Heinrich Ignaz Biber - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber von Bibern (baptised

Baptism

In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...

12 August 1644 – died 3 May 1704) was a Bohemia

Bohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

n-Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

and violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

ist. Born in the small Bohemian town of Wartenberg

Stráž pod Ralskem

Stráž pod Ralskem is a town in Česká Lípa District, Liberec Region, Czech Republic. It has a population of 4,238 The baroque composer Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber was born in Stráž pod Ralskem in 1644.- People :...

(Stráž pod Ralskem

Stráž pod Ralskem

), Biber worked at Graz

Graz

The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...

and Kroměříž

Kromeríž

Kroměříž is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. The town's main landmark is the Baroque Kroměříž Bishop's Palace, where some scenes from Amadeus and Immortal Beloved were filmed...

before he illegally left his Kroměříž employer (Prince-Bishop Carl Liechtenstein-Castelcorno) and settled in Salzburg

Salzburg

-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...

. He remained there for the rest of his life, publishing much of his music but apparently seldom, if ever, giving concert tours.

Biber was one of the most important composers for the violin in the history of the instrument. His technique allowed him to easily reach the 6th and 7th positions, employ multiple stops

Double stop

A double stop, in music terminology, is the act of playing two notes simultaneously on a melodic percussion instrument or stringed instrument...

in intricate polyphonic passages, and explore the various possibilities of scordatura

Scordatura

A scordatura , also called cross-tuning, is an alternative tuning used for the open strings of a string instrument, in which the notes indicated in the score would represent the finger position as if played in regular tuning, while the actual pitch is altered...

tuning. He also wrote one of the earliest known pieces for solo violin, the monumental passacaglia

Passacaglia

The passacaglia is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used by contemporary composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often, but not always, based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple metre....

of the Mystery Sonatas
Rosary Sonatas
The Mystery Sonatas, also known as the Rosary Sonatas or Copper-Engraving Sonatas, by early Baroque composer and virtuoso violinist Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber are a collection of 15 short sonatas for violin and continuo with a closing passacaglia for solo violin that are relevant to the christian...

. During Biber's lifetime, his music was known and imitated throughout Europe. In the late 18th century he was named the best violin composer of the 17th century by music historian Charles Burney

Charles Burney

Charles Burney FRS was an English music historian and father of authors Frances Burney and Sarah Burney.-Life and career:...

. In the late 20th century Biber's music, especially the Mystery Sonatas, enjoyed a renaissance. Today, it is widely performed and recorded.

Biography

Biber was born in Wartenberg

Stráž pod Ralskem

, Bohemia

Bohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

(now Stráž pod Ralskem

Stráž pod Ralskem

, Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

). Little is known about his early education, other than that he may have studied at a Jesuit Gymnasium at Opava in Bohemia. Before 1668 Biber worked at the court of Prince Johann Seyfried von Eggenberg

House of Eggenberg

Eggenberg is the name of an Austrian noble family from Styria whose last male heir died in 1717 bringing an end to the House of Eggenberg.- History :The origin of the Austrian noble house of Eggenberg is shrouded in darkness...

in Graz

Graz

, and then was employed by the Bishop of Olomouc

Olomouc

Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...

, Karl II von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn

Karl II von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn

Karl II von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn was a Catholic priest and prince-bishop. In 1655 he was ordained priest in the Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg . Between 1664 to 1695 he served as Prince-Bishop of Olomouc in the Moravia...

, in Kroměříž

Kromeríž

. Biber's associate from the early 1660s, Pavel Josef Vejvanovský

Pavel Josef Vejvanovský

Pavel Josef Vejvanovský Czech composer and trumpeter. Contemporary and associate of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber.Some notable works by Pavel Josef Vejvanovský:...

, worked there as director of the Kapelle. Biber apparently enjoyed a good reputation, and his violin playing skills were very highly regarded.

In summer 1670 Karl II sent Biber to Absam

Absam

Absam is a municipality in the Innsbruck-Land District, Tyrol situated at an altitude of 632 m, has an area of 52 km² and 6700 inhabitants as January 2011.-Geography:...

