Works by Bononcini, Cavalli, Handel, Keiser and Purcell Because the term baroque originates from the Portuguese word for misshapen pearl, this collection of seventeenth-century arias is like a set of purloined pearls. It includes musical jewels like “Ombra mai fu” and “Dido’s Lament” that have become well known and beloved in the present day but are the products of compositional thievery.