Gambist

The year 2012 marks the tercentenary of the birth of Frederick the Great, whose political and military glory has often relegated his musical talent to the status of a mere hobby. But Frederick II was not only the key personality of Berlin musical life for the whole of the 18th century – as is shown by the works of the composers presented on this CD, all of whom worked at his court at some point in their careers – but also an excellent flautist who left posterity a number of fine flute sonatas from his own pen.

It is surprising that so little is known about Marin Marais today, as he could be considered one of the most important French composers of the Baroque period. Born in 1656, the son of a shoemaker, Marais spent his entire life in Paris. His musical career began when he joined the choir of the Sainte‐Chapelle, but when his voice broken he decided to learn the viol, studying with the renowned bass viol player Sainte‐ Colombe, who had a profound influence on the young Marais. Marais went on to enter the royal orchestra and the orchestra of the Académie Royale de musique, where he performed and studied composing under Jean‐Baptiste Lully.

Ditrich Stöeffken (c.1600-1673), war ein deutscher Gambist und Komponist. Über seine frühen Lebensjahre existieren keine Quellen. Durch die Auswirkungen des Dreißigjährigen Krieges, der zur Verkleinerung oder Schließung vieler Hofkapellen führte, war er gezwungen, an verschiedenen europäischen Höfen Anstellungen zu suchen. 1622 spielte er unter der Leitung William Brades in einem Gambenconsort am dänischen Königshof Christians IV. Wahrscheinlich zog er mit Brade zusammen an den herzoglichen Hof Friedrichs III. Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf.

It is perhaps a truism that virtually all so-called great composers had a special preference for the viola as da braccio (on the arm, i.e. the modern instrument) or da gamba , a versatile instrument of the viol family that was a particular focus of Baroque composers. Indeed, the Sixth Brandenburg features pairs of both instruments, da braccio and da gamba, and what would the passions be without the solo work Bach includes for each? This may have been due to the fact that one of his employers, Duke Leopold of Saxony-Anhalt-Cöthen, liked to play it, but more likely Bach liked the instrument’s versatility and distinctive timbre.