, near Innsbruck

Innsbruck

- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

, to negotiate with the celebrated instrument maker Jacob Stainer

Jacob Stainer

Jacob Stainer was the earliest and best known Austrian luthier.Stainer was born in Absam, Austria. His designs influenced instrument construction in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, parts of Italy, and several other countries....

for the purchase of new instruments for the Kapelle. Biber never reached Stainer, however, and instead entered the employ of the Archbishop of Salzburg, Maximilian Gandolph von Kuenburg. Because Karl and Maximilian were friends, Biber's former employer refrained from taking any action; he was, however, very hurt by the composer's decision, and waited until 1676 to officially issue his release papers. It is not coincidental that most of the autograph compositions Biber sent to Kroměříž

Kromeríž

date from the early 1670s. Biber remained in Salzburg for the rest of his life. His musical and social careers flourished: he started publishing his music in 1676, performed before the Emperor

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...

(and was rewarded by him) in 1677, became deputy Kapellmeister at Salzburg in 1679 and Kapellmeister in 1684. In 1690 Biber was raised to nobility by the Emperor, with the title of Biber von Bibern. Finally, the new Archbishop of Salzburg, Johann Ernst, Count Thun, appointed Biber lord high steward, the highest social rank Biber would attain.

The composer was married on 30 May 1672 at Schloss Hellbrunn (the Bishop's summer residence, just outside Salzburg). His wife Maria Weiss was a daughter of a Salzburg merchant. Together they had 11 children, four of whom survived to adulthood. All were musically gifted. Anton Heinrich (1679–1742) and Karl Heinrich

Carl Heinrich Biber

Carl Heinrich Biber was a late Baroque violinist and composer.He was the sixth son of Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber. He got his first musical education from him. In 1704, he made a study trip to Venice and Rome, important centers of the music...

(1681–1749) both served as violinists at the Salzburg court, and the latter was promoted to Kapellmeister in 1743. Daughters Maria Cäcilia (born 1674) and Anna Magdalena (1677–1742) became nuns at Santa Clara, Merano, and the Nonnberg Abbey

Nonnberg Abbey

Nonnberg Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Salzburg, Austria.It was founded ca. 714 by Saint Rupert of Salzburg and is the oldest women's religious house in the German-speaking world...

, respectively. Anna Magdalena was an alto singer and a violinist, and in 1727 became director of the choir and the Kapelle of the Abbey.

Works

Biber's violin music was possibly influenced, on one hand, by the Italian tradition of Marco Uccellini

Marco Uccellini

Marco Uccellini was an Italian Baroque violinist and composer.-Life:Uccellini's life is poorly known. Born at Forlimpopoli, Forlì, he studied in the Assisi seminary...

and Carlo Farina

Carlo Farina

Carlo Farina was an Italian composer, conductor and violinist of the Baroque era.-Life:Farina was born at Mantova. He presumably received his first lessons from his father, who was sonatore di viola at the court of the Gonzaga in Mantova. Later he got further education probably by Salomone Rossi...

, and on the other, by the then-nascent German polyphonic tradition as exemplified by Johann Heinrich Schmelzer

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer was an Austrian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. Almost nothing is known about his early years, but he seems to have arrived in Vienna during the 1630s, and remained composer and musician at the Habsburg court for the rest of his life...

, who may have been Biber's teacher. Biber's achievements included further development of violin technique–he was able to reach the 6th and 7th positions, and his left-hand and bowing techniques were far more advanced than those of contemporary Italian composers. He also excelled at counterpoint, frequently writing fully polyphonic textures, with much use of multiple stops

Double stop

A double stop, in music terminology, is the act of playing two notes simultaneously on a melodic percussion instrument or stringed instrument...

. Yet another area in which Biber made a substantial contribution was the art of scordatura

Scordatura

, i.e. music for alternative tunings of the instrument. Finally, much of Biber's music employs various forms of number symbolism

Numerology

Numerology is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs...

, affekten
Doctrine of the affections
The doctrine of the affections, also known as the doctrine of affects, doctrine of the passions, theory of the affects, or by the German term Affektenlehre was a theory in musical aesthetics popular in the Baroque era...

, programmatic devices, etc., as seen in, for example, the symbolic retuning of the violin for the Resurrection sonata of the Mystery Sonatas.

During the latter half of the 17th century Biber was, together with the composers of the Dresden school (Johann Jakob Walther

Johann Jakob Walther

Johann Jakob Walther was a German violinist and composer.- Life :All the known facts of his life and activity are from Musikalischen Lexikon by Johann Gottfried Walther , a dictionary which first appeared in 1732. He was born in Witterda bei Erfurt...

and Johann Paul von Westhoff

Johann Paul von Westhoff

Johann Paul von Westhoff was a German Baroque composer and violinist. One of the most important exponents of the Dresden violin school, he was among the highest ranked violinists of his day, and composed some of the earliest known music for solo violin...

