Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas for Violin and Continuo – Vol. I: Sonatas No. I-V

The Mystery or Rosary Sonatas by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644-1704) were composed for the Rosary Confraternity of Salzburg, probably by 1676.

Each composition represents an episode from the life of the Virgin Mary from a series of fifteen meditations corresponding to the fifteen beads of the Rosary. The pieces are organised into three groups, according to the Rosary: the five Joyful Mysteries, comprising the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity of Christ, Presentation and Finding of Jesus in the Temple; the five Sorrowful Mysteries, relating to the Crucifixion of Christ and the events preceding it; and the five Glorious Mysteries, relating to the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, Descent of the Holy Spirit, Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin.

The source of the present collection is the manuscript Mus. MS. 4123 in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich. Each 'sonata' is preceded by a printout on the subject of each composition and an indication of the tuning of the violin (different for each piece). The editor has added a transliteration of the violin part in real notes in order to facilitate the enjoyment of the work by violinists and continuists.