet Dieterich Buxtehude, the Lübeck organist whose daring music and spectacular Abendmusik concerts helped define the North German Baroque. In this episode, we follow his path from Scandinavia to Lübeck, explore the drama behind his career, and discover why he was far more than simply “Bach’s predecessor.”
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/2YfFYZnshSzgfLsKZMM4VL?si=HEm8dN-6QjuxkenW6kXKOg
Grave: https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/9928792/dietrich-buxtehude
Society: http://www.dieterich-buxtehude.org/
27 Aug 2026
The Sun King’s Musician | Audiobiography of Jean-Baptiste Lully
From a teenage street performer in Florence to the musical force behind Versailles, Jean-Baptiste Lully transformed French opera—and built an empire around the Sun King’s court. Discover his rise, rivalries, scandals, and the bizarre accident that ended his life.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/19v0Cnq5D4SKom8SVlXhkw?si=TRnPQ8ZXSJugMQ_k61aH1A
Grave: https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/9912582/jean-baptiste-lully
Society: https://associationlully.com/association/
20 Aug 2026
The Father of German Music | Audiobiography of Heinrich Schütz
Meet Heinrich Schütz, the pioneering composer who helped shape the future of classical music in Germany. From his early life in Saxony and studies in Venice to his survival through the Thirty Years’ War, this episode explores a life marked by artistic innovation, profound loss, and extraordinary resilience. Discover lost operas, sacred masterpieces, and the lasting legacy of a composer who transformed words into music with unmatched intensity.
#HeinrichSchütz #ClassicalMusic #BaroqueMusic #MusicHistory
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/4Fw8f0YbjBs9suGEwInPJe?si=_VKImi_yTy6M0mTJOOuOOQ
Schütz House: https://schuetzhaus-weissenfels.de/museum/heinrich-schutz/
Weißenfels Music Week: https://www.schuetz-musikfest.de/
Birthplace Museum in Bad Köstritz: https://heinrich-schuetz-haus.de/
International Heinrich Schütz Society: https://www.schuetzgesellschaft.de/
Heinrich Schütz Choir: https://www.hsc-hn.de/
13 Aug 2026
The Man Who Documented the Sound of the Renaissance | Audiobiography of Michael Praetorius
A man between two musical worlds: discover Michael Praetorius, the hidden genius who transformed Lutheran sacred music, embraced Italian innovations without ever visiting Italy, and left an extraordinary legacy in just fifty years. Join us on a journey through the courts of early Baroque Germany to meet a composer, organist, theorist, and visionary whose music is still waiting to be fully rediscovered.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/0OTPgUKkDp058dC3czXFM2?si=qUD5p94JTH-hAn7S0U2Vsw
Grave: https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/20472947/michael-praetorius
Society: https://www.michael-praetorius.de/?page_id=39
Collegium: https://www.michael-praetorius.de/?page_id=30
Youth orchestra: https://www.praetoriusleipzig.de/
6 Aug 2026
The Man Behind the Birth of Modern Classical Music | Audiobiography of Claudio Monteverdi
Plague, war, unpaid wages, a furious music critic, and a composer quietly reinventing what music could do.
In this episode, we dive into the life of Claudio Monteverdi, the man who turned stiff court entertainments into living, breathing drama. From the explosive premiere of *Orfeo* to the heartbreak and genius behind his famous laments, you’ll hear how one stubborn, rule‑breaking composer gave opera its emotional value—and why his music still hits unnervingly close to home today.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/5iAhVgz6P8Nylxijb0C65v?si=p5tiucaBR5a71sU32bOXSg
Society: https://www.fondazionemonteverdi.it/
Monteverdi Festival: https://www.monteverdifestivalcremona.it/en/
Museo del Violino: https://museodelviolino.org/it/
Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists: https://monteverdi.co.uk/
Grave: https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/7571/claudio-monteverdi
30 Jul 2026
The Man Who Invented The Opera | Audiobiography of Jacopo Peri
Step into Florence around 1600, where a gifted singer with magnificent golden hair quietly changed music forever. This episode tells the vivid, often messy life story of Jacopo Peri: court musician, municipal treasurer, survivor of two plagues, father of ten, and composer of Euridice, the oldest complete opera we have. You will hear about artistic rivalries, political games at the Medici court, spectacular premieres that went wrong, and the moment recitative was invented almost by accident. If you love Monteverdi, Mozart, Verdi, or Wagner, this is the unlikely origin story of the art form they all inherited.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/2Qm0WBKIumxRTbeIpx1DnO?si=3M7twZtiTymfQ9mpGObh6g
Grave: https://www.smn.it/en/
23 Jul 2026
The Golden Age of English Renaissance Music | Audiobiography of Thomas Morley
Thomas Morley (c.1557–1602) was one of the brightest voices of Elizabethan music: organist, singer, teacher, theorist, publisher, and the composer who helped make the English madrigal a true national art. In this episode, we follow his journey from chorister in Norwich to the Chapel Royal in London, exploring how he learned from William Byrd, navigated religious and political tension, and turned Italian styles into vivid English songs sung in homes across the country. We also look at his role in music printing, his possible work as an intelligence agent, his great treatise on music, and why his pieces are still performed and loved today.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/6nLcghsTUtvQzu7aiu8HbO?si=jLm_4F-RRo27gvlY-uB4eQ
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCybsXzqmCLiYhUima-WRK6A
16 Jul 2026
Echoes of Venice and the Birth of Grand Sound | Audiobiography of Andrea Gabrieli
Step into sixteenth‑century Venice and discover Andrea Gabrieli, the organist‑composer who turned San Marco into a vast, shimmering sound laboratory and helped invent the Venetian School’s breathtaking polychoral style. Hear how a working‑class Venetian became a court‑favoured innovator, scored music, and left a rich legacy.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/61tgIUsrOcw3AMTLxuZHr1?si=dhLvpjUARjmuhH4ZsfuFCQ
9 Jul 2026
The Most Versatile Genius of the Renaissance | Audiobiography of Orlando di Lasso
Kidnapped three times for the beauty of his voice, knighted by a pope, adored by emperors – yet almost forgotten today. This episode uncovers the extraordinary life and music of Orlando di Lasso, a Renaissance superstar whose witty, deeply human works still speak to us.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/66hSfMemmixjY58p7KcTV6?si=tGAweMM0Q_6rtTozZVRFRw
Society: https://www.orlanduslassus.de/was-ist-die-orlandus-lassus-stiftung/
Tour: https://musikspaziergang.de/events/auf-den-spuren-orlando-di-lassos/
Monument: https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/items/show/337
Gravestone: https://www.bayerisches-nationalmuseum.de/sammlung/00037200
Projects: https://lasso.badw.de/das-projekt.html
2 Jul 2026
The Prince of Music and the Voice of the Renaissance | Audiobiography of Giovanni da Palestrina
This episode invites listeners into the world of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, where sacred music, ambition, grief, and legend converge in one extraordinary Renaissance life. Expect a portrait of a composer who not only shaped the sound of Catholic worship but also survived professional setbacks, devastating personal losses, and the pressures of a changing Church—emerging as one of Western music’s most enduring voices.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/0BS8IrFmvK1tXenMULjwem?si=FVUDqyPJTLSP8Og8nDJYKg
Museum & Society: https://www.italia.it/de/latium/palestrina/kulturstaetten/stiftung-giovanni-pierluigi-da-palestrina
Monument: https://www.walksinrome.com/blog/february-2nd-1594-death-in-rome-of-the-composer-palestrina
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1 Jul 2026
Introduction
We warmly invite you to join us on a fascinating journey through the history of classical music.
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