Heinrich Biber's Rosary Sonatas for violin are also known as the Mystery Sonatas, and that name, though it refers to the so-called Mysteries of the Rosary (episodes in the life of Christ), is appropriate in another way as well: the music is surrounded by mysteries. When and why the sonatas were written are two important ones, as is how even the often-extreme Biber happened to come up with such an utterly original idea and execute it so lavishly. The biggest mystery, pertaining to the violin tunings, has been partially ...
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Heinrich Biber's Rosary Sonatas for violin are also known as the Mystery Sonatas, and that name, though it refers to the so-called Mysteries of the Rosary (episodes in the life of Christ), is appropriate in another way as well: the music is surrounded by mysteries. When and why the sonatas were written are two important ones, as is how even the often-extreme Biber happened to come up with such an utterly original idea and execute it so lavishly. The biggest mystery, pertaining to the violin tunings, has been partially solved, but it's still an open question as to how many different violins were used. German Baroque violinist Daniel Sepec accepts the general idea, taken to its extreme by violinist Andrew Manze with his single violin, that the sonatas are supposed to differ radically in timbre, with the more painful moments in the Passion story, most of all the crucifixion (track 10), stripping the instrument of its beautiful tone and turning it into an agonized cry. However, the supposition that Biber...
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