Abel: The Drexel Manuscript

Featuring

Petr Wagner
Carl Friedrich Abel

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Historical Context

The Drexel Manuscript is named after Joseph William Drexel, an American patron and passionate collector of over 6000 musical scores and manuscripts.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Carl Friedrich Abel's compositions were considered trendsetting and modern by his contemporaries, who said he 'set the tone for the musical world' and 'everything was Abellian'.

Composer Biography

Carl Friedrich Abel, the composer, learned to play the viola da gamba from his father, Christian Ferdinand Abel, who was a renowned viol player in Johann Sebastian Bach's court orchestra in Köthen.

Composer Biography

Carl Friedrich Abel and Johann Christian Bach, the youngest son of J.S. Bach, were close friends and lived together for a time in London, where they successfully organized the 'Bach Abel Concerts'.

Compositional Technique

One piece, 'Arpeggio scordato', requires a unique tuning where the two lowest strings of the viola da gamba are exchanged to allow all of Abel's written chords to resonate with D as a base tone.

Interpretation

Petr Wagner, the viol player on this recording, adopted the order of the pieces as they appear in the Drexel Manuscript.

Composition History

The 29 solo viola da gamba compositions in the Drexel Manuscript, penned almost solely by Abel's own hand, were likely not intended for public use due to their demanding nature.