This reassessment of musical culture — particularly religious music — in 15th-c. Bohemia tries to look beyond the nationalist agendas that have previously colored scholarly work on this topic. As a rare holdout for monophonic chant and an area undergoing theological reform in the late Middle Ages, the region provides rich topics for this collection of essays written through an updated lens.

From a tribute sent by Stanley Ritchie’s family to EMA: “Liberating” is the term he used after switching from modern to Baroque violin, adding, “After playing so many years professionally as a [modern] violinist, I found playing Baroque violin akin to driving a sports car!” A memorial celebration is planned for April, 2027.

The debut recording from South Carolina-born harpsichordist Gabriel Smallwood asks who made the young J.S. Bach. Smallwood is imaginative and technically assured in pieces mostly in the North German style with its free, episodic forms, its dense counterpoint, and its long, improvisatory flourishes.

Harmonia Stellarum Houston, opening its fifth season next week, focuses on music from the Holy Roman Empire, often mixing Central European classics with recently unearthed treasures.