JAVS Summer 2021

Feature Article

Heinrich Biber’s Harmonia Artificiosa-Ariosa, Partia VII An Edition for Modern Violas By Chelsea Wimmer

Known as the greatest violin virtuoso of his time, Heinrich Biber wrote music unparalleled in imagination, virtuosity, and narrative capacity. His popular Rosary Sonatas for violin and continuo are well-regarded by musicians and scholars, but his lesser-known Harmonia artificiosa-ariosa chamber pieces also embody these qualities. Partia VII of the Harmonia , originally written for two violas d’amore and continuo, provides modern violists with a unique opportunity. While the viola was most often a supporting player in German seventeenth century chamber and orchestral music, here, like in J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, the two violas are the soloists. In order to further expand soloistic viola repertoire from the Baroque era and bring this spectacular piece to a larger community of listeners and players, I’ve made an arrangement of it for two modern violas and continuo. In this arrangement, I prioritized the important historical performance practice considerations of diverse sounds, articulation, ornamentation, and continuo instrumentation. Incorporating these aspects of historical performance practice into this piece is the most compelling and effective way to bring Biber’s vision to life. Written in 1696, Harmonia artificiosa-ariosa is a collection of seven “partias” (a name generally applied to a multi-movement instrumental work) written for various combinations of three instruments. In his dedication of Harmonia, Biber offers his musical gifts and the pieces directly to Archbishop Johannes Ernst of Salzburg, and indirectly to God: Harmonia Artificiosa-Ariosa

Most Noble and also Most Reverend Prince, Lord, Lord Most Clement. Be open O Most Noble Prince, since I have inscribed this Skillful-Melodic Harmony to Your Sacred Name. This is Your work, and whatever [is] in this work, One Concord is played by many fiddles. Certainly, this is the ideal of Your Virtue: as all things, which will merit eternity, are disposed concordantly. And why would it not be allowed to call to witness my faith in fiddles? These are arias (as we call them), and indeed skillful, namely that in this way I have combined the beneficial with sweetness. Every note will be brought under Your Most Clement protection. Live long, reign auspiciously, Great Prince! Thus all good things vow with one harmony, and also I myself along with these. Of Your Reverend Highness a most humble servant. Henrich [sic] Ignaz Franz von Biber. 1 In this dedication, Biber address his gratitude to the Archbishop—addressed as “Lord Most Clement” and “Great Prince”—who, as a representative of the Pope, connects to God. At this time, musicians and especially composers viewed music as a way to capture a glimpse of the divine: to escape the fear and chaos of the world and connect to the greater universe. Music was used to transform the chaos of the human world to harmony and concordance. 2 Biber hoped to achieve this in his wish to reach the “ideal of [God’s] Virtue,” to contribute goodness to the world, and to unite these “skillful arias” under “one harmony.” The specific title Harmonia artificiosa-ariosa invokes several elements crucial to seventeenth-century German music. According to James Clements,

This article was awarded the Honorable Mention Prize in the 2020 David Dalton Research Competition.

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 37, 2021 Online Issue

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