), regarded as one of the best and most influential violinists in Europe. However, soon after his death, German violinists started following the style of Arcangelo Corelli

Arcangelo Corelli

Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian violinist and composer of Baroque music.-Biography:Corelli was born at Fusignano, in the current-day province of Ravenna, although at the time it was in the province of Ferrara. Little is known about his early life...

and his imitators.

Instrumental music

Biber's finest scordatura writing is represented in two collections. The first dates from c. 1676 and is known variously as Mystery Sonatas, Rosary Sonatas
Rosary Sonatas
The Mystery Sonatas, also known as the Rosary Sonatas or Copper-Engraving Sonatas, by early Baroque composer and virtuoso violinist Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber are a collection of 15 short sonatas for violin and continuo with a closing passacaglia for solo violin that are relevant to the christian...

(Mysterien Sonaten, Die Rosenkranz-Sonaten), Copper-Plate Engraving Sonatas, etc., remaining unpublished during the composer's lifetime. It comprises sixteen pieces: fifteen sonatas for violin and continuo portraying the fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary, and a long passacaglia for solo violin. In the extant copy of the collection, each piece is accompanied by a small engraving depicting the mystery it portrays, while the image (an ink drawing) preceding the passacaglia depicts a guardian angel

Guardian angel

A guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person or group. Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity...

with a child. Only the first and the last pieces use normal tuning; all others employ some form of scordatura

Scordatura

The sonatas were dedicated to Maximilian Gandolph von Khuenburg, whom Biber addresses in the preface: "I have consecrated the whole to the honour of the XV Sacred Mysteries, which you promote so strongly." Although unpublished during the composer's lifetime, these works are his most popular pieces today, and one of the reasons for the revival of interest in his music. The entire set has been recorded by numerous violinists such as John Holloway

John Holloway

John Holloway may refer to*John Holloway , British academic and poet*John Holloway , British baroque violinist*John Holloway , British colonial official and governor of Newfoundland...

, Andrew Manze

Andrew Manze

Andrew Manze is an English violinist and conductor.As a guest conductor Manze has regular relationships with a number of leading international orchestras including the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Munich Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra,...

, and many others. Sonata 15 is famous for one of its themes, which matches the theme of Paganini's Caprice No. 24 almost exactly; it is possible that Paganini was inspired by Biber, just as Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...

, Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...

and Sergei Rachmaninov were later inspired by Paganini's Caprice.

The second work in which Biber explored scordatura techniques is Harmonia artificioso-ariosa (1696), his last known published collection of instrumental music. It contains seven partitas for two instruments and basso continuo: five for two violins, one for two violas d'amore

Viola d'amore

The viola d'amore is a 7- or 6-stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin.- Structure and sound :...

, and one for violin and viola. Six of the partitas require scordatura tunings, including those for viola and two violas d'amore; Biber utilizes the full potential of the technique, including all possibilities for complex polyphony: some of the pieces are in five parts, with both of the melodic instruments carrying two. Interestingly, no other chamber works by Biber use such devices, and the only other pieces to use scordatura are two of the sonatas included in Sonatae violino solo of 1681. That collection comprises eight sonatas for violin and basso continuo, all noted already by Charles Burney

Charles Burney

Charles Burney FRS was an English music historian and father of authors Frances Burney and Sarah Burney.-Life and career:...

in late 18th century, for the brilliant virtuosic passages and elaborate structures. In contrast to both Mystery Sonatas and Harmonia, these works consist mostly of pieces in free forms (prelude, aria) or variations, rather than dances.

Biber's other published collections of instrumental music are Sonatae tam aris quam aulis servientes (1676), Mensa sonora (1680), and Fidicinium sacro profanum (1682/3). Sonatae tam aris contains sonatas in five, six or eight parts; some of them only use string instruments, some include one or two trumpets. Mensa sonora is a set of six partitas for one or two violins, viola, cello, and basso continuo, and Fidicinium sacro profanum comprises twelve sonatas for one or two violins, two violas, and continuo. Finally, manuscript sources include numerous other pieces: fantasias, balletti, sonatas, etc. Among these are the Battalia, a programmatic "battle" piece which anticipates such latter-day techniques as polytonality and col legno playing, and the Sonata representativa, another typical 17th century piece similar to works by Walther and Farina, which imitates various birds and animals. An example of Biber's versatility in instrumental music is the Sonata S Polycarpi, which is scored for eight trumpets and timpani.

Sacred music

Unlike most composers for the violin, Biber did not limit himself to music for the instrument. He was also a prolific composer of sacred vocal works: masses

Mass (music)

The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...

