After his voice broke, Benda initially intended to learn a trade, specifically becoming a gingerbread baker, before receiving a scholarship that allowed him to continue his musical career.
Critical Reception
Despite high praise from contemporaries like Johann Adam Hiller and Charles Burney, Franz Benda's music is largely unknown today, with few recordings or published editions.
Performer Biography
Evgeny Sviridov, the violinist on this recording, transitioned from the Russian violin school to become a leading figure in Central European early music, winning multiple international competitions.
Compositional Technique
The sonatas on this recording generally follow a three-movement structure of slow-fast-faster, a model established by Johann Joachim Quantz and Johann Gottlieb Graun, prominent figures in Prussian instrumental music.
Composer Biography
Franz Benda, born in 1709 in Benátky nad Jizerou, Bohemia, began his musical training as a boy soprano in church choirs in Prague and Dresden.
Composer Biography
Benda joined the court of Frederick of Prussia (later King Frederick II) in 1733 and remained a violinist there until his death in 1786.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Benda's violin playing and compositions were highly praised for their 'melodiousness,' a quality he consciously cultivated in his sonatas.
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