Violin Serenity

To clarify right at the outset: today's music is certainly not unknown to specialists in the violin, or specialists in the Baroque era.  But to the average music lover, Biber's Rosenkranz (Rosary) Sonatas are totally unknown, and that's a pity.

Years ago, I was marking papers in my classroom one day at lunch hour when the principal walked in to ask something, stopped to listen for a moment, and then said, "That's lovely -- so calm and serene."  This of course helped to explain why it was good music to accompany marking!

These sonatas were composed in or near the year 1676, which places them a half-century before the famous St. Matthew Passion of Bach, just to give a reference point.  From the title Rosary Sonatas it is plain that these works are related to Catholic ritual, specifically to the devotion  of the Rosary which was much favoured in Austria at the time they were written.

There's a tremendous amount of programmatic intention underlying the music, as the sonatas are each identified with one of the 15 mysteries of  the Rosary.  In each sonata, the first movement expresses the description of the action or the mood of the moment described.  The other movements are in some cases less relevant to the programmatic structure.  The best way to grasp the structure is to read a detailed description.

Technically, this is music of a difficulty far beyond anything else of its time, and these sonatas played no small part in making Biber known as a virtuoso violinist of the first order.  To cite only one point, each sonata requires that the instrument be tuned differently!

The wonder of the Rosary Sonatas is that you can ignore all the programmatic underlay and all the technical information and simply immerse yourself in the glorious melodic depths of the music.  And it is unquestionably music that invites immersion and meditation, even in its more vehement moments.

The recording I own comes from Virgin Classics and is played by John Holloway, with the instrumental ensemble Tragicomedia providing accompaniment on a diverse, piquant range of instruments.  Since scoring in Biber's day was haphazard and continuo instruments not specified, this is a perfectly defensible practice -- so long as you understand that in another recording the music could sound very different indeed!  At any rate, in Holloway's hands there is not a single dull moment in the two hours of music -- and there are many moments of sheer wonder and beauty that make you stop all else and just listen.  And that's something of a miracle indeed in our hurry-hurry age.