The composer Biber used the movement of improvisations, harmonies, narrative, and dance to allow listeners to interpret the Rosary freely.
Compositional Technique
The tunings in the Mystery Sonatas are so unique that the written notes correspond to finger positions rather than actual sounds, requiring blind faith from the performer.
Instruments
Amandine Beyer performs on four different violins, each a copy of a historical instrument by makers such as Andrea Amati, Jacobus Stainer, Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, and Giovanni Paolo Maggini.
Historical Context
The 16 illustrations accompanying the musical pieces in the manuscript are directly inspired by paintings in the Aula Academica, where the Confraternity of the Rosary met.
Recording & Production
This recording was made in September 2022 at the TAP - Théâtre Auditorium de Poitiers, whose auditorium is known for having one of the best acoustics in Europe.
Compositional Technique
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber's Mystery Sonatas require the violin to be tuned differently for each of the fifteen Mysteries, a technique known as scordatura.
Composition History
The Mystery Sonatas were dedicated to Maximilian Gandolph von Kuenburg, Biber's employer in Salzburg and founder of the city's Confraternity of the Rosary.
You might also enjoy...
Fritz: Violin Sonatas, Op. 3
Jacquet de La Guerre: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-6
Schenck: Suonate Per Violino E Violone O Cimbalo Op. 7, Vol. 2
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber: Rosenkranz-Sonaten
Johannes Schenk: Suonate Per Violino E Violone O Cimbalo Op. 7 - Vol. 1
Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas, Sonata No. 5 in A Major "The Finding in the Temple"
Handel: Violin Sonata in D Major, HWV 371: I. Affetuoso
Ariosti: Stockholm Sonatas for Viola D'Amore, Vol. 2
Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas, Sonata No. 6 in A Major "The Agony in the Garden"
Biber, H.I.F. Von: Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas
Pandolfi Mealli: Sonate à violino solo (Opera terza)
