Dear baroque-luters,
200 years ago Johann Adolf Faustinus Weiss died in Dresden as one of the
last professional lutenists.
Unfortunately we don't have much lute music by him, but it would be more
than appropriate to play one of the suites by his father.
All of his life he lived in Dresden with the exception of some months,
that he had to spend in Poland because of war.
He probably never lived in Königsberg, as Neemann wrongly maintained.
But he gave guest performances in many cities of Europe, amongst others
in London.
In fact one of the most moving testimonies on his playing is by Johann
Nikolas Forkel, who wrote in his "Musikalischer Almanach für Deutschland
auf das Jahr 1782" (Leipzig: im Schwickertschen Verlag, 1781; Reprint
Hildesheim and New York: Georg Olms Verlag, 1974), p. 111:
Weiß (Joh. Adolph Faustinus) Chursächsischer Kammermusikus, und
Lautenist zu Dresden; geb[oren]. das[elbst]. - Ein Sohn des berühmlten
Sylvius Leopold, von welchem König sang: Es soll nur Sylvius die Laute
spielen. Er spielt die hinterlassenen vortreflichen und schweren
Compositionen seines sel. Vaters, die in dem ächten und körnichten
Geschmack geschrieben sind, wie ungefehr die Clavier=Arbeiten des sel.
Joh. Seb. Bach, mit vieler Leichtigkeit und Reinigkeit
(in English by D.A. Smith)
Weiss (Johann Adolph Faustinus), Electoral Saxon chamber musician and
lutenist in Dresden; born there. - A son of the famous Sylvius Leopold,
of whom [the Saxon court poet Johann Ulrich] König sang, “Only Sylvius
should play the lute.” He plays the splendid and difficult compositions
that his blessed father left behind, which are written in the pure and
pithy style, somewhat like the Clavier pieces of the late Joh. Seb.
Bach, with much levity and purity.
Best regards
Markus
--
Markus Lutz
Schulstraße 11
88422 Bad Buchau
Tel 0 75 82 / 92 62 89
Fax 0 75 82 / 92 62 90
Mail mar...@gmlutz.de
Homepages
http://www.slweiss.com (Silvius Leopold Weiss)
http://mss.slweiss.com (Baroque lute manuscripts - by Peter Steur)
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