The Berlin Gamba Book manuscript, dated 1674, was purchased in 1880 and moved from Berlin to Paris, where it is now preserved in the Bibliothèque Nationale.
Compositional Technique
The anonymous arranger of the Berlin Gamba Book adapted chorales for the six-stringed viola da gamba by adding a simple harmony of a second line, double-stopping, and simple chords to the melody.
Composition History
The Berlin Gamba Book, containing these chorale variations, is a 17th-century manuscript whose arranger is known only by the initials J.R.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Unlike other contemporary variations, the variations in the Berlin Gamba Book are meditative and avoid virtuosic passages to preserve the solemnity of their ecclesiastical origins.
Album & Artwork
The album artwork features a relief of a fiddler from about 1200, known as the 'Samsonmeister', which was originally part of a choir screen in the predecessor of Cologne Cathedral.
Performer Biography
Dietmar Berger, the performer on this recording, is a cellist and viola da gamba player who performs with renowned ensembles and has released other recordings, including 'The Manchester Gamba Book'.
You might also enjoy...
L'Harmonie des Nations - European music at the Bavarian Court