, requiem

Requiem

A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...

s, motet

Motet

In classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions.-Etymology:The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian...

s, etc. Many of those were polychoral and employing large instrumental forces, inspired by the possibilities of the spacious interior of the Salzburg Cathedral. Among the polychoral works, Missa Salisburgensis
Missa Salisburgensis à 53 voci
The Missa Salisburgensis à 53 voci is, perhaps, the most large-scale piece of extant sacred Baroque music, an archetypical work of the Colossal Baroque. The author of this work is anonymous, however, recent studies of the work suggest that is almost certainly the work of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von...

(1682) is the best known. An expansive setting of the mass for sixteen voices and 37 instrumentalists (i.e. 53 parts total), it was previously attributed to Orazio Benevoli

Orazio Benevoli

Orazio Benevoli or Benevolo , was an Italian composer of large scaled polychoral sacred choral works; one work featured 48 vocal and instrumental lines....

, but today Biber's authorship is certain. The instrumentation includes not only string ensembles, but also oboe

Oboe

The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...

s, cornett

Cornett

The cornett, cornetto or zink is an early wind instrument, dating from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was used in what are now called alta capellas or wind ensembles. It is not to be confused with the trumpet-like instrument cornet.-Construction:There are three basic types of...

s, trumpet

Trumpet

The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...

s, and timpani

Timpani

Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...

. Other polychoral works include Plaudite tympana à 53 (1682) Vesperae à 32 (1693), Missa Bruxellensis (1696), Missa S Henrici (1697), and many others. Although he is best known for the massive polychoral works, Biber was also capable of writing for smaller forces. Missa quadragesimalis is a simple a cappella

A cappella

A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...

setting (with only a continuo part provided) for four voices, as is the Stabat Mater.

List of works (selection)

C. 1 - Missa Alleluja à 36
C. 2 - Missa Sancti Alexii
C. 3 - Missa Christi resurgentis
C. 4 - Missa ex B
C. 5 - Missa Quadragemisalis
C. 6 - Missa Sancti Henrici
C. 7 - Requiem à 15 in Concerto
C. 8 - Requiem ex F con terza minore
C. 9 - Laetatus sum a 7
C. 10 - Nisi Dominus a 2, violino e basso

Vesperae à 32
C. 11 - Dixit Dominus
C. 12 - Magnificat

Vesperae longiores ac breviores (1693)

C. 13 - Dixit Dominus
C. 14 - Confitebor tibi Domine
C. 15 - Beatus vir
C. 16 - Laudate, pueri, Dominum
C. 17 - Laudate Dominum
C. 18 - Magnificat
C. 20 - Laudate pueri
C. 23 - Lauda Jerusalem

C. 43 - In Festo Trium Regium, Muttetum Natale à 6
C. 44 - Litaniae de Sancto Josepho
C. 45 - Lux perpetua
C. 46 - Huc poenitentes
C. 47 - Ne cedite mentes
C. 48 - Quo abiit dilectus tuus a 8 (Offertorium in Festo 7 dolorum)
C. 49 - Salve Regina
C. 51 - Arminio, chi la dura la vince. Dramma musicale in three acts

Instrumental music

C. 52 – Arien à 4
C. 53 – Arien à 4, for violin, 2 violas & continuo in A major
C. 55 – Ballettae à 4 Violettae
C. 56 – Balletti à 4, for violin, 2 violas & continuo in G major
C. 58 – Balletti
C. 59 – Balletti Lamentabili à 4
C. 60 – Balletti
C. 61 – Battalia à 10, for 3 violins, 4 violas, 2 violone, and continuo,(1673)
Harmonia artificioso-ariosa: diversi mode accordata (7 partias for 1 or 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 violas d'amore, and continuo in various combinations) (1696)
- C. 62 – Partia, No. 1 in D minor
- C. 63 – Partia, No. 2 in B minor
- C. 64 – Partia, No. 3 in A major
- C. 65 – Partia, No. 4 in E flat major
- C. 66 – Partia, No. 5 in G minor
- C. 67 – Partia, No. 6 in D major
- C. 68 – Partia, No. 7
"Mensa Sonora seu Musica Instrumentalis" (6 suites for violin, two violas, and continuo) (1680)
- C. 69–74
C. 75 – Serenada à 5 'Der Nachtwächter'
C. 76 – Trombet-undt Musicalischer Taffeldienst à 4
Fidicinium sacroprofanum (12 sonatas for 1 or 2 violins, 2 violas, and continuo) (1683)
- C. 78–89
Rosary Sonatas
Rosary Sonatas
The Mystery Sonatas, also known as the Rosary Sonatas or Copper-Engraving Sonatas, by early Baroque composer and virtuoso violinist Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber are a collection of 15 short sonatas for violin and continuo with a closing passacaglia for solo violin that are relevant to the christian...

