Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber is a name that all violinists, if not all musicians, should certainly know. It was principally his contributions to composition that familiarized violinists with higher positions, as well as multiple-stops and scordatura. These groundbreaking 16 Violin Sonatas, also known as the Rosary or Mystery Sonatas, are made up of 15 sonatas depicting each of the traditional mysteries of the Rosary, all of which are scored for violin with accompaniment (in this edition, piano); in addition, there is a 16th and final sonata, a beautifully moving passacaglia for solo violin. Every sonata but the final Passacaglia requires scordatura, or alternate tuning of the violin. In fact, each sonata requires a different tuning than the one before it!
This edition for violin and piano contains two separate violin parts: one with the parts as originally written, accounting for scordatura; and one with the parts written out for use with normal G-D-A-E tuning. It also contains facsimiles from the original edition, including a handwritten introduction (in Latin) by the composer, as well as illustration plates for each sonata, depicting the mystery that is the subject of that sonata. There is a separate piano part. Published by Kalmus.
Difficulty: A5
NOTE: The cover reads "16 Violin Sonatas, Volume 2," but in actuality, it is simply Volume 2 of a set of 24 Sonatas - rest assured, all 16 of the Rosary Sonatas (including the Passacaglia) are included in this book!
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