Early Music Works by Antonio Bertali, Marco Antonio Ferro, Johann Henrich Schmelzer, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, & Giovanni Battista Granata

Imagine sitting in church (this is probably not hard to do right now ), listening to very serious music played by an organ or sung by a choir, when suddenly the sound of a country fiddler or wailing bagpipe wafts into the sacred space. For just a moment, your attention is grabbed by this lively ruckus before returning to the more austere church music. Soon, the two are competing for attention, and perhaps the fiddle band from outside even enters the church and joins in with the church music, or perhaps the church organist starts imitating the virtuosic strains wafting in from outside. Eventually, a profound clash of activity or harmony occurs, and they all join up in an epic romp. This fantastical conception, or something like it, was known as stylus)fantasticus â€' or, as Schmelzer called his collection dedicated to the style, Sacro) profanus)concentus)musicus)fidium.)The unlikely marriage of these disparate sound worlds is a distinctive feature of music by the so4called “Transalpine” composers Antonio Bertali, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, and many of their contemporaries working in Vienna, Salzburg, and their associated outlying courts. The careers of these two great composer4violinists span nearly five decades of service to the Viennese court, including the reigns of three of the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperors â€' Ferdinand II, Ferdinand III, and Leopold I, all of whom were themselves music lovers, amateur composers, and collaborators. The music associated with both Kaiser Ferdinands and Leopold â€' written and performed by an array of professional musical personalities whom they hand4picked for their courtsâ€'is characterized by melting pot of disparate styles, some new, some old, and all at once groundbreaking, sublime, unique, and vibrant. TRACK LISTING: 1. Chiacona by Antonio Bertali (1605 - 1669) [5:27] 2. Sonata à due for violin, viola da gamba, and basso by Bertali [8:14] 3. Sonata Op. 1, no. 10 by Marco Antonio Ferro (1600 - 1662) [5:03] 4. Sonata variatia à due by Johann Henrich Schmelzer (ca.1620 - 1680) [6:50] 5. Sonata for violin and  continuo in E major, C.108 by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644 - 1704) [12:41] 6. Sonata X from Prothimia Suavissima (part I) by Schmelzer / Bertali [4:21] 7. Lamento sopra la morte Ferdinandi III à tre by Schmelzer [7:37] 8. Sonata di Chittarra, e Violino, con il suo Basso Continuo by Giovanni Battista Granata (ca.1620 - 1687) [9:16]

Track Listing

• Chiacona
• Sonata à due for violin, viola da gamba, and basso
• Sonata Op. 1, no. 10
• Sonata variatia à due
• Sonata for violin and continuo in E major, C.108
• Sonata X from Prothimia Suavissima (part I)
• Lamento sopra la morte Ferdinandi III à tre
• Sonata di Chittarra, e Violino, con il suo Basso Continuo

Additional Details

Label: VGo Recordings

Genre: Classical

Run Time: 40 mins

Release Date: 12/05/13

UPC: 804879282129