Silvius Leopold Weiss

With an unrivalled understanding of his instrument and a compositional style rooted in late Baroque techniques, Silvius Leopold Weiss was to the lute what Bach was to the harpsichord. Born in 1686, he spent most of his working life at the court in Dresden as an accompanist, soloist and composer, dying in service there in 1750. Widely considered the finest German lutenist of his generation, he was celebrated for his powers of improvisation and was sought after as a teacher—even by the young Frederick the Great. More of Weiss’ music has survived than by any other composer for the lute. Some 600 pieces have come down to us, often carefully organised into sonatas made up of unpredictable sequences of dance movements. Broad in their outlook, and sometimes lasting well over half an hour, he allowed movements of profound contemplation to rub shoulders with dances inspired by contemporary Italian composers like Corelli and Vivaldi. Though Weiss composed duets and concertos for the lute, none have survived intact.