The title of this album, "Yuu," is a Sino-Japanese character meaning gentleness or sweetness, composed of two parts: one representing a man and the other representing someone deep in melancholy.
Historical Context
Melancholy was considered an indispensable ingredient of art during the period these works were composed, and the gentle sound of the viol was particularly appreciated for evoking mourning.
Composer Biography
Antoine Forqueray, a virtuoso violist, was known for his 'devilish' playing and reportedly burned over three hundred of his compositions to prevent others from playing them or his family from inheriting them.
Instruments
The album features two historical viols: a 7-string bass viol made in 1985 after Johannes Tilke, and an anonymous 18th-century 6-string bass viol restored by Tilman Muthesius.
Composer Biography
Marin Marais, a talented violist, was taught by Sainte-Colombe the elder for six months before Sainte-Colombe declared he had nothing more to teach him.
Composition History
Twelve fantasias for viol by Georg Philipp Telemann were recently rediscovered in the Ledenburg-Sammlung, having been believed lost for good despite earlier descriptions of their existence.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Christopher Simpson, an English violist, believed in an analogy between musical intervals and planetary aspects, where the octave's notes correspond to the twelve signs of the zodiac.
