Jacque Bittner: Pièces de lut

Featuring

André Henrich
Jacques Bittner

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Compositional Technique

The music of Jacques Bittner is characterized by a 'singing compositional style' with Italian influences, praised by Ernst Gottlieb Baron, a lutenist and author, as the 'Most galant way of composing upon the lute'.

Composer Biography

Very little is known about the composer Jacques Bittner (likely the French form of Jacob Büttner), and it is even possible that the name is a pseudonym.

Compositional Technique

Bittner's compositional style features dance suites following the French model, with each suite preceded by a prélude non mesuré, a common practice among French lutenists.

Album & Artwork

The booklet illustrations are by Maria Sibylla Merian, a natural scientist and artist who, like Jacques Bittner, lived and worked in Nuremberg in the second half of the 17th century.

Critical Reception

Despite the quality of Bittner's music, it is rarely recorded or performed today, possibly because it presents significant technical challenges for lutenists, rather than superficial virtuosity.

Performer Biography

André Henrich, the performer on this album, has participated in over 50 CD recordings and has a special interest in Italian lute repertoire around 1600, the French lute school of the 17th century, and the music of Silvius Leopold Weiss.

Cultural Impact

Maria Sibylla Merian, whose illustrations adorn this booklet, is considered an important pioneer of modern entomology due to her precise observations and illustrations of insect metamorphosis.