(for violin in scordatura
Scordatura
A scordatura , also called cross-tuning, is an alternative tuning used for the open strings of a string instrument, in which the notes indicated in the score would represent the finger position as if played in regular tuning, while the actual pitch is altered...

and continuo and a passacaglia
Passacaglia
The passacaglia is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used by contemporary composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often, but not always, based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple metre....

for violin solo) (also known as Mystery Sonatas and Copper-Engraving Sonatas) (1676)
- C. 90 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 1 in D minor, (The Annunciation)
- C. 91 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 2 in A major, (The Visitation)
- C. 92 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 3 in B minor, (The Nativity)
- C. 93 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 4 in D minor, (The Presentation)
- C. 94 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 5 in A major, (The Finding in the Temple)
- C. 95 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 6 in C minor, (The Agony in the Garden)
- C. 96 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 7 in F major, (The Scourging of Jesus)
- C. 97 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 8 in B flat major, (The Crowning of Jesus with Thorns)
- C. 98 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 9 in A minor, (The Carrying of the Cross)
- C. 99 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 10 in G minor, (The Crucifixion)
- C. 100 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 11 in G major,(The Resurrection)
- C. 101 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 12 in C major, (The Ascension)
- C. 102 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 13 in D minor, (The Descent of the Holy Ghost)
- C. 103 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 14 in D major, (The Assumption of our Lady)
- C. 104 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 15 in C major, (The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- C. 105 – Passacaglia, for violin solo in G minor
C. 106 – Pastorella, sonata for violin & continuo in A major
C. 108 – Sonata, for violin & continuo in E major
C. 109 – Sonata a 6
C. 110 – Sonata à 6 "Die pauern kirchfartt genandt", for 3 violins, 2 violas & continuo in B-flat major
C. 111 – Sonata à 7, 6 Tromb, Tramburin con Organo Ao. 1668
C. 112 – Sonata 'pro tabula' for 5 recorders, 2 violins, 3 violas & continuo in C major
C. 113 – Sonata Sancti Polycarpi
Sonatae tam aris quam aulis servientes (12 sonatas for 5–8 instruments [trumpets, strings, and continuo] in various combinations) (1676)
- C. 114 – Sonata, for 2 trumpets, 2 violins, 2 violas & continuo No. 1 in C major
- C. 115 – Sonata, for 2 violins, 3 violas & continuo No. 2 in D major
- C. 116 – Sonata, for 2 violins, 3 violas & continuo No. 3 in G minor
- C. 117 – Sonata, for trumpet, violin, 2 violas & continuo No. 4 in C major
- C. 118 – Sonata, for 2 violins, 3 violas & continuo No. 5 in E minor
- C. 119 – Sonata, for 2 violins, 2 violas & continuo No. 6 in F major
- C. 120 – Sonata, for 2 trumpets, 2 violins & continuo No. 7 in G major
- C. 121 – Sonata, for 2 violins, 2 violas & continuo No. 8 in G major
- C. 122 – Sonata, for 2 violins, 2 violas & continuo No. 9 in B flat major
- C. 123 – Sonata, for trumpet, violin, 2 violas & continuo No. 10 in G minor
- C. 124 – Sonata, for 2 violins, 2 violas & continuo No. 11 in A major
- C. 125 – Sonata, for 2 trumpets, 2 violins, 2 violas & continuo No. 12 in C major
- C. 126–137 – A due No. 1–12
Sonatae violino solo (8 sonatas for violin and continuo) (1681)
- C. 138 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 1 in A major
- C. 139 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 2 in D minor
- C. 140 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 3 in F major
- C. 141 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 4 in D major
- C. 142 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 5 in E minor
- C. 143 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 6 in C minor
- C. 144 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 7 in G minor
- C. 145 – Sonata, for violin & continuo No. 8 in G major
C. 146 – Sonata violino solo representativa (Representatio Avium), for violin & continuo in A major, 1669?
C. 147 – Sonata, for solo violin in A major
C. App. 100 – Missa Bruxellensis
C. App. 101 – Missa Salisburgensis
C. App. 106 – Hymnus "Plaudite Tympana"
C. App. 111 – Harmonia Romana
C. App. 117 – Sonata à 3 "AB"
C. App. 118 – Sonata à 3 ("AB")
C. App. 119 – Sonata à 4 ("H.B.")
C. App. 121 – Sonata Jucunda, for 2 violins, 3 violas & continuo in D major

