Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber: Harmonia artificioso-ariosa

Featuring

Florian Deuter
Mónica Waisman
Dane Roberts
Eduardo Egüez
James Johnstone
Harmonie Universelle

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber

Did you know?

1/6

Compositional Technique

Biber's Harmonia artificioso-ariosa uses scordatura, a non-standard tuning technique, for most of its seven chamber suites, making the string instruments shine in a different light.

Recording & Production

The recording features the historical organ in the church of Niederehe, built by Balthasar König in 1714-15, which provides a particularly distinctive color palette.

Composer Biography

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, the composer, was the Salzburg court Kapellmeister and had held the city's highest musical post for twelve years by 1696.

Interpretation

Harmonie Universelle, the ensemble on this recording, uses a broader approach to the basso continuo than literally implied by the original title, incorporating lute, guitar, harpsichord, and organ.

Instruments

The final Partia VII in Biber's collection requires two violas d'amore, an instrument developed in the 17th century that combines features of both the violin and the viola da gamba.

Compositional Technique

Biber's Harmonia artificioso-ariosa departs from the standard suite form by enriching the sequence with other dance forms like Amener, Trezza, and Canario, which hint at their distinctive characters.