Biber: Mystery Sonatas

The 15 Mystery or Rosary Sonatas were composed by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644-1704) for the Salzburg Rosary Brotherhood, probably around 1676. This exceptional collection of sonatas for violin and continuo is based on the sequence of the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, according to the tradition established by the Dominicans in medieval times. The Rosary prayer describes 15 significant episodes in the lives of Mary and Jesus, divided into three groups: the five joyful mysteries, which include the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity of Christ, the Presentation and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple; the five sorrowful mysteries, relating to the Crucifixion of Christ and the events that preceded it; and the five glorious mysteries, relating to the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Assumption and the Coronation of the Virgin.

---

The source of this collection is the manuscript Mus. MS. 4123 in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich. Each ‘sonata’ is preceded by a small image enclosed in a medallion that relates to the subject of each composition and indicates the tuning of the violin (different for each piece). A particular feature of the collection is that each of the 15 sonatas features a different “scordatura”, a technique that was very widespread in the second half of the 17th century and brought to its highest degree of complexity by Biber in this collection.

Tommaso Luison violin
Mattia Cipolli cello
Roberto Loreggian harpsichord
Don Roberto Ravazzolo meditations