Lost Vocal works

Applausi festivi di Giove (cantata) (1687)
Li trofei della fede cattolica (cantata) (1687)
Alessandro in Pietra (opera) (1689)
Trattenimento musicale del'ossequio di Salisburgo (cantata) (1699)
Sonata à 3 (for 2 violins and trombone) (Questionable attribution to Biber's early career as a novice composer) The theory that Biber wrote this suggests Antonio Bertali
Antonio Bertali
Antonio Bertali was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era.He was born in Verona and received early music education there from Stefano Bernardi. Probably from 1624, he was employed as court musician in Vienna by Emperor Ferdinand II. In 1649 Bertali succeeded Giovanni Valentini as...

as a teacher. Bertali wrote a number of similar sonatas for exactly the same scoring. This sonata could possibly be attributed to Bertali except that the violin passages are sometimes more fanciful than any other in Bertali's works.

Selected recordings

Requiem à 15 Vesperae à 32, Els Bongers
Els Bongers
Els Bongers is a Dutch soprano singer active in concert, opera and musical theatre.- Biography :Els Bongers studied voice at the Sweelinck Conservatory Amsterdam with Margreet Honig and Jan-Hendrik Rootering, where she received her diploma in 1993...

, Anne Grimm, Kai Wessel
Kai Wessel
Kai Wessel is a German countertenor and a teacher at the Hochschule für Musik Köln.- Professional career :Kai Wessel started singing in school choirs and as a boy soprano at the Christus-Kirche of Hamburg-Wandsbek and received lessons on piano, organ and oboe...

, Peter de Groot, Marcel Reyans, Simon Davies, René Steur, Kees-Jan de Koning, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir
The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir is a Dutch early-music group based in Amsterdam.The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir was created in two stages by the conductor, organist and harpsichordist Ton Koopman. He founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra in 1979 and the Amsterdam Baroque Choir in...

, Ton Koopman
Ton Koopman
Ton Koopman is a conductor, organist and harpsichordist.Koopman had a "classical education" and then studied the organ , harpsichord and musicology in Amsterdam...

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/31626490#details-allauthors
Missa Bruxellensis - Jordi Savall, Le Concert des Nations, La Capella Reial de Catalunya - Alia Vox 9808
Requiem / Battalia - Jordi Savall, La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Le Concert des Nations - Alia Vox 9825
"Sonata Representativa for violin & continuo in A major", The Zarjaz, La Leggenda Del Block, Editio Seconda, Traite Pour Marbre Neon Harpe Et Voix - Basilcia Records BA 005
"Mensa sonora and Sonata representativa", Reinhard Goebel
Reinhard Goebel
Reinhard Goebel is a German conductor and violinist specialising in early music on authentic instruments. Goebel received his first violin lessons at the age of twelve...

, Musica Antiqua Köln
Musica Antiqua Köln
Musica Antiqua Köln was an early music group that was founded in 1973 by Reinhard Goebel and fellow students from the Conservatory of Music in Cologne. Musica Antiqua Köln devoted itself largely to the performance of the music of the 17th and 18th centuries...

- Archiv Produktion
Archiv Produktion
Archiv Produktion is a subsidiary label of Deutsche Grammophon founded in 1948.The first head of Archiv from 1948–1957, was Fred Hamel, a musicologist who set out the early Archiv releases according to 12 research periods from 1. Gregorian Chant to 12. Mannheim and Vienna...

(DG) 423701
"The Rosary Sonatas", Richard Egarr
Richard Egarr
Richard Egarr is a British keyboard performer and conductor. He received his musical training as a choirboy at York Minster, at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, and as organ scholar at Clare College, Cambridge...

, Andrew Manze
Andrew Manze
Andrew Manze is an English violinist and conductor.As a guest conductor Manze has regular relationships with a number of leading international orchestras including the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Munich Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra,...

, Alison McGillivray, Harmonia Mundi
Harmonia Mundi
Harmonia Mundi is an independent music record label founded in 1958 by Bernard Coutaz in Arles . The Latin phrase means "world harmony"....

907321

External links

Heinrich Biber homepage (includes discography)

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Biography

Works

Instrumental music

Sacred music

List of works (selection)

Instrumental music

Lost Vocal works

See also

Selected recordings

External links