This recording was made possible by donations to the Arcangelo Recording Fund from several individuals and additional anonymous donors.
Compositional Technique
Buxtehude's trio sonatas feature two obbligato parts for instruments with very different timbres, allowing for individualization in contrapuntal sections and attractive mixed timbres in homophonic passages.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Buxtehude's compositional development was shaped by the rich musical traditions of the Baltic region and north German Hanseatic cities, which cultivated a variety of European stylistic models.
Instruments
The harpsichord used in this recording is a 1997 copy by Mackinnon and Waitzman of an original instrument by Pierre Donzelague, a French harpsichord maker from 1711.
Composition History
Dietrich Buxtehude, the composer, published these seven trio sonatas in 1696 as his second collection, following a similar set in 1694.
Compositional Technique
These sonatas demand extraordinary technical skill from the players, suggesting Buxtehude worked with virtuoso musicians adept at mastering complex complementary rhythms.
Composer Biography
Dietrich Buxtehude, the composer, was the organist of the Marienkirche in Lübeck.
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