A special technique in 17th-century Habsburg music was 'scordatura,' where one or more strings of a bowed instrument are mistuned to facilitate chords and alter the sound.
Performer Biography
The Freiburger BarockConsort, the ensemble on this recording, specializes in less frequently played 17th and early 18th-century music, often rediscovering forgotten pieces.
Performer Biography
The core repertoire of the Freiburger BarockConsort includes the vivid and virtuosic compositions of Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Heinrich Schmelzer, Georg Muffat, and Antonio Bertali.
Composer Biography
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, the composer on this album, was born between 1620 and 1623 in Scheibbs, Lower Austria, and joined the imperial Kapelle as a teenager.
Composer Biography
Schmelzer became the first non-Italian Kapellmeister of the Habsburg court in 1679, but died of the plague just one year later.
Composition History
The majority of compositions by 17th-century Habsburg Kapellmeisters are lost because the 18th century's standardized string texture made their works seem old-fashioned.
Historical Context
The Kapellmeisters of the powerful Habsburg imperial court, including Schmelzer, are considered "unknowns" today because they were often forbidden to publish their works.
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