Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber lived and worked in Bohemia and Austria in the second half of the 17th century, and is one of the most significant composers for the violin of his time. Biber composed a landmark volume of sonatas for violin and continuo on the Mysteries of the Rosary which contains an extra bonus work for unaccompanied violin, the Passagalia (or Passacaglia). Considered a harbinger of the glorious Ciacona from Bach’s d minor Partita, the Passagalia is a technical tour de force, and takes the listener—and the performer—on a powerfully emotional journey. In this class we will bring to bear every bit of technique and musical acumen we possess to find our way through this amazing piece of music, and in doing so we will discover some of the tools at our disposal for forming a musical interpretation of whatever piece we have in front of us.
Level: High Intermediate to Advanced (everyone welcome, including violists)
A=415
Please visit sfems.org for the full summer calendar and livestream concerts.