Another Romanticism

Do you ever wish you could have lived in another era, another time? I do. It's probably because I have a romanticized impression of what life was like in the past. But generally, I think people were more in tune with themselves and the core values of life. There are many time periods that I find interesting, but I especially love the Baroque period in music.
We tend to think of the Baroque as very ornate, with various contrapuntal lines weaving in and out, and not too many singable melodies. As a result, many music students don't like to play the music of Bach, preferring Chopin, Beethoven or other composers. Baroque music comes across as complicated and academic and not too expressive. But as my all-time favorite piano teacher said, "Baroque music is seething with emotion." When Baroque is mentioned, most people think of Bach or Handel. These guys were both German. But the French Baroque includes some amazing composers who I think wrote music that is simply out-of-this-world.
One composer in particular, Marin Marais, was unknown to me until I saw the movie Tous les matins du monde (All the Mornings of the World) several years ago. It's about two composers that write and play music for the viola da gamba (or viol) and their contrasting musical ideals- Marais and his teacher M. de Sainte Colombe. Although it's largely fictional, I came away from the story with a better appreciation of how intensely expressive this music is. Its plaintive quality is summed up by a quote by the often cynical Oscar Wilde- "Music is the art most nigh to tears and memory." To me, that quote fits with this music perfectly. In fact, the story focuses on M. Sainte Colombe's pain of his wife's death and how he copes with it by playing the viol. Although he's good enough, he refuses fame and fortune. The famous virtuoso Marin Marais, on the other hand, when his teacher Sainte Colombe is already gone, realizes that he did the opposite by selling out artistically for a better material life. At the end of his life, he basically realizes, to quote the movie, that "all the mornings of the world leave without ever returning," and he cannot change the choices he made. The film is visually stunning and the music is heard throughout- very highly recommended.
The piece I included here is one by Sainte Colombe for two viols, called "Le Retour." I can't put my finger on what it is exactly with this music that is so haunting and amazing. But maybe that's why music is so special- it takes its place where words are inadequate. Somehow, listening to the intimate quality of this music, you can't help but envy those living during this time period.