Antonio Vivaldi got his first opportunity to publish his music in 1712 with his concerto collection, l'Estro Armonico. Johann Sebastian Bach got ahold of a copy and thought highly enough of it that he transcribed some of it for organ. We'll hear both versions of the concerto in D minor -- Vivaldi's and Bach's -- on this week's program.
We then go to England where one of Bach's sons, Johann Christian Bach, established himself as a composer. We'll hear a sonata he wrote for that new instrument, the fortepiano. Later in the program we'll have some of Beethoven's miniatures for the now-much-improved piano, pieces he called Bagatelles.
Some more music from England -- this time from the 17th century, a little bit of Wagner, and we'll conclude with a rarely-heard choral piece by 20th-century Polish composer Karol Szumanowski
