Abel: Viola da gamba Sonatas

Featuring

Krzysztof Firlus
Tomasz Pokrzywinski
Anna Firlus
Carl Friedrich Abel

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Critical Reception

Carl Friedrich Abel's performances on the viola da gamba were highly praised for their elegance, taste, and sensitivity, with witnesses noting his ability to move audiences to tears, especially during adagio movements.

Cultural Impact

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was hosted by Carl Friedrich Abel during his stay in London, copied some of Abel's works and even used a theme from Abel's Sonata in A major in his own Violin Sonata in A major KV 526.

Historical Context

Carl Friedrich Abel was offered a position as a musician in the royal ensemble in Dresden by Augustus III of Poland, who was also the Saxon Elector and a patron of the arts.

Composer Biography

Carl Friedrich Abel, the composer, was known in his native Germany as an excellent instrumentalist, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who were also renowned gambists.

Composition History

The 'Maltzan Collection,' containing 27 previously unknown viola da gamba compositions by Abel, was discovered in the Poznań University Library by Polish musicologist Sonia Wronkowska.

Composition History

It is possible that Johann Sebastian Bach composed his three sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord for Carl Friedrich Abel, rather than for Abel's father as previously assumed.

Composer Biography

Carl Friedrich Abel, along with Johann Christian Bach, organized the first-ever subscription concert series, known as the 'Bach-Abel Concerts,' from 1765 to 1782.