Abel: The Drexel Manuscript, 29 Pieces for Viola da Gamba

Featuring

Alejandro Marías
Carl Friedrich Abel

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Historical Context

Abel's obituary in The Daily Universal Register declared him 'the Sterne of music,' comparing his compositions' sensibility to the literary sentimentalism of Laurence Sterne's novel Tristram Shandy.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Abel's public works were modern and balanced, but his private performances on the viola da gamba were rapturous and deeply emotional, moving listeners to tears.

Composition History

The Drexel Manuscript, an autograph manuscript by Carl Friedrich Abel, was part of Joseph William Drexel's collection of over 6,000 volumes of old sheet music, later bequeathed to the New York Public Library.

Interpretation

The performer, Alejandro Marías, views the Drexel Manuscript as an outline for improvisation, intending to interpret it differently every time he plays it in concert.

Composer Biography

Carl Friedrich Abel, the composer, was admired by a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and is considered one of the fathers of musical Classicism.

Composition History

The Drexel Manuscript, containing 29 pieces for viola da gamba solo by Abel, may have been a personal record of his improvisations or created for a third party like his friend, the painter Gainsborough.

Instruments

The painter Thomas Gainsborough, a close friend of Abel, was passionate about the viola da gamba and owned a collection including three Henry Jaye and two Barak Norman instruments.