Personalities | Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber | Early Baroque | Classical
(Hin’-rikh Eg’-nats Frants fun Be’-ber) 1644–1704
German composer
Biber was a violin virtuoso and one of the most imaginative composers of his time. He was employed at the Moravian court of Kromeriz (near Brno in today’s Czechoslovakia) during the 1660s, but from the early 1670s worked at the Salzburg court of the Prince-Archbishop, where he subsequently became Kapellmeister (‘chapel master’) in 1684. Biber’s compositions include operas, sacred vocal music with instruments and pieces for solo violin and for instrumental ensemble. Among these are the rhythmically colourful Battalia (‘Battle’, 1673) and Fechtschule (‘Fencing School’), and 16 Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas (c. 1676) for violin and continuo, in which he demonstrates his skill in the art of scordatura (retuning of the violin strings) and in evoking – sometimes poignantly, sometimes exuberantly – events from the life of Christ.
Recommended Recording:
Mystery Sonatas, Eduard Melkus, Huguette Dreyfus, Lionel Rogg, Karl Scheit (Archiv)
Introduction | Early Baroque | Classical
Personalities | John Blow | Early Baroque | Classical
AUTHORITATIVE
An extensive music information resource, bringing together the talents and expertise of a wide range of editors and musicologists, including Stanley Sadie, Charles Wilson, Paul Du Noyer, Tony Byworth, Bob Allen, Howard Mandel, Cliff Douse, William Schafer, John Wilson...
CURATED
Classical, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country and more. Flame Tree has been making encyclopaedias and guides about music for over 20 years. Now Flame Tree Pro brings together a huge canon of carefully curated information on genres, styles, artists and instruments. It's a perfect tool for study, and entertaining too, a great companion to our music books.
David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
his life, music, art and movies, with a
sweep of incredible photographs.