Weiss settled in Dresden from 1718, where he became the highest-paid musician in a first-class musical environment, working with colleagues like Quantz, Veracini, Pisendel, and Buffardin.
Composer Biography
Weiss lived in Rome from 1710 to 1714, where he met important musicians like Arcangelo Corelli and Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti.
Compositional Technique
Weiss contributed to the evolution of the lute by collaborating with luthiers to add two courses to the 11-course French lute and designing a 'swan neck' lute for a stronger sound.
Composer Biography
Despite his extraordinary earnings, Silvius Leopold Weiss left his family nearly destitute due to the high costs associated with his status as a court musician.
Compositional Technique
Weiss's music combines influences from 17th-century French lutenists and Italian music, creating an authentic German style known as 'deutscher Geschmack'.
Composer Biography
Silvius Leopold Weiss, a world-famous lutenist, was among the highest-paid musicians of his time.
Performer Biography
Evangelina Mascardi, the lutenist on this recording, has performed and recorded with major early music ensembles and teaches lute at the Santa Cecilia conservatory in Rome.
