Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber is quickly becoming my 2nd-favourite composer

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the music of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, focusing on his compositions, particularly for violin and chamber music. Participants share their experiences and opinions on Biber's emotional expressiveness, stylistic characteristics, and the impact of his music on listeners. The conversation includes personal recommendations and reflections on the nature of Biber's works compared to other composers, especially Bach.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a strong appreciation for Biber's music, highlighting its emotional and passionate qualities, particularly in his violin works.
  • Another participant seeks clarification on what is meant by "emotional and passionate," indicating a preference for romantic and soothing music.
  • Some participants note the uniqueness of Biber's style, with one mentioning the out-of-place chromaticism in his chamber music, suggesting it may feel "weird" or experimental.
  • A participant shares their experience with Biber's "Sonata Representativa," emphasizing its imaginative qualities and the excitement of specific sections imitating animal sounds.
  • There is a contrast drawn between Biber's expressiveness and the perceived dryness of Bach's music, with one participant noting that Biber's works evoke a wider range of emotions.
  • Recommendations for specific recordings of Biber's works are made, including those by Romanesca/Manze and John Holloway, with descriptions of the differing styles and emotional impacts of these performances.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of enthusiasm and skepticism regarding Biber's music. While some appreciate its emotional depth, others find certain aspects of it unconventional or challenging. No consensus is reached on the overall characterization of Biber's style.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention their varying tastes in music and how their preferences can change over time, indicating that personal experience plays a significant role in their reception of Biber's works.

Who May Find This Useful

Listeners interested in baroque music, particularly those who enjoy violin compositions and emotional expressiveness in music, may find this discussion relevant.

fourier jr
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Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber is quickly becoming my 2nd-favourite composer ever

check this guy out:
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (August 12, 1644 – May 3, 1704) was a Bohemian composer and violinist.

He was born in Wartenberg (now Stráž pod Ralskem, Czech Republic). In 1684 he became Kapellmeister in Salzburg, where he died twenty years later.

His prolific works show a predilection for canonic use and harmonic diapason that pre-date the later Baroque works of Johann Pachelbel and Johann Sebastian Bach. He was known as a violin virtuoso and is best known for his violin works, many of which employ scordatura (unconventional tunings of the open strings). He wrote much choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and a number of more well-known pieces such as the "Nightwatchman" Serenade and "Harmonia Artificiosa."

A work which is currently attributed to him (formerly it was attributed to Orazio Benevoli) is the Missa salisburgensis, an astonishing polyphonic setting of the Mass for 53 independent voices. Whether or not it is by Biber, it has more independent contrapuntal lines than any other piece of music from before the 20th century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Ignaz_Biber

i've got his violin sonatas played by both romanesca/manze & john holloway, harmonia artificiosa & mensa sonora both by musica antigua koln (aka MAK) & his missa salisburgensis & they're all awesome. some of the most emotional, passionate music I've ever heard. I've got his Sonatae Tam Aris Quam Aulis servientes on order; i read that if i like bach's brandenburg concertos (which i do) i'll like that stuff. I've got high expectations based on that recommendation & biber's other muisc. his mensa sonora is also some of the most achingly romantic (in the usual sense) music I've ever heard. every time i listen to the 2nd suite in f is like the end a spear driving into my chest.

the harmonia artificiosa is 7 partitas for 2 violins, except i can't tell that there are two violins there, MAK is so good both violinists play so well together i can't tell them apart. that is, unless it's a bar or 2 where they do their own thing. i thought it was pretty amazing once i realized it's 2 violins playing perfectly in sync together.

the violin sonatas might be the most well-known biber stuff because romanesca/manze made a legendary recording of them in the early 1990s. manze sounds like a baroque eddie van halen playing that stuff. john holloway's recording is more gentle; it sounds more like evening or sitting-in-the-bath-with-candles-all-around-while-rubbing-a-girl's-feet music

see if your library or cd store has any of this guy's stuff, especially if you're into baroque-era music. (i know some people on the board like more recent crap though :-p )
 
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fourier jr said:
...some of the most emotional, passionate music I've ever heard.
Beautiful review. I love strings, particularly violin and would like more romantic (soothing) music in my collection--I'm not sure what you mean by emotional and passionate.

I like contemporary music too, but go through moods and phases. :smile:
 
Your enthusiasm and the detailed descriptions, along with the various characterizations, have convinced me to keep an eye open for his stuff. It sounds like it will be well worth it.
 
I've played some of his chamber music, I'd be lying if I didn't say it seemed plain weird... out-of-place chromaticism and the like... but anyway I'll keep an eye out for these violin sonatas.
 
rachmaninoff said:
I've played some of his chamber music, I'd be lying if I didn't say it seemed plain weird... out-of-place chromaticism and the like... but anyway I'll keep an eye out for these violin sonatas.
Weird like maybe he was crazy, or weird like he was an experimentalist? (Not that the two couldn't go hand in hand.)
 
SOS2008 said:
Beautiful review. I love strings, particularly violin and would like more romantic (soothing) music in my collection--I'm not sure what you mean by emotional and passionate.

not 'academic' & dry. usually when i think of bach it's something dry & not too happy or sad. i guess that's the bach stereotype but of course there are more than enough counterexamples to refute that. biber is generally the opposite, very expressive. they're either really happy or really sad, or both. (happy & sad at the same time like you're away from someone you love for a while)

rachmaninoff said:
I've played some of his chamber music, I'd be lying if I didn't say it seemed plain weird... out-of-place chromaticism and the like... but anyway I'll keep an eye out for these violin sonatas.
i started with the violin sonatas, then i branched out. the manze/romanesca recording also has the "sonata representativa" where the violinist is supposed to imitate various animal sounds. the part with the cuckoo is the most exciting 38 seconds i had heard in a while. the holloway recording has a couple unpublished sonatas also. holloway plays with both organ & harpsichord accompaniment which might be an unusual combo but has a good effect. the organ is just pad for the violin to play on top of, it doesn't get in the way. maybe that's what gives it its 'ethereal' quality, making it good nite-time music.
 
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