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Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber von Bibern
1644 - 1704
Czech Republic
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber von Bibern (12/08/1644 - 03/05/1704), a Bohemian violinist and composer (from Wartenberg (Bohemia). He was for some time musical conductor at Salzburg, and was ennobled by the emperor Leopold in 1681. He is regarded as the earliest important German composer for the violin, his works including sonatas and church music.
Requiem in A major
This requiem in A major is the well-known one. The relatively large-scale forces -above all, the use of the court trumpeters- suggest that the work may have been intended for the funeral service of an important dignitary, possibly even that of Biber's employer, Archbischop Maximilian Gandolph of Khuenburg, in 1687. Certainly, the key of A major is unusual for a requiem.
The Bohemian composer Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber wrote two requiem masses, one in A major (A15) and a less grandiose one in F minor.
Requiem in F minor
This (undated) requiem is in F minor for five soloists, five-part choir, strings, trombones and basso continuo. It is preserved in manuscript in the Salzburg Cathedral archives.
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