Recent Researches in the Music of the Baroque Era

Only four concerti by Dresden lutenist Silvius Leopold Weiss (1687-1750) are known to survive. Not only was he the greatest lutenist of the eighteenth century, both by contemporary and modern appraisal, he was also a fine composer, bearing favorable comparison to his friend Johann Sebastian Bach for the quality of his compositions and improvisations, a point to which his many surviving lute solos attest. The four works comprising this volume were composed during Weiss’s tenure as lutenist at Dresden, and include a concerto for lute with four-part strings; a concerto grosso for lute, flute, violin, viola da gamba, and cello with ripieno strings; and two concerti for lute with two violins and cello. All were reconstructed from the extant lute tablatures in Dresden and Augsburg; any other accompanying parts or scores are lost. These works can also be heard on the Chandos CD, Silvius Leopold Weiss: Lute Concerti, CHAN 0707.

Performance parts are available for rental for the Concerto in C Major B136R1 , the Concerto in B-flat Major B136R2 , the Concerto in D Minor B136R3 , and the Concerto in F Major B136R4 .

Music Sample (B 136 score) Music Sample (B 136 lute part)

Contents:
Concerto a cinque in C Major
     I. Allegro
    II. Andante
   III. Tempo di minuetto

Concerto in B-flat Major
     I. Allegro 
    II. Largo
   III. Allegro

Concerto in D Minor
     I. Largo
    II. Allegro
   III. Largo
   IV. Allegro assai

Concerto in F Major
     I. Largo    
    II. Allegro
   III. Largo
   IV. Allegro